Prophecy of Death

Chapter 1

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

She had always been interested in the things around her. Her mentor said she had a watchful eye and a bright future. She wasn't very sure about that. She had been able to understand and grasp concepts that elders double her age could not, but life had not been kind to her. She clearly remembered the day Gaius took her in. Born in the slums of Algavia, there had always been a fight for food and clean water. Her mother could afford neither, so she could only beg on the streets. Her father was dying of a horrible illness that plagued the grounds years ago and if not given the treatment on time, it would slowly eat away the inside of the body organs, infecting them and growing in size. She was not allowed to go near him as it might catch on to her, but she took all she could from the food left on the ground.

In particularly harsh days, the cold would bite at her horribly. Her family had no proper windows and the roof was barely holding up. It barely sustained.

One day, her mother went to the richer part of the city to meet an old friend. She said that there was an empty spot in the pantry and if her mother was lucky, she might get selected. She took her along with her. Amara remembered gazing at everything in wonder. It was beautiful, with people hustling and bustling in the market.

Amara stood outside when her mother went in. A carriage arrived, a plain one and headed towards a nearby clearing. Men inside the carriage now carried a few heavy boxes and kept them down. The boxes contained bread, so much bread. Why would anyone trade that much bread? This was one of the trading areas of the town; a clearing in the forest where all the trade was done.

"Man, he sure is picky." Said one of them.

"Yeah, no kidding. Only someone like him can trade away so much food and why? 'The bread is misshaped, you buffoons! I will not keep such horrific things in my shop! What will his majesty think of me when he sees me present him an ass-shaped bread??! Better give it to those no-good traders. At least there will be some profit for it.'" imitated another.

'They had so much of it to give away to the others, surely they wouldn't mind me taking some' she thought. After all, sharing is caring. That was what mother told her.

They hadn't got far when the little girl sprang from behind the trees and started pushing the boxes. She couldn't, for they were far too heavy to carry for her little stature and gentle arms, so she filled her pockets with whatever she could and ran, listening to the curse-filled shouts of the men.

That night, she ate ravishingly. She hadn't eaten so much ever before. And the bread tasted amazing, no less. Mother wasn't happy when she revealed her little runaway adventure to her but understood where Amara was coming from. She tried to stop her daughter to no avail. Amara could see her growing older and weaker, she wouldn't stop for her mother's sake. Father was terribly ill, but Amara decided she would keep him alive no matter what. She wasn't ready to lose him yet.

So, she decided to go there every day. Winters were coming soon and she had to secure more food and whatever she could find for her poor family. A month passed. Now that they knew she would come they kept their guards up. Amara was light and little and they were heavy and bulky so she quite often got lucky and escaped but knew luck won't always help her. Amara wasn't scared though, she had a plan.

The pantry men looked around. She hadn't come yet, good. That little rascal. Rupert sighed. He could clearly remember the rage and warning his master had given him. After all, what could a little eight year old do against three fully grown men? The traders that came here found out pieces of bread were stolen. Why would they accept such a thing? He stayed guard and kept a watchful eye for her. Above him, a sturdy rope hanged and went beyond the trees. Strange. He hadn't noticed it before. Then he noticed boxes being transferred from the rope, and not just any boxes, the boxes he was assigned to trade here. He stood in alarm. He wasn't the only one. Cries of rage sung in the air. They ran towards the boxes. If even a little was stolen, he would be fired. The traders were to arrive any minute now, so they had to come early to not anger them further. They ran for what seemed like a few minutes and reached the end of the rope where a few boxes were kept. But the boxes were empty!! Rupert cursed. He only now understood the meaning of the rope and the ladder suspiciously kept under the tree. He was sure she couldn't lift the boxes, but she had enough strength to lift them while they were light and empty. The girl was smart, they had been tricked. But what then-