Prologue

     "Quiet. We mustn't wake them. The poor darlings have been through enough for one day"
     The carriage was dark and the whispers were quiet, but Jacob could tell that the woman speaking was old. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing steady, not wanting anyone to know he was awake. He did not know what was happening and hoped that they might reveal some information they would not otherwise tell a child of his age.
     "No child should have to go through such a thing, let alone two children. And so very young."
     "We live in a harsh world. You, of all people, should know that. We do what we can."
     The two women sat in silence while the carriage rocked back and forth along the rough dirt road. Jacob did not know how long he had been in the carriage. The last thing he remembered was his mother kissing him goodnight as he was falling asleep in his soft warm bed. He did not know what had happened since then, but the knots in his stomach told him that he was unlikely to ever see his parents again. Somehow in his sleep his world had been ripped apart. Not just his world, but his sister Mirael's as well.
     That moment of realization was the most painful thing he had experienced up to that point in his seven years of existence. Mireal, poor Mirael. So sweet and innocent. The four year old girl who would always make him check under her bed for monsters every night. The little girl cried for three days when he pet frog died last winter. Would she ever stop crying this time? It would fall to him to take care of her now.
     Sleep, Mirael. Sleep long and deep, for when you wake up your life will have changed forever.
     It was cold in the carriage and the blanket that they had placed over him was thin and itchy, but he dare not move to scratch.
     Finally the younger woman spoke again. "Why do you suppose the Kinkari went for the parents but left the children alone?"
     Jacob had never heard of a Kinkari, but now his worries were confirmed. His parents were dead. He would never see them again. He was being taken away from his home and everything that he had ever known. Everything except her. She was the only thing that mattered and he vowed right then and there to protect her with his life no matter what.
     "You didn't hear?" The old woman replied with a whispered surprise. "We found it torn to pieces in the children's room. None of us had ever seen anything like it."
     "So, what are you saying? That a group of mages powerful enough to kill a Kinkari was waiting in the children's room and then just disappeared after killing it?"
     "No. The real story seems to be even more implausible than that." The old woman's voice grew even quieter, but Jacob could just barely make out what she said. "It appears the young girl killed it in her sleep."