Chapter One
The White Owl
Nobody saw the owl, white in the moonlight, black against the stars,
nobody heard him as he glided over on silent wings of velvet. The owl
saw and heard everything.
He settled in a tree, his claws hooked on a branch, and he stared at
the girl in the glade below. The wind moaned, rocking the branch,
scudding low clouds across the evening sky. It lifted the hair of the
girl. The owl was watching her, with his round, dark eyes.
The girl moved slowly from the trees toward the middle of the glade,
where a pool glimmered. She was concentrating. Each deliberate step
took her nearer to her purpose. Her hands were open, and held
slightly in front of her. The wind sighed again in the trees. It blew
her cloak tightly against her slender figure, and rustled her hair
around her wide-eyed face. Her lips were parted.
Chapter One
The White Owl
Nobody saw the owl, white in the moonlight, black against the stars,
nobody heard him as he glided over on silent wings of velvet. The owl
saw and heard everything.
He settled in a tree, his claws hooked on a branch, and he stared at
the girl in the glade below. The wind moaned, rocking the branch,
scudding low clouds across the evening sky. It lifted the hair of the
girl. The owl was watching her, with his round, dark eyes.
The girl moved slowly from the trees toward the middle of the glade,
where a pool glimmered. She was concentrating. Each deliberate step
took her nearer to her purpose. Her hands were open, and held
slightly in front of her. The wind sighed again in the trees. It blew
her cloak tightly against her slender figure, and rustled her hair
around her wide-eyed face. Her lips were parted.