Prologue

Beads of sweat begin to form on her forehead. She could feel them drip down her face as she forced herself to stare up at the three cloaked figures before her - their dark purple hoods concealing their faces, leaving nothing but a black, faceless mask. Clasping her hands in front of her, she whispered the words she had whispered every day,

"I will not show them fear. I will not be afraid."

As the central figure took a single, silent step forward she licked her dry lips; forcing herself to remain where she was. The flaming torches that encircled the group shone on her face, lighting up her pale blue eyes. Looking up at the imposing figure she took a deep breath and held out her hands – palms facing upwards. The figure reached for their hood with gloved hands and as the material fell backwards she forced herself to keep her gaze steady. Deep green eyes looked into her own and she could feel the blood drain from her face as her hands were grasped by the figures. He gave her a soft smile and stroked her palms with his thumbs,

"Do not be afraid Arianna my dear,"

His eyes shone and the fear melted away from her stomach as though she had woken from a nightmare. The two other cloaked figures stepped forward and stood on either side of Arianna who was trying her best to ignore their very presence. She kept focused on the eyes in front of her. A voice beside her spoke up. He didn't have the confidence that the first figure held,

"Jared…I'm not sure about this,"

"You will be silent," Jared's gaze never left hers as he gripped her hands tightly. Arianna took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Jared smiled at her and the nerves died away instantaneously. The second man placed a hand on Arianna's shoulder,

"This isn't right. She's still a child,"

Jared inclined his head at the figure before turning back to Arianna,

"You want to do this don't you my dear?"

Arianna's mouth opened and closed. Her words got stuck in her throat and she desperately wished for a glass of water. More sweat ran down her face as the heat from the fire grew more and more intense. Jared lifted one of her hands and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. His very presence should have made her skin crawl. But as his eyes bore into hers she found that she was perfectly happy to remain where she was. Jared fixed the outspoken figure with a single glance and he bowed in silence. Jared fixed his face back on Arianna,

"Now then. Are you ready?"

Arianna wanted to shake her head. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go home. Only she had no home. Not anymore. The grip on her hands tightened and she found her head nodding slowly. Jared smiled before staring past her shoulders as though someone was behind her,

"Arianna. You have been inducted into the Kira Katil. Do you swear on your honour and your life blood that you will keep our sacred rituals secret?"

"I swear," Arianna's voice cracked from her dry throat. Jared lifted his head slightly higher,

"Do you swear to uphold the rules of the Kira Katil?"

"I swear,"

Jared fixed her with his intense eyes. Arianna's chest rose desperately. She wanted to go. She wanted to run away before it was too late. Once she had finished the oath, there would be no turning back. Arianna kept her gaze steady. Jared's eyes didn't blink,

"Do you accept that any failure to take a life is only payable by the taking of your own?"

Arianna froze. How could she swear to that? How was it that she had sworn to any of this? Jared's eyes shone and Arianna found her head nodding,

"I swear,"

Jared let go of her hands and crossed them over his chest. The two figures on either side stepped towards her; one holding a branding iron. Arianna stared straight ahead as one man pulled her dress from her shoulders. As the hot iron pressed into her shoulder blade she bit her lip to avoid crying out. She could feel the metal taste of blood in her mouth and as it dripped down her throat her whole body shuddered. The two figures hurriedly stepped back and even Jared began to show signs of concern as Arianna doubled over in pain. Clutching her head she gave an inhuman cry before thrusting her hands out to her sides. All three men gasped as a shockwave ran through the room – knocking them to the ground. Arianna fell to her knees as yet another shockwave – a far stronger one – burst from her hands. With a nod from Jared to two men ran to her and held her in their arms. One stroked her hair whilst another shushed her gently in an attempt to calm her down. As the wild look on her eyes vanished they released their grip. Ignoring the blood that ran down her skin Arianna clenched her fists, gave a low bow before turning round and leaving. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as she left the circle. Now that Jared's gaze was no longer fixed on her, she felt the nausea churn in her stomach. What had she done?

Jared watched the slight figure of Arianna melt into the blackness. He faced the other two and glared at the man, who had dared speak out against him,

"She's too young Jared,"

"It's done now," Jared never raised his voice. Instead he relied on his icy tone to keep anyone from daring to argue him. The man shook his head,

"I know she's skilled. But you've never had anyone take the oath until they become of age,"

"This one is different my friend," Jared didn't move his head, "I can sense it. She hides her gift well but I can feel it bubbling under her skin. Waiting for the perfect moment to be freed from her body,"

The two men looked at each other in concern. Had they just witnessed the child's so called 'gift'? Jared gave a knowing smile,

"So all it takes for the power to be released is for someone to attack her," he mused to himself before facing the other two,

"Once we have perfected the art of harnessing her power…we will be indestructible!"

Jared's eyes rested on the place where Arianna had been standing only a few minutes. She had done a great job of hiding her gift from the outside world for many years. But the second he had looked into her eyes he had seen the magic swirling inside her body, aching to be released. With her in his power, he would have the greatest weapon in Middle Earth.