Prologue

A tall hooded figure stepped from the atrium into a small room. He glanced up at the stone slab ceiling high above. A dry, tart mustiness filled the air.
     Flicking his wrist, the room lit with a dull red glow.
     A short, hunched, and badly gnarled beast shuffled up beside him. “There it is, Master,” rasped the servant, pointing a long, crooked finger.
     The tall figure lowered his gaze. In the center of the room stood a pedestal. A book floated above the pedestal, rotating slowly, bathed in a soft golden magical light. The ancient text was leather-bound with a large silver seal embossed on its aged and deeply cracked surface.
     Striding over to the pedestal, he reached for the book.
     As his skeletal fingers crossed the pedestal’s threshold, orange magic lashed out, attacking his hand. Flicking his wrist casually, there was a flash, and the magic dispersed in a flurry of tangerine sparks.
     Plucking the book from the air, he handed it to his servant, then waved his hand over the pedestal. An exact replica of the book he’d just stolen suddenly appeared, floating as before. He smiled a sickly thin smile at his forgery.
     “We have it, Master,” hissed the servant, scratching its left horn. “We must leave!”
     “Just one more task left,” said the Master. Spreading his arms wide, he opened his hands palm upward. Emerald lightning arced around his hands and launched upward. Crackling, the magic playfully scampered across the ceiling, seeping into the cracks between the massive stone slabs. Once concealed in its hiding place, the magic’s green glow faded.
     Gazing a moment longer at the book floating before him, he smiled at his forgery and said, “The trap’s baited and set.” The wizard’s cape flew as he spun around and strode from the room, his hideous servant scampering along after.