Prologue

Prologue

The wind howled and the rain pounded at the dark, mysterious stranger. The horses brayed from their place in the barn. They sensed the danger oozing from the intruder. One snap is all it would take, he thought. But no, no murder tonight unless need be.

The stranger’s eyes searched the ground. The search was taking longer than expected, thanks to this cursed rain. The stranger sighed. Then, as the lightning lit up the dark, stormy sky, he saw it, a glint of silver that turned out to be the handle of a trap door.

He swiftly opened the door and stepped down into the ground. The place was dark. With a snap of his fingers, a light appeared, illuminating the dark, dank hallway. He walked along at a quick pace. He wanted what he came for, and then, on to bigger and better things.

When he finally reached his destination, a large, cavernous store room, he stopped. There were crates stacked to the ceiling of the chamber. Ugh, he thought, wearily. He scanned the room and strained his ears, listening. Finally he heard a soft murmurs coming from behind some of the crates. With a Snap! the crates toppled to one side.

The murmurs had come from two men and one woman. At the sight of the stranger the woman ran. The men grabbed their weapons to defend the store room. Their attempts were feeble. With yet another snap, a rope appeared and the men and woman were tied together.

“Where is it?” he asked harshly.

The woman spat at his feet. With one fluid movement, she was dead, her neck broken.

“Will you suffer the same fate as her?” he asked the men, half annoyed, half amused. The men sat silent as stone. He snapped and they both died instantly.

“It appears to be that I must find it myself,” he said. Placing his fingers on his temple, he mentally searched the room. Finally he found what he was looking for. He bent and took a mighty leap. He landed almost feline on a stack of tottering crates.

He grabbed the crate in the stack next to the one he was standing on and removed the lid. Inside were diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. He threw the box to the side. In the next crate were opals, pearls, and emeralds. He threw this box aside too. The next crate held jewels as well, but also a smaller box.

“Hmm,” he said aloud removing the smaller box and throwing the crate aside. Inside the small box was a heavy golden pendant incrusted with a blood-red diamond.

Excellent, he thought. He could feel the magic pulsing through the pendant. The diamond shone, sensing its use, its need, approaching. He put the pendant around his neck, the electrical feel of magic spiraling through his body. The shock left no cell in his body untouched. It ran through him like a wild fire, making him tingle all over.

Finally the sensation stopped. A new, euphoric, feeling crept over him. He felt unstoppable, immortal, and powerful. He lifted up his hand and saw the red sparks dancing on his finger tips, splaying to and fro across his knuckles. He felt the sudden need to test his newfound power. But how? He thought. Then an idea struck him. Whit and evil grin, he raised his hand and snapped. The explosion could be seen for miles.