Prologue
An explosion sounded in the distance, the screams and shouts drowned out the loud evidence of chaos. That’s what it was- chaos. The windows could barely keep the outside smoke from seeping in; a thick, hazy cloud began to form inside the house. A hooded figure ran upstairs with a small bundle in an attempt to escape the smog.
She locked the door before placing the bundle on the bed and turned to the window- what laid beyond was horrifying. The figure froze as she surveyed the scene... she clearly didn’t expect it to be this bad.
Fire erupted like angry demons with slashing jaws, devouring anything they could reach. The earth cracked open like a giant scythe had been dragged through the dirt, getting bigger and deeper- it began to swallow the line of huts. Tsunamis clapped over the plains, not even sparing a twig in its conquest as it withdrew. But ice- it was the most brutal of all. Icicles rose out of dry dirt, stabbing into walls and expanding until the wood had burst into nothing more than mere tiny splinters. The figure had to turn her head away as a single icicle inched towards a little boy.
“Up there! Look, she’s there!” A group of armed men started running towards the lone hut, “We’ve got her surrounded, move in!”
A baby’s wail sounded loud and clear in the air. The figure turned and hurried over to pick up the little bundle. Only then did she realise smoke had began to flood through the small gap under the bedroom door.
She slowly rocked the baby in her arms, whispering nothing but sweet things into her small, delicate ear and gently kissed her cheek. Soon, the baby fell back into a relaxed slumber.
Being as agile yet quiet as the figure could manage, she unhooked her necklace and secured it around the baby’s fragile neck, it was too big and hung all the way down to her soft belly but she still smiled- the first time since these dreadful terrors began. The pendent was a golden egg; it had the size of a dollar coin and was well decorated in silver ornaments, the charm was attached to a thin golden chain which sparkled under the dim light of candles.
The downstairs door burst open and the loud stomps of men came rushing in. The cloaked figure pulled down her hood, revealing a long curtain of silky brown. Light waves traveled down the entire length and curved inwardly at the tips. Stormy grey orbs shone from under a thick barricade of lashes but they couldn’t even dim the shimmer in the raging tempest.
She reached out a hand to push a barrier of thick air into the stairwell as an attempt to lengthen her time- but even so, she knew it was short.
The woman tuned out the loud, frustrated shouts erupting from downstairs and looked closer at her baby girl. She had a few, growing wisps of hazelnut hair framing her small face, her lips and cheeks were as rosy as ever; when she had laughed or smiled, her baby gums would show and she had these stunning eyes that drew all your attention, one was a shining silver and the other was a striking green. Her beauty unmasks the great power she holds.
The woman kissed her small forehead and careful not to stir her, she whispered a gentle “I love you... seek and you shall-” but before she could finish, the barrier broke like a shattering mirror. Heavy stomps amplified the already loud ringing in the woman’s ears as she hurried to place the bundle into the waiting basket on the far side of the room. She heaved to move the bookcase to one side; it revealed a small hole with a ramp that seems to resemble a narrow slide leading downwards- towards unknown darkness.
With great care, the woman placed in the basket into the awaiting tunnel, muttering something over and over, as if trying to engrave words into the resting baby’s mind.
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With a gentle push and the replacing of the bookcase, the sound of the bedroom door slamming open mixed with the staggering ringing in the air; the small basket made its first step into the great unknown.
