Copyright © 2023 by Drakon Ignatius

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

This book is protected under the copyright law of Australia.

The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

1st Edition 2023

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Book 1 - Prologue - Part 1

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The early morning sun shines bright on the village of Heki while Alexandros walks through the market with his mother and father. His mother always tells him that going to the market early is ideal because no one else is there to crowd up the streets or buy all the fresh produce. He watches with wide eyes as they stop at one of the stalls so his mother can pick out some fruit.

Heki is a small village with a small population. Almost everyone knows everyone, though there are also a few families who keep to themselves. The market is filled with stalls from various residents, each trying to earn their living by selling their goods.

While his mother is looking over the produce, Alexandros hears people arguing. At first, it just sounds like two people disagreeing. He tries to ignore it and turn his attention back to his mother when things start getting louder, and it escalates. The shouting grows more audible, and painful shrieks can be heard in the distance.

A low rumble vibrates beneath his feet, and all his excitement evaporates into terror as he leans against his mother. Shouts turn into screams as people begin running through the village. Alexandros feels his father's hand as it grips his own, and before he can fully process what is happening, his father drags him away.

"Don't look back," his father warns as he pulls him along. "Just keep moving, and don't stop until you're safe." There is panic in his father's eyes when he speaks.

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Alexandros shakes his head as tears sting his eyes. "I can't leave you here. Why isn't Mother coming with us?" He tries to pull away from his father's grip but finds himself far too weak as his father drags him through the crowd. "Stop!" he cried, reaching back for his mother. "We have to go back for Mother. What if she is hurt? We can't just leave her here."

"Don't worry about that right now," he replies. "Right now, we need to focus on getting out of here. Your mother will be fine."

When the words leave his lips, Alexandros looks past his father and instantly feels like time has frozen as an arrow zips through the air, striking his mother in the chest. She stumbles before falling to the ground, a puddle of red pooling around her. Alexandros doesn't know how to react, and though his father is shouting at him and trying to drag him away, he can only stare at the violence unfolding before him. Soldiers dressed from head to toe in armor are riding through the village, cutting down anyone in their way. He has no idea why this is happening and wishes it was a dream so he could wake up and things would return to normal.

Alexandros is jolted back to reality as his father's hands wrap around his face to turn his attention toward him. "You need to run. Keep running, and don't look back. No matter what happens, you need to keep running." There is a desperation in his tone that causes Alexandros' blood to run cold as ice.

"I- I can't do this alone," he pleads. "I'm scared. Why is this happening? Why are they attacking us like this? Did we do something wrong?" Alexandros' mind is moving far too fast for him to be quiet, and he looks back at his father with tears.

"I'm not going anywhere," his father says. "But we need to keep moving." There is an urgency in his tone that Alexandros has never heard before. The reality of everything happening starts to sink in, and his knees buckle with terror.

His father shoves him forward and shouts at him to keep moving. Alexandros uses his father's shove to gain momentum as he breaks into a run. He knows he can't remain here while he doesn't know where he is going. Adrenaline pulses through him, keeping his legs moving as fast as possible. He can hear his father's footsteps behind him, offering a little comfort—though only briefly.

The sound of his father screaming pierces his ears, and an overwhelming sense of dread washes over him when the screaming is cut short. Tears stream down his face as he wills his legs to keep moving. Part of him hopes his father is still alive, though the empty feeling in his chest tells him otherwise. At only ten years old, Alexandros has no idea how to care for himself. Panic eats away at him, threatening to pull him under at any moment.

He reaches the village gates just as an arrow flies by his head, missing him by mere inches. Alexandros drops to the ground and begins crawling away. Doing his best to lay as low as possible, he crawls slowly toward the gate, just as his father taught him. This is the most terror he's ever felt, and knowing he would likely never see his parents again is eating him up inside. It was supposed to be a good morning, and everything he had ever known was gone.

The smell that wafts through the air makes him gag, but he continues to crawl as he inches past the gates. Once the village is behind him, Alexandros jumps to his feet and takes off running again. His legs are sore, and his lungs burn and beg him to stop, but he doesn't. He can still hear the screaming behind him, making him feel like it's his fault.

He has no idea how much time has passed when he finally reaches the forest and collapses onto his knees. Catching his breath is proving to be more complicated than he realized. Leaning against a nearby tree, he feels the tears falling from his eyes. Wiping them away, he tries to pull himself back to his feet, but his energy is spent, and his vision blurs. Images of what he has just seen invade his mind, causing him to vomit onto the ground beside him before the darkness takes him.