Prologue

She ran, ran like she never had before. All she could hear was the sound of her own breath, heaving in and out of her lungs, the crunching of fallen leaves and stray twigs under her bare feet, and, finally, the sounds of barking dogs and shouting men. The feel of the wind on her face was a comfort, cooling her burning cheeks and drying the tears leaking from her eyes.

She leaped over tree roots and ducked under vines, never slowing, even when branches caught onto the meager rags that she wore for clothing. She tried not to look back as the men began to sound closer. She had to run faster, had to get away from the guards, so she pushed her legs to churn just a little faster.

She had to get away, if it was the last thing she did, she had to get help for her family, for her friends. She had to keep going because her siblings were certainly being punished for her daring attempt at an idea none of them could remember knowing: freedom.

At that thought, she caught another sound, a sickeningly familiar sound; she heard the crack of a whip. She stumbled as she heard the cry of pain that followed. It might have been her imagination, but it had sounded like her brother…

She forced her mind past it; if she pondered it, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from turning and running back to help. Instead, she focused on the moss underfoot. It was a nice change to the dirk, twigs, and rocks that cut at the soles of her feet. It grew from the walls of the slave quarters and she lined her sleeping blankets with it. She liked to think it was the only thing that kept her warm… and sane.

She stumbled, snapping her back to the present. The dogs sounded so close that the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She dared a peek back, and instantly regretted it as she forced her weary legs to an even greater speed. She could actually see the individual points of light from the torches the hunters carried. She sprinted ahead, heedless of direction, having no idea of where she might end up. As long as it was away from there she'd be happy... at least, she would be when she got help for her siblings. But what was she, an orphan girl from a kingdom in ruins, supposed to do?

Her breath burned a path from her throat to her lungs and her mouth begged for water but she pushed on. Even though she had nothing and knew nothing of where she would go, she had to keep up hope; more than just their three lives depended on it.

She wished that the twins were with her; Nommia would be picking up rocks as they ran and pelting the hunters with them every now and then; she would probably scout ahead as well, since she was faster than Nina. Nikkea, the bookworm, would be considering things logically, trying to find a way to talk their way out if they got caught.

She felt her footing start to slip as she stepped on a patch of mud. The rain that had fallen the day before had made parts of the ground, that hadn’t dried yet, treacherous. She hadn’t taken that possibility into consideration. Actually, she hadn’t really planned on any of what was currently taking place. That ever present shadow of doubt reared its fanged head in her mind once more and she had to fight back the tears.

She chanced another look back and that’s when it happened; she slipped and began to tumble to the ground.

Time, the ever marching soldier, slowed as she threw her arms out before her and tried to catch herself on something, anything. She saw the rock, half buried in the mud, and heard the growls and barks from mere feet behind her. Her mouth opened in a gasp and her stomach lurched with gravity. Suddenly, time was back to its original self and she felt the impact of the ground on her side.

She didn’t have time to think before her head smashed into the rock with a sickening ‘thud’ and her vision swam. She felt her consciousness begin to slip but she managed to hold on long enough to see her followers and their dogs burst into view. She heard their laughter and their congratulations as her vision went black.

It was all over. She had failed… maybe.