The Ashford-Huxley Chronicles: The First Oath

Prologue

The wind whispered through the towering pine of the forest.

Hidden beneath the largest tree one of the oldest small pavilions stood still, untouched by time and unseen by ordinary eyes. In the center an old table rested, where three elderly women had gathered in silence.

One of the women tapped the table with a single stick and the table began to shake until it formed into a big chest.

The next woman then opened it, and six gemstones rested inside. Two glowed with the deep green of an untouched forest. Two reflected the darkness of a moonless sky. The remaining pair shimmered with an unfamiliar violet light, beautiful enough to draw one's gaze, yet unsettling enough to make it difficult to look at for long.

For several moments no one dared touch it, until the last elderly woman spoke.

"The time has come, you both must hand these to the chosen ones"

"Louisette, are you out of your mind? you must give it to your own grandchildren, I will find the last two successors!"

"Linnyue, the book had already told us, I must be the one to find them." Louisette argued as she handed the two emerald gemstones to Linnyue.

"Lucienne, are you just going to stand there and let her do it?" Linnyue stated as she tried to give back the gemstone to Louisette.

"We must follow what is written in the book, Linnyue." Lucienne stated, she then turn her gaze to Louisette. "You must return before they left for Vynqstone."

Louisette nodded as she took the two violet gemstones. She then used her palm to slam the chest that turned her into ashes-and that ashes slowly moved on its own and got blown out of the pavilion.

Lucienne then took the remaining black gemstone before leaving with Linnyue using an old spell for teleportation.