The conclusion of Chapter Two from my upcoming novel "The Exile of Gaspar." Expect publication late 2013.

The night is very clear and unusually cold. We are so near to the star that its light banishes the darkness that tries futilely to extinguish it. A small village twinkles in the foothills to our east. The cry of a lost sheep cuts the night like a blade and a shepherd boy not much younger than I am scampers across the path before us to bring the lamb back to its fold. “Peace to you, brother shepherd,” Melchior calls out. “Can you tell me the name of that village?” T...