The Dark Sage (Chronicles of Kitirr Book 1)

Prologue

The young girl stood in front of the mirror. She was wearing her mother's old Kimono with a pair of oversized high heels, in the way that only an eight year old could do. Clutched in her hands was a book that was perhaps just a little too big for her. But still it was necessary for what she was doing. The image in the mirror showed just her, as it should. She juggled the book in her hands, letting it fall open before her. As if the tome knew what she wanted to see, it opened right to the correct page.

She held her tongue between her teeth as she concentrated, glancing between the words and the mirror. She had done this before, she had it memorized, but she didn't want to accidentally do it wrong. If she did something wrong, something bad would happen. That's what mother always said about magic.

"Annan aya chosrien..." Arcane words in a sylabant language she didn't know, flew from her mouth, summoning the gazing glass between worlds. At first her image just stared at her while she spoke, focusing her intent on what she wanted to see. Who she wanted to see. The image shimmered and shifted, like ripples caused by pebbles being dropped into a pond. Then it began shifting into a miriad of colors. A dark shape lurked on the edges of the mirror before it finally resolved into the shape of her closest friend.

The blond haired girl, also around the age of eight, turned to look back at the mirror. She had been sitting on her bed with a large book in front of her.

"Oh! Mandy!" She cried in delight. "I going to send to you!" Her english was broken, stilted, as if she was still learning the language, and she was. Mandy had been teaching her to speak it since they had met in the mirror two years ago. "What you got on?"

Mandy looked down at the over sized kimono, the right shoulder drooping off, closer to her elbow, the sleeves hiked up as high as they would go, her long, straight black hair was pulled up into a high bun. "You said it was a festival day in Kersk. I am being festive, Amber."

Amber burst into giggles, rocking back onto her heels. "It is! It is! Ok... ok..." her giggles subsided. "Ok. Is this what wear on festival in Englan?"

"England, Amber, with a 'D' at the end."

"Eng. Land. Got it. England."

"No, this is my mum's. Its prettier than my dresses. I'm gonna ask her if I can get one that fits me."

"The... the... It's pretty look."

"Thanks!" And then they set to telling eachother about their days, Mandy teaching Amber more English, Amber trying to teach Mandy her own language for a little bit. They were joking and giggling when there was a knock on Mandy's door.

"Oh no! Mum! I'll be back later in the week!"

"Okay! Be safe!" Amber replied in a harsh whisper.

Mandy nodded and whispered the banishment of her spell. The darks shape was there again, lurking, watching her before he mirror went back to normal.

"One moment!" she called as she kicked the book under the bed and out of sight.

"I'm coming in dear! One... Two..."

Mandy dove for the door and yanked it open, hot faced and bun now starting to fall out of its bun. Her mother stood before her, wearing what she normally wore to work, a pair of slacks and a silk blouse. Hanging from a silver chain around her neck a piece of jade in the shape of a Japanese kanji symbol for "knowledge."

"Oh! That's where my kimono went!" she said amused. Her mother reached forward and swept a strand of hair out of her face.

"Heh, sorry."