| Prologue |
| The mage pulled the hood of his dark brown robe up to cover his face and watched the busy street. He stood in a dark back alley in the Mire, the slum part of the city Daishan. A gaggle of laughing noblewomen mounted on tall, elegant horses caught his eye. The ladies were dressed in fine silk dresses, gauzy veils, and feathered hats. Jewelled rings, bracelets and necklaces glittered in the afternoon sunlight. The evident splendour they enjoyed contrasted sharply with the drab rags on the dirty people scurrying by. Seeing such wealth in the dirtiest part of the Mire was quite unusual. The mage watched them until they disappeared around the corner, then turned back to his careful scrutiny of each passer-by. He hadn�t found what he was looking for by the time the sun touched the horizon, setting the sky on fire briefly before sinking down into darkness. He muttered to himself, shaking his head sadly and returning to the inn he was staying at. The Assassins Blade was the best inn in the Mire, though it was hardly a respectable establishment. The man frowned at the people in the common room and hurried up the stairs to the room beside his own. He opened the door quietly, peering in at the inhabitant. Reassured his travelling companion was all right, he silently closed the door and retreated to his own room, bolting the door behind him. He sat on his bed and sighed at the fruitlessness of today�s search. �I must find the others,� he muttered to himself, sitting on the rock hard bed. �I must find them before they grow too strong. Before�� He trailed off, unwilling to voice that thought lest it come true. He sighed deeply and lay back to try and get some sleep before returning to the streets and his search. |