It was a pale lanky man with long straggly hair that was mostly gray.
"Who are you? And where's my sister?" Jon asked.
The man smiled weakly. "I am your captor. As for your sister, she has been released along with her friend. I believe you saw her out the window a moment ago?"
"That wasn't my sister. She was too old," Jon said.
"Oh, yes. Time flows a bit slower in my realm. A few minutes out here could mean the same as years in ..."
"Did you say realm?" Karyn asked, interrupting him.
"Yes, that's right. And you'll both be spending quite a bit of time there." His smile grew in size. "Maybe even for the rest of your lives."
"Why did you let my sister and her friend go?" Jon asked.
"Oh, they definitely weren't as valuable as you two. Just think of them as bait."
"Bait? Bait for what?" Jon asked.
"Well, for you two, of course." He looked at them for a moment, then said "Come with me to your new home." He held out his hand.
"You've gotta be nuts if you think I'm gonna come with you," Jon said, taking the stone out of his pocket. "I wish ..."
