The Talisman

Jack wakes in the Territories to see a large man with long black hair driving a herd of animals. At first, he thinks it is “Elroy-thing” (263). However, this man has orange eyes, overalls, and is friendly. He says his name is Wolf. Jack introduces himself and likes Wolf instantly. When he asks him if he is a werewolf, Wolf says yes and asks how Phil is doing. Before Jack can answer, Wolf realizes that Phil is dead because he smells Jack’s mood change. He says Phil visited with Sloat once, and that Sloat was bad. Wolf says that Sloat took some of the other Wolfs with him, but Phil didn’t know.

Sloat pushes the buttons on a small safe, revealing a key that fits a toy soldier. He threw the toy away but kept the key. He dropped the key an hour before Jerry Bledsoe’s death, and it escaped the electrical fire that killed Jerry unscathed. Sloat says he’s coming for Jack.

Wolf says that his cattle belong to the Queen. When Jack asks if they are safe from him, Wolf says that he goes somewhere safe when he experiences the change of the moon.