Nervously, he looked about. There was something in the air tonight, he decided; a tension, a feeling that something was not right.

He had to fight to control the sensation that somewhere something evil stirred, hungry for his life, for the lives of all the people of Baron Gottfried's entourage.

"Is there something wrong, Felix? You seem very distracted tonight," said Kirsten.

He looked over to her and smiled, finding pleasure in her presence. Normally he enjoyed their nightly walks by the river but tonight foreboding came between them.

"No. Just tired." He couldn't restrain a glance in the direction of the nearby hills. By the light of the moons the opening looked very like a gaping maw.

"It's this place, isn't it? There's something unnatural about it. I can feel it. It's like when Frau Winter does one of her dangerous spells. The hair on the back of my neck prickles. Only this is much worse."

Felix saw terror surface in her face then disappear again. She looked out over the water. "Something old and evil dwells below those hills, Felix. Something hungry. We could die here."

Felix took her hand. "We're quite safe. We're still by the river."

His voice quivered and his words did not come across reassuringly. He sounded like a scared boy. They were both shaking.

"Everyone in the camp is afraid, except your friend Gotrek. Why is he so fearless?"

Felix laughed quietly. "Gotrek is a Trollslayer, sworn to seek death to atone for some crime. He's an exile from his home, family and friends. He has no place in this world. He is brave because he has nothing to lose. He can only regain his honour by dying honourably."

"Why do you follow him? You seem like a sensible man."

Felix considered his reply carefully. He had never really questioned his motives that closely. Under the gaze of Kirsten's dark eyes it suddenly became important for him to know.

"He saved my life. We pledged blood-loyalty after that. At the time I did not know what the ritual meant but I've stuck to it."

He had given the barest facts, the truth in a sense, but not an explanation. He paused and stroked the old scar on his right cheek. He wanted to be honest.

"I killed a man in a duel. It caused a scandal.