Part 1 of the Powderhorn Series
| He moves quietly, but I still hear him on the stairs,
before the slight creak of the fire door.
Then nothing. Lost his nerve? No, there it is. The faintest tap, and the latch moves. Elijah edges in. “Ian?” Diffident, he’s barely inside my still-open door. Shuffling his feet a little, not really looking at me. “I wasn’t sure…” “Dear boy.” I stand up, slowly, trying not to spook him. “That our rooms adjoin the fire stairs is a coincidence. My key, however, was an invitation.” I open my arms, and he’s in them, almost before the door clicks shut. |