Chapter 5John
In his youth, John—who hadn’t been known as John then, because his people didn’t need names—had done many violent things. During his first few ventures beyond his ancestral boglands in the mortal world, he’d helped his people divide groups of weary mortal travelers and lead them into various and sundry death traps. He never stayed to watch them die, but followed his laughing friends and family away while the mortal cried out for their lost fellows. Later, when he was out scouting on his own, he separated more than one mortal child from a parent or mortal lover from lover and left them to similar fates, if they came too near territory his folk considered Home. It had never made him laugh like it did some of the other folk, but he didn’t feel bad about it. How could he; he’d n
