Prologue
Drilbury Lane was quiet. Too quiet, was the thoughts rattling around in Serpentin's head. He was part of the Sanctuary in England and in all his years of living in London, all his life to be exact, no street was ever this quiet. Had he been concentrating on the environment around him, rather than talking to himself in his head, he would have heard the soft pitter patter of feet against the wet ground. Regardless of the state of the street, Serpentin had to deliver this information to the Grand Mage; it was urgent. There had been reports of ever increasing activity in the North Pole and several Sanctuary agents, two from the USA and three from Australia had gone missing. The Americans were certainly dead, their bodies had been found floating in the ocean by a fishing trawler. The Australians were still missing. When he reached the about the middle of the street, he stopped. He heard footsteps. He turned around and sighed.
"You can't keep this up" he shouted to the dark alleyway that the noise had come from.
"Oh but I can, my dear Serpentin" a voice echoed through the street.
"Show yourself!" Serpentin shouted.
"I'll be quick to the point: give me that case and I won't kill you"
"And you think I'll just 'give' you the case, in return for my own life?" Serpentin asked "Because if you are, you're sadly mistaken"
"Then, what about the life of your wife and children?" the voice came once more.
With that sentence, three figures exited the shadows in front of Serpentin, all holding knives to the throats of Serpentin's family. Serpentin's eyes widened with fear and then quickly slanted down, his eyebrows forming a V shape, with hatred.
"You're a monster" Serpentin growled.
"Try not to think of that too much" the three cloaked figures said in unison "Now give us the case"
"Is your master so cowardly that he won't show himself?" Serpentin asked, anger brimming his voice.
Serpentin suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and a sharp object at his throat. He could almost taste the darkness emanating the figure behind him.
"Of course not, he's just preoccupied with all the other formalities of the inevitable uprising" the figure behind him whispered.
A slight breeze picked up and Serpentin vaguely saw a flash of a blood red across his shoulder. This guy had blood red hair. That's not strange at all.
"The uprising?" Serpentin asked "We only got reports of small disturbances and the like coming from up there"
"Of course you have" the figure said "However, there are plans being devised that are too much for your puny human minds to comprehend. Now give me the case and they won't kill you and your family"
Serpentin hesitated. If he submitted and was found out, he would be executed for treason. If he refused, he would be killed and so would his family. Serpentin sighed and bowed his head, submissively. The figure laughed and Serpentin put down the case. The figure stepped away from him and walked out in front of him. Serpentin gave himself the mental equivalent of a smack to the face, he should have guessed just by the hair: the guy now in front of him was a Shade. The Shade picked up the case and walked over to the three who were threatening his wife and two children. The Shade turned to him and then, suddenly shot out spears of darkness into Serpentin's family, killing them.
Serpentin uttered a cry of anguish, hatred and betrayal as his family dropped to the ground. The Shade chuckled and turned to Serpentin. Serpentin in turn charged at his family's killer, fists raised, only to stumble to a halt as he went straight through the Shade. He turned around to see the Shade laughing.
"You told me they wouldn't be killed!"
"I know" the Shade replied "I said they wouldn't kill you or your family; I said nothing about me"
The Shade then suddenly vanished and reappeared next to Serpentin.
"You have been very helpful, my friend" the Shade whispered in his ear "Your efforts will not be forgotten"
The Shade then plunged a dagger into Serpentin's ribs. Serpentin let out a wordless cry as he felt himself falling and the last thing he saw was the look absolute mirth on the face of the Shade.