Somewhere in the East End of London
The Dark King emerged from the shadows. He inched closer to the roughly cut ruby and then circled around it. At first, he gave the object a wide berth and a distrustful glare, prodding it with the end of his finger. Seconds later, he picked it up and brought the stone to his face, his magnified eye blinking through its deep red interior. There was an instant of realisation and then his lips creased into the faintest of smiles. ‘At last, the Rod of Aaron,’ he said in a quiet and menacing voice. ‘Now to find the woman who has it,’ he hissed.
Stinna Blake’s Hospital Bed
A small lick of flame materialised above the oil lamp sitting on Stinna Blake’s bedside table. At first, it burned feebly, throwing off barely enough light to circumscribe a small circle around the tabletop. Soon, it had grown into a twisting tongue of light, clearly defining the four corners of the room. Stinna’s eyes snapped open. She sat up in bed with a start, pulling the bedclothes up close to her chest. The flickering flame reflected bright in her blinking eyes. With her heart pounding in her chest, the light abruptly went out, sending the room into complete darkness.