Prologue

Clattering hooves race through the forest, as the cries of a newborn baby girl fill the misty air. "Please hurry Thomas! I'm afraid they may be close behind!" Franklin calls from the back of the carriage. "Don't yell at me, I'm doing the best that I can! My horses aren't used to being pushed this hard!" Thomas shouts back with a jittery voice as he tries to focus on the forest path before him. Thomas and Franklin were both but humble servants to the royal family who ruled over Trasendia. They were the most loyal of servants and the only ones that stayed and helped when the kingdom fell under attack. With the king and queen now deceased, the only known heir left was the tiny child before them. Thomas and Franklin were determined to keep their new master alive. The carriage suddenly takes a sharp turn and runs off the road into the forest. "Don't worry, we're just about there!" Thomas shouts over the crunching of branches and leaves. The horses steadily dodge the oncoming trees when it pulls into a small gypsy camp in the center of the forest. Franklin quickly hops out of the carriage, child in arms and runs to a nearby caravan. Gently, Franklin lays the child down on the doorstep, wrapped in a soft, red velvet blanket. He then pulls from his pocket a golden locket in the shape of a heart and a letter, placing them with the child. He then knocks on the caravan door and speeds off to the carriage. As he was getting onto the carriage, he turned around to get one last glance at the child before he left. With a deep sigh, he pursed his lips and muttered "Farewell Allora. I wish you the best of luck."