Rain slammed against the rooftops of the small forest side village, thunder rolling throughout the night sky. The moonlight cut through the dark sky streaming silver lines onto the narrow cobblestone path that winded through the small cottages. The forest edged the borders of the small farm village with shadows shifting with each flash of the lightning.
Inside one of the cottages, a boy with tousled short black hair, his skin chocolate and his dark brown eyes that held a glimmer of mischief as he turned to his mother. The flicker of the lamp and the cool breeze of the storm filled the hut and easily the boy asked softly,
" Mommy…., what are we gonna eat tomorrow?".
The lovely woman who shared the same features as the boy, cuddled in the warm blanket beside answered, her voice soft and soothing teased him,
" That's all you study huh, your belly, not a care in the world for anything else."
The boy giggled, but outside this cheerful hut lay something ominous.
"Don't worry my son, tomorrow I'll be cooking some goat stew", she said with a hefty smile.
Really! The boy sounded off but before the mother could reply, her words cut off by a bellowing horn that rattled the small village, the screams of men could be heard, and the roars of beasts filled the air.
Get up!! Go put on some of your raincoats now!! She urged the boy as she went toward a window. Outside a wave of raiders surged into the village, only the flashes of lightning revealed their faces, painted red and their bodies had no armor as they raised their spares and roared their way into the village.
The young boy clinged to his mother's sleeve. The boy, around nine years old, could not fully grasp what was happening, only that he never saw his mother so frightened before, the feeling made him sink. He could hear the sounds of men crying, the beasts shaking the ground as they ran through the narrow paths.
"They shouldn't be here, they shouldn't", "We were supposed to be safe here, the soldiers are supposed to be guarding the borders, No, No this can't be happening", his mother's spiraled but something pulled her out, a mothers instinct maybe.
She turned to the boy who was watching her with tears in her eyes, "Don't worry, mommy's here". She moved with a purpose going to her wardrobe putting on some coats but she pulled out something else , two leather wrapped books with a pair of sticks, arms length wrapped in cloth. Her hands moved shaken but her eyes steady. She pressed the bag and the sticks into his hands, " look me in the eyes my son, kaal, these are your legacy" she said firmly. " "Promise me that you will keep this safe and will learn what is hidden in these books no matter what" she said with tears in her eyes. The boy felt like this was the end but he said, "Yes mommy, I promise".
"Then let's go" she said voice solemn. They stepped into the rain slicked night, the village in complete chaos. The men being chased and slaughtered, the women suffered the same faith under the cruel raiders. The boy ran but couldn't bear the sight, his chest heaved under the heavy air fear gripped him like a vice and each flash of the lightning illuminated the foul beasts and the horror that was once their homes.
The boy clung to his mother as they joined a group of women and children headed to a secret pathway for situations like this. The narrow path between the high rise of pine trees. But no matter how far they ran the cries of men and the bellows of the beast kept getting closer, women and children cried out for help hoping someone would appear, some tripped and left behind, it was about survival. The boy and his mother ran the fastest leaving those behind , he pressed the books onto his chest inside a small anchor warding off the fear.
Finally they reached a break off point in the path. Her lungs burned, her feet about to give but she wasn't going to stop. She crouched down holding her son tightly.
"Kaal, my love we have to separate in order for you to live, you must live in order to take back what was lost" her voice trembled, but resolute.
The boy looked at her as she let go of him , lost for words still trying to grasp what was unfolding. Then it happened, a spear came flying and went straight through his mother right before his eyes. Kaal froze, every sound dulling, the world narrowed and the boy blanked. He fell to his knees, tears dripping down his molten skin. His small body trembled uncontrollably. But the man who did it came out the shadows and the moonlight shone on the raiders face as he walked slowly towards the boy. A disgusting smirk on his face looking down on the broken child.
The raider with a cleaver in hand came to finish the boy when an arrow whistling through the sky came and pierced the head of the raider, dropping him next to the boy.
A horse's hooves splashes slowly walking toward the boy, the rider clad in slightly weathered but light armour, brown hair, a bow slung over his shoulder with a sword at his waist. He dismounted and analysed the scene to where he came across the small figure slumped in the mud.
The soldier knelt and gently picked the boy up carefully placing him onto his steed. Even unconscious, the boy held onto the leather wrapped books and sticks. The soldier mounted his horse and ordered his squadron to move forward. Rain slammed the ground, mixing the blood in mud. While the boy remained slumped in the soldier's saddle. They trekked toward the chaos that was the raided village.
To be continued_