Prologue - Dark Tidings
Lightning tore across the star studded sky and the rain battered Kyvor relentlessly as he struggled against the howling wind. His progress up the winding path was slow but sure; the lighthouse was in sight. It stood like a sentinel over the waves which crashed into the foot of the cliff, defiant against the forces of nature. If only Kyvor could say the same for himself. He hoped that the weather would not foreshadow the mood of the meeting.
Or maybe it was the Lord’s doing. It would certainly be in his fashion to do so. He was always attracted to shows of power. If this storm had been brewed up to impress the messenger of the Shadows, it was certainly doing a good job.
Several minutes later, and with much effort, Kyvor finally reached the foot of the lighthouse. He tried the door but it was locked. He’d been told it would be, but there was no harm in trying. With frozen fingers, he fumbled in the pocket of his leather coat for his wand. He held the fancy stick with a certain disdain, but his fingers were far too numb to draw runes. With a shaking hand, he traced the tip of the wand through the air to draw runes over the door and closed his eyes.
The familiar feeling of travelling at a fast speed told him the spell had succeeded. All sounds of the raging storm vanished, to be replaced by utter stillness. He kept his eyes firmly closed as he felt strangely light. A few seconds later, he felt a rush of warmth and his feet once more touched the ground.
“You know, Adonis, that I am dying.”
Kyvor opened his eyes.
He was in a hall crafted out of black stone and polished to a superb shine. There were no windows; the only sources of light were the flaming torches that were suspended in brackets. In front of him stood a large double door, one half of which was slightly ajar. It was from there that the voice had come.
“It appears that someone has arrived.”
Knowing that his presence had been detected, Kyvor fully opened the door and strode through with as much confidence as he could muster. In the large room were two men. One was reaching middle age with long dark hair, while the other was young and sat on a throne of gold. There was a strange pallor to his skin which had not been the last time Kyvor had seen him. Just like the Shadows.
“Oh, it’s you Kyvor,” said the Lord, sitting slackly in his throne. The last time Kyvor had seen him, he had stood arrogantly. His illness was taking its toll. “I suppose the Shadows felt it too?”
Kyvor nodded. “She hopes that you might be able to elaborate.”
“The Shadows wants me to elaborate?” replied the Lord, the mocking tone of his voice barely concealed. “I thought she would have known instantly what it meant.”
“She would have, but circumstances prevented her from knowing otherwise,” explained Kyvor briefly. It ran deeper than that, but he wasn’t going to tell the Lord.
“A mistake has been made. The three of one exist. That is what has happened,” said the Lord.
“You mean -” began Kyvor.
“Yes,” interrupted Adonis. “The Enclave and the Circle have made an error. We were decieved. Everything starts now. 'The one will become three. The Memories, the Power, and the Darkness that never was or will be'."
Kyvor looked at Adonis in silence. He carried an aura of command around him that demanded obedience, yet Kyvor was also aware of the honour the man carried. However, it was clear why the Lord had chosen him as the first disciple. In the face of his power, such flaws accounted to nothing.
“What will you do?” asked Kyvor. Adonis didn’t reply.
“We shall do what we shall do,” replied the Lord menacingly. “And neither the Shadows nor the Reaper shall interfere in our affairs.”
“But if we ever needed to co-operate, then now is the time. Your lives hang in the balance!”
Kyvor’s words echoed in the silence that followed his outburst. He instantly regretted his words.
“How fares you daughter, Adonis?” asked the Lord.
“I haven’t been able to see her for some time,” replied Adonis regretfully. “You’ve visited her Kyvor, how is Eliel?”
Kyvor gave a start inside. How did he know? However, the memories of the black haired girl riled Kyvor for reasons unknown.
“Wondering why her father has abandoned her,” he said in an accusing tone.
“Watch your tongue, Kyvor. One incident of insolence I can bear, but you’re pushing your luck,” replied Adonis angrily. “I haven’t ‘abandoned’ Eliel. She doesn’t know that all I do is for her.”
“Fatherhood has made you weak, Adonis,” commented the Lord dryly. “But then, she does show signs of great power. Maybe I should bring her into my service…”
Kyvor noticed Adonis tense.
And this is exactly why we never have families, or get attached to anyone. Because our own masters can use them against us, he thought.
“I’ll be departing then. The Shadows calls me,” Kyvor announced.
As he left through the door and ported out with another flourish of his wand, he was glad to leave the halls of black marble and the people inside them behind him.
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A little backtracking since my last post. Chapter 1 can be found here:
I'll look at petersburg after my b-day.
