secret wisdom, but always with its priests and priestesses guarding its dark flame, passing it on from
century to century. Dark flame of forbidden knowledge…burning in Egypt before even the Pyramids were
raised; and in temples crumbling now beneath the Gobi's sands; known to the sons of Ad whom Allah, so
say the Arabs, turned to stone for their sorceries ten thousand years before Abraham trod the streets of
Ur of the Chaldees; known in China-and known to the Tibetan lama, the Buryat shaman of the steppes
and to the warlock of the South Seas alike.
Dark flame of evil wisdom…deepening the shadows of Stonehenge's brooding menhirs; fed later by
hands of Roman legionaries; gathering strength, none knows why, in medieval Europe…and still burning,
still alive, still strong.
Enough of preamble. I begin where the dark wisdom, if that it were, first cast its shadow upon me.