Osric sat outside the faerie’s cage, watching her. She didn’t look fearful, worried, or even concerned. She ignored Osric and turned away from him, extending her wings to obscure his view. He walked around the cage to see her. She was placing her fingertips together, her arms outstretched, then spreading her hands apart. When they reached the width of the cage, she turned her hands outward and touched the cage. It did not appear that her actions were magical, for she showed no reaction upon touching the wooden bars.
He heard a hard scratching upon the workshop door, the sound of claws on wood. He looked out the window to see if it was a bear. It was a dog, a Husky, its lower coat gleaming white, its upper coat dark from head to tail like a black cloak. It turned to look at Osric, sky-blue eyes shining in the darkness. The Husky scratched at the door again, asking to enter.
Osric opened the door, and the dog entered. It padded past him and sat in the center of the room, facing the faerie’s cage. Osric had only seen this breed once, on a trip with Wulfric to Russia to learn how to detect dark magic. The dog was handsome and well-trained, with a face that appeared intelligent, almost human in its countenance. When he approached the dog, it gave no sign of aggression, so he reached out to pat its head. As he touched its fur, everything went black.
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