Blood and Sand Prologue

Damn it!

Nothing would work, I'd managed to drag the company through six months of hatred and accusations after my father's little revolution with Amon and I was at the end of my rope, there was nothing left I could do at all. It was inevitable, Future Industries was going to go bankrupt.

So here I was sitting in my office, setting sun out the window, pouring over all the reports and manifests desperately trying to figure out a way to save this company. I knew it was hopeless; no one would even come close to associating with Future Industries after the debacle that was my father's support of Amon.

My mind drifted back to a few weeks ago, feeling low and looking for a familial connection, I went through some of Mom's old things. The diary I found, with connections to people who may be able to help. Who wouldn't want to be reminded about certain failures or loose ends.

But then there where all the people at the company who needed me to think of something. I didn't like this, having to call in unscrupulous favours from people who didn't even owe me anything, but I had a job to do.

So I took the somewhat withered book out of my desk draw and turned to the page I needed, picked up the phone, dialled the number and waited for an answer.

"Misty Springs flower shop, how may we help-" I wasn't in the mood for this.

"I knock at the guarded gate, I have eaten the fruit and tasted it's mysteries." I really wasn't in the mood for this cryptic nonsense. "And I need to arrange a meeting with a certain grandmaster."

"Do you have a password?" I looked back at the diary, thinking of these things Mom had never told me about; then I answered.

"Azure flame."