3
The dark study was extravagant, but not gaudy. Tall oak bookshelves stretched to a foot short of the ceiling, and atop their majestic wood sat busts of famous orators and statesman, some of whom occupied both those distinctions.
A wide window some ten feet tall encompassed half of the exterior wall. The glass was separated into several panes, and some of them opened like doors onto a luscious lawn. A cool night breeze swept through the windows and into the room, stirring a few loose papers on a large oak desk.
Behind the desk sat a man of thirty-five. His hair was as dark as the night behind him and his skin was pale. He was dressed in dark semi-formal attire that allowed him to blend in with the black leather of the high-backed chair.
The man was seated in one corner of the la
