About the story ... Auberon and Natasha, now two of the most wanted criminals on Arkos, have fled to the Westside. They have taken temporary refuge in Edenoud with Dion, son of Heron, as they contemplate their future. However, a dream has prompted them to return to the Eastside to warn First Minister Odessa. What could be so disturbing that would cause them to jeopardize their own safety? Will the First Minister listen or sound the alarm? The investigation of the incident that took place in the Chamber of Prayers is reaching its conclusion. Tendai Theodor has a sense the report will cast blame on him. Can the power of his office protect him? To balance the forces he feels are aligned against him, he journeys to the under-earth to seek out an ancient and, some say, mythical enemy, the Nephilim. Are they real or just the stuff of legend? Meanwhile, First Minister Odessa has not lost sight of the inexorable destruction of the universe. While she has continued to support efforts to locate a new home, she has genetically engineered a new servile class and a method to seed them on a planet in advance of the Celesti arrival. But where is this place? The answer lies in a curious conversation that Director Jo'el has with a surrogate for his long-missing brother, Davin. It leads to a series of star maps recorded hundreds of thousands of years ago on clay tablets. The Celesti face another problem. They are dying. However, something is happening to Auberon and Natasha that holds promise for the continuation of their species. If successful, can it be replicated, or is it an isolated incident? Prophecy: Eve of Darkness weaves a compelling tale that is a blend of human nature, science, theology and philosophy. It spans the vastness of space from one universe to another and the underground world of Arkos to a distant planet called "Terra Nova". It holds up a mirror to the soul, but it will require thought and contemplation to decipher what lies below the surface. About the cover ... A prophecy can be a divine message, the interpretation of a divine message or a glimpse of the future. While a receipt of information may not always be clear, it can often provide some transparency. The future, on the other hand, is by its very nature confusing, murky and uncertain. It implies something hidden. That is the mood this image conjures with hooded robes clothing a featureless, incorporeal being against the outlines of a ghostly body suggested by the background. We cannot see the focal point of the cover. Yet, it exists. It is a feeling we are being watched by unseen eyes following us from a faceless, unknowable figure. It creates a sense of foreboding that is one of the themes of our story. That dread premonition is clearly expressed by the word "Darkness" in the title as it appears to be shadowed by the negative mirror image of the background.