Prologue
…
France 1650
The shriek of the horses' screams echoed in her ears and the girl stumbled over the uneven cobblestones as she clapped her hands over her ears. She cried out in panic as she heard the sounds of shouts getting closer and closer. Mother had told her to run.
Run Rosanna, Run!
She had managed to lose three of the riders in the chaos of the crowd scattering but the fourth rider had been determined to catch her regardless of who he trampled in the process.
She knew they were close behind her now, she sensed them. The way frightened animals seemed to sense when the earth was about to start shaking. The earth was shaking now, the pounding of hoof beats causing the earth to tremble underneath her small feet and she stumbled for a second time, falling to her knees and scraping the skin on her knees. She smelled the coppery scent of blood in her nose. The hot breath on her neck as the horse bore down upon her and reared; another deafening shriek emitting from its throat like the cry of an unholy demon. Mother had said be brave don't cry but she could already taste the salt of her tears as her vision blurred and the horse let out a third scream of rage. She through her hands up as if that would shield her from the blow of the horse's hooves to her skull.
The horse's feet thundered back to the earth, striking the stones with a crash, sliver sparks spitting where steel struck against stone. Rosanna opened her eyes cringing away from the sight of the horse's massive hoof mere inches from her face. She scrambled to her feet still trembling from the scare and fled from the towering beast that was straining at the bit. Its rider cursing the animal and kicking it. Demanding it move.
Rosanna made the mistake of glancing over her shoulder to see her pursuer dismounting the animal, they gaze he pinned her with was nothing short of murderous. Rosanna bolted down the street.
"Come back here wretch!"
Rosanna was too frightened now to scream for help, she bolted down the street and flung herself into an alleyway nearly gone blind from her tears she pressed herself against the stone wall. Her spine flaring in protest from the force with which she hit the wall. She bit her tongue to swallow the scream of pain and prayed the man hadn't seen exactly which alley she'd taken shelter in.
Heartbeat in her throat, Rosanna gripped at the wall to keep herself upright as her feet swayed beneath her. She had to keep going that man was still coming he'd find her soon. Her fingers scrapped against stone as she clawed for a better grip and she took only a moment to look around her and gather her bearing.
The alley was dim, the majority of sunlight blocked from the space by stone. Rosanna strained her ears to pick out the man's heavy footsteps but her ears were still ringing from the horse's screams. She edged her way back toward the mouth of the alley and peeked around the stone. Hands suddenly grabbed her and she let out a deafening cry of surprise, twisting in the man's grip but his hands were clamped around her like iron.
She twisted her head and bit the man's hand as hard as she could. He howled and let go spitting in her face saying something she didn't really hear because she was already running down the street once more. Desperate to escape this man and find her mother again.
She scrambled toward the sounds of voices and carriage wheels perhaps if she could reach this road she could cause another panic.
A small red bug became visible for just a moment through her tears and Rosanna focused on it; her mother's voice coming into her head. 'Look at the ladybug, Rosanna. It wants to play a game, it wants you to follow.'
We are playing a game. Rosanna thought, in a voice that sounded like her voice but older. We are playing chase with the ladybug.
With this thought planted firmly in her mind she pushed herself forward the last little bit until the alley spit her out into the sunlight. Overjoyed to not hear any obvious signs of pursuit she quickened her pace, the excitement of escape made her near obvious to the sensation of falling, of stumbling into the road right into the path of a carriage.
The horses' snorted and reared. Rosanna let out an unrestrained sob having just escaped her ordeal to place herself in another one. "Whoa, whoa, easy now, steady." The voice that reached her ears was that of a man trying to calm the horses amid the screech of the carriage wheels and Rosanna's distressed sobbing.
She crouched in the street, ready to bolt at the sight of an elderly man exiting the carriage.
"What's your name?"
Rosanna turned her wide green eyes on the elderly man.
"Come with me please?" The man offered his hand and Rosanna flinched away.
"Don't touch me!"
The man recoiled in shock from her tone.
"I want to help you," The man assured gently. "I won't let anyone touch you ever again. I promise."
Rosanna stood slowly not bothering to brush the dirt off her dress as she eyed the man warily.
"It's alright, I just want to help you I promise. I won't make you come. If you do not wish to come."
"My mother-" Rosanna began and the man seemed to understand her hesitation in an instant.
"I will go and look for her I will find her if I can."
The sound of enraged footsteps came from around the corner, echoed by a distant thunderstorm of hoof beats and Rosanna spun around eyes wide, ready to bolt like a hunted animal at the thought of those men giving chase to her once more.
"Quickly, child, quickly! Come now." The older man insists, throwing the carriage door wide open and ushering the distressed girl inside. The carriage shot forward without a word from the man and bumped along the cobblestones. Rosanna turned to look out the window as the strange man leapt out of the way to avoid getting trampled by the two white horses as they tossed their heads and snorted. "Do not look back." Rosanna jumped and turned to face the older man, looking down at her feet as she was scolded. "Where are you taking me?"
"Somewhere away from here." The man reassured and despite his gentle tone Rosanna felt a rush of panic.
"My mother. We have to go back for my mother. She- she told me to run to the church and I-"
Rosanna cut herself off and stared wide eyed at the old man as he stroked his beard the way she had seen a lot of adults do when they were thinking.
"It will be alright, I will take you to the church and we will wait for your mother there." Not knowing what else to say Rosanna simply nodded as she began to tremble as the last of her adrenaline wore off and left only fear in its wake. Mom had told her to be brave. Brave people did not cry. Rosanna's lip trembled and the older man reached forward to comfort her but Rosanna shied away. "Leave me alone." The man pulled away and looked at her carefully. "It's alright, you don't need to be afraid of me, I am a friend. I promise."
Rosanna wiped her hand across her face, trying to stop the tears.
"Mama said that I would find friends at the church who would protect me from the angry men. This isn't the church. You are not my friend."
She expected the man to get angry and start yelling but instead he just started to laugh.
Rosanna watched him, very much confused.
"What's so funny?" She demanded, stomping her foot on the wooden floor of the carriage, on the verge of throwing a fit.
"Oh nothing is funny at all child."
"Then why are you laughing?"
"You are very clever girl, a very clever and lucky girl."
He reached into a pocket hidden by the folds of his robes and pulled out an odd shaped red and black box with a strange design that Rosanna couldn't really make sense of. He handed the box to Rosanna who eyed it with curiosity.
"And I assure you I am very much a friend." The man said. Rosanna looked between him and the box.
"Go on. Take it." The man insisted, waving the pretty little box in front of her.
"What's inside?"
"A lucky girl needs, good luck dose she not?"
Overwhelmed with curiosity; Rosanna grabbed the box out of the man's hand and touched the smooth and painted wood. It was a very pretty box. Very pretty box.
"Go on open it." The man encouraged.
Rosanna lifted the lid and saw a pair of earrings resting on a red velvet cloth.
"They are earrings." The little girl reported, a small on her face as she saw the tiny black and red jewels. "They look like ladybugs." The little girl looked up at the old man and grinned. Her terror forgotten.
"They do." The man spoke as if he just realized this but when Rosanna saw his smile it was one of those secret smiles that usually made her angry at adults for a reason that she did not understand.
She found that she didn't feel angry at this man at all, she closed the lid on the little jewelry box and reached out her tiny arm. The man smiled wider and shook his head. "You can keep them if you want." The man smiled at her and then frowned, turning serious the way that adults so often do and Rosanna felt a measure of her fear returning as she tried to keep the man's gaze.
"You have to promise me that you'll look after them, alright? They are very special, lots of people are going to want them."
Rosanna looked down at the box and smiled to herself.
"Mama always says to share."
"You'll share these don't worry." The man said, his eyes gleaming. Just as the carriage rolled to a stop on the cobblestone road outside of the church and Rosanna was being told to hurry out of the carriage. She may have been young but even Rosanna noticed that the man looked over his shoulder as he shut the doors to the church with an echoing thud that made her jump. She had never been inside a church before. She didn't think that they were supposed to be empty. She turned around in a circle staring up at the celling and racing up the steps of the pulpit to look out over the empty room. This strange new place was so exciting that she almost forgot why she was here.
"Mama?"
Her mother didn't come out of hiding and Rosanna turned to look at the man, silently demanding an explanation for why he had lied to her.
"Where's my mama?"
"She will come when she can." The man reassured though he looked worried himself. Grownups were not supposed to be worried. Rosanna sat down on the steps of the pulpit with a pout, trying to decide if she should cry or start yelling.
"We'll wait for her as long as we can alright." The man said.
There was the echoing sound of footsteps and another man that Rosanna did not recognize appeared from down one of the hallways. "You're back." The new man said, looking at Rosanna for a moment before he turned and walked down the hallway. "We have something to discuss." The other man said. Both adults started to walk away from her.
Rosanna jumped to her feet, her panic swelling in her chest and pushing a desperate yell out of her mouth. "Where are you going?" "Stay there, I'll be back. Brother Dominick and I just have to talk about something. Your mother should be here soon, can you be brave enough to wait here by yourself?"
Rosanna looked between the two adults for a moment before she nodded and sat back down on the steps.
Grown-up talk was boring. She would rather be bored by herself then bored with adults.
Rosanna watched the two men disappear and she heard a door shut.
She sat and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Then decided that she would rather be bored if she had company.
She stood up and walked to the end of the room, eyeing the hallway warily. She pressed herself against the wall and walked along as quiet as she could manage, which she thought was very quiet indeed. She pressed her ear to every door she passed just to make sure that she wasn't missing any other talking even though she could hear the grown-ups very well. Grown-ups were not very go at being quiet sometimes. She was almost to the door when she finally could hear them.
"-that we get her out of here as soon as possible."
"I agree, she won't understand, it's extremely important that she learn as quickly as possible, you said that Brother Richard in England has a lead?"
"I already sent the box ahead with another of the brethren but it may be. Difficult in this case…"
A sigh.
"When is it ever easy?"
"Considering the circumstances you described to me, it's a miracle we found her at all. She isn't showing signs yet?"
"She is, but as I have said, she does not understand. She is afraid. She will not let me come near her, she fears I will hurt her."
A silence and Rosanna was about to walk away. Why did grown-ups have to be so confusing when they talked?"
"That may be a problem if we are ever able to confirm this lead in London. It will be difficult to get them to work together, to cooperate with each other."
"They may very well be afraid of each other, but that is the least of my concerns at the moment. I am questioning why these ones are showing signs so young."
"Promising Holders show signs. The younger the better, they can learn quickly and they will be wise when the time comes. The world is changing and so must the Miraculouses."
So...I'm rewriting this...I was reconsidering the plot and I thought that I could handle this story better so hopefully it works out the way I want it to this time.