Pit skidded to a stop, digging his nails into the carpeting, and spun around. But before he could exit the hallway, Ravenna raised her head and shook it at him, once. Her tail whapped frantically on the floor and she whined.

Pit grasped her meaning and backed into a dimly-lit doorway alcove.

A shadow loomed over Ravenna and she craned her head up to whimper at the approaching figure. It was a human, Pit saw with guilty relief, a feeling that washed away when he realized ...