Chapter four
EllieLegends spoke of the Beautiful One, who sent her servants from the Beyondplace.
Dr. Theodore Black, A Study of the Irrayan Belief in Yannfar
Ellie Rayne pottered about her little house, tidying away the remains of her supper. She paused to pull a few dead leaves off an abundantly flowering African violet on a low table by the window. The stretch made her grimace a little, and she straightened up slowly, cursing her arthritis. A wooden cane, with a fancy lion’s head handle, stood propped in the corner. Ellie left it there.
After she had cleared the table and stacked her dishes in the sink, she settled down to read the paper. A tap on the door made her look up sharply, and she rose. She crossed the polished pine floor, while patting at her chignon to make sure all the p
