Prologue: The Summoning
"We need a warrior, someone strong, who can defeat this new enemy."
"Please don't do anything stupid, Ailis. Messing with spells and the past is a dangerous combination. If Caelan finds out, you're going to get it. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Ailis just continued on with the spell. As he chanted he sprinkled powder from a black bowl generously around the inside of the large circle he had drawn on the floor. As he finished the spell he closed his eyes and conscentrated solely on transporting the being from the past to the present. When he opened his bright green eyes, he saw, not his black haired anscestor, but a blond haired twenty-some-year old man.
"Payton"
A girl scurried into the room, giving the stirring man in the circle a brief glance before looking questioningly at Ailis.
"Payton, at anytime in the last twentyfour hours, have you been inside this room"
"Yes," she started caustiously.
"Did you do anything to the powder that was in this bowl"
"I 'ccidently knocked it off the table, but I scooped it all back in. I dun do no harm, Ailis. I pr'mise"
"Payton, get out of here. NOW!!" As the girl ran from the room, Ailis sighed and sat down on a handy stool. He looked down at the man who was blinking to adjust his eyes to the dust-mite filled sunlight that filtered through the tiny circular window near the ceiling of the room. As the man turned to get the sunlight out of his eyes, the blond hair fell away, Ailis gasped. This was no man, this was . . . was . . .was a, was a what? Ailis turned and grabbed one of his books quickly looking the term up. This was no man, he was an elf!