The Man in the Fire

The Man in the Fire took everything Daniel ever held dear. Now Daniel sets out for one final confrontation. This tale is from the short story collection, BURIED IN THE BASEMENT, by the author of the Temple of the Blind series. About 4800 words.An orphan girl named Mol wakes in the middle of the night to music. Enchanted, she follows the sound into the forest of Arden, where she is taken captive by a man known only as the Erlking; a man who rules a kingdom of monsters. Leaving her life as an urchin far behind, Mol becomes part of the Erlking's Bower, where she is among hundreds of other children just like her who are forced to follow the commands of the Ilyn that rule over them. But there is a deadly secret lurking behind the Bower, and with growing certainty Mol finds that she was taken for a reason - a reason that might kill her.