Prologue
My Name is Lynn Hunter, on my 16th birthday I lost everything and everyone I loved.it was the coldest night of the year .the village was at peace,but not for long .
Something or someone emerged in the distance, he was fully seen from the kitchen window,
Dad turned off the lights so we could not be seen .we stood frozen, watching, waiting to see what he wanted.slowly he stepped away .we listened intently and soon the silence was broken by piercing cries and the dull thud of lifeless bodies hitting the floor.'we are being invaded.'" I Said almost a cry "
I couldn't bear it .the cries off children being torn from their mothers,the heart - wrenching sight off despair .."it was too much" .the pain etched in their faces was unbearable,leaving an indelible mark on my soul .
Time was running out ,we decided to flee before they get to my home ..blood that could have made river now stained the earth.people were rushing to fight , desperate to protect their families natal clashed violently,and screams echoed through the air as people fell , dying at the heads of the invaders .
My family made a run for it ,my heart as chaos erupted around us , behind me"men with wide ,wing-like cloaks moved purposefully through the carnage,their mouth twisted into cruel smiles they seemed to revel in the suffering they unleashed,savouring every moment of pain.
Ahead,a painful sight awaited.my mother grabbed my hand tightly ,pulling me as we fled .but then a towering figure stepped into our path , blocking it completely.the Maris sword gleamed under the moonlight.its sharpness unmistakable. "My father undeterred, stepped forward to face him".
He fought valiantly,but the man swung his
sword in a deadly arc .my father body crumpled to the ground,blood pooling beneath him .my mother screamed , shielding my eyes as though that could block out the horror. I felt her trembling as we both saw .what she couldn't look away from - the end off my father the man she loved.
With the strength left in her ,she pulled me forward, forcing us to run ,We ran into the woods, the air heavy with the acrid scent of ash and smoke. My village was gone, reduced to embers and ruin. The only sound that filled the night was our hurried breaths and the distant shouts of those hunting us.
We ran until the ground disappeared beneath us, a jagged cliff edge stretching before the vast, freezing waters below. The voices grew louder, the crackle of their torches lighting up the dark woods. There was no time to think. We glanced at each other-her eyes full of determination, mine full of fear. Then, we jumped.
The icy water stole my breath, my limbs stiffening with the shock of the cold. We swam desperately as arrows sliced through the air, their sharp whistles drowned out by the crashing waves. One struck my mother in the shoulder, and her cry of pain pierced through the chaos.
"Keep swimming!" she shouted, her voice strained but commanding.
I tried to reach her, but the current pulled us apart. Her movements slowed, her strength fading with each stroke. I screamed for her, but the river's roar drowned my voice.
As the current dragged me away, I saw her slip beneath the water, her face pale against the dark waves.
I reached the riverbank alone, shivering and broken. I sat there, staring at the endless water, hoping for her to surface. But she never did.
She was gone. And so was my home.
