My current titleless work

[Agalayth]

Chapter 1

The city of Voskon was fast asleep as a young man, no older than thirty-five, walked home to his house, not far from the castle. His metal-clad boots made a large clanking noise with every step he took towards his small home. He had come back from a day on guard at the gates of the city, though the day was quite uneventful.

As he stepped inside his little but cozy house, he sat down and took off his boots and other armor that weighed him down so much. He stopped after taking off the left boot, and listened. Silence. His wife, Marian, and his two children must be asleep, he thought, as he started to take off the right boot.

He lit a fire in the fireplace, and took off the rest of his armor. He got on a robe and went to make some tea, humming a tune he learned that day. When the tea was finished, he sat down at his table and started to sip the hot liquid. He was in a total state of relaxation, away from work, completely alone. As his eyes shut, his mind drifted off into a carefree place.

Only moments after he shut his eyes, Jonas heard the loud sound of bells and woke with a start. It’s so late, he thought. What could be happening? Then he noticed the tune of the bells. His heart began to beat faster, for he now knew what was happening. The city of Voskon was under attack.

With much haste, he got up, accidentally knocking over the mug of tea, and ran to the room where his wife was in a pleasant slumber. He shook her subtly, and whispered, “Wake up Marian.” She looked up at him with confusion in her eyes. “The city is under attack,” spoke Jonas. “We must get Kira and Sara and get out.”

Before Jonah finished his last sentence, his wife jumped out of bed and ran across the hall to wake her two daughters, who were fast asleep. Kira, who was 10, and Sara who was 8, got out of bed, not entirely sure what to do. “Hurry,” whispered Marian. They ran into the main room, and Jonah got a bucket of water to extinguish the fire. But even after the fire was gone, there was light in the room. Right across the cobblestone road, there were houses burning. Jonas grabbed his sword.

Quickly, the family departed from their home, shutting the wooden door. They ran swiftly around their house, so they could hopefully make a run for the gate on the southern side of the city. But they were spotted.

“You, stop there!” shouted a man with a deep voice. After the first word of the sentence, Jonas and his family ran for their dear lives. He felt an arrow whizzing past his left ear, but kept on running.

“Sara!!!” he heard Marian scream from behind him. Jonas halted in an instant and turned around to find his young daughter on the ground with an arrow stuck in her back. Sarah was screaming and weeping at the same time, and was now down on her knees. Poor little Kira was standing beside her mother, tears pouring out of her eyes, but not making a sound. He heard someone running at them, and an arrow whizzed around a foot away from Kira’s head. Jonas unsheathed his sword.

“The eastern gate is near,” whispered Jonas, who was still in shock. He moved Marian’s face so she was looking at him and not at their eight year old daughter who lay dead on the ground beside her. “Take Kira and get a horse at the stable at the gate. Ride to Theredron and raise the alarm.”

“I won’t leave you here,” said Marian, whose grief had taken over and was gasping for breath.

“You must,” replied Jonas. “It is the only way you have a chance of survival.” With that, he bent down and kissed Kira on the forehead and hugged her. He helped Marian get up, and kissed her before sending them off. “May your ride be swift and safe,” were the last words Marian heard before she ran off with Kira. Marian didn’t look back, and ran with Kira as fast as she could.





Continued...