Prologue
In the pale light of a quayside, a man in black emerged from under a canvas lifeboat cover and climbed out to stand on the deck of a deserted container ship. His beard and scalp itched after stowing away and living in hiding for such a long journey, but he didn’t care. He was so close to his goal, he could almost taste it. He felt inside his coat for the metal chain and amulet, then walked down the gangplank. On dry land, he gazed at the lights of London. It had changed so much.
“You there!” The harsh shout and a bright light in his face shook him back into the present. He stared at the uniformed security guard demanding to see his identification.
“I’ve no time for this,” he said, taking something out of his pocket. There was a glint of metal in the torchlight, then silence. The guard stared open mouthed as the man in black whispered in his ear, then nodded and walked in a daze towards the edge of the dock. He picked up a rusty chain, wrapped it around his neck and stepped off, disappearing with a splash into the inky water.
Once the ripples faded and the flow of bubbles finally stopped, there was nothing to show the guard had ever been there. Not that the man in black waited. He was already striding purposefully towards the city lights. This London was wrong, but soon he’d set everything right. Back the way it was meant to be.
He only needed one thing to do it. He needed Pandora Wolfe.
