***

The moon shone bright in the night sky. Through the skylight, moonlight reflected on the marble floor of the luxurious mansion. The man known as the b.l.o.o.d.y Hound was staring at Zedd. "Why are you here boy?" he asked.

Zedd could only lower his eyes. He could see the man's sandals. His toe nails were well polished. "You have broken the heavenly rules my boy!" the man shouted. His voice boomed in the empty marble hall. "Now what am I to do with such a disobedient slave?"

Zedd didn't hear the rest of the b.l.o.o.d.y Hound's words. His mind took him to more painful thoughts. Soldiers, his own men, were being slaughtered as he stood there, tied and forced to watch. The woman he loved, protected and cared for, was tied to another post opposite his. She was used as target practice by the bored archers.

"You'll fight in the arena until you've earned back what you owe me boy!" the b.l.o.o.d.y Hound's words rung in Zedd's ears again. "Death is too swift a mercy for you, ignorant boy!"

***

"Zedd! Zedd!" the Purple witch shouted. "Oy! Quit ignoring me!"

"What do you want Purple?" Zedd asked, woken from his painful dream. He somehow felt grateful to the witch for waking him up.

"Stop calling me that too. I have a name you know." The witch hated the name Zedd started using for her. Purple was for the color of the precious stone that always hung around her neck. It was a family heirloom she inherited from her mother.

"You have a name I don't like," Zedd said, forcing himself to smile.

"So?"

"So I won't use it. Your name from now on is Purple, unless you want to choose a different name for me to call you by."

"You're annoying!" the witch exclaimed. Zedd had confined her in a house in the Financial District. She couldn't leave or use her magic. "And I don't like this city. You said we were leaving after the Ritual. Why are we still here?"

"I said we'll leave after the Great Hunt. I'm going to partic.i.p.ate in the event."

"They would never let you. You can claim you're a native but you can't prove it."

"I hate to break it to you Purple. The Three Headed Dragon will let me take part in the hunt."

"What?! How?"

"The emperor, in his vast wisdom, decided to impose a ridiculous condition on Viraldo. He'd leave Yanoku alone if he sent a team of his warriors to take part in the hunt."

"To what end? I can't see how that helps the empire in any way. They have more gold than they can count."

"To humiliate the strongest guild in the west of course, he's a cunning man, difficult to read."

"And because Viraldo will let foreigners take part in the Great Hunt, you've found yourself an entry ticket."

"Bingo!" Zedd said. He stood from the divan he was resting on then moved towards a wooden drawer. He took a multicolored feather then started contemplating it. Turning it from one side to the other, Zedd was fascinated by how the colors changed depending on the amount of sunlight that hit it. "What do you know of Viraldo Purple? Have you met him when you were planning to steal the star?"

"I've met him once or twice. He's the reserved kind," the witch said.

"The kind you don't like," Zedd commented.

"The kind I can't stand. I don't like wasting my time on weak people, people that can be easily manipulated. He's bad sports," the witch confessed.

"Why are you with me then?" Zedd knew of Purple's ways. He was planning to observe her for at least a year before deciding to approach her. But circ.u.mstances made him improvise. In some ways, Zedd feared the witch. She was cunning, mysterious and rebellious. He disliked the idea of forcing her hand. But when he was asked to intervene by Alistair, he had to come up with a new plan.

"Because you left me no other choice," the witch bitterly answered.

"Where would you have gone after selling that eye?" Zedd was still playing with the plume. Purple was eyeing him from her seat near the balcony, greed apparent in her eyes.

"I don't know," she said, rolling her eyes. "Perhaps the capital, I could have lived a good life with the money I was offered."

"What happened to the island?" Zedd asked.

"I'm not a fool Black Eyes. A woman suddenly buys an island. That's bound to attract unwanted attention."

"You could've gotten away with living in the capital," Zedd admitted. "Or perhaps Dismas would've killed you or turned you to the empire. Everyone's got a hidden agenda."

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"Except you Zedd." The witch then smiled at him. She got up from the sofa she was lying down on then approached her mysterious captor. Her smile caused dimples to show on her cheeks. Her pupils were dilated, her eyes watery.

Innocence, a tactic the witch frequently used to trick men. Purple got dangerously close to Zedd. She smelled of jasmine and honeysuckle. Zedd took a deep breath. From up close, Purple looked like an innocent teenager. Her red cheekbones, her big sparkling hazel eyes, the sweet perfume that invaded his nostrils, any man would have his heartbeat increase at the sight of such a beauty.

Purple spoke, her voice filled with tenderness. "You were honest with me from the beginning. You're not the type to have a hidden agenda, are you Zedd?"

Zedd took another deep breath then locked eyes with the witch. His face reddened. His breathing got shorter. "I have many secrets, like you my dear," Zedd started. "My quarrel with the empire goes deeper than the simple need for freedom." Zedd walked towards the balcony. With a swift move, he opened the door that concealed them from the outside world.

"Come, have a look at this," he urged the witch.

"What? I'm allowed in the balcony now?"

"The empire doesn't care about the witch in Yanoku now. Besides, the Chancellor and his counselors have more pressing matters to deal with."

Purple obeyed then stood beside Zedd. "When you look at this city from up here, what do you see?" he asked. Zedd's villa was atop a hill in the Financial District. The balcony in which they stood overlooked the Commercial and Guild districts. A sea of brick houses presented itself to them.

"A bunch of brick houses, stacked next to each other. It's suffocating," the witch answered.

"What about the people that live here?" he asked. "You lived among them for quite some time."

"Some are angry, frustrated and scared. Others are greedy, live in double standards or without standards at all. They preach one thing but do the complete opposite."

"Don't we all do the same?" Zedd asked, the multicolored plume still in hand.

The witch bit on her lips before letting out a faint "Perhaps".

"This city is on the verge of breaking apart Purple. The city I grew up in will soon be living in Civil War."

"Please stop calling me that," the witch, exasperated, said.

"The empire controls the water beyond the islands called Angel Wings," Zedd went on, ignoring Purple's plea. "Commerce is doing pretty badly. I saw s.h.i.+ps that haven't left their docks for weeks. Fishermen are observing the sea, unable to set sail. Some report sights of that old Serpent, terrorizing the seas again.

"On top of all this, the empire requested that his forces join the Great Hunt." Zedd sighed heavily.

"What's it to you? If this city falls or stays?" Purple asked.

"No one believes that I was born here. I don't believe it myself," Zedd's voice was faint, almost a whisper. "It's been so long, too long in fact, but not much has changed here. The same anger, the same disparities. It can't last long."

"How old are you?" Purple asked. For some reason, she never asked her captor his age.

"Would you believe me if I told you?" Zedd said, still playing with the plume in his hand.

"Did you steal that from Alistair's study?" the witch asked. She could not conceal her greed any longer. The multicolored feather was a rare item, rumored to cure any sickness or injury.

"This is mine. I wouldn't steal from that coward," Zedd dryly said.

"On this we both agree. Alistair is a coward, and that makes him dangerous."

Zedd turned, approached the witch then looked her in her beautiful hazel eyes. "Consider this my payment for returning the star without treachery."

"What?" the witch was perplexed, her cheeks were suddenly painted red. "What's this sudden change in behavior for?"

"Nothing," the old man with a young face said with a large smile on his face. "It's as I said, payment for your cooperation. Do with it as you please, I don't care for it. But do me a favor and change that name of yours. Use your real name for a change. Your mother went through a lot of trouble naming you."

"You a.s.sume too much Zedd. Darya is my real name," the witch said, smiling. That name somehow irritated Zedd. She didn't know the reason for it, but she loved seeing him take a deep breath at the mention of the name. Besides, she had to irritate him in order to change the subject. She hated speaking of her past, especially of her mother.

"Fiona, the eternal moon, that's the name your mother gave you."

"Don't you dare say that name!" the witch shouted, her face contorted into an ugly grimace. Gone was her composed look, replaced by clenched teeth, furrowed brows and a wrinkled nose. Thunder rumbled in the sky, announcing a storm to come.

Zedd looked up above. The previously clear sky was covered with heavy clouds. The weather instantly changed from hot and damp to cool and windy. Then, without warning, a thunderbolt landed in the garden. "Incredible, the Aetherbane seems to have lost its effect," Zedd announced to no one in particular.

In a flash the witch jumped backwards, motioned her hands to form a hexagon then shot her arms forward. "What the h.e.l.l are you trying to do Purple?" Zedd asked. "In your anger, you managed to call for an Aeon's help. That's a power you can't control yet. I just duped you into using your magic, and you fell for it!" Zedd exploded into unstoppable laughter.

"You," Zedd went on after a while.

He strode through the villa lounge, walking around the witch in circles. "You can't use magic unless I will it. What we lack here is a semblance of trust. You want to know more about me? What you've just done shows that you're looking for a weakness to exploit. I, on the other hand, only want what's best for both of us."

"And what might that be?" the witch asked, angry but terrified of Zedd.

"A world without the empire's influence, they will not control our world. We cannot allow that!"

"And how will you achieve this impossible dream of yours?"

"All in good time my dear Fiona."

"Don't call me that!" The witch shouted at the top of her lungs. Thunder rumbled in the sky. Yanoku was enveloped in total darkness.

"Or what? You'll call that Aeon to help you? How will you achieve that?" Zedd asked, daring the woman to find an answer. The beautiful witch could only bite her red lips in despair. She didn't even know she could summon such powerful creatures. "You should rejoice at the opportunity," Zedd continued, his voice calmer this time. "You now know that you can draw power from the Primordial Lake."

"When will you deliver on that promise anyway?" she asked, remembering Zedd's promise about the so called Primordial Lake.

"You'll know about all my plans soon enough, and about the lake. We're expecting a guest, my final recruit before we leave these sandy lands. I'll explain everything when he arrives. He's coming up the stairs as we speak."

A few heartbeats later, someone knocked at the door. "Come in," Zedd said.

The man called Tristan entered, followed by another man, big and large as a bear. "Cane, how good of you to visit me," Zedd said, smiling. "I'm glad you decided to come hear my offer."

"You'd better start talking shorty!" Cane said. The man's eyes were fixed on Zedd. He was ready to attack at any moment.

"Watch your mouth!" Tristan warned.

"It's alright Tristan. Has my messenger been rough with you?" Zedd asked Cane.

"He wouldn't dare!" Cane confidently announced.

Zedd smiled at Tristan. "Good to know. I have an important task for you my dear Cane; if you decide to join forces with me that is."

"What's in it for me?"

"You'll clear your name in the eyes of man and G.o.ds."

"Go on," Cane urged.

Zedd sighed then looked at his two guests. "Cane, Darya," Zedd said with difficulty, he really hated using that name, but he had to calm the witch. He didn't want to cause a catastrophe by calling an Aeon to Yanoku. The witch couldn't control her powers yet. He had to tread carefully. "I approached you both because you have bad history with the empire. This is a quality I look for when I'm recruiting people to join my army."

"What army?" both Cane and the witch asked at the same time.

"Oh yeah I forgot to mention," Zedd said, addressing the witch. "You've heard of the resistance, haven't you?"

The witch nodded.

"I'm the infamous leader of the resistance. I plan on destroying that man whose sole ambition is to become the ruler of the world." Zedd was smiling. His usual, never fading, cynical smile, could drive a person mad.

"Your army is weak!" Cane said. Perhaps the man hoped to erase that irritating smile from Zedd's face.

"Yes, for now," Black Eyes admitted. "But with a witch to organize our defenses and a berserker to lead the front lines, I say we'll be ready to invade and occupy Bairn."

The witch crossed her arms then looked at Zedd, a hint of sarcasm in her voice when she said, "You want to invade and occupy a city governed by one of the Seven Princes. That's crazy!"

"We can't hope to defeat the empire if we don't dream big, if we don't do something crazy," Zedd said, imitating the witch's tone and body language.

"How big's your army?" Cane asked.

"A thousand strong, and bound to get bigger," Zedd answered.

"That's not nearly enough. Prince Sylens has an army of five thousand, not to mention his impregnable fortress," the witch said in a patronizing way.

"I don't need a thousand soldiers to take the city, I need them to hold it," Zedd said nonchalantly.

"What d'you mean?" the bear asked.

"I mean," Zedd said then moved quickly and stood behind Cane. The big bear and the witch barely blinked when Cane was on the floor, a hunting knife pressed against his throat. The big bear grunted in pain when the tip of the knife created a small opening in his gullet. "I mean that I don't need an army to kill that coward of a Prince."

In the blink of an eye Zedd was back to his chair, legs crossed on the table and playing with his hunting knife. "Soldiers are corrupt. They have their families to care for. Offer them enough gold and they'll switch sides, especially after they witness the Prince's defeat. What do the two of you say? Care to follow me into my crazy dream?"

Purple had seen Zedd in action. He had intimidated her into joining his cause. However, she never expected the big bear to be brought to the floor so easily. Cane on the other hand was still in shock. "What did you just do?" he asked. "Are you a witch?"

"A sorcerer," Zedd corrected. "Witch is only used for women. But all in good time, you'll get to understand my powers soon enough."

"What do you mean? You're obviously no sorcerer." The witch was the first one to ask.

"I mean that my friend Cane here will join me in the Great Hunt. He'll have a chance to witness my powers there."

"You can't. Yer an outsider," Cane said, rubbing his neck.

"And yer an outcast," Zedd retorted. His tone was playful. He imitated Cane's facial expression and gruff voice. "But we'll both get to the Gate all the same. I have an agreement with my friends at the Hunters' guild."

"What do you hope to achieve during that hunt Zedd?" the witch asked.

"You ask too many questions Purple. Why do you think I went through the trouble of tracking you down?"

"To get the star back for Al-" the witch's pupils grew larger. "Don't tell me you mean to win the Great Hunt?" she asked.

"When you use that brain of yours, you come up with some interesting theories my dear," Zedd commented. "Yes I plan on winning the compet.i.tion and getting my prey's weight in gold. I need the gold to expand my army, bribe officials and purchase land. So I'm planning on hunting the biggest prey there is, Ulmir's watchdog."

Cane broke into a fit of laughter. "Ya mean to kill the monster no one ever killed? I like that! I'm in. I like yer crazy thinking."

Zedd let out a victorious smile. "Then it is settled. We shall prepare for the first leg of the compet.i.tion. The empire will partic.i.p.ate in the Hunt. Boy do I have a magnificent plan for them!"

"What do I do?" asked the witch.

Zedd got up and approached the witch. He put both hands on her shoulders then smiled. "You, my dear Purple, will read the grimoire in your room. I'll lift the Aetherbane that controls your magic flow. Practice with great caution, for the empire will be watching for any energy fluctuation. I won't be in the city, so I won't be able to s.h.i.+eld you from him."

"Him?" the witch asked.

"General Flavius," Tristan spoke. "He's here with the imperial escort."

"A vicious man to say the least," Zedd commented. "He won't show you any mercy. The custodians won't intervene either. If you get their attention Purple, you're on your own."

"What's that grimoire about?" The witch asked, ignoring the part about needing protection from Zedd.

"It's Archmage Grunwald's Grimoire, I trust you'll find it useful."

The witch was at a loss for words. The grimoire Zedd offered her was one of the rarest collections of magic scrolls to ever exist. "I told you," Zedd said, "What we need is to trust each other. Study well witch, your powers will save us all."

Zedd asked Cane to follow him into his study. They both had to plan for the Great Hunt. "The Gate will open in two days. We need to be ready to bring the watchdog down. Oh and Purple," Zedd called for the witch who was already moving towards her room.

"Yes?" the witch turned around, still excited about the Grimoire.

"We'll be moving from here. Tristan will facilitate the logistics. Please cooperate."

"Why are we moving?"

"The Hunt will end in disaster. I need to find a different way out of Ulmir's Domain. You'll understand when you see it. Tristan, please arrange for extraction."

"As you wish my lord," Tristan said. The man bowed then left the room.

"I can easily find you wherever you hide Purple. Don't disappoint me!" Zedd said to the witch. "Follow Tristan's instructions, for your own good."

"Don't worry," the witch said. "Translating the runes in those ancient scrolls is all that matters to me now. As long as I get a quiet place to study, I won't complain."

"That will be arranged. I'll see you after the hunt."