My hands itched to touch it. It was beautiful, perfect. A perfect golden ball. I wanted it. It had to be mine.

"There is power in this artifact, more power than a mere mortal can contain." Power, yes. Yes, power I wanted, riches I wanted. They had to be mine. "Listen to me, Daman!"

His voice grated on my nerves, this pretty boy. I could kill him, I could take his golden ball. I could have it all to myself. Power, riches, and the perfect golden ball.

"Let me see it," I whined, groveling before him. "Let me touch it, hold it."

"It is yours for the taking, Daman," he replied graciously, taking a step back from the ball. I took a step closer, eyeing him suspiciously.

"You don't want it?" I asked, reaching out a hand towards it. I had to touch it, had to own it.

"Be warned, this artifact has a will of its-"

"Yes, yes," I interrupted, snatching it up and pressing it close to my chest. Mine, all mine! The pretty boy smiled, and took another step back.

"The deed is done," he said softly, his smile growing broader. "Release it into the realms." He disappeared into the shadows, but I didn't care.

"So perfect." I purred, stroking the surface of the ball. The gold sparkled and glittered. I could sell it. No! I could keep it, keep it close and it would give me riches and power. I hopped about happily, clutching it close to me.

I had to show it off! My riches, my power, people will see them and envy me and not think me a stupid little goblin anymore. No, not anymore.

I hurried through the streets of Stonegate, crying triumphantly and holding my golden ball aloft, careless of who saw me. The pretty boy said it would make me immortal. Immortal and powerful and rich. It was mine, he said. It was mine and no one could take it from me!

I heard the growl a moment before twin blades flashed before my eyes.

"Die, goblin!"

"No, you die now!" I crowed, thrusting the ball into the ranger's face. Immortal, I was, and powerful and rich!

But his blades didn't stop, and they hurt. Hurt badly.

"I have power," I screamed, trying to dodge his thrusts. But they were too fast and they hurt. They hurt and my ball didn't protect me.

They hurt badly.

"What is that, Laul? Laul!"

I blinked, coming back to myself, and looked down at the orb in my hand. I thought I had put that away.

"I don't really know," I said honestly, turning it over to study it from another angle. It looked like solid gold, but it felt like.like velvet. "I had to pry it out of Daman's hands after I defeated him."

"You didn't happen to find my dagger on him, did you?" Valour asked, chuckling. He rolled a gold coin over his knuckles and then tossed it into the growing pot. "I'll raise you a gold."

Not velvet. It was softer than velvet, silkier. I lifted it up, letting the firelight glitter off of its surface. It felt like a woman's bare skin, warm and soft and alive. What was it Daman had screamed? Something about power. This wasn't power, this was possession.

"Laul!" Valour's voice broke through my thoughts and I flipped another coin into the pot. "Looks like a pretty trinket."

Instinctively, I closed my hand around it, shielding it from his view. Jealousy welled up inside of me, unbidden. I was a man not wanting any other to lay eyes on his lover.

"It's nothing," I replied, wanting to end the subject. Why was he so interested?

"Why don't we raise the stakes a little, eh?" Valour suggested. The tone of his voice spoke of trouble. I cradled the orb in the palm of my hand, letting him take my silence as he would. "One roll, winner takes all."

"How is that raising the stakes?" I couldn't help asking. The orb was warm in my hand, singing to me, drawing my eyes down to it. Like a willing woman offering herself completely.

"On my end, I'll bring you the head of Marcus." He let his voice trail off. I looked up sharply, catching the glint of amusement in his eyes. He knew I longed to see Marcus dead, preferably at my hands, but the irony of dying at Valour's hands would be nearly as sweet.

"And on my end?" I finally asked. I watched his eyes flicker down to my hand, to the orb I held there.

"Your trinket." Before the words were even out of his mouth, I was on my feet, drawing my blade with my free hand.

"How dare you!" I growled.

"Peace, Laul, peace," Valour cried, holding up his empty hands and backing off. I wanted to leap across the table, to strangle the life slowly from him, to watch him die for daring to suggest that I part with-

I looked down at the orb in horror. Possession. I had been right, and yet.so wrong. I did not possess it. It possessed me.

"Yes, this trinket. I will put up this trinket," I said hoarsely. I grabbed the dice and rolled them, watching them spin across the table, not knowing if I wanted to win or lose.

"An eleven!" Valour said, impressed. "Almost a perfect roll, my friend, it will be hard for me to outdo." I sat down heavily as he lifted the dice and sent them spinning across the table. Only one roll could beat mine. Only one roll and the odds of that were nearly.

"Oh, bad luck, Laul," Valour said with mock sympathy. "What are the odds of that?"

Nearly impossible. Nearly, unless someone cheated. I stared at his dice, as he scooped the gold off the table. The orb was burning my hand, burning with desire and promises of fulfillment.

"The trinket?" he said after a moment, grinning at me. I lifted my hand and opened it slowly, letting the orb slide off my fingers, onto the table, where it bounced once, before rolling unerringly towards Valour. I watched it go, longed to snatch it up. It belonged to me, I belonged to it. My heart pounded in my chest as I sat frozen with indecision.

Valour reached down and plucked it off of the table.

I held it gingerly with two fingers, resisting the urge to hurl the damned thing across the room. I put it into my pouch as quickly as possible, wanting it far away from me. Laul was watching me with hungry eyes, following every one of my movements. It was making me very uncomfortable.

"Don't worry, my friend, I'll fetch a pretty price for it," I said jovially, trying to distract him. It didn't work. I must be losing my touch. He looked like a man dying of thirst, and I was a glass of water. It had been a long time since I'd felt like such a piece of meat. Better to get out while the getting was good.

I said my farewells and slipped out the door, careful to watch my back in case he should follow me. The last thing I needed was a ranger breathing down my neck.

No, the last thing I needed was this cursed trinket sitting in my pouch. For all I knew, it could right now be taking over my mind, controlling me in ways I couldn't fathom. I could be its puppet, mindless, like a horrible zombie.

"It could be plagued!" I tore the pouch from my waist and threw it onto the ground, jumping back from it. Was that mark always on my hand or was it a boil? Was I just imagining a headache, or was it the start of a fever? Laul had looked a little sickly. I coughed weakly, clutching at my chest. I was dying. Dying of the plague of all things. What a horrible, ignominious way to die!

"Valour, are you all right?" I spun around to find Caitlynn standing behind me. I forced a smile onto my face and tried to act casually.

"I'm fine, just fine," I said quickly.

"Is this your pouch? Why is it lying on the floor?" She bent down to pick it up.

"No! It's not mine," I lied, grabbing her hand to stop her from touching it. "I don't know whose it is. Silly them, to just leave it lying around."

"It is too yours, I've seen you wearing it before," she insisted. "Valour.what are you up to?"

"Oh, look at that," I said, chuckling. Damn, she was on to me. "It is mine." I forced myself to pick it up, holding it as far from me as possible.

"Are you okay? You don't look very well."

"Fine, I'm fine. I have to go.somewhere." I dashed down the street as quickly as possible, ignoring her calls. I didn't look well! I was dying of the plague, what should I do? Frantically, I scoured my brain for all I knew of the plague. Which was next to nothing. I had to get rid of this item, it could destroy the whole realms. But who could I give it to?

"Rahlia!" I exclaimed. She knew about plagues and stuff like that. No, wait.it might infect her too, and I couldn't have that. Who could I give it to, that it wouldn't matter if they got infected? Who could also stop this overwhelming threat to humanity on a whole?

"Rukin!" The ogre would be perfect. He was a mage, maybe he could figure out this cursed trinket, and if he got the plague, well.ogres were tough, weren't they? Maybe he'd survive. Better not to worry about it. Didn't they always say that stress made you get sick? If I kept calm and collected, it might not spread. I might have time to find a cleric who could cure me.

I took several deep breaths, trying to calm myself, to ignore the raging fever and boils, the slow plague that was eating away at my fragile body. I was too weak to travel to Parath, I was at death's door, so I sent a messenger, paying him twice as much as I should to make all haste. I sat down on a bench, shivering from the fever. So this, finally, was the end. How many times had I escaped death at the hands of worthy opponents? To die, instead, like this.sick and weak and forgotten.

Past caring, I took the trinket out of my pouch to study it. It wasn't much, really. A little orb, probably painted with gold paint to look all shiny and bright. When really it was death.

I looked up as a gate opened up feet in front of me. I must be hallucinating. Wasn't that one of the symptoms of the plague? I was losing my mind now.

Rukin stepped through, grinning broadly at me. A wave of relief washed over me and I all but threw myself at him.

"Rukin! Thank the gods, I need your help!" I clutched at his robes, feeling my life slip away. "This.this thing! It's cursed! You have to take it and get rid of it. To save the realms!"

"Valour, calm down," he said, plucking my hands from him. " You're not making any sense."

I held the trinket up to show him, watching his eyes light up at the sight of it. This was a powerful item, whatever it was. Better I get it out of my hands quickly.

"Take it, and dispose of it, can you do that?" I asked him. No, I begged him. I didn't want to die of the plague, not even if it saved the realms. Better he did.

"Of course, but I don't see what's so special about it," he said, reaching for it. If I could find a healer, I could survive. It would be safely in his hands and I would be happily alive.

What if I became scarred? Didn't the plague sometimes leave scars? Or worse yet.what if I was crippled! I couldn't feel my left foot, did the plague do that too?

Rukin's hand closed around the trinket.

What an interesting little item.

I watched Valour hobble off down the road, looking as though death were hovering over his shoulder. Humans were always so overdramatic. It amused me.

I turned my thoughts back to the globe in my hands. I could sense the power in it, stronger than anything I had felt before. Artifact? Perhaps. It would require studying. I could feel tendrils grasping at the edges of my mind, seeking some hold on me.

Ah, yes, an interesting little item indeed.

I reinforced my mental barriers, creating an impenetrable wall that it could not slip through. How had Valour come upon something like this?

He had bid me to dispose of it. And I would, after I had picked it apart. No point in letting the opportunity to examine it pass. I was amazed Valour even sensed its power, and knew that it would take a mage of my caliber to control it. I had truly underestimated him.

I filed that knowledge away for later, transporting myself back to my studies, where I could work in privacy. None ever bothered me here. I set the globe on the table and pulled out several magical tomes, paging through them. Not that I thought they would be much help, but they would focus my thoughts.

'Release me.'

I lifted my head and looked around, my eyes finally settling on the globe. Was it possible it had reached me, despite all of my precautions? I set my book down and crossed to the table.

'You want to release me.'

"I do, do I?" I grinned at the globe and picked it up. "What if I wanted to dispel you, instead. Undo the magic that created you, in effect, destroying you."

'You must release me!' It was growing more insistent, and I didn't appreciate the tone it was taking. Nobody told me what to do, not even some magical item.

"I'll do whatever I like," I growled at the globe. "Now stay out of my head."

'I can offer you power.'

"I already have power, you fool item."

'I will fulfill every desire you have.' Now it was talking.

"What are you?"

'I am the beginning and the end. Alpha and Omega. All things, and nothing.'

I tossed the item onto the table in disgust. Riddles, it thought to confuse me with riddles. It likely had no power at all.

'I am more powerful than the Miza'har, more powerful than anything, living or dead. We can work together, you and I, to rule it all.'

"If you are as powerful as you claim, why do you need me?" I asked, sitting down beside the table and leaning back comfortably. "It seems you have very little to offer me."

'Release me and you will see. I have lain dormant for too long, but release me, and my power will know no bounds.'

"Do I look like a fool?" I demanded. In the wrong hands, this object might very well threaten the realms. It was a good thing I had found it and not someone else first. An item like this required intense focus to maintain control. If it could slip past my defenses, imagine what it could do to one who did not have any power..

The sounds of battle reached me, even hidden deep within my private studies as I was. Parath was under attack. I scooped up the globe and headed towards the fighting.

'If you do not release me, I will see you die!'

"Silence!" I ordered the item, paying it little heed. I pulled my staff from across my back and quietly chanted, forming magical protections around myself. Cries were going up, those of my brothers, deep in the midst of battle, and those of elves, thinking they could raid Parath. They would fall before my might quickly.

There were only a handful of them left by the time I reached the gates. Bodies littered the ground and blood made footing treacherous.

I recognized the leader of this foolhardy raid. Feylan. He would be my focus. If he fell, the rest would flee back to the hated woods they came from. I raised my hands and prepared to unleash a stream of magical energy at him, magic that would tear him into threads.

But the incantation died on my lips, erased from my mind. What was this?

"Rukin, finish him!" One of my brothers cried. Feylan turned at the cry, catching sight of me, and began wading through the battle to reach me.

I ignored the fighting around me and strove to focus my mind.

'Release me!' Its voice was all I found. All of my spells, all of my power was gone. This could not be! I was a powerful mage, far stronger than a mere magical item. How could it have gained such control over me?

I barely dodged out of the way of Feylan's bastard sword, lifting my staff at the last moment to parry it. His face was set in grim lines. He expected to die, to fall to my might.

And I was defenseless.

'We could have worked together, but now you will fall, for being weak!'

Feylan's sword cut into my arm and I cried out with pain, dropping my staff. He came on ferociously, slicing deep cuts into my body, my blood pouring freely onto the ground.

I struggled for control of my own mind, the edges of my vision turning red. Just one spell, one spell and I could escape this battle safely. Let the elves succeed in their raid, but they could not have this item. It would destroy everything.

My mind came back in a flood of knowledge, and I desperately grasped for a spell, anything to spare me, to keep this item in my hands.

But too late. As I opened my mouth to incant my spell, Feylan's sword pierced my chest and the world dissolved into blinding pain.

Pain. My wounds hurt. The monsters had fought viciously, and it took all of our might to escape with our lives.

Was I a coward, to call a retreat? My eyes flickered over the faces of my comrades. They were alive, to fight another day. No, it wasn't cowardly, it was practical. Practical and sensible. Isn't that what she would say?

I laid back and closed my eyes, letting the campfire dance over my face as I thought of my wife. How she had raged, when I had refused to let her come on the raid of Parath. But her scouts had agreed with me, and she had been forced to concede. She would make me pay when I returned.

My chuckle turned into a grimace of pain. I must have bruised or broken a rib. Something was digging into my side and I shifted, running my hand over the spot.

I touched something hard and round. A stone? I lifted it up so I could see it better.

A fancy bauble. I had taken it from the ogre I had defeated. Rukin. I grit my teeth at the memory. How many of my comrades had he felled with his evil magic? And yet.he had hardly defended himself against me. I had been ruthless in my attacks, caught up in the rage and heat of battle.

Perhaps I should have spared him.

No. He deserved far worse than defeat at my hands, for his countless crimes. And this was what I had to show for it.

A bauble. Some lady's bauble. I turned it over in my hands. It was well made, I would give it that. Solid gold and yet, weightless. It captured the firelight and flung it outwards, sparkling brightly. Who had the ogre assaulted to gain this?

It didn't matter. The fight was done, the ogre defeated, and it was mine.

"How are your wounds, Feylan?"

"Hmm?" I shifted, turning towards the campfire.

"Still bothering you?" It was Aleksey speaking, and I smirked at him.

"Not as badly as Rukin's will bother him."

"It was a victory, even if it was a defeat," he replied, grinning. "Next time, we will succeed."

Next time. There was always a next time. Always more raids, more battles, more death. Would the monsters ever be defeated, once and for all?

"Yes, next time." I let my eyes drift shut and sleep claim me. I dreamt of her. I always dreamt of her. I dreamt of battles and fighting. A war, a great war between the humans and the beasts of Parath. When had we become so involved in their affairs? What had become of the days of peace and prosperity?

I awoke sometime before dawn to a gentle touch on my arm. I sat up quickly, pain blossoming in my chest. I barely stifled a groan.

"Feylan, you are hurt." I blinked, trying to clear my vision. Was she a dream?

"Naralynn?"

"I traveled through the night to find you." Her voice was soft, hushed, so as not to wake the others. "The monsters have attacked Kisah. You were right, to leave some behind. Had I led the raid on Parath, we could not have defended our home."

"Were you hurt?"

"My wounds were minimal," she assured me quickly. "But yours are not. Let me tend to them." I laid back, trusting myself completely to my wife's care. She was not gentle, but she was fast, and soon she had my ribs bound and my cuts cleaned and bandaged.

"What is this?" She opened my hand to find the bauble there. I hadn't realized I still held it.

"My reward for defeating the ogre, Rukin." She held my hand in both of hers, staring at it intently. "Do you like it?"

"It has a beauty of its own, like nothing I have ever seen," she replied.

"Then it is yours, my love." I watched her eyes light up with pleasure and wrapped my free arm around her, pulling her close to kiss her as she took the bauble from my hand.

I broke away from my husband, leaving him to rest and heal, as I moved to the edge of the clearing. Something was wrong, I could sense it. There was no point in alerting Feylan, he would only grow protective and in his condition, it would only cause him more pain.

Besides, I could deal with this alone. It wasn't danger, not quite. Just something.wrong. I had felt it since.

I looked down at the marble in my hand. It resembled those that children played with, only made of gold. It reminded me of my own childhood, of the games I had played with children my own age, decades ago. But now that I held it, it felt horribly wrong.

Of course it felt wrong. My husband lay wounded, a few feet away from me. My city had been raided by monsters, my scouts slaughtered. And I was longing for my childhood days.

I wasn't fit to be a captain. I wasn't fit to lead the scouts.

I bent down beside Aleksey's sleeping form and woke him with a few quiet words.

"Captain, when did-"

"Quiet," I cautioned him, keeping my voice low. "The others still sleep. I want you to return to Kisah with all haste. We barely managed to repel an attack last night."

"Parath?"

"Who else." I clenched my hand into a fist around the marble. I liked the feel of it. "Likely they sleep now, but I want you to make certain our defenses are in place. Wake Eryidean to keep watch over the others."

"What will you do, Captain?" Aleksey was already rising and packing his things into a neat bundle. I watched him for a moment, considering his question. What would I do? When had my duties become such obligations? At what point had I begun dreading the morrow and regretting the past? I felt old and tired and.mortal. I felt all too mortal, like time was slipping through my hands like so many grains of sand and I was helpless to stop them.

"Captain?" Aleksey's voice broke into my thoughts.

"I will alert Gelath to the attack," I said quietly. "If the monsters find Kisah impenetrable, there is no telling where they will turn to vent their fury. The Duke should be warned."

I slipped quietly away into the cool forest, blending into the foliage. The false light of pre-dawn cast shadows around me, and my sense of wrongness increased. I paused, listening carefully to my surroundings.

'Release me, and I will release you.'

It came to me on a whisper of sound, so soft that for a moment, I thought I had imagined it.

'Release me.'

It was masterfully disguised beneath the twitter of morning birds and the rustle of wind in the leaves. Another would not have noticed it, but I had been trained in the ways of the forest, as much a part of nature as the plants and animals. What was its source?

'The queen has used you, taken away every choice you have.'

She had. Anger bubbled up inside of me, seeking an outlet. I had never wished to lead the scouts, I had wanted to live simply, in service to Kisah. Perhaps to marry and have a family of my own. But the queen had forced me into my position.

'With me at your side, we could destroy her.'

Yes, we could. Destroy her, so she could never again do to another what she had done to me.

No! What was I thinking? I lifted a hand to run my fingers through my hair but found the marble there instead. It seemed to weigh more than it had before, and it had a warmth of its own. Perfect. It was perfect, and yet.

Flawed. This was the source. This was what preyed upon my thoughts. This was the wrongness. With a strangled cry, I lifted my hand to hurl the marble into the forest.

And pain erupted throughout my body, locking all of my muscles, dropping me to my knees. I was blinded for several moments, gasping for breath. The marble was still clutched in my hand.

I focused all of my attention on my hand, trying to force it to open and drop the marble, but it was as though I had no control of my body. What was this evil thing?

'Release me.'

"I'm trying," I breathed. Silently, I struggled against it, to no avail. Giving up, I closed my eyes, sighing as the pain eased. Fighting it was useless, there had to be another way. Perhaps someone could assist me. But any thought I had, this marble would know and seek to avoid. There was only one way.

I took several deep breaths, forcing my mind to stillness and my body to relax. I would leave myself in the hands of the Falcon, I would let it guide me to a solution. Slowly, the meditation slipped over me, and I felt my mind detach from my body. As though it were a dream, I watched my form rise and begin to move unerringly towards some unknown destination. If there was pain, I felt none of it. I could only watch and hope.

With the presence of one who can see the future, but is helpless to warn anyone away from it, I saw Llywarch, standing amongst his men, burning like a beacon. If this marble took his mind, there was no telling what might happen. But I must trust to the Falcon, for I could do nothing now.

I watched my body approach him, saw the surprise on his face as I knelt before him, proffering the marble to him. His men seemed uneasy, uncomfortable with my actions, but the duke smiled and reached for the marble.

As his hand touched it, I felt myself spiraling into oblivion.

"Tend to her," I commanded of Tristal, hardly glancing at the prone form of the elf. This gift she had brought me, this tiny orb, was worthy of kings. No, worthy of gods. Had she known what it was? Had she known the power it contained?

The Infinity Circle.

'The Alpha and the Omega.'

An artifact created when time began, to contain the whole of humanity. So the legends said. Ancient journals in my library spoke of it, spoke of its awesome power if wielded properly. I had never imagined it existed. The journals said it had been lost, perhaps stolen, from men. For their own safety. It required a pure soul to control it, a heart not troubled with lesser emotions, like greed and doubt.

'Release me.'

Like mine.

Were not my desires noble and just? A realm filled with peace, the wicked brought to justice. A land where a maiden with a pouch of gold could ride from one end to the other, her virtue and fortune in tact. It was not power I lusted after, it was not riches I wanted. My intentions were pure, my dreams true.

With the Infinity Circle, I could meld my dreams into reality. I could stand at the head of a united realms. I could lead all of humanity, if I only-

'Release me.'

"Your Grace, I cannot wake her," Tristal said softly, kneeling beside the elf.

"Bring her into the manor until she is well," I replied. " There are things I must attend to."

I left the manor behind and rode into the forest, my mind occupied with thoughts of the artifact. No where in the journals did it tell of how to channel its power. Did it require a trigger? A ritual?

'The words of Power.'

The words of Power. But what were they?

'They cannot be told.'

Of course they couldn't. It made perfect sense. If the words of Power were known, anyone could-

'Release me.'

And in the wrong hands, corruption would reign, evil would be victorious. I had to-

'Learn the words of Power and speak them.'

And with them spoken-

'We will rule together, our mastery will be supreme.'

I could see the realms united beneath one banner. I could imagine the pride that would swell within me, knowing I had brought it to life, knowing that I led it. The realms had suffered enough, with war and strife. It was time for-

'A new era, an era of glory and control. An era that we will bring about.'

Together. Yes, the Infinity Circle would rule with me.

'As your right hand, your confidante, to do your bidding in all things. Speak the words of Power and release me.'

I held the circle before me with two hands, searching my memories for any hint of the words that would unleash its power.

'The Alpha and the Omega.'

The beginning and the end. The Infinity Circle. An infinite circle, with no beginning and no end. Something nagged at me, a doubt, perhaps. A circle was unending, eternal.

'As I am. As is my power.'

I pushed aside those thoughts. My priority was to unlock the words of Power, not to worry over details. The Infinity Circle was a perfect orb, and yet, it was the beginning and the end.

That was it! To release its power, to unleash its potential, the words of Power must break the circle.

'Yes! Yes, you understand. The Alpha and the Omega.'

But what words could accomplish that? I studied the orb, trying desperately to think of something I could say. Every second that slipped past me was wasted time, time that could be spent making my dream a reality.

'We are so very close, so near our dreams.'

I knew that, if only I could find the words to say.

'The Alpha and the Omega.'

The beginning and the end.

'Release me.'

Of course! It was so simple. I knew, suddenly I knew what I must do, what I must say. I pulled my horse to a halt and dismounted. The forest was quiet around me, hushed, as if in anticipation of what I would do. The whole world waited upon my words.

I lifted the Infinity Circle high over my head, letting the sunlight sparkle off of it.

'Say the words of Power and release me.'

"The Alpha and the Omega," I said softly, almost thoughtfully. This was my moment of glory, the completion of all I had spent my short life working towards. "The beginning and the end."

'Quickly, say them!'

Something flashed out of the corner of my eye and I turned my head to see it. A falcon had landed on a low branch of a nearby tree. It was magnificent, noble and proud, staring almost directly at me. I stared back, frozen for a moment.

'Release me!'

I tore my eyes from it. I didn't have time to dwell upon this strange occurrence, my moment was at hand.

'Say them!'

I opened my mouth to speak the words.

"So as you began, so let it end!"

Power shimmered through my body and I began to hurl the circle with all of my strength towards the ground, to break it in two, to end the loop.

And something came crashing down on the back of my head. I stumbled forward, blackness threatening my vision.

'No.'

I had to finish it, I had to release it.

'No!'

It seemed as though everything happened in slow motion, as from a great distance that I was not a part of. I saw the falcon turn to study me as I struggled to regain my feet, before it launched from the branch and high up into the blue sky. I felt the circle falling from my fingers, falling out of my numb grasp, slowly towards the ground.

I tried to grab for it, to hold onto it, but I couldn't.

'Nononononono!'

I heard a voice behind me. A guttural, ugly, goblin voice. Daman's voice. The last thing I heard before my world turned black.

"Mine, it's mine! Rich, I am now, and powerful, and immortal!"