Balance of Magic: Prologue

                                                               Prologue

            Candles flickered around the small room. “Which one milord?” The shadowed figure glanced at his master.

            “That one.” A single gnarled finger pointed to a small village on the chart.

            “Yes Lord, but,” he sounded hesitant. “Milord?”

            “What is it?”

            “May I ask why lord?”

            The master glanced at his military chief. “I want it done the day after tomorrow.”

            “Yes Lord, of course Lord.”

            Adrian stumbled frantically through the street. Wildly, he fled from house to burning house, hands over his ears to shut out the screams. He had been with mother and father, celebrating his birthday.

            “Now wait here Adrian. Your mother and I will be gone for a few minutes. When we come back, you'll get a surprise.”

            How could everything go so wrong in only a short while? Mother's kind smile and Father's gentle voice sounded worlds away now. He slumped against the ground, resting a fevered cheek on the cool dirt. Sobs wracked his small body.

            “Hey, boy!” growled a low voice. “You look lost.”

            Adrian looked up in time to see two large men holding gleaming sabers. The taller of them stepped forward and grinned.

            “I'd take you to your mommy, but we're killing everyone. So I guess you'll get to see her anyway.”

            They raised their blades and advanced. Adrian started trembling and whimpered. “Help me somebody, please…”

Suddenly the furthest bandit stumbled forward and screamed. Lines of white light formed on his hands and face. Then they spread until he looked like a cracked pottery statue. As the cracks grew the light brightened, the bandit exploded. When the glowing sparkles faded, there wasn't even a corpse.

            The closer bandit turned to see the tall white-haired man who had killed his comrade. The white robes the old man wore glowed softly in the firelight. The bandit readied his saber and charged with a shout.

            Adrian's rescuer lifted one hand and whispered in a strange language. A beam of light left his raised hand and struck the charging man in the chest. He turned to Adrian as the bandit fell.

            “My name is Taj. Do not be afraid, everything will be alright.”

Adrian blacked out.

            Shcade gazed at the scene. Flickers from the embers made his dark eyes glow. The brigands advanced on the young boy. It was too bad such a fresh life would be taken, but it was for the best. A figure stepped out of the smoke, shattering one of the raiders. Taj! His intervention was not planned for. The newcomer crouched by the boy, comforting him. They both left together.

            Shcade reached out with one long finger and erased the shimmering window. No, pondered the dark figure, this was not good. This was not good at all.