It was raining in the great city of Geb. Water poured down from the heavens in great drafts, soaking everything. In the dim morning light, the streets glimmered, illuminated by the magic lanterns that dotted the city. Thousands upon thousands of the devices shone out a heavy orange light.

Gwendolyn Freemont watched from her position, high above the city. She saw the people walking slowly, yet with a curious desire to remain dry. They wandered. That’s what it always seemed like. These people she observed simply wandered through their lives. Gwen, on the other hand, had always known what she was to do. Every moment of her life had been scheduled, since the day she was brought here, to Geb.

High above the rest of its inhabitants, Gwen lived in the White Tower - one of the three towers of Geb, each soaring one hundred meters over the city. They were forged by Gwen’s master, and she knew each of them well. But here, in the White Tower, is where she liked to be best. It was situated in the centre of Geb, and therefore gave her the best view of the city. The best place to watch the people wander.

Turning from the oval window, Gwen moved back, further into the large circular room. It occupied the entire diameter of the tower. Each level was built in the same fashion, with each floor becoming progressively smaller. Here, near the top of the building, the room wasn’t more than five meters across, but it housed a large number of books, a solid oak desk, and a single cupboard, holding her clothes and Sorcerer’s Armour.

There was a sudden flash in the centre of the room. Gold light flickered all about, and as it faded, an elderly man replaced the brightness. His wide eyes observed the room, while his thin, long arms patted down his skeletal frame. He wore a white shirt and tie, buried under a black coat that came nearly to his knees. Twitching his nose, all attention was brought to the thin moustache he wore. Long and waxed, it made him look like an old man with giant antennae growing from his top lip.

‘Salvidi!’ the man declared, throwing his hands out wide.

Gwen smiled, but bowed.

‘My child, my child, there has been a great upheaval in the universe… Things have changed, girl!’ The man spoke in a thick accent, and a sense of dread bore out from his eyes.

Gwen tilted her head to the side. ‘Master Salvidi… slow down. I’m not sure what you’re talking about.’

‘Gwendolyn! You’re a sorceress now. I expect you to know what I’m talking about before I have even said it! Before even I know what I’m talking about! Come now, you must have felt the disturbance… It split its way through the magic like an axe! Something has happened…’

Gwen brushed back her silky, raven hair and shook her head. ‘I’ve felt very little, Master. I’ve been observing the people.’

‘Again? By the stars, how much do these people change from day to day?’ He took a few cautious steps toward the window, but waved a hand dismissively before turning back to Gwen.

‘No… It simply won’t do. You will have to go. Find the source of this disturbance and bring it back to me. Only then, will I be able to fix whatever has been broken.’

He snapped his fingers, a cane appearing in his hands instantly. He nodded, twitching his nose. ‘I have decided. Beyond this, I know that the problem resonates from a man. A man carrying a lamp.’

‘A lamp?’

‘Yes. A lamp which was, only a short time ago, the property of a very dangerous Djinn.’

Gwen furrowed her brow. ‘So, what is it you want me to do?’

Salvidi’s shoulders slumped. He let his cane slip, and he leaned on it heavily. ‘Have I not just told you? Bring this man and his lamp back to me. A Wishcharmer has been created, my dear! Such a thing, it has completely upset the realm of the Djinn, and its ripples are crashing across the universe, affecting all magic! If we are not too careful, if we don’t end this line of Wishcharmers before it sets in… Great evils could awaken from the darkest parts of the universe…’

‘Master, I…’

‘The Salvidi has no time for questions, Gwendolyn! Such is the burden I carry… The greatest Sorcerer in all the world, and not a moment to answer the questions of his only pupil… Be gone! Lest we bring destruction on all these people you love to watch!’

‘None of this makes sense!’ she insisted.

‘Of course it doesn’t!’ Salvidi barked. ‘This is the madness of our world. Whatever Creator forged this universe must have more faith in us than I do. Nothing makes sense anymore, my dear child. Indeed, this Wishcharmer shouldn’t exist. It should be impossible for him to exist, but the Djinn have told me. They have shown him to me!’

‘But I don’t even know what a Wishcharmer is! How am I supposed to bring him to you?’

‘The man is as unawares as you are, Gwendolyn. That is our only advantage!’

‘He doesn’t know he is a… a…’

‘A Wishcharmer. Yes. We must keep it that way, if at all possible. I can’t stress to you enough, my girl, the gravity of this situation. You simply must bring him back to me, before the next full moon, or disaster will surely follow…’

There was no arguing with the man. Not when he was like this. Gwen had never seen her Master in such a state. Through all her tutelage, she had never seen him thus. He was manic, and beyond powerful… But never before had she seen her master… scared.

He set about the room, gathering her things. With a wave of his cane, he sent her armour and clothing whirling through the air, and into an open travel bag.

‘I’ve never heard of a Wishcharmer before…’ she pressed, walking toward the old man, as she clasped her hands behind her back.

‘Of course you haven’t!’ he barked, flicking his cane. The travel bag clasped itself closed and he turned to Gwen, a hard look in his eyes. ‘They are not something we like to talk about… Shadows of the past, my dear…’

‘…Often turn to visions of the future…’ She nodded, completing the old adage. It had been taught to her all of her life. She’d had a different understanding of it’s meaning, but perhaps she was mistaken. Perhaps the phrase had meant to speak of this apparent threat. These… Wishcharmers.

Salvidi nodded. ‘Something like that…’ He looked up, his eyes brightening, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth. ‘Now, you will take with you, this cat. Companion, dearest to my heart. He will protect you. He, my dearest Babo…’

His cane snapped through the air once more, and a cat about the size of an ocelot appeared on the ground before her. It looked up, as if considering her, before snorting, and walking past her, to sit by her bag. It tilted its head to the side, looking at her lazily.

Salvidi leaned closer to Gwen. ‘You should be leaving now… Babo has little time for wastrels.’

‘What?’

‘Oh, not you, my dear… not you! But he will go along with you, to make sure you complete your task. The Sorcerer Council has deemed it necessary. I don’t mind telling you, they’re displeased with the appearance of a Wishcharmer… Displeased, indeed…’

‘But I still don’t have any idea what this man is. Is he really such a danger that we need to find him, to bring him back to the Sorcerer Council?’

‘I should say so, yes… You see… the Wishcharmers are, by far, the most dangerous of the Universal Powers… Dangerous, and unpredictable… Hurry, my child. Babo will explain more of it to you on the road. Time is short. We must stop him, my dear. Such a man could upset the delicate peace of the world. You must find him. Stop him. Bring him back. His life spells war in all the stars. And the kind of war he would bring, we are far from ready for…’