First, let me say that I'm more than aware of the fact that the ancient calendar differed dramatically from our own. But since I'm dealing with a time of unrecorded history, I used our calendar for the dates to allow the reader to have an idea of when things were taking place. I hope those of you who are sticklers for such things will understand why it was necessary.

That being said, I've also taken license with how things were in the ancient world at the beginning. I've structured the world of ancient Greece and Atlantis around a later time period and given them more technological advances than what the historical record shows for the true time of when the book is set.

In my world, they had a lot of nifty toys until Atlantis sank into the ocean and Apollymi's wrath sent mankind back into the Stone Age. This is also dealt with and explained in more detail in the latter part of the book.

It's so strange now to have this tale written. I can still remember the first time I sat down to write a Dark-Hunter novel. Ash was one of the original characters, but back in the day, he was actually the leader of the Daimons and not the Dark-Hunters.

He's changed a lot over the years, but the one thing that hasn't ever changed is my love for him.

For my loyal readers, I want to warn you that the first half of this book is very different from the previous ones. Ash's human life is grim and it's harsh. I promised you the whole sordid truth of it, and that's exactly what I've written. I've pulled no punches.

As a survivor of childhood abuse myself, I know the strength it takes to try and silence the voices in your head and heart that haunt you long after you've broken free. It's not an easy thing to do, and just when you think you've buried those demons, they come back for you with a vengeance.