Prologue:

She stood, motionless, in the large, arched window of the old stone castle. She looked like she was alone, but on closer inspection; a young man was cowering in the shadows. She spoke, breaking the empty silence;

“It happens every time I send you out. You fail me,” she sighed dramatically.

“I’m sorry, General,” whimpered the man, coming into the light of the full moon.

“It’s not just a case of saying sorry and it all being over and done with. I must find him.” She yelled, throwing a blue and white vase across the room. The man ducked and the vase hit the wall above his head. Moments earlier, it had been priceless. She was calmer now.

"Where have you been looking for him?” she asked.

“All over your island, my lady. But there is no sign of him,” the man replied.

She walked to the glassless window and said, her voice dripping with deadly poison,

“Of course, you never thought to look on his island, did you?”

“He has an island? Where is it?” The man asked, genuine confusion in his voice.

“Right next to my island, you moron! Honestly, go and look out the window!”

The man rushed to the arch, not wanting to upset the woman further.

“Well, now that you have some sense drilled into that puny brain, you can continue your search, can’t you?” the woman whispered

“But my lady…” the man hesitated to ask the question that he had been dreading the whole evening.

“Can’t you?” the woman repeated, harder this time, and the man ran down the stairs, a faint,

“Yes, my lady,” echoing up the winding stairs.

The woman smiled; she had him now.