Free Ethan Wright and the Curse of Silence by Kimbro West

that Odin had made, and then grabbed his map and the miracle torch that he had received from Wegnel. He stuffed the items in his pockets and walked into the study.
    “I’m ready, Odin.”
    “Good,” smiled Odin, flinging the pack over his shoulder.
    They made their way out the front door and down the trail. They walked briskly to avoid getting soaked. A quickened pace did not seem to help them, for the rain started coming down heavily and they found themselves drenched.
    “Well this is mighty fine,” muttered Ethan.
    “No matter now, we are almost there!”
    They passed Vincent’s store and pushed further down the trail until they arrived at Auren’s house. It was a sturdy-looking stone house built into the side of a very tall hill. It had a very comfortable appearance to it and smoke was billowing from the chimney. They rapped on the door and were greeted immediately by Ghislain. Auren was standing behind his father with a welcoming look on his face.
    “Odin!” exclaimed Ghislain with a welcoming smile on his face. This surprised Ethan because in his previous encounters with Ghislain, Auren’s father had never looked particularly approachable. “Come inside out of the rain — got a fire going — come in and dry off a bit,” said Ghislain in his deep, raspy voice. Ghislain was a large and sturdy man. If Auren was the strongest twelve-year-old that Ethan had ever seen, Ghislain was his adult equivalent, being one of the strongest men Ethan had ever met.
    Ethan was shivering from the brisk morning and was glad to be out of the rain. The fireplace was a sight to be seen, with stone that reached from floor to ceiling. It almost took up the entire wall, and had a distinctly large opening. The fire crackled with charred logs that had broken in half and nestled in the warm glow from hours of burning. It instantly warmed Ethan as he held his hands toward the fire.
    Ghislain’s wife, Isabel, was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for the boys. She was very strict with Auren. Before Isaac went missing, he and Ethan would frequently get scolded for their pranks by Auren’s mother. Even Ghislain, with his enormous build, would tremble at the slightest hint of Isabel’s wrath. But since the disappearance of Isaac, Isabel was much more compassionate with Ethan. She always welcomed him with home-cooked meals and ensured he was keeping up with his studies.
    Isabel brought out food and set it on the table in the great room. Fried eggs, tomatoes, sausage, biscuits, and a pudding were served, as well as a large pot of hot honeyed tea. Ethan especially enjoyed Mrs. Faryndon’s food. A full meal was rare for him, growing up without a woman in the house.
    “Thanks, Mrs. Faryndon, it’s great,” said Ethan through a mouth stuffed full of food.
    “Yes, my dear Isabel, thank you. It’s wonderful,” added Odin, not daring to speak with a full mouth in fear of getting scolded.
    “No problem boys, just be sure you finish everything I put out here for ya. You’ll be needin’ your energy,” she said politely.
    She was setting out more biscuits and Ethan noticed something he had not seen until now. Isabel had a funny-looking scar on her wrist. Ethan thought it looked similar to a spider’s web, except with a larger pattern. Isabel noticed Ethan looking at her arm and pushed her sleeves down as she headed for the kitchen. Ethan turned and stared at the fire in hopes that he had not offended her in any way.
    “So Ethan, Auren tells me that you two encountered a werewolf last night?” asked Ghislain.
    “Uh, yeah,” stuttered Ethan
    “Boy that must have been exciting, I haven’t seen one of them in almost twenty years! Yes, that must have been exiting indeed,” said Ghislain, chuckling.
    “So you didn’t see the werewolf?” asked Ethan.
    Ghislain looked a bit surprised. “Well I can say most definitely not, I woulda known if I ran into a beast like that.”
    “Well how did Odin…” But Ethan was quickly cut