"Eldentine? What are you doing?" asked Wintrin as his brother's flames came closer.
Eldentine stepped through the flames and for the first time Wintrin saw the ruby glowing brightly as it hung from around the Fire Mage's neck.
"He has a gift for you Wintrin," said Eldentine as he held up a crystal pendent on a white gold chain, "If you join us there will be no reason for us to fight my dear brother."
"I can't do that! Eldentine........why?"
"Whoever said you had a choice?" asked Eldentine as the flames rose higher and grew brighter. He walked closer to his elder brother and placed the crystal amulet around Wintrin's neak.
"No!" cried Wintrin as he felt the evil of the crystal begin to enter his mind and try to take over, "I will not be controlled!" His body glowed with a blinding light and the crystal shattered. Eldentine was teleported to the black citadel along with the crystal shards, all but one. The final shard of the crystal now lay embedded within the now unconscious Mage's arm.
When Wintrin woke the first thing he did was look at his arm. To his surprise there was no mark of the encounter. He could tell that the shard was still there. He felt both relief and disgust at this revelation. Relief that he could not restore the crystal and disgust that the foul thing was still in his arm.