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dling the crystal protectively against his chest, the goateed man slipped into the bathroom and closed the door. At the sink, he pushed aside the coffeepot, cups and packets of instant coffee and ran less than a quarter of an inch of water into the plastic tray the motel had provided with the coffee service. He then carefully balanced the crystal on its blunt end in the water. Cushioned by the thin layer of fluid, the crystal began to hum and emit a soft greenish glow. The goateed man rested the tips of his fingers on the rough outer surface of the egg and stared into its murky depths until a swirling rainbow-colored cloud formed in its middle. Several possible futures began to unfold in front of his eyes. Most of the outcomes were as expected: total victory for his masterhorrible death for the woman and man. But one scenario was . . . cloudy. No future was ever certain, but the crystal was normally an excellent barometer of outcomes. The goateed man tried to convince himself that the nebulous nature of this particular vision was proof of how unlikely it was. Still, he was now more agitated than before and the thought of waking his master crossed his mind. He dismissed the idea just as quickly. Awakened from his meditations, it was unlikely that the Dark Man would be in any mood to listen to his apprentice's faulty visions. Besides, the goateed man assured himself, six of the seven possible futures had been positive. Six out of seven! Those were excellent odds . . . Weren't they? |
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After replacing the crystal in the Dark Man's suitcase, the goateed man went to his own valise and unzipped the inside compartment. He pulled out an oil-soaked rag and unfolded it over his bed. Inside was the shiny black .50-caliber British Army revolver that his father had bequeathed him. The goateed man had kept it more as a keepsake than out of any need for protection, and as far as he knew, the gun had never been fired. He opened the cylinder and checked to make sure it had bullets. Then he tucked the gun safely inside his overcoat. |
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