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STOLEN BY THE PAST Prologue: Once found, she had been taken from him again. Her guardians had snatched her away. Because, Abhner had believed, he was evil and dangerous. That was the reason why they had hidden Layana from him. He looked at Layana now, her full mouth open in a scream of horror and excitement as the dark clouds of death she had called began to descend upon the world. How wrong they had been, he thought. How wrong they had all been. Not all, though, he quickly corrected himself. Someone had known the entire time. The Elders. Once there had been eight of the extraordinary wizards, then depleted at the very beginning of the century to seven. In a war that Abhner had not been born to witness, the Elders had been split down the middle. Four - Komaluna, Plazonra, Leonarra, Vahra - followed Lucretious and his immortal bigotry, three - Bouchraa, Ghabraa, Dhalidya - remained together vowing to protect the world that they had been set on earth to nurture. But they had not protected the world. Just look at the mess it was now in. He looked back at Layana, still unable to keep his eyes from her beautiful face. Her skin was pale, her eyes so very dark and drawn, but still she was perfect. She was going to kill him and yet he could not stop loving her. Despite the Elders' best efforts, she had belonged to him and he to her. The great power they had shared together. The electricity that had sparked between them that had been more than just love. Abhner could see now with all the clarity that hindsight could bring that it had been the fusion of the power lying dormant in his mind and the pieces left over in Layana's trying desperately to be rejoined. Their souls had wanted the same thing, too. |
They had been married no more than two months ago. And that marriage had brought them here, to this place of death. To this battle. And Layana was no longer on the same side as Abhner. And he knew whose fault it was. Lucretious. He hissed the name in his mind, watched how the old man smiled greedily at his daughter's powers. Were they stronger than his own? It didn't matter. Layana would not fight him; she was out of control. Her only duty in this life now was to bring forth the apocalypse. Abhner's eyes raised to the ever darkening sky. And she was doing a wonderful job. Anger bit into the sadness that had been encasing his heart and he reached out for the abandoned sword lying on the uneven ground of Sandpoint's top. His hand squeezed down over the hilt and he frowned his blue eyes across at his father-in-law. This was all going to end very soon, he promised himself and Lucretious. Hunching his shoulders forward, trying to make his skinny, lanky body seem broad and strong, he lifted the sword. It took only another second for him to decide to move forward, to try to end it once and for all. Seeing Layana, her once beautiful face now contorted in concentration and evil, was enough to send his anger surging up through his body, burning him in its ferocity. Lucretious was going to pay for what he had done to his wife! Letting out a roar as he moved, Abhner held the sword in his inexperienced grip, thrusting it out, hoping for a lucky strike. But to his horror and dismay Lucretious was ready for him, had somehow known of his plan. Flicking out his haggard cloak, Lucretious spun with amazing grace and speed for a man of his age and stature. Revealing the sword he had always had hidden beneath his clothing, he smirked that knowing smile at Abhner and the younger man suddenly felt the weakness of his own body. As if to confirm it, Lucretious struck out with his weapon, his stroke fast and true. It met Abhner's and the blades chimed together loudly. That deadly ringing of death.
The wind roared its anger and defiance but Layana did not look over, not once did she lower her eyes from the sky and the apocalypse that would forever bear her name.
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