Saving Duo
Prologue
(Third Person POV)
Helen Maxwell smiled down at her two sons, Solo and Duo. It was Duo's 4th birthday so they were just about to have cake when they heard screaming outside. Joel Maxwell went to the window to see what was wrong and what he saw terrified him. A wizard was attacking the town and was burning own homes. The home next to theirs caught fire and he knew it was only seconds before theirs did, too. HE yelled for his wife and children to go out the back. Helen ran out the back with her kids and pushed them into the bushes.
"Promise me you'll stay here!" She pleaded.
"But Mama-," Solo cried.
"Promise!" Tears were streaming down Helen's face.
Duo nodded and Solo turned his head away. She ran back into the now-burning house looking for her husband. Solo stood to run after her but Duo pulled on his sleeve.
"Mama said to stay here," he said in his 4-year-old voice.
"I'm going to help. Stay here," Solo ordered. Without another word, Solo ran into the house after her. Seconds later, Duo watched as the house collapsed in on itself. Duo's eyes widened in disbelief and horror. He cried himself to sleep in the bushes that night on his fourth birthday.
(Third Person POV)
When Duo woke up he heard voices and things being shuffled. Suddenly, he remembered what happened and peered through the bushes at his old home. People he knew and didn't know were digging through the rubble. Duo saw and ran up to his neighbor and father's friend, James Collough.
"Have you seen my mama and dada and Solo?" James looked into hopeful eyes of Duo and his own eyes filled with tears.
"I'm sorry, Duo, but they're dead. They didn't make it out in time."
Duo's eyes widened and he backed away from James. As soon as he was about 4 feet away from him, he spun on his heel and ran. Ran from his broken down home, his dead family, from James' cries, and from all he's ever known in his 4 years of life. Right into the arms of a stranger.
(Stranger's POV)
As I looked down, I found in my arms a sobbing little boy. Being the nice man I am, I comforted and talked to him as I took him back to my camp. I fed him and put him to bed in my tent but as I was leaving the tent, I had an epiphany. I could sell the boy. According to him, he had no family whatsoever and he was four years old. I could leave him with a friend for a year, because the minimum slave selling age is 5. Then, I could take him back and sell him. With that beautiful, long, chestnut-gold hair and those shimmering indigo- amethyst eyes, I'd make a fortune off of him! Things are looking up.