Kendrin had never heard the sound of steady hoof beats before that day. In the sixteen and a half years of his life, the only thing close to an armored horse that he had seen were ponies that hauled the grain down the mountain road at the end of the harvest season. Those were short and stout compared to the large black and brown steeds that the new comers were riding on. They were all clad in metal from head to toe. One could barely make out the eyes and fingers of the riders. He had heard of armor before in the tales that Benya would tell them all at the winter hearth but he had never imagined the riot of color and reflections that was the polished metal on these soldiers. Some were painted in a brilliant blue and green while others had lines of purple and gold on them. He could tell that most were men since they yelled quite loudly in hoarse voices. It appeared to be some sort of message for the people in his village but he couldn't understand a word of it. He decided that his stomach needed some filling before he could properly admire the horses and the armor that the unexpected visitors wore.
He found some bread in the kitchen but unlike the other days, his mother and father weren't around. There were some strange men outside, of course, but it was quite unusual for his father to be not in the kitchen tending flames beneath the water pot that he always boiled in the morning. Father was quite the stickler for boiled water and never drank much from the streams nearby. There was some kind of corruption in the flow, or so his father believed. Munching on a piece of bread that he occasionally dipped in a bowl of stewed rabbit Kendrin went out the back of his modest home. The yard looked like it always did in this time of the year. There were some carrots and cabbages growing in rows on the one end while other end had aubergine plants and some other vines with gherkins beginning to take shape. Wisps of wind danced through the leaves and the gentle rustling sound made him happy. He took a deep breath and slowly breathed out when there was a loud crack from somewhere at the front of the house.
"Oh! What now? Did you drop something Meleena?" His sister was a bit of klutz no matter how much his mother denied it.
He walked back towards the front door, more so that he could mock his sister for a minute and then maybe show her some of the dazzling armor that he had seen sometime back to make her feel better.She would've just woken up and likely dropped a vessel or a wooden figurine on the floor. She might even have knocked over the tool rack. That was heavy enough to have made that noise.
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As he stepped in to the dining area near the front of the house he saw that his sister was indeed there but she was crouching behind the door to the living room. Whatever it was that had happened in the living area was nothing pleasant. He slowed down a little and peered in from beside his sister. There was a tall armored man in the house, his father was in front of him and there was a third unfamiliar woman beside the soldier. She spoke in a cracked voice with a slight quiver.
"They want to see all the people at the hearth sir. There is no negotiating with them, that is what the chief said."
"This is the word of the chief you say, but who are you madam?" It was his father who did not sound perturbed but simply curious.
"I am a translator sir, I am from a town called Elbarral in the valley to your North. I wish I had time to explain more but you and all your family must make haste and reach the hearth sir. You will receive your orders there." The woman looked at the metal clad man next to her. He made some loud sound again and it seemed to be aimed at his father.
"You need to get a move on sir. Everyone in Selenetal has to be there within the hour." The lady did not meet his fathers eyes.
"Right then." His father turned around.
"Ken, you seem to have fished something out of the kitchen. That's good. Share with your sis and the two of you follow me." The tone was one that needed no response other than immediate acquiescence. He handed Meleena the bowl and the bit of bread he had on hand and then held her elbow as he stepped out of the house with his Dad. He hadn't seen his mother yet but he didn't dare ask. Meleena had no such qualms.
"Where's mommy?" His sisters high-pitched voice made her worries plain and clear.
"We'll see her soon Mel, for now just come with me and your brother."
The soldier and the lady had left them but they were on the path that lead straight to the hearth. As they walked silently to the apot near the center of their village that he had been to many times before, he felt all the languor of the morning leaving his body. There were more and more people coming to the center and they were either whispering to each other or downcast and silent. It seemed much like a funeral procession than a gathering. What would these orders be? Had the chief asked these foreign men and that woman from the North to come? Why didn't the chief say anything before this? Where was Mom? He couldn't see her in the throng. Then he heard another loud sound.
For a brief second, he thought he saw a purple green flash. He felt the ground beneath him shake like some viscous liquid. There was another flash of greenish light and an even louder bang. He held his sisters hand as tight as he could. As he felt himself lose consciousness he realized that he had lost her, he cried out her name and then he called for his Dad and Mom. No one answered.