PROLOGUE

The Australian outback was deadly silent with the sounds of its own silence. Advanced mathologist Donovan Manlison brushed the golden hair from his tanned, high cheekbones and reflected on the savage beauty of this place he had called home for many years now. A beauty not unlike his own. Savage. He had faced many challenges out here, from the ravenous kookaburra to the bloodthirsty platypus. No, seriously, those things are nuts. Nothing however, could have possibly prepared Donovan for the deadly fate that was about to befall him – death.

Donovan’s pet kangaroo, Lucilla, suddenly perked up her ears in a perky fashion.

“What is it, girl?” He asked quietly.

Lucilla said nothing. Because she’s a kangaroo. Idiot. Donovan, however, after many years in her company, could read the kangaroo like a big, furry, book. He squinted, looking into the distance. A large, blurry shape was approaching. As the object grew close, Donovan grew fearful. Fearing for his life, his eyes grew wide. With fear.

“No,” he gasped, “It couldn’t be!”

Lucilla brayed. Or neighed. Or whatever the heck it is kangaroos do. But it was too late. The shape was really, really, close. Deadfully close.

Claws and teeth cut into Donovan’s tender yet well-toned flesh. As Donovan fell to the ground, the shape’s master called it off, and approached Donovan’s soon-to-be-corpse.

“Hellow, Dr. Manlison,” a familiar voice said.

“How did you find me?” Donovan gasped with his last dying breath.

“That, my mathologist friend,” said the voice, which, to keep things mysterious, could possibly belong to either a man or a woman, “you will never know.”