Prologue
Lightning flashed against the dark sky, briefly illuminating two cloaked figures hurrying down a cobblestone path. On either side were small huts made of clay and with heavy straw for roofs. The two figures entered one of the huts at the end, and once inside they drew back their hoods to reveal a man and a woman.
"Sister...Kalysa...we cannot tarry long. They will know by now what we have done." the man said "They shall be search for us." His eyes constantly turned towards the door and window, as though he were expecting someone to come barging in at any second.
The woman nodded and rushed around the hut, grabbing a comb, papers, some food, and sticking them all into a leather satchel that she pulled from the folds of the cloak she wore.
"That is all. Let us be gone from this dreadful place, brother." She headed for the door, but jumped when a huge clap of thunder heralded the arrival of a heavy rain.
"Taryn..."
"It shall be fine, just go!" They both looked at each other and then replaced the hoods over their faces and Taryn opened the door and stepped out into the rain after his sister. After another step he ran into her back. When he looked past to see what had caused her to freeze so suddenly his eyes widened.
"Diabians." He practically spat the word as he spoke. Kalysa stood there, frozen in fear with her hands clutched to her chest, the satchel held tightly in her arms.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Did ye truly think that ye could get away so easily after the stunt that ye pulled?" the tallest of the four men in front of the two stepped forward as he spoke and shook his head. He reached out and grabbed Kalysa's arm pulling her towards him. Taryn moved to go after her, only to be stopped by the swords of the three other Diabians.
"I hold a need to see thy face, reveal it to me." THe Diabian's eyes narrowed when she refused and he jerked the hood from her head. "Ah, there be the signs of ye calling. I doubted it for a while, but 'tis true. Ye are a priestess of Aaia, 'tis no wonder he holds such interest in ye."
Kalysa glared at the man and then spat in his face. He scowled and wiped the saliva off with the back of his dark hand. "Now, that was just rude of ye. Kill the man." he turned the woman around and pulled her against his chest; holding her easily depsite her desparate struggles.
"No! If ye touch a single hair upon his head ye will regret it!" the words came too late, Kalysa watched in absolute horror as her brother's head fell from his neck and to the ground, his body soon following suit.
"Murderers! Ye will regret this! Ye shall woe this day for the rest of ye lives! May the Nocturam's rain all the wrath of Lady Aaia down upon ye! A war shall be waged that shall tear ye nation apart!" she took a breath "The only hope ye shall have is in the form of a half-breed child. They shalt be the only one with the ability to prevent this catastrophe. May ye never find them and may thy cities burn to ash!"
The Diabian holding her just laughed and pushed her back in the direction she had originally came from, then picking her up and throwing her on the back of a large horse and getting on the beast behind her.
They rode about half an hour before they stopped in front of the gates of a large castle and the Diabians manning the large doorway opened it to allow the five in. He dismounted at the foot of the stairs that lead into the castle and flung the priestess on his houlder, striding up the stairs to enter the castle. From there, he went straight to the throne room where a man and a small boy were. The man sat in the throne itself, and the boy stood off to the right of it. The man in the throne stood and walked down the stairs that lead to where he had been seated.
"Kalysa, dost though no longer find comfort in mine arms?" the king asked her, his face looking hurt. The Diabian holding her sat her down and stepped away, bowing slightly before clasping his hands behind his back.
The king seemed to be awaiting a response from Kalysa, and when he didn't recieve one he backhanded her hard enough to send her to the ground.
"Take her to mine chambers and tie her to the bed," he ordered the Diabian whom had captured her.
