When I first saw the village, I thought it was deserted. There were no people working outside, no children playing in the streets. Everywhere I looked I saw abandoned barns, tools lying in the streets. The houses looked empty and a feeling of depression hung over it like a blanket. I walked around a bit, and started to see subtle signs of life; Clothes hanging out to dry, the light of a fire peering through a dusty window. The people where there, but they were hiding. I walked up to a building that appeared to be an inn, and stepped inside. It was empty, but when he heard me enter, an old man walked into the room. He was short, and his previously blonde hair was now white with age. He was relatively well groomed, but it looked as if he hadn't eaten very well for a long time. He gaped at me for a minute, surprised. Once he got over his shock, whatever it could be from, he sat me down and asked if I needed anything.
"I ate not too long ago," I told him, and I had, just before I walked into town. "Do you know if there is a place where I could stay in this town?" He was surprised, once again, by my knowing eyes and words, the ones that made me seem like a wise old woman in a child's body.
"One moment, Miss. Why don't you wait in the back, while I go to ask Miss Ilsa what she thinks." The man hurried out of the room, supposedly to fetch Miss Ilsa. He scurried back in, quite quickly for such an old man. A middle aged woman followed him.
She was tall, and had white hair that was pulled back fiercely. Like the man, she was scarily thin. She looked at me quizzically, before asking my name.
"I'm called Irnai, Mistress." I told her.
"Why did you come here, Irnai? Are you alone?"
I nodded. "I am alone. I am here because I was sent by Shakith." Then, I heard the goddess's voice in my head again. Child, tell them this; 'The Protector of the Small shall come with justice, a royal horse, the great sword of courage and her friends from abroad. Blayce will fall.' I repeated the words to the adults, who stared at me like I was mad.
"Are you a seer, girl?" asked Ilsa after a long moment.
I thought about that. I guess I fit the description of a seer, so I nodded. The two adults stepped away from me and had a fast and furious whispered conversation, probably about me.
Ilsa turned back to me. "You may stay with me for the time being, seer-child. Careful to stay away from the soldiers though. If they find you they will drag you up to the castle." I smiled my thanks, and followed Ilsa when she beckoned to me. We hurried through the town until we came to a small house. It looked old, and was in need of some work. Ilsa led me inside, and showed me to a small room with a bed and a small wardrobe made of roughly carved wood. It looked like it might have been used as a guest room in the past.
"You may stay here, girl. Don't go outside, lest the soldiers see you."
I nodded and took off my cloak. The place looked comfortable enough, and Ilsa seemed nice. My next two months were spent in this building, even though I was introduced to most of the villagers, who were all either women or old men. I helped Ilsa with laundry, and occasionally cooking or other chores. There wasn't much food, but with all the children and young men gone, there was enough to keep the village fed. More than once, I looked outside to see soldiers shepherding groups of children to the castle, often led by the man the villagers called Kinslayer. Just a few weeks after I arrived, the first killing machines started coming out of the castle. The first few didn't work so well, but they got better and better. They started migrating south, a couple every other day. They were huge monsters made completely of metal, with knives for hands and feet; the villagers who went outside always gave them a wide berth. One day, about two months after I had arrived, the innkeeper reported seeing a small party on the hill, and Ilsa and I walked to the inn to meet with the other villagers, and defend the town, if you could even call it that, if the need arose.
Once all the people held a makeshift weapon, whether it was a pitchfork, shovel, hoe, or wooden plank, they went outside to meet the newcomers, leaving me on my own inside the inn.
