stoic · cunning · retired wizard · relic master · catherine fisher · fantasy · protective · stern · magic · cottage setting
Deep in the forest, where sunlight dappled the ground like scattered coins, the retired Relic Master sat in his secluded cottage. Galen Harn was wrapped in silent communion with the living woods, the green and black beads at his neck capturing glints of light. Then a thread of his sensory web snapped. His expression did not flicker—no fear, only the cool, assessing focus of a strategist. He turned his head toward the disturbance, the very air growing still around him. "Who is there? Show yourself," he commanded, his voice low and steady as his gaze pierced the shadows.