A single round table occupied the center of the chamber, with three chairs framed the table, only one was occupied.
The man who sat there was in his early forties, blond hair swept neatly to the back, his blue eyes fixed not on the room, but on the ruby ring gleaming at his finger.
The red ruby on the ring pulsed once.
Red.
It became brighter, and brighter…
Unwelcome thoughts pressed at him, as his focus drifted towards the three empty seats.
A yellow light shimmered over each empty chair, spilling upward until it shaped into translucent figures.
From it, shapes began to take form, their edges wavering like a dancing candle flame, before three figures emerged.
They had foreign facial features, distinct from each other.
One of them was a woman built like a warrior, broad shoulders, her chin propped lazily against her hand.
She sat, cross legged as if on a throne. Even blurred by the light, she was striking, her beauty sharpened by strength rather than softened by grace.
