The Beginnings

Prologue

January 31, 1991

She walked down the hall, half stomping and half running. Today was the day she would find out what the Future Watcher had been seeing. He promised he would tell her what her future would entail.

As Empress of the Empire - a group of people blessed with supernatural abilities, she was determined to keep that title. She had helped her husband build the Empire to what it was now: a thriving community out of the public eye. No one knew that half of the world's economy was due to the fact that the Empire, as they were called by the people who knew them, controlled many of the finest organizations. They had been set up by them and ran smoothing by them.

Four days prior she had been blessed with her final grandchildren. Her only daughter had had twins, Michel James and Aiden Baker. They were Lorraine's fourth and fifth children, the last ones she was going to have.

She had been so excited to have a granddaughter she could spoil she had snatched the baby up and began talking to her about everything she was going to do, give her, and make her to be the best granddaughter in the world. Too bad she was only going to see her on certain days because they lived in the States while she lived in Germany.

She had always wanted to spoil a granddaughter. When she and her husband had been having children, they had lost two before their son had been born. Her husband had gone off on a grand tour so he would understand what he was really ruling over though they had been in hiding since ancient times. It had been then that she had discovered she was expecting her second child. She had been so excited to share the news, but her doctor had advised her not to since they weren't sure if the pregnancy would take.

Her daughter had been born in the early morning hours of July 15. She had been tiny, only six pounds, but she had been lively. It had been in that moment that the Empress had decided she would spoil her grandchildren, especially her granddaughter the way she would spoil her daughter.

Life had been full for all of them. Her son had married and produced his heirs, more sons to carry on the family name. She had been extremely grateful for it considering they were full German-born. Unlike her daughter's fire child.

An American student had been visiting and had met her daughter. The child had left her home country to be with the man who was four years her senior. She had been sixteen. When she returned a few months later, she was heavily pregnant and married. Her parents had warned her but she had ignored them.

That had been the day when everything had fallen apart. No love had been lost between mother and daughter as the latter had refused to see reason. The man's children were not accepted in the fold, especially after she had found out they were Silverborne. No Silver would ever inherit her world.

She had thought things were going to change, had hoped they would. Her son had smuggled in his sister when she had been on the run from her husband. The children had been in tow, and once again her daughter was expecting. Except this time, it had been by a man she had met. The man she had been destined to be with. Their child was to be their lasting promise to each other.

The Empress had decided to see her daughter in hopes she could convince her to divorce the man and marry her destiny. But once again, her daughter had disagreed.

The argument had been put on hold when the daughter had gone into labor. Delivering twins in the evening of January 27, a boy and a girl. Her daughter had agreed to allow them to be brought to Germany only for the holidays, but her mother would never see them.

To make matters worse, that morning had also been the day when the Future Watcher had chimed in with a vision of the future. He had said he would explain the vision to her in four days, or January 31. He was cryptic like that. He had to have control of the situation because he was always right. The future always came to pass as he said. Today was that day and she was going to see what was in store for her.

The double doors opened as the guards jerked them open for her. She would never tire of that or of people bowing to her when she came into the room. She loved her life. As she moved farther into the room, she saw the man staring at a pool of water. Her son stood beside him with his fourteen-year-old son Alexander.

"Charles," she said as she stopped beside him, her long dress rustling as it hit the backs of her heels.

Her son turned towards her and smiled. "Mother."

"How is little Parker?"

"He is well. Carol is taking care of him."

His smile was warm as he talked about his youngest son. He had four sons, Alexander, Grant, Simon and now little Parker. There was a seven year age gap between Grant and Simon.

"Good." She turned her attention towards the man at the pool. "George, today is the thirty-first. You said you would give me your future today."

George turned his attention to her. His green eyes were clouded as he looked up. Behind them, she could see the little boy who had been best friends with her son growing up. Even to this day, they kept a close relationship even if their lives had diverged onto different paths.

Slowly they adjusted back to his normal color. Then he smiled. It was tired and wistful, almost like what he had seen made him regret being what he was.

"Ah, Your Majesty. It is good to see you," he said.

She snorted. "Get it over with. What's the future that will come to pass."

George frowned. He rarely ever frowned like that unless it was something bad. The last time he had frowned like that was when he foresaw the outcome of the Korean War. He was always right and that was sometimes annoying. The last future he had watched was Lorraine's and he hadn't been too pleased about that, but he had kept a lid on it.

Not that he could control exactly what he saw. When he looked at a person, he could see the two biggest choices of their immediate lives. For him to see completely into the future required so much power it was easier to pull from someone, usually someone who could enhance someone's abilities. But one of those hadn't been seen in the elder generation's lifetimes.

"Your Majesty, you really don't want to hear this." He shook his head sharply as if to make a point.

She stomped her foot in frustration. "I allowed you to keep Lorraine's future to yourself. That was fine, but this one is one I will not allow you to keep this one. Now spill."

He glanced at Charles. The younger man nodded solemnly. So, her son knew what was going on. It made sense, considering George valued his friend's advice. Finally, after a decade it seemed, he took a deep breath.

"In seventeen years, two people, a male and a female, will rise as the strongest of our people in all time. They will bear the marks of the Sun and the Moon, gold and silver, and will be the greatest rulers the people have ever known."

This did not make her happy. "Will I be alive?"

George nodded, his eyes full of fear because of what she might do. "Yes, Your Majesty, you will be."

"How will these two come to power?" She watched his throat convulse as he swallowed hard. "Well? How will they come to power?"

"They…" He had to swallow the lump of fear. "They will over throw you and your husband. The female will duel you and let you live when she wins. These two will be able to unite the two factions as no one has ever before."

The nerve in her jaw ticked. There was no way she was going to lose her throne to a couple of misfits who rise up through the ranks. She would make it harder for people to use their powers for evil.

"Who are the two?"

George was suddenly nervous. He knew he was going to have to tell the names of the two but he didn't like it. He knew what was going to happen between now and then but it was his job to do so.

"George!"

"They are Prince Michel and Princess Aiden. Those two will overthrow you when they are seventeen years old and there's nothing you can do about it."

The Empress clenched her fists so hard fire licked up her arms. "We will see. You are dismissed."

Her son, grandson, and the Future Watcher exited the room with a bow. She was going to keep her throne. There was no way her grandchildren were going to take the throne from her. She was the supreme ruler of these peoples and she was going to stay that way no matter how she did it.