Prologue – May 18, 2352
Hanging in the skies high over the Mountain Scape Village shines the silver moon glistening through the dense layer of storm clouds, few lighting up with lightning with thunder erupting moments later. The Village itself stays dim, every house holding its own lack of light with the exception of one cottage whose roof supply the only other light. A soft glow comes from the torch in the petite hand of a two-year-old girl, her shoulder-length hair as dark as the night sky above her and her night gown, that swishes around her ankles as she walks, a pale shade of cobalt. The shining lightning strikes reflect in her deep silver eyes as she gazes up into the storm clouds that mostly, but not completely, shield the moon.
That little girl is me.
I drop to my knees just in front of the wooden flap that leads down to my bedroom and bring my knees to my chest, the torch still in my hand. Tears prick at my eyes and my cheeks grow hot, letting a soft, strangled sob slip past my lips. I don't move as the hatch behind me creaks open.
"Nyte," my mother's soft voice calls, more of a sigh than anything, "baby, what're you doing up this late?" I turn to glance over my shoulder, my face falling as I notice dry tears marking her cheeks, and she hoists herself through the hole to seat herself beside me. She, too, is wearing only her night gown, a pale tone of violet.
"I miss daddy…" I sniffle, more tears running down my cheeks at the thought of my father, and my mother sighs once more, pulling me into her lap and beginning to stroke my hair.
"I do, too, baby." She states, staring blankly at the forest surrounding our town as more tears begin to spill from her one exposed eye; the other eye, ripped and torn with dried blood staining what's left, is covered by a blindfold a deep shade of violet. It's one of the "souvenirs" from her past wars.
You see, my mother, Skyelr Thernstrom, is the general of the military to the place we call home: Hylls' Keep. My father had departed our quaint settlement to protect not only it, but the whole domain of the Hylls Kingdom, which consists of a small number of other towns, such as River's Bend and Forest Border. And that's it. Along with Mountain Scape, River's Bend and Forest Border are the only villages belonging to Hylls' Keep. The monarchy resides in River's Bend, which is a day's trip on horseback. Only its defense force had stayed to protect the Keep.
War had been declared on us by the Raveene Kingdom, the reason unknown to me. Mother never spoke about the war or even about my father after he left. I had noticed this, and that her stomach had come to bulge each passing day. This had actually been the purpose she hadn't followed my father into war; something her colleagues call a "maternity leave". Being only a three-year-old, I was, and still am, mostly confused by this concept, but Mother told me I would soon have a little sister or brother.
"Momma," I catch her attention, her head turning to face me, and her eyes follow my hand as I rest it on her protruding stomach, "how much longer until the baby comes?" She smiles gingerly at my question, grateful that I have changed the subject to a much more jovial one.
"A few weeks, my sweet…" She replies, her voice barely a whisper, and gently places her hand over mine, which seems like a doll's compared to hers, "… only a few weeks…" She lightly kisses the top of my head and carries me back inside the small house, proceeding to my small, navy-sheeted bed and laying me there. "Now, get some rest." I smile tiredly, already feeling my eyelids grow heavy, and nod, yawning as I rest my head on my pillow. My eyes close as my mother exits the room, returning to her own bed and becoming dead to the world as she carefully lays herself down.
"A few weeks…" I murmur, yawning mid-sentence, and fall numb, sleeping soundly. What gets me even more excited is that my birthday is the exact same date as my soon-to-be sibling's, June 21, the day of the summer solstice.
18 Years Later – January 27, 2370
A thick blanket of snow covers the dead, yet beauteous foliage of the forest, the trees bare and the dry, brown grass hidden by the snowfall. Nevertheless, the cold never troubled the village folk; warm weather is difficult to come by whilst residing on a mountain side. And yet, my village had managed to find the flat land amongst the rocky inclines, a bold river cutting through the earth of what is now the center of the town, and a barrier of trees make up the outer edge.
I urge my black stallion Diavolt to gallop faster with a shout, maneuvering through the trees, his silver mane whipping in the wind. My own black hair tied into a short braid that reaches down only to the base of my neck whipping in the wind, a ghost of a smile shows on my face. The cold winds wrapping around me cannot reach my skin due to the thick jacket around my person made of leather dyed to match the black wolf fur that's used as a collar with a cobalt chemise hidden underneath, or the deep navy cotton pants that fit tight to my figure with their brims hidden beneath the black knee-high winter boots, the ridges lined with wolf fur.
On his back, I cling to the leather reins, my legs pressing gingerly against Diavolt's rib cage, with my eyes locked on the terrain in front of me. I pull back gently on the reins as my family's cottage comes into view, Diavolt slowing from a trot to a stroll as we pass the west side of the house. My mother, dressed in her riding boots over her deep navy skinny jeans and her tight red and black flannel completely buttoned up except for the collar, which folds around her neck, glances up from grooming her own chocolate brown mare to gaze at me as I ride Diavolt into the stables, both of us smiling as I pass her by.
"I didn't expect you to be riding this early." She comments, leading her mare into the stables by the reins, and I titter.
"Dae woke me." I state, opening the gate to Diavolt's stable and directing him into it. "She's always up at the crack of dawn."
"Oh, like you don't like watching the sunrise." My sister taunts me, riding into the stables on her own cream colored mare Areston, her waist-length golden hair secured in a ponytail at the back of her head bouncing in waves behind her.
"I don't." I counter. "I prefer the sunset."
"Different as night and day, you two," Our mother chuckles, shaking her head lightly at the both of us.
"Is that why you named us that?" I question playfully, resting a hand on my hip, the other having its fingers run through Diavolt's mane. Mother only titters at my response.
"Nyte," Dae addresses me, catching my attention, "ride with me?" She tugs on her left rein, turning Areston around to face the way she came from. I beam and heave myself back onto Diavolt, guiding him to trail after Dae and Areston as they wander to the forest, disappearing in the tree line. Glancing over my shoulder at my mother, I mouth to her that we'll return soon. She nods, gesturing for me to follow my little sister.
"Go," she says, "you'll lose her if you wait any longer."
"Alright. I love you, mama. Yah!" I shout to urge Diavolt on, following the same trail as my sister. I yell her name, having Diavolt speed up the slightest bit, but I receive no answer. "Dae, where'd you go?"
"Miss me?" I tug on the reins, forcing Diavolt to stop, and twist my upper body to glance behind me, relaxing once Dae rides up next to me. She smiles over at me, stopping Areston beside Diavolt, and waves a hand in front of her. "Come with me." Gently nudging Areston's side with her heel, he and Dae begin to amble forward. Doing the same, I follow, trotting up next to her and turning to face her.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" I question, letting Diavolt meander beside Areston as I watch my sister. Her expression remains calm and she stares straight ahead, avoiding turning to meet my gaze.
"Our father." I stiffen at her answer.
"I knew you would ask someday." I sigh and straighten myself out, staring at the trees that stand naked before us. I suddenly feel Dae's soft, yet surprised, eyes peering at me.
"You knew?" Her voice comes out soft, a bit strangled, as if tears have rushed to her eyes. I nod almost unnoticeably.
"I did."
"Then tell me."
"Tell you what?"
"About our father." Her voice remains quiet as she continues to watch me expectantly, but her eyes trail down to the orange skirt draped over her knees, ending just below them, attached to a corset of the same hue covering snow white leggings. Her somewhat heavy, brown winter boots shield the bottom brims of her leggings, the thick coat made from leather around her, reaching down to the middle of her stomach, the same light shade of auburn, wolf fur making up a collar to keep her neck warm. Underneath her corset, trapped beneath it, is a short-sleeve blouse in a pale shade of yellow, the gloves protecting her hands from the cold the same shade, but brighter and more vibrant. As her sky blue eyes flicker back to meet mine, her gaze softens, a glint of longing hidden in them.
"Please," she pleads silently, "I want to know."
"Fine," I give in, "I'll tell you all that I know about him." I wrench on my right rein to turn Diavolt, making him stop, facing my sister's right, in from of Dae and her horse, and act as a barricade. "The few things I know about our father is that his name is Aarao Thernstrom, he's a year older than our mother, and that he left his family, a two-year-old and his wife who was with child, to fight against the Raveene armies as to protect the Hylls' Keep." I unintentionally raise my voice to a shout at the last detail, causing Dae to shrink back slightly from fear; she's always been the sensitive one. Taking a moment to recompose myself after realizing my mistake, both my gaze and my voice grow soft.
"Dae," I begin, closing my eyes and trying to make my tone gentle, "I apologize. I didn't mean to yell. I just get touchy around the subject."
"I noticed." Dae comments, looking anywhere but my eyes.
"Hey, hey, hey," I play with the reins a bit so that Diavolt is facing the opposite direction that Areston is, leaving me side by side with my sister and facing the opposing direction that she is, "I'm sorry. You know I'm touchy with certain subjects." I stretch over and wrap my arms around her, embracing her. She hesitantly hugs back.
"We should probably head back." She mutters, letting go of me. I pull myself away and once again take the reins in my hands, whipping them once to signal Diavolt to stroll back to the cottage. With Dae trailing behind me on Asteron, I prod Diavolt's sides with my heels to urge him forward to a trot in the direction of the cottage. Once more maneuvering through the barren forest, I laugh as I gain speed, feeling the wind whip around me. As Dae and I reach the stables, two men about our age come into view, both wearing the silver armor with the blood red coat of arms of the Raveene Kingdom on the chest plate. With their helmets off and standing at the door, they take turns conversing with our mother inaudibly. I gasp and signal for Dae to hide herself, and pull on the reins to make Diavolt back up and out of sight, resulting in him rearing, whinnying and catching the men's attention.
"No!" I whisper-yell, washing over me as the men's attention flickers to the side of the house, and I lightly smack my horse. "Bad Diavolt!" As I hear one of the men's footfalls approaching my hiding place, my eyes widen with panic and I tug more on the reins, turning Diavolt around, now facing my sister.
"Nyte, what is happening?" She questions me, an unnerved look in her eyes as she attempts to get Areston under control.
"I don't know." I reply, panting slightly. "Run. Go."
"What?"
"Run, Dae! I'll be right behind you!" With a hesitant nod, she urges Areston to gallop back through the forest, not looking back once. I turn to look back over my shoulder, seeing the second guard, a man with sandy brown hair framing a somewhat childish face and deep brown eyes, approach me without his weapon drawn. I lift the reins, ready to have Diavolt flee after my sister, but he puts up his hands in defense.
"Hey, hey," His voice is gentle, friendly even, and he takes a couple steps toward Diavolt, "I'm not going to hurt you."
"What're you doing here, then?" I ask, my voice cold and my gaze like steel, with the reins still raised in my hands.
"You're Nytfal Thernstrom, correct?"
"How do you know my name?" He hesitates to answer, so I fill the silence with a different question: "What's your name?"
"My name is Mitchell Hughes." He responds quickly. "I know your name because you and your sister, Dae Thernstrom, are needed in Raveene Ores immediately." I pause, multiple thoughts and ideas dancing through my mind.
"Why would they want Hyllsmen? They've been locked in battle with our armies for almost twenty years."
"The war ended a few years ago, actually. It's partially the reason you're needed in the Raveene."
"Is my mother coming?"
"Yes; she's listed as a special guest on the Raveene's behalf." I wait in silence for a few moments.
"I'll find my sister."
"And I'm coming with you."
I scoff, "Excuse me?"
"How do I know you're not just going to run off?" I repeat the silence.
"Good point." I turn Diavolt to face the forest, which had previously been on my right. "Hop on." Mitchell smiles and hoists himself onto Diavolt behind me.
"You can call me Mitch, by the way." He adds randomly, and I tense as he wraps his arms around my waist. Noticing my stiffness, he titters. "It's just so I can hold on. I don't bite. Promise."
"Just a warning," I start, flicking my head to the side to move my bangs off of my left eye, "I like to go fast. So hang on. Yah!" I shout, whipping the reins to impel Diavolt forward, and he begins to gallop once more through the forest. Obviously not accustomed to this kind of haste, Mitch's grip tightens around my waist in panic. I guffaw over the wind as Diavolt bounds over a fallen, now dead, tree in the center of the path, Mitch hanging onto me for dear life.
"What?" I yell over the roaring wind in my ears. "Not used to this kind of speed?" He nods quickly, burying his face in my back, only making me laugh more. "Kind of cowardly for a soldier, aren't you?"
"No," Mitch shouts back over the current of air, "I just don't favor going this fast! Especially with this kind of terrain!" I smirk and roll my eyes playfully, whipping the reins so Diavolt races faster, making Mitch shriek. I scrutinize our surroundings and catch sight of a golden ponytail and a cream-colored pony's tail, smiling as I direct Diavolt in the same direction I see it.
"Dae!" I call out for her. "Daelyte Thernstrom!" The clattering of hoofs abruptly ceases, and I yank on the reins to stop. Diavolt whinnies, flicking his head to the side as he slows. With Mitch still clinging desperately to me, I crane my neck to peer through the maze of desolate foliage, hoping to catch sight of my sister.
"Dae," I shout again, "it's your sister."
"Nyte?" I sigh in relief as I finally receive an answer, beaming as I see her riding on Areston into view.
"Come on." I instruct, turning Diavolt around to face the way I came. "Back to the house." Areston gallops after me, Dae shooting me a confused glance as she catches up to ride by my side.
"But what about-?" She cuts herself off, her eyes drifting to Mitch still clinging to me for dear life, his face buried in my back.
"Trust me." I shout as the winds suddenly roar around us. "It's something about dad. I just know it." The blustery weather rumbles louder than my voice, making it seem as if I had never said the last two sentences. And I don't want Dae to know what I said. My own words, what I could hear, bounce around in my head, echoing over and over again: "It's something about dad."