Prologue

The world, I have been told by my grandparents, once was a world of great metal buildings and things called computers. These computers could give you any kind of information at your fingertips. There were ranged weapons called guns that would kill any animal with twice the speed and power of a cross bow or spear.
But an enormous earthquake set off all of the biggest volcanoes in the whole world. Floods of toxic, boiling water devastated the cities as the air filled with poisons. Smaller earthquakes shook the rest of the world of humans.
But the people who were strong enough made it through the hardships. A new culture erupted from this tragedy. Villages protected themselves from the changing wildlife and those people who chose to disrupt civilization. Bandits, thieves and traveling rogues were what turned my world upside down, forcing me away from my only home…
Through my journey, I have been mangled by dogs, torched in the face, half-drowned in a river and trampled by wild horses. I’ve scaled mountains, trudged through swamps, hiked through forests and crossed an ocean on a hand-made raft. Enemies fell to my blade, both honorable and impious. Through it all, hounds bayed forever in my ears and arrows slung at my back. I have seen those I love killed for unjust reasons. All the while I cared for them, these people I hold dear.
They and this journey were all I had left. It has been months since we have known a soft bed and had a roof over our heads. All of our meals were killed by our own weapons, guile and skill, if we ate at all.
But is all hope lost? Where is the land of plenty I was told would await us? Where are the people who pledged their protection to my faimly? Are we too late?
You are the only one here. Why? Why was our path forsaken?
What is our story, child? Let us tell you – from the beginning. We will tell you, and perhaps our legacy will live on...


 

Chapter One
Escape

All I could hear was screaming and the sound of frightened pack animals. Knowing there was no other way; I ripped cloth off my sleeve and drenched it with the remainder of water from my canteen. Then I rushed into the burning hut of wood and straw. A large canine dragged to me a large bag the moment I entered.
“Find Mist!” I shouted. “We must find her!”
He snarled and whirled around. I tossed the bag outside, knowing instantly that it contained salted meat, fish and dried insects – just as I’d told her to retrieve. I heard her give a mighty bark and hurried toward her, working my way around crumbling wood, roaring flame and broken salvaged metal.
When I reached the beast at last, a young, thin girl with short, sandy-blond lay under a fallen support beam; she was unconscious; her pale skin seemed to glow a sick red from the hot flames engulfing us. The beam wasn’t on fire – yet. Terrified it would catch flame; I slipped beneath it, and thrust upward. Pain shot through my back. The canine followed my example, but it didn’t budge.
“Go get Havok!” I told the animal; she nodded and disappeared.
The water on the cloth was drying, and it was becoming more difficult to breathe. The smoke seemed to be everywhere. It wouldn’t be long that she ran out of air.
At least she’s lying down. I hope she isn’t burned.

It took only a few minutes for the animal to return to me with a man shadowing his heels. I detected he hadn’t taken the time to put on any kind of mask.
“Where’s your mask?”
He opened his mouth to answer and coughed in its stead.
“Never mind it, then! Help me with Mist!”
He nodded. As he bent to hoist away the timber, I swung around to grip the girl’s hands firmly. The beast leapt over the beam pinning the child to grab her leather shirt. Together, we tugged as Havok heaved upward.
The board came loose and the girl lurched free. I lost my footing, staggering backward and slamming into the wall behind. Embers flew down, landing on my face and arm. Screaming from the torture eating away at my flesh, I used my right hand to brush it away. Cold water hissed onto my hand, arm and face as Havok poured his ice-cold water over the burns.
The echoes of my shriek seemed to awaken the youth. The girl’s eyes were glued on me as I fell to my knees. Havok pulled me up as the dog grabbed the girl. At the last second, I scooped up the bag the dog had brought me. They helped us outside. Another boy and a girl raced up on two large horses with two more trailing them.
“Are those burns?!” The boy demanded.
“No shit! Help Mist up!” I snapped. The boy obeyed without dismounting, pulling her into his saddle instead of her own. As men rushed about with torches, the four of them, the horses and the canine raced off into the night.

*****

Tears streamed down my cheeks as Havok rubbed ointment into my burns. Mist paced, starring down the hill and out of the gorse thicket that concealed us. The other girl and boy tied the horses. In the moonlight, I could see the horns; one huge one on between the ears, one smaller one half-way down the muzzle and a tiny, curved one on the tip of the nose. The powerful beasts thrashed their heads, revealing the ring of spikes around their neck.
“Calm them down; they’ll alert those men.” I hissed, trying to ignore the pain.
“I don’t see mom and dad!” Mist told me urgently. “Where are they?”
“I didn’t see them in the house, but I was a little busy saving you.”
“So they got out?”
As the other girl put thick cloths over the horses’ eyes, the boy came to stand beside Mist.
“Calm down, Mist. We’ll see who survived in the morning.”
“You say that, Wulf, because you hate your parents!”
His face hardened. “Maybe; but I don’t hate yours!”
“Yeah, Mist.” The other girl piped in. “They were good parents; they were kinder than my mother. And I didn’t really know my father - let alone have one as kind as yours. Besides…my brothers are down there.”
“Sorry, Rayvin…Wulf…I just…” She muttered.
“We know.” Wulf said quietly. “It hurts to think they might not make it.”
“Shut up and get some cold water from the stream!” Havok snapped. “We’ll worry about who else got away when those men leave. For now…we have to make sure we live.”
“Is she bad?” Mist was suddenly beside me.
“No. It just hurts.” I tried to keep the exhaustion out of my voice.
I’ve ridden all day, hunting, and I come back to this?

“Get some sleep.”
“I can sleep after I know we won’t freeze to death or get caught.” I answered. “Now…Wulf, you have the best eyes. Take guard. If you get tired, have Rayvin replace you. Don’t let yourself get tired enough to pass out.”
He nodded, slithering into the gorse without making a sound like some possessed snake.
“Rayvin…go get some sleep, in case he needs relief half-way through the night.”
“But…”
“Do it.” Havok snapped.
She sighed and set up a sleeping place in some soft dirt, using mostly the long grass to lie on and cover with and her saddle bags as a pillow. Havok began to set up a fire small enough not to catch attention. Mist grabbed the bucket and headed for the stream.
I need to do something…I’m burned, not dead…

“I swear, Sitka; if you even think

about getting up after all of this, I will knock you out myself.” It was Rayvin speaking.
“Fine!” I growled. “I’ll sleep, too.”
“Good idea.” Havok answered. The canine who’d helped save Mist appeared. In the light of the full moon, I looked her over for wounds.
She was the basic outline of her ancestor, the wolf. Though from what my grandmother said, she was twice the size of her predecessor. Her fur was russet brown with streaks of fur that reminded me of cracked dirt and wild wheat – fur that would blend her into the high grass and windy terrain we called home. And apparently, wolves didn’t have three tails; they only had one! As she lay down on me, I tried to imagine such an animal as she lolled on me for warmth. But she was all I knew, and I had as much success in finding a wound as I did seeing her with a single tail. Rubbing her rough, slightly tangled fur, it wasn’t long before I was fast asleep.

Screaming people rushed past me as men rode in upon huge lizard-like mounts. They carried torches and blades of the past – blades of steel. Some even had the weapons of before that – the things my great grandmother called guns.
These men set our huts on fire. The shadows of their faces…their eyes blazed red like a demons. Their mounts screamed for my family’s blood as our warriors and guards did their best to defend us. I was surrounded…fire…fire…blood…

I shot up, awakened by the sound of my own scream. Sweat beaded my forehead, and my breath came in short, fast pants. Looking around, I saw the dawn’s new golden rays. The canine licked my face soothingly. The fire was almost completely out, and only Rayvin’s bed of grass was empty. Havok was watching me under a fur blanket he’d packed before we’d hunted.
“You’re awake?” I whispered.
“Your scream woke me.”
“Good. I’ll start breakfast while you wake Wulf.” I looked from him to my canine friend. “Check on Rayvin, Faith.”
Havok got to his feet slowly. Faith rose and sniffed the air, then headed for the same gorse where I’d seen Wulf disappear last night. There was a short yelp, snarl and a girl’s cry of slight pain.
“Faith!” Rayvin’s voice sounded shocked. “You bit me!”
There was growling.
“Fine, fine. I’m sorry. I’ll come back to camp.”
The animal came out at her heal. In the coming of the dawn’s light, I looked over the girl for burns or injuries. I envied her long, black hair and gray-amber eyes. But the darker skin made it difficult to spot blood or burns. She was short and of average build, wearing black fur clothing/thick hide boots decorated with white feathers. Thankfully, I didn’t see any wounds.
But I also didn’t see her tribal clan earrings.
“Where are your earrings?” I asked cautiously.
“I…rode into the village when the men left.” She looked down. “I’m sorry…I looked everywhere…but…”
“No…” Mist began.
“I’m afraid we’re the only ones who made it.”
“NO!!!!” Mist’s voice echoed along the low-land hills in which we lived, piercing my thoughts and sending colorful birds into the trees with calls of alarm.

Chapter Two
Discovered

That scream still haunts me today. It split my heart in two – it seemed to make my very soul cry. At that moment, I wanted to die. My parents had died in the fire, as well as my friends and even those who had taunted me for my entire life. The people I’d hunted with and played with…the people I loved.
All of them were gone.
“Shut up!” Wulf had his hand over Mist’s mouth.
Rayvin sped through the gorse to look over the village.
“We’ll be found out.” Wulf growled just barely loud enough for me to hear.
“Too late!” Rayvin called as she zipped back into the clearing, heading for the horses. The animals spooked a moment, nearly breaking the girl’s foot with its giant, iron hoof.
“That’s enough of that!” She smacked the unruly white mare and flung herself into the saddle.
Following her lead, I sprang onto the liver and white stallion of my own. Wulf forced Mist onto her black and white mare, mounting his black. Last was Havok, who had put out the fire and grabbed out food supply. Spurring out mounts into full speed, we bolted from the cover of our confined camp copse. Faith sprinted after us at full throttle.
The sound of pursuit made the hair on the nape of my neck rise. Arrows whisked past us, smelling of smoke. I leaned forward until my mouth was aligned with the stallion’s ears as he spooked.
“Be calm; the wind is in your mane and the ground is beneath your hooves. We are free unless you are faint of heart. You are my strength, Kismet.”
The stallion reared for a moment and hit the ground at a flat-out gallop. He soared over a log with grace and ease; his harem tailed us with absolute trust.
I yanked hard to the left; he complied promptly. We burst into the wide open fields of the central plains.
The forests were only a day's travel; we could see the trees as we urged our horses onward.
"They're mounts are slow!" Mist called. "We've lost them for now."
I eased Kismet into a walk, his mares quickly following suit.
"We can't rest. But we can plan." I looked around. "Those lizards need the sun. So we need to travel at night as well until we get far enough ahead of them."
"Where will we go?" Wulf demanded. "We don't know anywhere but the village!"
"Havok and I know those trees better than we did the village, we're there so often. I know a few paths that will lose our enemies for at least a day."
"So, what, we wonder into the forest and try to live until they find us?" Havok growled.
"No. We live off the forest while they're lost until we can figure out where to go next! They'll turn back eventually, anyway. They're only bandits."
Mist sighed. "I agree. They'll waste whatever they stole from our village if they keep on our trail. Let's lose them in the forest!"
Rayvin's white mare yanked on her bit and bridle.
"Can we, like, go now?" Rayvin asked anxiously. "I can hear them again."
"Alright." I turned Kismet toward the trees. "You heard us, right?" I asked him. He stomped his hoof and snorted, his eyes locking on the trees. "That's my stallion. Let's ride!"
And without me doing a thing, the stallion took off toward the forest, his harem right behind him.

It was only because our horses had more endurance and speed that we stayed ahead of the men. And Kismet wasn't as stupid as my grandmother had claimed horses were when civilization had been ruled completely by mankind. It was him who led the harem, and he wasn't going to get us caught!
I held on as tightly as I could as he climbed rock piles, leapt from hills and crossed rapid-flowing streams. He wasn't heading directly for the trees, but I didn't question my survival-savvy equine friend.
All the while, the harem was his shadow. Faith would fall back and hide in the grass at intervals. Then she would leap out at the men and race back to us. I always knew where they were this way.
The sun began to fade. Even I was sore and exhausted. By now, everything hurt - including my head from the unforgiving sun constantly in my eyes. My stomach complained as loud as Mist about not having eaten all day.
"We should be able to have a small rest soon." I told her quietly. "Long enough to sort through our food and get some water from the stream." Kismet nieghed in agreement; he had to be thirsty.
"Faith!"
The canine appeared from the huge grass that tickled Kismet's stomach.
"Go and hunt. Be back by the time the sun has fully set. Eat enough for the entire night."
She growled in reply and disappeared again. For a moment, the grass swayed as she followed her nose to pray. But it was only a few patches, then nothing.
The horses slowed to stop and gathered into a circle. Being much bigger and stronger than us with better hearing and night-vision, they made an excellent guard. They began to graze on the grass as Havok brought out the bag of meat. Without the risk of a fire, it would be cold salted meat tonight.
"There isn't much here, is there?" Mist asked quietly.
"No. We didn't have time to gather anything but this. Faith took what she could. Now...here. We'll each get three jerky pieces..." She handed them the strips of tough jerky. "And four beetles..." She dished out the fist-sized dried beetles. "The rest will have to be saved for tomorrow."
"What about your hunting trip?" Rayvin demanded. "Didn't you bring back more meat and fish?"
"Yes." My fists balled. "They saw the meat first thing and robbed us of that before it was done curing."
"Damn!"
Kismet snorted, sniffing the air.
"We should probably eat and ride. We need water as much as the horses do." I replied.
"You need to put something on those burns. I think on top of them, you're sunburned."
"I'm out of herbs. We'll find some in the forest." I said as I began toward the streambed nearby. Kismet followed me, nudging me.
"Let us drink first, Kismet. We need to use our legs." I laughed.
He pushed me playfully toward the stream.
"Stop being difficult, Rebellion!" Rayvin scolded her mare...again. "Just let me eat and drink."

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 18.05.2011

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Widmung:
To my beloved friends, Tabitha Vicotia and Frank Chase Allen, my wonderful sister Angel Mclaren and my fiance, Joseph Pruitt