Prologue: A Letter
Dear Ruth Van Sloan,
While I am a friend, please do not try to find me. You have a more important task, which will become clear by the end of this letter.
Please forgive this rough translation. It’s much more poetic in its original Italian.
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A pact was forged between the feuding parties of Otherkind:
The callous Domsuco,
who gained life energy from the blood they drank,
And the amiable Wishers,
whose magic stemmed from their very thoughts, desires and fears.
The pact forbade Domsuco from feasting on Wisher blood,
Nor could Domsuco seize control of a Wisher’s mind,
Nor enter their home uninvited.
But Human life was free game.
In exchange for safety,
And for the Humans’ peace of mind,
The Wishers put into place an illusion unlike any other.
A Global Veil;
The perfect mask to hide
The scars of a Domsuco’s bite.
To power such an illusion necessitated a sacrifice,
To which the First Born Son of the Sencessanim Wisher line
volunteered himself, as well as every first born son in his lineage thereafter.
The later Sencessanim Wishers tried to rework the illusion
To disallow a practice so barbaric,
And in their ventures created the Domglory.
“Oh Domglory,
“may you have might,
“corporeal invincibility
“and means to an army of lesser ability.
“May you stand with us unless banished by congregation,
whether willingly or for the wellness of the people.
“So mote it be.”
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You are aware of your heritage, Ruth. You know who the next Wisher’s Son is. When the sacrifice is ignored and the world seems to conspire against him, you’ll know what to do. The stone for the Summoning Spell is in a separate package.
Sincerely,
An old friend
