The figure pursuing Darien peeked from the corner and quickly ducked back after realizing the boy had stopped to wait for it.
"You can come out," Darien said calmly.
But the figure showed no fear. Instead, it stepped forward, revealing its mysterious form.
Darien expected to see a shady person or an assassin, something of a threat.
But what he saw was a short figure in a dark, bulky cloak.
Its nose was long and crooked, shadowed beneath a hood that hid its face. The creature looked like a gnome.
Darien wasn't sure, but he thought he'd seen this peculiar being before somewhere around the magi buildings in the academy.
If that were true, then
The figure was calm and slow, yet Darien couldn't forget how swiftly it had followed him through the alleys.
"Have you lost your way, old man?" Darien asked.
