Prologue: Old Stories Summary

Jack Swift is born a wizard to parents who have no such inclinations in the small town of Trinity, Ohio. He is watched over by his Aunt Linda, an enchanter of considerable skill, and Nicodemus Snowbeard - the wizard who ensures his protection and safety from those who would kill him, or use him to their own gain. Jack is born without a crystal, which would in most cases mean certain death, but Linda uses her influence with Dr. Longbranch, a premier wizard for the White Rose, to have a crystal implanted in his newborn body. Dr. Longbranch has ulterior motives however, and in an unprecedented experiment, she implants a Warrior's crystal where a Wizard's crystal belongs, confessing the deed only afterward. As such, Jack reaches maturity and begins to display the gifts of his heritage and much more...