Chapter Twenty-NineGarth whirled, reaching automatically for the dagger on his belt.
An old woman stood in the entryway; she wore heavy robes, their color indistinguishable in the dim red glow that lit the cave—a glow that seemed brighter than Garth remembered it. He attributed that to the distorting effects of whatever he had just gone through.
The woman smiled cheerfully at him, looking utterly harmless despite the eerie light, but Garth was not comforted by her expression. He noticed, rather, that he was unable to focus clearly upon her face. Her features appeared to shift subtly as he watched.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
“I am Weida, goddess of wisdom and learning,” the old woman replied, crossing her arms over her chest—or perhaps they had already been crossed, Garth could not be
