Volume I - Episode 36 Where: Niagara Falls, Canada When: 11 years, 11 months and 4 days before E-Day, 1:35 pm Every man has a priority list of the things he cares about the most. The most important thing in Adam Long's life was his beautiful and beloved wife Julie. They had met in Paris in 1993, proving to Adam beyond a doubt that it truly was "the city of love". She was the most amazing woman Adam had ever met - beautiful, caring, giving, with a wit so sharp it could cut glass, and a skill with potions the likes of which he had never seen. Most importantly, she saw something in Adam that no other woman had ever seen before: his worth. She was the only woman to have ever uttered the words "I love you" into Adam's ear, and truly meant it. They had married in a beautiful outdoor wedding in 1996. His life had felt like a dream since then. Not a day went by when he didn't thank the universe for having brought them together. He would die for his dear, sweet Julie. He would kill for her. Adam stood on the walkway overlooking Niagara Falls. His car was parked nearby. On the passenger-side seat lay a small bubble-wrapped envelope which had been torn open at one end. Inside the envelope was a pool of sticky, dried blood and a woman's finger, still wearing the wedding ring Adam had bought two years earlier. The second most important thing in Adam's life was his daughter, Angela. At 12 months old, she was the most beautiful thing Adam had ever seen. Whenever she looked up at him and smiled, he felt like his heart might burst. She had his mouth and her mother's eyes. He spent hours at work just thinking about her, wondering what she was up to and what wonderful new things she was learning about. He literally could not wait to find out how she would grow up...to see the woman that she would become. He would die for his baby girl. He would kill for her. Hidden inside Adam's hip pocket was a Polaroid photograph stapled to a typed note. The photograph was of his beloved Julie, bound and gagged, her face covered in bruises. There was no sign of Angela in the photo. The note began:

"MR ADAM LONG, WE ARE THE ARMY OF GOD HAS YOUR WIFE AND DAURGHTER. YOU HERD OF US. YOU NO WHAT WE DO. YOU HAVE A CHOISE TO MAKE. THEY ARE SAFE FOR THE MOMMENT, BUT IF YOU DO NOT DO EXACTLEY AS ENSTRUCTED BELLOW, THEY WILL DIE. YOU NO WE ARE SERIOUS. YOU WILL DIE EITHER WAY..."

The third most important thing in Adam's life was magic. At the age of 26, he was not just a masterful warlock; he was also a spellslinger. While spellcasters themselves were rare, making up less than one percent of one percent of the population, only one out of a thousand casters had the talent, training and skill to become a spellslinger. They were the rarest of the rare, the most elite of the elite. Aside from Adam, there were only two other spellslingers in all of Canada. Their ability to use wands to hurl spells long distances made spellslingers the most envied and sought-after casters in the entire world. They were also strongly distrusted and, in most countries around the world (with the notable exceptions of France and Canada), highly illegal. But above all, their unique abilities made them prime targets for underworld and terrorist organisations. It is for this reason that Adam had kept his talents a closely-guarded secret his entire adult life. He had always dreaded the day when some evil-doer would target him, his friends or his family in order to make him do their bidding. The note and photograph now residing in his hip pocket proved it was a fear well-founded. * * * Adam stared at the little tour boat chugging its way towards the Horseshoe Falls below him. Its deck was crowded with laughing, raincoat-covered tourists. He could just make out the name of the boat from where he stood: Maid of the Mist VI. Tears streamed down Adam's face. His body shook uncontrollably. "Forgive me," he cried. He raised his wand.