The Young Druid Boy

Prologue

Screams and cries of anguish hung in the air, and the heat of a blazing fire scorched the side of her face. Around her, chaos reigned cruelly. Cottages caught spark and blew up, everything she had once known was being destroyed before her very eyes, and she could not do a single thing.

A girl and her father were cornered. The girl had her sleek bow ready, an arrow nocked in it. Her father held his sword steady. Together, they warded off their attackers. The father twisted and turned, skilfully playing the sword and slaying those who came near. The girl shot arrow after arrow with remarkable accuracy, the one which only could be achieved after years of practise. They stayed safe together, but their luck would not hold.

Soon, the attackers overwhelmed the man and his daughter. They surrounded them and jeered at them cruelly. The girl nocked another arrow in her bow and pulled it taut, ready to let it loose at the word of her father. He stood still for a moment, assessing the situation. The man was caught out.

The attackers showed no mercy. They came at the man in staggering numbers, each taking a blow at him, and while he fended off the worst, the hits were soon having an effect.

"VESTA! GET OUT OF HERE! GO! NOW!" he bellowed at his horrified daughter through the tangle of men. He held out a silver dagger in his hand, which was sticking out, and lobbed it in a random direction for his daughter to take. "GO MY CHILD! TAKE YOLUN!" the man roared before being completely lost from sight.

The girl stood speechless, unable to comprehend. Her feet were rooted in the ground, even though she knew she had to go now. Her father was buried under several men, and it would take him a miracle to get out on his own. He was most probably… the girl forced her shock down and gulped. She quickly gathered the dagger her father left her, grabbed her bow and a quiver full of arrows, and set of for the stables. She got there safely. The girl looked around, seeking the dappled grey horse which once belonged to her… him. She took hold of the saddle and hoisted herself up, then tugged the horse into the right direction. They instantly began to canter, and when they got to the door, the horse reared back and kicked it open. They galloped out into the open. The girl frantically looked around. The sight was horrendous. Houses had been burnt down, people killed and scattered across the ground. Shops had been destroyed and what the girl had once known was gone. She choked on a sob as she stared in dismay. Her home was gone.

She left the village abruptly, nobody saw her. It was snowing and the ground was covered thick, but she was grateful as she was well camouflaged with her pure white cape. She tugged the horse here and there, taking different directions every so often as to not run into any hostiles. The two were fine for some time. Then there was the close sound of another horse whinnying. The girl heard a man shush it hastily. She knew she was being watched. She carefully twisted Yolun to the right, and then patted his abdomen with her heals to tell him to go. Just as he was about to set off, the man showed himself. He charged out, took his crossbow, aimed and fired at the girl. He hit Yolun, who reared back and collapsed, right on top of his rider. The man smirked and left, left the horse and the girl to their dreadful deaths, the horse from the shot, the girl from the cold.