Prologue.
The steady drip-dripping sound of water on rock was all to be heard. Kemsiyet watched as her blood fell to the alter. The stone gave a last desperate flash of red light as it was sealed forever in the blood of a mortal. Kemsiyet looked around her, afraid she had been followed. The rest of the city was at her father's funeral. She was safe. for now.
She grabbed a torch from its place on the wall and ran for the doors. The sun would set soon, and they would close her in if she did not hurry. As she neared the entrance to the shrine, she took a last glance at the stone. It had gone a dead gray color. It was under control for the time being, but Kemsiyet knew that underneath her charms, incantations, and containment spells, the stone was still alive. It still held the power to destroy all that was good. She shuddered as the thought took full hold in her heart and mind. In an ancient tongue, she commanded the great doors to seal themselves, forever encasing the Fire Gem and its deadly power.
The steady drip-dripping sound of water on rock was all to be heard. Kemsiyet watched as her blood fell to the alter. The stone gave a last desperate flash of red light as it was sealed forever in the blood of a mortal. Kemsiyet looked around her, afraid she had been followed. The rest of the city was at her father's funeral. She was safe. for now.
She grabbed a torch from its place on the wall and ran for the doors. The sun would set soon, and they would close her in if she did not hurry. As she neared the entrance to the shrine, she took a last glance at the stone. It had gone a dead gray color. It was under control for the time being, but Kemsiyet knew that underneath her charms, incantations, and containment spells, the stone was still alive. It still held the power to destroy all that was good. She shuddered as the thought took full hold in her heart and mind. In an ancient tongue, she commanded the great doors to seal themselves, forever encasing the Fire Gem and its deadly power.