became seized with the compulsion to steal a particular item that

was up for bid. A small bronze chest that held three enchanted

runestones.

At the same time, Kira, an orphan who had grown up on the

streets of New York City and made her living as a cat burglar,

became seized by a similar compulsion. Yet neither of them knew

that they were already in the grip of forces far greater than they

could understand. Although they didn’t know it at the time, they

were descended after many generations from two of Gorlois’s

daughters, Elaine and Morgause. And it was for their descent from

the last surviving member of the Council of the White that they

had been chosen by the living runestones.

When Modred, Kira, and Wyrdrane, the descendants of the three

daughters of Gorlois, finally met, the runestones magically became

a part of them and their destiny was changed forever. Separately,

they were no more than what they’d been before, but together, they

could unite to form the Living Triangle, calling forth the full power

of the runestones and the spirits of the Council of the White. And

that power was needed now, because once the runestones had been

removed from the chamber where the Dark Ones slept, the

necromancers were able to escape. They had scattered throughout

the world and now the only way to stop them was to hunt them

down, before they could come into their full power.

“We’re forgetting one thing, ” said Kira. “The last time Wyrdrune

and I shared a telepathic dream, it wasn’t the runestones’ doing. It

was the necromancer who had captured you, trying to make us

think the contact was coming from you.”

“You think one of the Dark Ones is casting spells against us?”

Wyrdrune said.

“It’s entirely possible, ” said Modred. “So long as we’re alive and

have the runestones, we remain a threat to them. One of them, or

perhaps more, may be trying to lure us somewhere.”

“Or away from ‘ere, ” said Billy.

“Yes, good point, ” Modred agreed. “Things have been relatively

quiet since we returned from Paris. There’s been no sign that any of

the Dark Ones have been active.”