Legacy

Prologue

PROLOGUE

Parents often make it easy for their children to despise them. One might expect being the daughter and only child of the supreme ruler of the nation would grant you dispensation from this cursed norm, but rather this predicament bestows upon you a singular viewpoint; money does indeed not purchase happiness, but a life of privilege and wealth simply makes your misery more comfortable.

I always hated my father; Segal Goodwin, the High-Lord and second only surviving member of the destroyed Wizards Council, an accolade he shares with his arch-enemy Soren who was the orchestrator of the committee's destruction; the obliteration of which he gleefully enjoyed by butchering its members. They had conspired to formulate a plan to strip Soren of his magickal powers, an agenda he naturally found not to his liking.

I never cared for their politics or the bitter feud Soren shares with my father, never having to entertain the responsibility of those decisions. But I was totally unprepared for the tragedy and madness which unfolded.

It was nearing nightfall when a lone rider came down from the highlands upon the gates of Goodwin City. The populace of the capital quickly gathered around the mysterious stranger, excited and eager for any news of the outside world. Yet the message he brought was not for their ears. The guards did not bar entry, but escorted him directly through the crowded streets to the castle situated in the very centre of the city. He entered the huge structure via massive darkly-polished wooden double-doors and was momentarily taken aback by the sheer size of the hall which greeted him; stretching into black infinity, its full length obscured by seemingly unconquerable darkness. Doors lay at either side, barred; revealing no obvious sign of habitation. No statues or busts of kings or queens or any other indication of past royal rule lined the walls of the bleak hall; neither had governed this vast land for decades. Yet the castle nevertheless in their absence managed all of the necessary financial and political affairs of the country.

The one man in whose honour the structure was built was not of blue blood, but was a person who possessed just as much power and induced just as much terror as if he were. He was a man feared by all, except the few as powerful as he, or the foolish.

Nervousness gripped the messenger as he finally approached a door to the study and knocked hesitantly. The escort left as a gruff reply was heard beyond. The soldier forced his shaking hand to turn the handle and entered. Rows of books on shelves which seemed to decorate every conceivable part of the walls greeted him suddenly, and he hesitated once again before approaching the apparently only piece of furniture present in the room, a large oak table laden with further volumes and manuscripts.

A single shadow was standing behind it. The figure slowly stepped into the light and the messenger took a moment to study the fearsome individual before him. The wizard stood at a proud six foot possessing curly dark hair and beard and was at a rough guess barely half a century in age. He boasted a robust frame, accompanying thick muscular arms and had piercing blue eyes. The Magus showed annoyance at the sudden disturbance.

"Yes, what is it?" He growled.

"A message from the explorer Patrius Turbith." The rider stuttered nervously, placing the scroll on the table.

He raised an eyebrow in interest. "You may leave now."

The messenger let out an audible sigh of relief and quickly left. The mage waited until he was absolutely sure the soldier had truly departed before he opened the letter.

To the High-Wizard, and High-Lord, in the city of Goodwin.

Greetings from Patrius Turbith, explorer, the town Mullein.

I trust my message reaches you in good health, for sadly I am not. I at last proved the existence of the mythical Dragons' Cavern and found it as I always believed to be at the very edge of the Volcanic Mountains. I found both to my joy and disbelief approximately one hundred dragons in total, more than enough to finally defeat your great rival Soren. I ask humbly for only two things: one, that you cure me of my malady, for I fear I am dying. I had the misfortune to fall into a cooling pool of lava on the return journey and lost an arm in the process with the rest of my body also heavily burnt.

I trust you not to ignore my plight and travel directly to the Cavern since the route is enclosed with this letter. Secondly, I ask for half the treasure at the mountain.

It is mine after all by right.

Segal Goodwin let the scroll fall from his fingers into the blazing fire and turned towards the window to gaze out into the night. The path to the Cavern burned in his mind like a fever. He smiled. "Let the game begin."