The Shadowing Hunted by Adam Slater

Author:Adam Slater
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Egmont
Published: 2011-04-17T21:00:00+00:00

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The Hunter’s insides twist with hunger.

It can see its prey now, so close, so close – radiant with nourishing power. The sensation makes the Hunter almost dizzy. It halts silently at the garden gate, poised for the kill.

Then the boy steps squarely over the threshold of his dwelling place. Instantly, the tantalising presence vanishes.

The Hunter is baffled. One second it could sense flesh and blood and bone, ripe for the taking. Now it has disappeared behind the crumbling mortar walls as though it never was.

The dwelling must be protected. A charm? Blessing? Curse?

The Hunter slinks around the flimsy barriers thrown up against mortal intruders: the low wall, the wooden gate, the briar hedge. It leaps lightly along the roof of the adjoining cottage to examine the dwelling from above.

No mere charm protects this place. It is enmeshed in a complex web of magic shields, cloaking it and guarding it. The flowers and herbs along the garden path, the guardian trees, are situated with accurate detail and woven together with spells of warding and concealment. The prey is well protected in its den.

The Hunter pauses. Has this quarry woven this protective web itself? Can it be a foe with power that can be used against the Hunter?

The Hunter considers the possibility for a moment.

No. It cannot be. This victim is not dangerous; it is simply better at concealing itself than the others.

But the Hunter knows that a mortal creature cannot stay forever within protective walls. It must venture out for food and the social gatherings that fill all human days. Sooner or later the boy will cross his charmed threshold and stand blinking and unshielded in the world beyond the garden wall.

The Hunter will be waiting. It looks forward to toying with this prey when it is finally caught. An end to this game of cat and mouse.

It is still hungry.

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