Amara

CHAPTER ONE

Amara and her mother ran through the forest of spirits at the deepest hour of the night. Behind them, the village warriors, her father's men followed close behind.
Arrows and daggers flew past their heads as they continued running without looking back, they had to escape at all costs!
Amara dared to look back, these men that were chasing her used to be led by her father. She used to chase them as a little girl, she trained with them, was trained by them and now they were hunting her like an animal.
Her father was dead and by the king's orders these men were chasing her because she and her mother were to become the King's newest wives.
Lost in her thoughts, Amara was surprised when her mother suddenly pulled behind a large boulder. "Mother why are we stopping, we're almost at the border" Amara said and peered at her mother in darkness.
Ada leaned against the boulder breathing heavily. She grabbed the three daggers embedded in her side and pulled them out, she watched her daughter's mouth fall open in shock.
"Those bastards!" the girl hissed and moved to help her mother but Ada held a hand up.
She gave Amara the bag she'd been carrying and brushed her daughter's head gently. "This is your father's weapon bag, all the weapons he owned are in here. Use them well" Ada said. Amara was silent, why did it sound like her mother was getting ready to send her away.
Ada took the golden ring on her index finger off and Amara watched as the ring turned into a staff. Ada began muttering under her breath and a portal opened behind Amara.
"A witch can only make and go through a portal three times in her life. I've already used up my three times, I want you to go through that portal and forget about this land." Ada said and gently touched the large wound in her side, she'd lost too much blood.
"Mother, what are you saying?"
"Amara you must be strong and you must move on. Wherever you find yourself, don't try to come back here do you understand me?"
A

mara strained her eyes in the darkness trying to get a good look at her mother's expression, she finally understood exactly what her mother was saying.
"Take my staff, it will protect you and guide you. My mother gave it to me and now I'm giving it to you" Amara nodded and took the staff from her mother, her eyes filling up with tears.
"You remember how to grasp the language should you find yourself in a foreign land?" Ada asked her daughter.
Amara couldn't speak even if she wanted to, she choked up and was only able to take deep breaths. She nodded her head vigorously and wiped her tears. She was a warrior, a warrior should not cry in times of trouble.
Ada smiled and nodded "Go my child, may our ancestors be with you. I will always love you" she said and gently pushed her daughter into the portal quickly closing it before Amara would try to return...

Amara closed her eyes as her mother pushed her through the portal. When she opened her eyes again she was in a dark room. It was warm and quiet except for the sound of a woman giggling and moaning. Amara frowned, she couldn't see anything but she knew that whatever was going on wasn't something she should've been seeing or hearing.
She stood still trying to get a feeling of her surroundings. She had to find the door and get out before the other occupants figured out that there was an intruder.
"My prince stop it, you're teasing me!"
Amara couldn't recognise the language at all, she wondered where she was. She took slow and calculated steps with her hands stretched out in front of her hoping to find the door.
"Alright I'll stop teasing now, give me one more kiss first"
"You have to be gentle this time, you bruised me last time"
Amara didn't want to know what they were saying, she had to get out of the room. She took more slow steps still unable to find a door.
She tripped over what she assumed was a table and fell to the floor with a hard thud.
The moaning stopped and the room became deadly silent.
" Who's there? How dare you enter this room!"
Amara turned her head at the sound of the male voice, he sounded angry. She quickly stood up and turned to run but was grabbed by the wrist.
"Who are you, how did you get in here and what do you want? Yoon Hee turn the light on"
Amara felt her heart beat quicken as the man's grip on her wrist tightened. She said a quick prayer to her ancestors before she shook herself free of his grip and turned to look at his shape in the dark room, she grabbed his face and kissed him. Though she hated that her first kiss was wasted this way, it was the only way she'd be able to speak and understand the language.
When she pulled away, she turned around and ran forward finally able to make out the door, she kicked it open and ran out.
"Hey hey stop right there! Is nobody out there? Stop that person at once!" Amara heard the man shout as she found herself in a large yard, she frantically searched for the nearest wall and quickly ran over it, jumping over with ease she ran as fast as she could, hoping that they wouldn't be fast enough to follow her.
Amara didn't take the time to scope out the new land she'd found herself in as she ran, she didn't stop until she was sure that she was far away from the house she'd escaped from.
After catching her breath, Amara looked around her. The buildings here weren't like the ones in her village, these ones seemed to be made of wood. She seemed to be out in the middle of a market street, of course now it was empty and dark, there was only the moon as a source of light.
She took a deep breath and then touched her lips, that man she'd kissed, his lips were so soft and warm. It was a ridiculous way for a witch to learn the language of another land, why had the ancestors made it that way?
Amara began to wonder where'd she'd sleep when she heard a scream behind her. She quickly ducked behind a building and peered around the corner to see what was going on.
"Let go of me, you can't do this!"
Amara watched as a group of men dragged a young girl with them as they walked through the empty streets. These people were strangely dressed, their skin was an almost white colour and two of them carried torches. She watched as they dragged the unwilling girl while she screamed and begged them to let her go. Unable to watch any longer, she took off the ring her mother had given her and muttered the spell her mother had taught her. The ring turned into a staff and Amara took a deep breath and stepped out from her hiding place.
"Stop! Let that girl go now!" she shouted. The men stopped walking and turned to face her. Amara counted seven men. The new language felt a little strange on her tongue and hearing it in her own voice was even stranger.
The men stopped walking and turned to face her, they looked shocked to see Amara.
"Boss, it's a foreigner... She's naked!" one of the men said.
Amara looked down at herself in confusion, naked? Her? What were they talking about?
Amara stared at the young girl they were taking away forcefully. She was standing up straight now, her hands tied up in front of her.
Taking in the young girls outfit Amara understood why they'd said she was naked. The young girl wore a long blue skirt that covered her legs completely even her feet were covered by some strange round-, looking object. She wore a yellow and green top that covered the entire top half of her body, only her hands and head was visible.
Amara once again looked at her own attire, she wore a long green skirt that was slit on both sides. Her legs and thighs exposed. Her green top covered only part of her breasts. Her waist and stomach out in the open for everyone to see.
But why did they consider her naked? Her private parts were definitely hidden.
"Hey you foreign girl, mind your own business!" the man that one of them had addressed as boss said.
Amara used her staff to point at the terrified girl. "That girl looks like she doesn't want to go with you. Let her go please and I won't hurt you" Amara said.
The men burst into laughter, Amara already knew it was because they couldn't comprehend a woman fighting them let alone winning.
"Look here, this girl's family owes me money and they can't pay so I'm going to sell her. Now go away before we hurt you"
Amara shrugged and put down her bag before charging at the men.
By the time Amara was done fighting, all seven of the men ran off limping and groaning in pain, they vowed to return and make Amara regret everything.
Amara only chuckled and watched them until they disappeared into the night then she turned to their victim.
"Are you alright?" she asked as she untied the girls hands, discarding the rope.
The young girl nodded but stared at Amara nervously.
"Is anything wrong, why are you staring at me like that?"
"I apologize it's just that I've never seen a woman walking around so...so exposed. I'm a little flustered" Amara looked down at herself again and sighed, these people were really strange to keep saying she was exposed.
The men she'd been fighting left their torches behind, Amara picked one up and got a good look at the girl she'd just saved.
The people of this land weren't like other white people she'd seen.
The shape of their eyes was slightly different and their skin was slightly darker than the white people. Amara stared at the girl and smiled she was a little cute and her cheeks reminded her of the babies she used to see running around the village.