The gathering party strode through the woods given one task and one task only. Because they were all heavily armed with swords, daggers, balls and chains, and other assorted weaponry, nobody challenged their authority. When they arrived to claim a child, the parents, if there were still parents, would fall to their knees sobbing and begging for their mercy, pleading for their child to be allowed to stay. But there was no denying the king’s orders. Anyone who tried to flee from the gathering parties was hunted down and taken to the dungeons.
While nobody was sure what exactly happened in there, continuous screams could be heard at the door to the underground jails and nobody came out alive. Those who fought back were subject to the same punishment. The soldiers came and took those on the list, leaving only the weak or infirm behind. While the few parents left on the outside were crushed to see their children go, none were willing to sacrifice their lives, or the lives of the rest of their family, to put up a fight they would inevitably lose. The stolen children were locked in chains and forced to march with the rest, doomed to become slaves in Argyle’s mines.
On this night, however, something unsettling was in the air. None of the men could quite put their finger on it. Their skins and leathers kept out the cool night breeze yet a chill worked its way into the hearts of the men. The woods seemed to come alive around them. Something, some things, lurked just beyond the light cast by their torches. The soft padding of paws could occasionally be heard, but the source was never obvious. Movement could be heard in the trees overhead, yet nothing was seen in the corners of the flickering luminescence. The mercenaries at last saw the end of the path, the clearing that opened up beyond it, and the small home that stood in the center. The night became deathly silent. An uneasiness swept through the group.
“You hear that?” a burly red-haired soldier asked the man standing next to him.
“I don’t hear nothin’,” the other man grumbled in reply while he scratched at the fleas in his filthy beard.
“Exactly. Not the beat of a bat’s wing. Not the howl of a wolf in the distance. I don’t like this. Somethin’ ain’t right.”
“Shut up and do your job.”
As they entered the clearing, a small boy appeared on the roof of the house directly over the front door. His shoulder-length blond hair blew in the breeze as he spoke, his slender frame silhouetted in the moonlight, the light of which made his pale skin even whiter. He looked almost ghostlike standing atop the cottage, a specter of doom.
“My name is Aidan. This is my house. I know why you’re here. You’re here to take my brother, Daniel. He’s all I have left so you can’t have him.”
The boldness of his tone brought a quick halt to the procession of men, not out of fear, but out of curiosity and amusement. A few chuckles filtered through the crowd of mercenaries. Aidan continued.
“Laugh if you will, but I’m warning you. You won’t leave here alive if you try to take him. Leave now. Leave now and never come back. If you do that, I won’t hurt you.”
“What, might I ask, is one little boy going to do against the lot of us?” the commander asked in a stern voice, stepping forward from the rest of the men. A large sword was sheathed across his back and a deadly dagger strapped to his bare leg. Aidan had never seen a man this large, especially one with the scars to indicate a long and dangerous past. One poorly healed scar ran from just above his left eye down his face and across his throat. Aidan eyed it, but said nothing. He merely stared down from his perch on the roof, squaring his shoulders and raising his chin defiantly.
It was then they heard it. The forest coming to life. Five of the largest bears any of them had ever seen emerged from around the sides of the house, two on one side, three from the other. All took position in front of the door. Four mountain lions strode up on each side of Aidan and stood, hair raised, muscles tensed and ready to pounce. Wolves wandered into the clearing from the woods and paced nervously from side to side with growls rising in their throats. Their eyes, which seemed to glow as they reflected the moonlight, never left the men. Overhead, animals could be heard scurrying in the branches.
“This is absurd. I’m not going back to the king and tell him I got chased off by a child and his circus.” Drawing an arrow from his quiver, one of the men in the front stepped into the clearing, nocked the arrow and drew it back to its full length.
“Last chance,” was Aidan’s response. He glowered at the men, hatred filling his eyes, his hands clenched in tiny fists at his sides as he took a step forward to the edge of the roof. “You’re making a huge mistake.”
The man let the arrow fly.
Just as it was about to pierce Aidan’s heart, a large bat streaked by, grabbed the arrow in its claws and disappeared into the darkness. Aidan trembled and then his clothes exploded into shreds around him. Where he had stood, now the largest of mountain lions perched. They saw his muscles tighten. He sprang. A frenzy of activity shook the very trees of the forest as every creature in the vicinity attacked. Birds swooped and pecked at the men, driving them forward into the clearing. Wolves, teeth bared, leapt into the group, scattering them, separating them to become easier targets. Only the bears stayed put, guarding the door to the house until it opened behind them.
Daniel had awakened from the noise and now stood in the doorway disoriented and confused. He stared in awe at the sight before him. Men screamed and ran in every direction, flailing blindly in an attempt to fight off the pursuing animals. Some stood to battle directly, but their efforts were in vain. They were taken down quickly and mercilessly. Only when the last man had been thwarted did the activity die down. Daniel watched a large mountain lion emerge from the forest edge and approach the house. The bears stepped aside as he closed the distance. It stopped about five feet from Daniel and quivered. In the blink of an eye, it transformed back into Aidan. Standing naked and covered in sweat and grime, Aidan burst into tears.
“I couldn’t let them do it. I can’t lose you too,” Aidan choked out. He dropped to his knees, shaking with exhaustion, covering his face and sobbing.
“Let’s get you inside, get you cleaned up and dressed.”
“There’s another.”
“What?” Daniel replied, his eyes sweeping the clearing for any sign of danger.
“In the trees, a girl,” Aidan gasped, trying to catch his breath. He pointed down the path in the woods. “She’s bound in chains, so she wasn’t attacked. I think she’s a slave.”
Daniel walked slowly to Aidan and gently helped him to his feet. “You get inside and get cleaned up. I’ll go get the girl.”
Aidan nodded and stumbled toward the door.
“And Aidan,” Daniel continued. His brother turned. “Thank you.”
Chapter 4
Introductions