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Chapter 1

"Once again I’lad I’runted in agreement My cousin wasn’t welcome in polite society, either, but for a different reason He was a pirate Excuse ic users, seeking didn’t rate ic users thought

There had to be a better way to spend our first day on the Isle of Mid than listening to overeducated uards hadn’t asked us anted

Our guards were a pair of Guardians from the Conclave of Sorcerers We were in their citadel’s tower, overlooking the town’suests

My accoht, airy, andview of Mid’s harbor Being aalong the lines of dark and damp, with a view of iron bars Sometimes it’s nice to be disappointed Phaelan had opted to stay on his ship anchored in Mid’s harbor Good choice At least he had one

Phaelan was here because he’d come with me I was here because I had to be

My name is Raine Benares I’s lost and peopleI can now add "finder of stones of cataclyset rid of it, or the cataclysave me as some sort of sick and twisted finder’s fee

The stone with the warped sense of huhred It’s a black rock about the size of a o, hred before them were indestructible--and their adversaries were annihilated You’d think sohred couldn’t cause all that -- apparently size really doesn’t hred had gone crazy Not crazy like an eccentric aunt, but take-over-the-world-and-kill-hred and I were bonded, but I couldn’t sense it now It was locked in a containuard, and spellbound under layers of the strongest bindings the Guardians could weave But it’d already done its dahred’s help to do the things I could do now My inal I didn’t knohat my limits were now--or even if I had any li me in the citadel for my own protection or for everyone else’s I didn’t think the Guardians were all that sure, either

I didn’t want a link with a legendary stone of power That’s why I was here One of those fancy-robed speech- to i words ht alone was almost as scary as the stone I was attached to

The Isle of Mid was hoe for sorcery, as well as the Conclave, the governing body for all do in a few days, hence the poically talented kids had to shell out a lot of gold to send their darlings to the Conclave’s college I guess the faculty wanted to assure the parents they’d be getting their money’s worth

A tower room in a citadel was the last place I wanted to be However, ard and Riston were both big and huly homicidal The Guardians’ sworn duty was to protect the ainst any outside threat, but they spentthe Conclave’s students and citizens from each other The Guardians were sorcerers and warriors, and keeping the peace in a city of sorcerers gave theard and Riston’s job today was to guard and protectthat I was in a tower room in the Guardians’ citadel, it looked like a pretty pluet into under heavy guard in a tower room? Notice I didn’t ask that question out loud No need to rub Fate’s nose in soh lately

Phaelan had generously offered his guard services as well, just in case souards couldn’t handle Phaelan’s guard-on-duty stance rese back in a chair with his feet up, but instead of a tavern table, his boots were doing a fine job of holding down the sill I don’t kno I’d ever felt safe without him

My cousin looked like the rest of ood looks, equally dark disposition I stood out like a flaray eyes, and pale skin Considering my present circumstances, I was surprised there weren’t a fehite hairs a down into the square "What’s he saying?"

"That’s Loran Abas, professor eard told him

My cousin blinked "There’s a class for that?"

"Afraid so Trust h if you’d like, I can fix it so you can"