Chapter 14: The Keeper of the Town

The woman's name was Idra. She had been the town's Keeper for sixty years, and her predecessor had kept the post for seventy before her.

"What do you keep?" Sera asked. Idra led them into a low building at the town's center. Inside was a single room, and in the room was a single chair, and in the chair sat a figure made entirely of pale smoke. It had no face, but it turned toward them. "That," said Idra. "We keep that."

Ash jumped onto a table and sat facing the smoke-figure. "Hello, old friend," the cat said softly. The smoke reached toward it and stopped just short of touching.