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Prologue

He blended in quite well to his surroundings, with his pitch-black cloak. Of course, the cloak was suppose to have been invisible, but you can never trust traveling salesmen. This is true for any world, and the magical one is no different.

“Should have bloody well known he was a crook, never trust a salesman, that’s what they always say, but do I listen? No,” he muttered under his breath.

Sadly Pearson was not a very good businessman, although he thought himself one. This may not have been too troublesome for such purchases as a phony griffin’s paw or a misty crystal ball, but Pearson had serious need of an invisible cloak that night. This may have to do with the fact that there were highly skilled wizards on his trail, and they had no such orders as to bring him back alive.

Not that Pearson was thinking about that certain dilemma. Oh no, he had something bigger on his hands, or in them to be more specific. A tiny bundle wrapped in a golden yellow blanket. As he swiftly made his way through the dense forest, tiptoeing over roots and dodging tree trunks, he clutched this bundle lightly to his chest.

Finally he saw the soft glow of the cabin. “She would have a cabin in the middle of this forest, probably miles from any town,” he muttered. (This was not true however, as this particular cabin was exactly 1.8 miles from the closest town.) He rushed quickly up to the cabin and pounded his knuckles on the door. A middle-aged woman quickly opened the entrance, allowing a pool of light to spill onto the dark night. She looked around, as if to see if anyone else was there, and motioned for Pearson to come inside.

The cabin was small and homely, with bare wooden walls and herbs drying upon the ceiling. The smell of earth permeated the air in a gentle haze, and Pearson noted a few key scents. Rosemary, chamomile, catnip, foxglove… he named them silently in his head. On the table there were herbs wrapped tenderly in crinkled brown paper and a heavily used oak mortar and pestle, the pestle now containing a light green powder.

He snapped out of his stupor and quickly went over to the fire, sitting gingerly in a plush chair, softly allowing the small bundle to settle on his lap. He took down the hood of his not-so-invisible cloak and breathed in deeply. He had come a long way.

“That be her, then?” said the woman, peering down at the bundle with an even stare.

“Bloody well better be, all the trouble I went with bringing her here.” Pearson was not in the best of moods at the moment. He was not really use to five-hour flights, especially while casting a calming spell while doing so.

The woman nodded. “And both of her parents are dead?” Her words were harsh, but her voice was calm.

Pearson nodded solemnly, suddenly becoming somber. “Saw it with my own eyes,” he said quietly, looking down to a distant corner of the room, as if trying to avoid the bundle’s existence. He squinted against the soft firelight, and the woman allowed him a moment to calm himself.

“And what are you going to do now?” asked the woman in her soft voice.

“Well, I suppose I’ll have to join the rest,” he answered, his usual business like toning appearing once more. He looked back towards her. “Look, I really do appreciate you doing this for me May-”

The woman shushed him. “You know I would do anything for you.” She put her hand on his arm. “I wish I could have done more then…”

Pearson looked up into her eyes. Even though she was getting older… she was still beautiful. Her lined face still held the same silent beauty, her now pale lips still lush, her hazel eyes still full of warmth. The same beautiful May…

Pearson stood up quickly, now avoiding her gaze. He silently handed her the child, which she accepted silently. “You’ll have plenty of practice for this one, what with your other children,” he told her, unable to keep the hint of bitterness from his voice.

The woman before him didn’t flinch at his cold tone. She simply looked at him with unmistakable sadness.

He couldn’t bear to look at her now. It was all he could do to talk to her, to see her once more… He had to leave, or he would do something stupid. And now was not the time to be rash.

“Well I have to go, after all, someone has to help reorganize us.” He was straight back to official mode.

May looked at the tiny bundle in her hands with a tender gaze. “I’ll take good care of her, don’t worry,” she whispered, smiling lightly at her new ward.

“Our future depends on you May,” Pearson confided softly, taking one last gaze at her. He walked briskly to the door, once more raising his hood. “Just know that,” he said, without looking back. With that he left.

May looked at the closed door for a moment before the bundle started to make soft noises of discomfort. She shushed the little girl inside. “It’s going to be all right, little one. Everything will be all right… Ember.”