Two pies sit on the windowsill. She watches them steaming in the cool air,
letting out an aroma that tempts even the faint of heart to come forth for
a forbidden taste. Her stomach lets out a loud rumble, and with her heart
in her mouth, she watches the cook's eyes pass over her hiding spot. She
shuts her eyes and expects the worst. Only when no cooking pot comes flying
at her face does she dare to open her eyes. If she is caught, her master
will flog her severely. A small rustling in the bushes behind her informs
her that her partner in crime has arrived. She turns and giggles: he has
tried to camouflage his blonde hair by smearing it with dirt. They wait
together, waiting for that moment, that perfect moment when.SNATCH!. she
grabs the prize and tosses it to her partner who disappears into the
foliage. She glances around to make sure no one has seen and swiftly
follows him.
A short while later, she sits, her belly full and her face stained. She
does not like to steal, but the horns of hunger are sharper than the horns
of punishment. This pie will probably be the only nourishment she will
have for days, and she savors every bite. A hand falls softly on her bony
shoulder. She brushes her dark hair out of her eyes and looks up. He has
returned from washing the dirt out of his hair, and the blonde curls fall
in profusion around his face. She giggles and hands him his half. He
grins and begins to eat. Sighing, she leans against him and shuts her
eyes. Before she falls asleep, he turns and whispers "Hey Zera, Happy
Birthday". She smiles sleepily. She is seven years old.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A brutal kick to her side sends her sprawling to the floor. She tries to breathe but cannot. Another blow hits her nose, and her mind registers the feeling of warm blood flowing down her face. She knows she deserves to be treated like this. The coal miner has taken her in, a penniless, dirty orphan, out of the good of his heart, and she only repays him with laziness. He kicks her again, and vomit gushes out of her mouth and splays across the floor. Hehad caught her sleeping on the job, and punishes her with all the cruelty his three hundred pound bulk can unleash on a scrawny seven-year old. She has one comfort in this torrent of pain. She knows he will not kill her; She knows he will not kill her; she is too good a worker for that. From the corner of her eye, she sees the miner's son laughing at her. Blearily, she starts to count the kicks she is receiving. She reaches twenty before she passes out. She wakes up slowly, shivering, and feels a grass blade tickling her face. He has put her outside to sleep tonight. He means it as punishment, but she does not care. Near the village is the dark forest, and she has always been spellbound by its sheer beauty. She stares at it in the distance, and does not hear soft footsteps padding towards her. A blanket is thrown over her, and she stops shivering. She looks up and recognizes the mop of blonde curls immediately. "Art," she smiles. He touches her face slowly, anger and disbelief clearlyetched across his eight-year-old face. "What did he do to you?" he whispers in shock. "It's not as bad as it looks, and besides, I'm tough." She tries to keep from crying. He sits next to her and puts his arm around her shoulder, and she cannot hold back anymore. She cries. "I fell asleep again. He is so good to me, and all I do is fail him," she sobs. "He works you from four in the morning until midnight," he says. "He feeds you pig slop, and that is only when he remembers to feed you." His grip around her shoulder tightens protectively. "He throws you out in the cold to sleep." "That is only because I DESERVE IT!" she yells angrily. "I am nothing, he took me in. He gives me work, food, and clothes.. "You call torn up rags clothes." "You have to understand, Art. I have nowhere else to go," she says.
He understands. He too is an orphan. Luckily, sheepherders took him in, and now he tends the flocks for a well-to-do family in the village. The choices for the parentless are few in their world. Most end up as thieves, prisoners and prostitutes, none of which suit either very much. At a loss for words, he stays with her in silence.
************************************************************************ Years pass. She grows up, and although the beatings increase in intensity, they decrease in frequency. The bruises and breaks always heal though. Time has been good to her. She is tall, but too thin. Jet-black hair cascades down her back in soft curls, framing a face that is mysteriously beautiful, its most striking feature being large amethyst eyes. Instead of being proud of her features, like any other sixteen-year-old, she hates it. She has seen the miner's son staring at her, and she does not like the way he looks at her. She smears her face with charcoal and dirt, and binds her chest every morning. She does not voice her fears to anyone. The miner has been good to her. Art has grown up as well. He is not as tall as she is. His curly blonde hair is the same as ever, but his face has become sad as if he has witnessed too much of the harshness of life. Only when they are alone together in the forest does he ever go back to the happy child she grew up with. ************************************************************************ She creeps into the forest. It is past midnight, and the village is asleep. She loves it here. The smell, the sounds.she does not understand why the villagers fear it so. Even Art is afraid to venture too far. He is in a nearby town, attending a sheep market. She enjoys the silence by herself. It is the forest that has been her healer, her protector. It is here where she has found the mysterious herbs, fungi, leaves, and seeds that have nursed her back to health after her beatings. It is here where she has hidden when the miner's son follows her after her work is done. She leans against a tree and savors the solitude.
Art returns from the market early the next morning. He looks troubled, and asks her to meet him in the forest at night. She is worried. Art is not overly fond of the forest. The fact that he wants to meet her there means bad news. She goes through the day. The day passes uneventfully, and as midnight approaches she heads to the dark woods. Art waits for her at her favorite spot. "What is it?" she asks. He looks at her worriedly. "Have you heard the rumors?" She is up -to-date on village gossip. Many, many thousands of years before she was born, there was a king who ruled the area. This king had two sons. Now back in those days, the world was one of magic and beauty and secrets. And just like all things, this world existed on a perfect balance: light and dark, up and down, day and night and most importantly good and evil. The sons sought to rid the world of all things dark and sad and dreadful. Though the intentions were good, they were warned by the seers, soothsayers, and prophets not to continue, but as in every story, they paid no heed. They disrupted the balance, and the world was plunged into a darkness. As punishment, the two sons' hearts were twisted to destroy the very world that they sought to protect and their hearts grew twisted in evil. Their corruption spread across the land, and for several thousands of years, misery and evil ruled. No one knows when the dark reign ended, indeed, no one knows if it really did end. It just stopped as if it never happened, but the rumors and whispers remained. Recently, rumors have told of a movement in the north, a movement just like the one eons ago, of dark shadows and blood. But they are only rumors. "Yes," she frowned. "I have heard that Veldrin in the north has just been taken, there has been." She laughed. "Oh Art, why don't they send someone up there to see the truth. It's only a rumor. I'll bet nothing has happened. You know the villagers, one wild story after the other." He shook his head. "Ah but they have. None have returned. It's like the north has completely disappeared. No news, no travelers. Something is happening. I don't like it. It's like the story goes, ".And the two brothers brought forth their armies of darkness and slowly the world was taken into the shadow of the dark secrets." "That's just an old horror story. It probably even isn't true." He grabbed her shoulders. "Listen Zera, I don't care what you think. I was there. I saw the people. Everyone in Khalam was scared. Everyone. I'm not saying we should leave. We have nowhere to go. I'm just saying to be careful. You mean so much to me. Just be careful." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I will. You know I will.Now, I have a surprise for you."
************************************************************************ Weeks pass and nothing happens. She begins to tease Art, that his suspicions were a joke. He gets angry, so she stops. Then it happens. The miner and his family are taking the day off. There has been a death in the family, so there is not much work. They are standing together on a hill, watching the sheep when he sees it. Smoke is in the sky, billowing from the nearby town of Khalam. Screams can be heard coming from the far side of the village. Art grabs Zera and they run toward the noise. When they arrive, a scene awaits them from a nightmare. Bodies are flung all over. Human viscera steams on the cold ground, but this is not as terrible as the creatures that have caused the damage. They are monstrous: tall with bloody fangs and claws and red eyes that glow with rage. Art grabs a pole and throws it. It passes right through the shadow-monster. He shouts in fright and grabs Zera and starts to run. More people scream as they are impaled upon the long claws. She stares in horror as bodies are flung down, still alive, moaning in incredible pain. Even now, she cannot remember clearly what happens next. She feels something within herself, something she has never felt before. She breaks Art's grip and runs to the carnage. She can barely hear Art screaming her name in terror. She jumps toward the pack of demons and raises her hands. She screams the words that come to her head. Ancient magic awakens and streams from her. The monsters stop their killing and turn toward her. She is not afraid. She keeps her hands up and continues to push the power. The monsters howl in anger and start to dissipate; within moments they are gone. She falls to her knees and breathes hard. She cannot believe what she has done. In the absence of screams, the moans of the dying become louder. She feels a shaking hand on her shoulder and looks up into Art's eyes, wide with shock. People from the village have come down, staring at the bloody mess before them. She can feel their eyes boring into her back and she gets up and turns around. They all look at her and she feels naked under all the scrutiny. Art squeezes her shoulder harder. A man approaches her, "What has happened here?" Art speaks up, "The town of Khalam is burning. I am sure the beasts pillaged the town and came for ours. Fortunately they were stopped." A woman from the back screams, "Magic! Magic caused this. It must be destroyed or a time like the times of old will come again!" The crowd gets caught up in angry murmurs. Their stares become hostile. She does not want to get Art into trouble. "Get out of here!" she whispers fiercely. "I don't like this.just get out!" He shakes his head. "You saved them all. I won't leave you." Art looks at the growing crowd of people. "She saved your life. You should be grateful that you are still alive!" A large man steps from the crowd. "Shut up you young whelp. This bitch may have stopped the beasts but she used black devil-powers. Magic only attracts magic. Now more of those beats will come. We have no weapons to stop them. If we had just let them have their way with the village, they would have left." "And with how many dead!" screams Art. The man backhands Art. She moves to shield him but the big man grabs her arms and twists them behind her. He displays her before the crowd. "This is a simple orphan slut. But if she has powers, she must have learned them from another." He leers down at her. "Tell us, witch, who taught you how to worship demons?" She struggles in his grasp, but none of the awesome power she had earlier comes to her aid. She decides to plead for mercy. "I know not sir. I beg you. Spare me. I was not instructed. With only the welfare of the village in mind did I do what I did. Please." He shakes her viciously. "She lies! Perhaps a night in the cells will make her speak." He throws her to the ground and kicks her in the side. Two men grab her arms and haul her toward the holding cells. She is thrown inside and the door is locked. She does not know what to do. She starts to laugh to herself, at the absurdity of it all. She hears tapping on the outside wall. "Art, is it you?" "Shhh.yes. I don't know what's going on. I tried." "Just go.get out of here! They know you're my friend. They will hurt you. Oh please just go please go!" "I can't just leave you!" "If you care for me at all, then go. Run away. You are skilled so you can support yourself. Leave me here, I'll be okay, I always am. This is just another scrape I got into, like when we were young. Just go.Run.I love you so much.I want you to be okay. If you were ever my friend you'll heed what I say!" He does not answer for a moment, but when he does his voice is thick with sadness. "Please don't make me leave. I can't. I can't sit by and watch them hurt you. I stood by too many times when we were young.I don't understand why they are doing this to you. You saved them. All of them. Please don't ask me to leave. Please." She wipes her eyes. "Art, listen to this then. You cannot help me if you are caught. Run to the forest. Follow the trail of the trees with bent branches. You should find a makeshift shelter deep in a glade. Stay there. You can't help me if they catch you. The forest will protect you. There is enough food. You will be safe. You can help me then." "But what if." "Please just go. Remember I love you. You can help me from there. But don't worry.I'll be fine. Now go!" "I'll come back." She hears his soft footsteps run in the direction of the forest, and breathes a sigh of relief. As long as he is safe she can bear whatever they do to her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A brutal kick to her side sends her sprawling to the floor. She tries to breathe but cannot. Another blow hits her nose, and her mind registers the feeling of warm blood flowing down her face. She knows she deserves to be treated like this. The coal miner has taken her in, a penniless, dirty orphan, out of the good of his heart, and she only repays him with laziness. He kicks her again, and vomit gushes out of her mouth and splays across the floor. Hehad caught her sleeping on the job, and punishes her with all the cruelty his three hundred pound bulk can unleash on a scrawny seven-year old. She has one comfort in this torrent of pain. She knows he will not kill her; She knows he will not kill her; she is too good a worker for that. From the corner of her eye, she sees the miner's son laughing at her. Blearily, she starts to count the kicks she is receiving. She reaches twenty before she passes out. She wakes up slowly, shivering, and feels a grass blade tickling her face. He has put her outside to sleep tonight. He means it as punishment, but she does not care. Near the village is the dark forest, and she has always been spellbound by its sheer beauty. She stares at it in the distance, and does not hear soft footsteps padding towards her. A blanket is thrown over her, and she stops shivering. She looks up and recognizes the mop of blonde curls immediately. "Art," she smiles. He touches her face slowly, anger and disbelief clearlyetched across his eight-year-old face. "What did he do to you?" he whispers in shock. "It's not as bad as it looks, and besides, I'm tough." She tries to keep from crying. He sits next to her and puts his arm around her shoulder, and she cannot hold back anymore. She cries. "I fell asleep again. He is so good to me, and all I do is fail him," she sobs. "He works you from four in the morning until midnight," he says. "He feeds you pig slop, and that is only when he remembers to feed you." His grip around her shoulder tightens protectively. "He throws you out in the cold to sleep." "That is only because I DESERVE IT!" she yells angrily. "I am nothing, he took me in. He gives me work, food, and clothes.. "You call torn up rags clothes." "You have to understand, Art. I have nowhere else to go," she says.
He understands. He too is an orphan. Luckily, sheepherders took him in, and now he tends the flocks for a well-to-do family in the village. The choices for the parentless are few in their world. Most end up as thieves, prisoners and prostitutes, none of which suit either very much. At a loss for words, he stays with her in silence.
************************************************************************ Years pass. She grows up, and although the beatings increase in intensity, they decrease in frequency. The bruises and breaks always heal though. Time has been good to her. She is tall, but too thin. Jet-black hair cascades down her back in soft curls, framing a face that is mysteriously beautiful, its most striking feature being large amethyst eyes. Instead of being proud of her features, like any other sixteen-year-old, she hates it. She has seen the miner's son staring at her, and she does not like the way he looks at her. She smears her face with charcoal and dirt, and binds her chest every morning. She does not voice her fears to anyone. The miner has been good to her. Art has grown up as well. He is not as tall as she is. His curly blonde hair is the same as ever, but his face has become sad as if he has witnessed too much of the harshness of life. Only when they are alone together in the forest does he ever go back to the happy child she grew up with. ************************************************************************ She creeps into the forest. It is past midnight, and the village is asleep. She loves it here. The smell, the sounds.she does not understand why the villagers fear it so. Even Art is afraid to venture too far. He is in a nearby town, attending a sheep market. She enjoys the silence by herself. It is the forest that has been her healer, her protector. It is here where she has found the mysterious herbs, fungi, leaves, and seeds that have nursed her back to health after her beatings. It is here where she has hidden when the miner's son follows her after her work is done. She leans against a tree and savors the solitude.
Art returns from the market early the next morning. He looks troubled, and asks her to meet him in the forest at night. She is worried. Art is not overly fond of the forest. The fact that he wants to meet her there means bad news. She goes through the day. The day passes uneventfully, and as midnight approaches she heads to the dark woods. Art waits for her at her favorite spot. "What is it?" she asks. He looks at her worriedly. "Have you heard the rumors?" She is up -to-date on village gossip. Many, many thousands of years before she was born, there was a king who ruled the area. This king had two sons. Now back in those days, the world was one of magic and beauty and secrets. And just like all things, this world existed on a perfect balance: light and dark, up and down, day and night and most importantly good and evil. The sons sought to rid the world of all things dark and sad and dreadful. Though the intentions were good, they were warned by the seers, soothsayers, and prophets not to continue, but as in every story, they paid no heed. They disrupted the balance, and the world was plunged into a darkness. As punishment, the two sons' hearts were twisted to destroy the very world that they sought to protect and their hearts grew twisted in evil. Their corruption spread across the land, and for several thousands of years, misery and evil ruled. No one knows when the dark reign ended, indeed, no one knows if it really did end. It just stopped as if it never happened, but the rumors and whispers remained. Recently, rumors have told of a movement in the north, a movement just like the one eons ago, of dark shadows and blood. But they are only rumors. "Yes," she frowned. "I have heard that Veldrin in the north has just been taken, there has been." She laughed. "Oh Art, why don't they send someone up there to see the truth. It's only a rumor. I'll bet nothing has happened. You know the villagers, one wild story after the other." He shook his head. "Ah but they have. None have returned. It's like the north has completely disappeared. No news, no travelers. Something is happening. I don't like it. It's like the story goes, ".And the two brothers brought forth their armies of darkness and slowly the world was taken into the shadow of the dark secrets." "That's just an old horror story. It probably even isn't true." He grabbed her shoulders. "Listen Zera, I don't care what you think. I was there. I saw the people. Everyone in Khalam was scared. Everyone. I'm not saying we should leave. We have nowhere to go. I'm just saying to be careful. You mean so much to me. Just be careful." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I will. You know I will.Now, I have a surprise for you."
************************************************************************ Weeks pass and nothing happens. She begins to tease Art, that his suspicions were a joke. He gets angry, so she stops. Then it happens. The miner and his family are taking the day off. There has been a death in the family, so there is not much work. They are standing together on a hill, watching the sheep when he sees it. Smoke is in the sky, billowing from the nearby town of Khalam. Screams can be heard coming from the far side of the village. Art grabs Zera and they run toward the noise. When they arrive, a scene awaits them from a nightmare. Bodies are flung all over. Human viscera steams on the cold ground, but this is not as terrible as the creatures that have caused the damage. They are monstrous: tall with bloody fangs and claws and red eyes that glow with rage. Art grabs a pole and throws it. It passes right through the shadow-monster. He shouts in fright and grabs Zera and starts to run. More people scream as they are impaled upon the long claws. She stares in horror as bodies are flung down, still alive, moaning in incredible pain. Even now, she cannot remember clearly what happens next. She feels something within herself, something she has never felt before. She breaks Art's grip and runs to the carnage. She can barely hear Art screaming her name in terror. She jumps toward the pack of demons and raises her hands. She screams the words that come to her head. Ancient magic awakens and streams from her. The monsters stop their killing and turn toward her. She is not afraid. She keeps her hands up and continues to push the power. The monsters howl in anger and start to dissipate; within moments they are gone. She falls to her knees and breathes hard. She cannot believe what she has done. In the absence of screams, the moans of the dying become louder. She feels a shaking hand on her shoulder and looks up into Art's eyes, wide with shock. People from the village have come down, staring at the bloody mess before them. She can feel their eyes boring into her back and she gets up and turns around. They all look at her and she feels naked under all the scrutiny. Art squeezes her shoulder harder. A man approaches her, "What has happened here?" Art speaks up, "The town of Khalam is burning. I am sure the beasts pillaged the town and came for ours. Fortunately they were stopped." A woman from the back screams, "Magic! Magic caused this. It must be destroyed or a time like the times of old will come again!" The crowd gets caught up in angry murmurs. Their stares become hostile. She does not want to get Art into trouble. "Get out of here!" she whispers fiercely. "I don't like this.just get out!" He shakes his head. "You saved them all. I won't leave you." Art looks at the growing crowd of people. "She saved your life. You should be grateful that you are still alive!" A large man steps from the crowd. "Shut up you young whelp. This bitch may have stopped the beasts but she used black devil-powers. Magic only attracts magic. Now more of those beats will come. We have no weapons to stop them. If we had just let them have their way with the village, they would have left." "And with how many dead!" screams Art. The man backhands Art. She moves to shield him but the big man grabs her arms and twists them behind her. He displays her before the crowd. "This is a simple orphan slut. But if she has powers, she must have learned them from another." He leers down at her. "Tell us, witch, who taught you how to worship demons?" She struggles in his grasp, but none of the awesome power she had earlier comes to her aid. She decides to plead for mercy. "I know not sir. I beg you. Spare me. I was not instructed. With only the welfare of the village in mind did I do what I did. Please." He shakes her viciously. "She lies! Perhaps a night in the cells will make her speak." He throws her to the ground and kicks her in the side. Two men grab her arms and haul her toward the holding cells. She is thrown inside and the door is locked. She does not know what to do. She starts to laugh to herself, at the absurdity of it all. She hears tapping on the outside wall. "Art, is it you?" "Shhh.yes. I don't know what's going on. I tried." "Just go.get out of here! They know you're my friend. They will hurt you. Oh please just go please go!" "I can't just leave you!" "If you care for me at all, then go. Run away. You are skilled so you can support yourself. Leave me here, I'll be okay, I always am. This is just another scrape I got into, like when we were young. Just go.Run.I love you so much.I want you to be okay. If you were ever my friend you'll heed what I say!" He does not answer for a moment, but when he does his voice is thick with sadness. "Please don't make me leave. I can't. I can't sit by and watch them hurt you. I stood by too many times when we were young.I don't understand why they are doing this to you. You saved them. All of them. Please don't ask me to leave. Please." She wipes her eyes. "Art, listen to this then. You cannot help me if you are caught. Run to the forest. Follow the trail of the trees with bent branches. You should find a makeshift shelter deep in a glade. Stay there. You can't help me if they catch you. The forest will protect you. There is enough food. You will be safe. You can help me then." "But what if." "Please just go. Remember I love you. You can help me from there. But don't worry.I'll be fine. Now go!" "I'll come back." She hears his soft footsteps run in the direction of the forest, and breathes a sigh of relief. As long as he is safe she can bear whatever they do to her.