The Magic Pawn Series: The Discovery (Volume 1)

Prologue

There were very few moments like this when she would seem confused. This woman knew exactly what she wanted out of life. Her facial expression was usually that of a though person but it had now been replaced by another one which made her seem slightly vulnerable. She was tired and afraid we would hit yet another dead end. Two years had passed since we had started to look for the Magic Pawn. Every time we came close, something would happen and we would have to start everything all over again. We knew that we had to find a teenager but we felt further than ever from that. I at least had had enough of running after her. If it had not been for Mystic, I would have probably given up a long time ago. However, this tall blonde woman, with her blue eyes and a body that would rock any man's world, had all the right words when you needed someone backing you up.this twenty-seven year old woman was now my closest relative.

We knew each other from when I was ten years old, when all the chaos on Kaeillindor had begun. She was left alone among strangers. Since then, she had been in the care of my family.

She was not the frightened girl anymore. She was a strong woman and was not afraid of the consequences as long as it got her what she wanted. She was the best partner I had, the only person I trusted.

We had never been romantic with each other. The idea seemed strange to both of us.

'Alright', I said eventually as I snapped back into reality. 'Let's see what we are up against.'

The suspect tried in vain to get up from the chair. Seeing him gesticulate in desperation like that only made us laugh.

'Who are you? Why were you hovering around the campus?' I asked him.

'What campus? I already told you. I am a backpacker, that's all. And...'

'Forget it. This won't work with us.'

We were in the forest in the secret basement of an old hut. The hut looked uninteresting and that should have kept all meddlers away.

'Look...look at me', he whispered.

He was so typical: boots, jogging suit and a big...and empty rucksack; just a bottle of water and a bag of food. It would have been a lot more plausible if he had had a sleeping bag with him, some extra clothes and all the other things a backpacker needs.

'It seems your boss did not train you very well', Mystic said sarcastically. 'And by the way, this is private property.'

She went to the stranger, smiled at him, took him by the chin and looked him straight in the eyes.

'You are a bad liar', she scolded him. 'Who did you say you are working for?' She put a finger on his trembling lips. 'No, don't rush to answer that. You see, we have two ways for this: the easy way or the hard way. Which one do you choose?'

The man tried to make sense of the stuff in one of the corners of the dimly lit room and then sighed. It was a sigh of relief.

'What did you expect? A Middle Age type of torture? No... that would be too complicated. I have news for you: the world has evolved. You have two options. First: you tell us everything you know and Eric will make you forget about all of this. Second: this is not so pleasant. How about slow death by suffocation? You know...that's not a very nice feeling, when you'd give anything to at least be able to beg for air.'

His long hair was covering his eyes. He was probably praying to wake up, and he hoped this was nothing but a nightmare.

In a split second his face turned back to Mystic; her eyes could be truly frightening ones. She pushed her fingernails deep into his cheek, leaving thin blood tracks all over it. Horrified, he whined. He could not say another word.