Introduction Abandoned as a waif, blind in his left eye, and almost deaf following a childhood febrile illness; Alfred has struggled with his share of adversity. Moreover, much of his learning has been at the hands of some of the most dangerous characters you could never want to meet. Now as he enters manhood, he’s not sure whether he is achieving a fascinating goal … or becoming a monster such as might haunt the dreams of normal people. But as he travels an ancient world, he leaves a trail of devoted friends, and some powerful enemies. This fantasy novel by Chris Grant introduces personalities that range from a beautiful and deadly resurrected sorceress, to Chiyo – an intriguing kunoichi assassin with troubles of her own. It leads Alfred and the reader on a step-wise journey from the north coast of a bygone Asian continent to the islands that dot its southern reaches. Excerpt 1 Alfred looked up into the face of his gore-bespattered master. It was a vision that was to remain with him for a very long Kaire … sometime-inhabitant of another world – a world where the rules were different, where the boundary between madness and sanity blurred. ……. Excerpt 2 The truth was, Kaire was finding it extremely hard to concentrate, and he recognized the fact. It wasn’t just fear of meeting a fate such as befell his partners on the trip ten years earlier – though he knew better than any other the dangers that surrounded them. It was as if there were a presence here … a presence more terrible than the thread worms, rapacious grubs, or brutal mantraps. His previous companions had sensed it too. It both beguiled and appalled – like leaning out from a high clifftop far above the crashing surf. His new companions would feel it soon enough if they did not already. And the feeling would grow into a certainty. But it was too late for any of them to turn each was held by the comforting proximity of their comrades, by their greed, by their own secret desires. ‘Devil’s Run’ the ever-cheerful young Mirko had named this sinister passageway. An odd irony, for he was destined to spend all eternity here … impaled on a rusty spike at the gates of hell. .……. Excerpt 3 The fire was still well fueled; but its flames had shrunken to twisted scraps. A tiny mote hung in the air before him, seemingly at a great distance yet within arm’s reach. Alfred peered intently at it, then stared in disbelief. There was a whole world within that mote ... and what he saw there froze his heart. A sunless moor extended to the horizon, partially obscured by low drifting mist. And something on that moor was moving in his direction. Footprints began to appear in the soft earth – more hoof-like than human in shape – and where they appeared, the ground smoked. A ghostly index finger pressed ever so delicately to the boy’s lips. He turned and found himself looking into the cold eyes of the exquisite monster from the crypt. His gaze swung toward Václav and the assassin. They had been deep in conversation when he returned to the study to settle back down with the codex. Now they were staring at him, mouths hanging a little slackly. “By the gods, Master Alfred, what is it you are doing there?” asked the assassin. Václav’s expression lay somewhere between amazement and dawning comprehension. About the author Chris Grant PhD, MD, is an emeritus professor, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Canada. Dedicated to my wondrous and imaginative students – of whom there were many