“Don’t wander too far.” “Don’t go anywhere without telling me first.” “Be cautious of your surroundings...”

Ah! Her mother’s voice kept playing again and again in her head like a broken record. There were so many warnings that had been passed down to her since birth. Latifah always took them lightly. After all, nothing ever happened. That never stopped her mother though and she kept on with her eternal advices. But Latifah was fifteen now, a fact that she liked to remind Zara every day, whenever she gets the chance. She was, as the law has it, an adult now. Yet, every time she heard her daughter informs her of her age, Zara would just smile and repeated her admonitions. Then the young adult would internally beg for something to happen, just so she could show her mother how well she could manage.

And now, eyes swollen red, her voice gone from the cries and shouts, she bitterly regretted such thoughts and longed to go back to that time when everything was okay; that sweet past, just five weeks ago when her darling mother was still alive, when her sole trouble was to not be scolded.

That sweetness didn’t exist anymore!

There was just this frightening present where she was inside a carriage, her right leg badly bitten by one of the Saluki when she tried to run away.

It all happened so fast. Latifah had been outside, buying what they would prepare for dinner, when she heard the rumor about Opal’s soldiers being in town. Recently, there had been many talks about them, which frightened her mother deeply. When she first heard those rumors, Zara had gone pale, nearly fainting on the spot. Without any explanation, she ran to their rent house and packed everything, stating that they would be leaving as fast as she could manage to raise the fund. However, since they were in town for less than a month, it would take them at least a week to sell their embroideries. That incident happened three days ago now, yet Zara was still as restless, always looking behind her when they were outside, as if afraid of someone following them. She went as far as ordering Latifah to cover herself from head to toe preventing her from showing her face, her hair and her eyes.

It was quite difficult for the young woman to walk head down since she was used to walking head raise, staring straight at people’s eyes. In her childhood, she had been bullied by the other children because of her differences. They usually tinted her hair with ink, mocking her hair the color of the sand which the qualified as dirty or laughed at her blue eyes. Latifah used to cry a lot because of that. When telling her mother, Zara would just smile helplessly at her, helped her wash and asked her to endure and stay low key. After all, they wouldn’t be staying for long. Still, the little girl didn’t stay low key for long and to those calling her names, she started beating them. She wasn’t always the winner, but at the very least, she wasn’t the only one crying nor the only one getting bruises and scolding.

Nevertheless, this time, she couldn’t act rashly without knowing what her mother feared and since Zara refused to talk about it, there was nothing she could do.

Her own knowledge about Opal wasn’t that substantial: it was one of the big kingdoms that bordered the Town and its king was Abbas Al Sheerzane. The others kingdoms were Han and Glane. As for now, they were in one of the small villages of the Town, which size was almost as big as a country although it wasn’t one. The Town was like a safe haven, in the middle of three kingdoms that had always been at war and as far as she could remember, Latifah had always lived there, traveling from places to places in that near-country haven.

While she was still negotiating the prices of the goods, there was an explosion. Another one followed right after. Shouts and cries. Fear descended upon the village. Houses were burning with people still inside. Soon, someone started yelling louder “It’s an attack. Opal’s soldiers are attacking us.” Everyone was running for his life.

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Latifah’s whole body started shivering, dread written all over her face. In the commotion someone pushed her making her fall, her purchase scattering on the ground, trampled over by the scared and running villagers. This made her collect her wits, and, contrary to the others who were away from the bomb’s origin, she ran towards it.

Her mother! Her dear mother was still at home!

She got pushed a great amount of time, fell many times too, but panic-stricken, she still kept on going against the current.

‘Let my mom be alright’, she prayed, her eyes moist.

“Mom” she shouted once near enough to be heard. “Mom”

She burst in the house, looking for her mother in each room, yelling louder each time, trying to make her voice be heard over the hubbub. She finally opened the last door, the bedroom.

Inside, her mother was half kneeling half sitting on the floor, her left leg bleeding profusely and in front of her, stood a man in Opal’s military uniform, threatening her with a sword. Latifah froze.

Seeing her daughter, Zara’s tears flowed. She tried, she really did. She didn’t answer, hoping her daughter would think that she wasn’t at home anymore.

They found her. They found them.

“Run” she yelled at her daughter, snapping her out of her torpor. “Get out of here, r-“

She didn’t get to finish her sentence that the sword descended upon her neck. Latifah covered her mouth preventing the scream from coming out, her eyes widening and her legs barely carrying her weight.

The man turned around, an evil smile on his face. Leisurely, he took one step towards her frightening her to the core. Her survival instinct kicked in and she dashed to the exit with only one goal: going as far as possible.

The man, who stayed behind, sighed helplessly and neither too fast nor too slow, he raised his fingers and whistled. One of the two Saluki by his side ran after Latifah, very soon found her and bit her right leg forcefully pulling her. The young woman fell and tried to pull herself free, but this just strengthened the dog’s grip. She tried kicking with her other foot, but the dog wouldn’t free her, growling furiously.

“Help” she shouted while at the same time looking for a stick or something. Silence answered her. People deserted this place first; no one was left in the vicinity.

“Such a spirit.” Said the earlier man, approaching her slowly, his sword still drew and on it, the very blood of her mother.

As he was nearing, her breath was hitching, her mind blank.

“A deep blue” he commented, staring at her eyes, an almost gentle smile on his face. “I wonder about the hair…” Unhurriedly, he guided his sword at her scarf.

Latifah stared wide eyes at the dripping blade and suddenly fainted.

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When she regained her senses, she was already inside this jolting carriage, her hands and feet chained up, unable to move. No one was with her, but she could hear the voices outside. Even that man’s voice. Sometimes she could hear his dog’s barks.

Now that she wasn’t life threatened, her multiple bruises stung and the dog’s bite hurt a lot. Usually, when she was hurt, there was her mother to fuss over and nursed her. But now…

Latifah cried silently until there weren’t any more tears left.

She couldn’t close her eyes, for when closed, they would show her once more that horror. Blood. There was blood everywhere. It was her first time seeing so much of it. Blood. Her mother’s blood. Their house was destroyed, their belonging scattered everywhere, her mother lying on the ground, dead.

She had lost everything in just mere seconds.

How do adults manage that?

Her shoulders fell in helplessness. The weight was far too much. Her mouth clamped. A thick clot formed in her throat. Tears she thought had long dried were once again running down her cheeks. Softs sobs escaped her lips.

She just closed her eyes and wished everything to disappear.