CHAPTER ONE

The Swamp

She rowed her wooden raft slowly down the swampy river. Her dark brown hair reached her elbows, and her black-green eyes were full of suspicion. Both her shirt, and breeches were covered in muck. Everything was quiet, and still, which added to her suspicion of the swamped land. Stopping in mid-row, she listened. She heard nothing. No animals, no fish, and no wind that had been cooling her for the last hour or so. There was nothing.

The silence was suddenly broken. Before she could react a disgusting muck thing, which must have been something's hand, grabbed a hold of her oar. She gasped, and let go of it in panic. Cold swept over her in a seconds grace. She had fallen in the murky water. Opening her eyes the muddy water stung them as she pushed herself to the surface, gasping for air.

Hoisting herself half of the way onto the raft she saw that the thing that had startled her was gone. As she lifted right leg out of the water she felt something muddy grab a hold of her left. She hung onto the raft's ropes for dear life as the thing tried to pull her into the depths Of the murky water. The raft flipped over as the thing pulled her down. She was trapped…

April 3rd, 480 H.E.

Garland Estates, Tyra

Eleni, aged 15 years, walked, sopping wet with mud, and water, in the front door. She stood in the doorway, wringing out her hair of the water that had soaked it.

"Eleni? Is that you?" An older woman called from the garden on the other side of the house. Eleni rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it's me mother." She called in a light, and airy voice. Stepping in the doorway there was a squishing noise as she walked.

"Come here, dear! Aunt Rose is here!" Eleni's mother, Pearl, called, stepping into the doorway to the garden. Eleni could see her pink dress without sharpening her Sight.

"After I clean up!" Eleni yelled, stepping onto the first steps of the stairs. She could hear her aunt's grunt of annoyance as it almost smashed the mirrors.

"No, Eleni, NOW!" Pearl yelled in a demanding voice that seemed very different from her previous flowery voice. Eleni rolled her eyes, and sighed impatiently. She took her foot from the step, and walked to the doorway. Her mother, and aunt sat drinking tea at a clothed table. Pearl, blonde hair to the low of her back, blue eye's bulging gasped. Rose's pinned up blonde hair, and blue eyes looked just as Pearl's had.

"Now may I clean up?" Eleni asked, examining the dirt under her nails. Her mother nodded, still in shock. Eleni muttered her thanks, and went at a run to the stairs. She stopped at the bottom. Her father was standing in shock at the door. "Father?" Eleni asked turning to face him. He looked her over, and then chuckled.

"And I thought you'd have gotten over playing in the swamps by now…" He said. Short wispy sandy hair, and grey eyes full of humour. He was a rather short, and lanky man, standing only at Eleni's eyes. Not that she was tall, she was normal sized, maybe a bit on the short side, but it wasn't too noticeable

"Yeah right! And Mithros will become a peace talker!" Eleni said rushing to give her father a hug. When they let go her father shook his head, having to lean back a bit to see her eye-to-eye.

"Oh ho! Won't that be a miracle all it's own!" He laughed.

"Well I'm going to clean up, mother's with aunt Rose in the garden." Eleni said stepping back onto the steps. Her father was starting to walk toward the garden door, but quickly turned around when she mentioned her aunt Rose.

"I -uh- should clean up as well…" He said tiptoeing to the bottom of the stairs. Eleni smiled. It's just like him to avoid Rose as long as he can, she thought, who wouldn't?

"Silas! Is that you?" Pearl called from the garden. Silas, Eleni's father, cursed, and ran up the stairs as Pearl came around the corner. Luckily for him, Silas was out of sight. Pearl frowned. "Is your father home?" She asked looking at Eleni.

"Not that I know of." Eleni said with ease, she was a seasoned liar. Her father had once said she could fool the Gods. Eleni doubted that, she was just a teenager that had been a natural liar.

"Oh, well go clean, you're as dirty as a crow!" Pearl said disgusted, and left. Eleni stood there for a moment. She didn't like that comment about crows being dirty, and she wasn't sure why. Sighing she shrugged, and walked up to her room. It was plain. Stonewalls, wood floors, clean oak desk, and plain bed.

Maybe I'm growing fond of that flock of crows out in Swamp Bend? She thought going into her private cleaning room. A wash bin was waiting for her, full of warm water. The maids had heard she had come home, and automatically put washing water in her room. As Eleni cleaned the Swamp mud from her hair she thought about the day when the maids wouldn't have to worry about putting water in her room for washing… the day when she'd become a real lady. One that was a daughter of a merchant, one that wore dresses, one that would marry someone with social statue, someone with money.

Once she was clean, and wearing a new shirt, and breeches she went down stairs, and into the flourishing garden. All sorts of bushes, flowers, and trees were there. Beautiful. Perfect. Or at least everything seemed perfect to Eleni, before she saw her mother, and aunt.

Aunt Rose was a stately looking woman with blonde hair pinned up, and icy blue eyes. She wasn't old looking though. Rose looked as fresh as a daisy. Her thin lips tightened at the sight of Eleni. Pearl looked up from her tea when she saw her elder sister look to the doorway. Eleni wasn't shocked by her mother wincing at her choice of clothes. Pearl look just like her sister, with pinned up blonde hair, and clear blue eyes. She looked older for her age, as if she was the elder sister of Rose.

Eleni sat down at the small table. Rose shifted in her seat uncomfortably, as if a young woman wearing a boy's clothes was insane. "So, Eleni, how many suitors have you now?" Rose asked spinning the last drops of tea in her cup.

Pearl almost spit out her tea in shock. Eleni just raised an eyebrow. "None, why?" She said not surprised at the question. Rose had it into her head that anyone as strange as Eleni could never get married, and she was trying to prove herself. So far she was doing just that.

"Oh no reason, just wondering…" Rose waved her and in the air as if that would waft the subject away… for now. Pearl had looked a bit guilty about Eleni not having any suitors, as if she was reason that Eleni was a dishelved, swamp rafting, tom-boy. "Where is Silas these days, Pearl?" Though the subject had passed Eleni still couldn't help but think about suitors.

She had never had a suitor. She was fifteen, and had no boys courting her. None at all. They frowned on her, and laughed when she made comments. The other merchant's daughter's had their hands full with suitors, why didn't she? Why was she so different? Because you just are, the sensible part of her said.