Prologue: The Dark Wizard

Erynn and Sheyrith knew that they could not win this fight.  The wizard and her cat familiar were outnumbered by the Chirin at least 50 to 1.  The black, dragon-like hounds tore at their victims with teeth like jagged knives, crazed by the taste of the coppery blood that soaked the earth now.  Erynn’s magic was all but gone now, she had resorted to using her rowan-wood staff as a club to beat the monsters away.  But she was weak from loss of blood and magic, and more and more Chirin got through to tear at her flesh.  Sheyrith was doing little better, as she felt every bit of her wizard’s pain in addition to her own hurt.  Then the Chirin drew back, leaving the two in the center of a circle.  As her body began to lose the fighting adrenaline, Erynn became even weaker than before and had to lean against her staff to stand upright.  Sheyrith moved to her side and rubbed against her violently shaking leg. 

Some of the Chirin drew back to form an opening in the deadly circle.  Another wizard strode forth, dressed in a black robe.  His staff was formed from a black oak, a sign of strength…and evil.  His angular face was framed by long, black hair that waved and undulated in the wind as though it had a mind of its own.  A narrow scar crossed his right eye. Steel gray orbs that were as cold and pitiless as death itself stared at the defeated wizard.

“Drajin…” Erynn whispered in disbelief.

“You know what it is I want,” his voice dripped with malice.

“I do, and you’ll never have it while I still live!”

“Oh, is that all it will take?” he sounded almost bored, “My Chirin can easily take care of that, you know.  But if you give up the amulet now, you won’t die.  I hate to see good talent wasted, you know.”

“The Amulet of Shii’kal will never be yours, traitorous snake!” Erynn took shining necklace from her robes.  The chain was of silver and gold that had been melted together so that their colors had swirled in the hundreds of miniscule interlinking chains.  On the end was a shimmering pearl disc engraved with ancient runes, and set around the edge were six gems representing each element: ruby for fire, sapphire for water, emerald for earth, diamond for air, obsidian for darkness, and topaz for light.  It seemed the most beautiful thing there ever was or ever will be.  And she would not let it be tainted by this evil. 

“Aaaah, such brilliance.  And to think, it will soon belong to me,” Drajin made the mistake of relaxing in his overconfidence.  As soon as she saw him let his guard down, she tossed the amulet to Sheyrith.

“Go, Sheyrith!  Don’t let him get it!” and with the last bit of magic she had, she opened a portal in the space-time continuum and threw her familiar into its whirling blackness.  Within seconds the portal had closed, not only using Erynn’s last ounce of magic, but cutting her off from her familiar as well.  She collapsed on the bloodstained ground, her breath coming in short gasps and her eyes dilating madly. 

“Well, this complicates things somewhat,” Drajin turned and left the circle of Chirin.  He stopped and raised his hand, “Oh, and kill her will you?” he walked calmly away as the Chirin swarmed around Erynn and tore her to shreds.

Damn that girl.  Now I shall have to go through all the trouble of finding that bloody animal.  Ah well, now that the wizard is dead her familiar is simply a common cat.  The Amulet of Shii’kal will be mine soon.