The warrior came to the edge of the forest. There, in a clearing, he saw the hut standing on chicken feet. “Hut, hut! Turn with your back to the forest, with your front to me.” It turned. He stepped forward, but stopped in fear. A river of fire appeared between him and the hut. The hag stood at the doorway, leering at him. “I can give you what you want!” she cackled. “But you’ll have to brave the baptism of fire.”
The warrior jumped in…
-“The Tale of Alienna the Wise and the Deathless One” (Old Tales, Book II)
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The River of FireThe stars were snuffed out like candles. The field was shrouded in black. The other shacks were simply not there. Outside Tarin’s window, it was so dark that it looked as though someone had painted the windows black. The growling continued—re
