Forsaken: The Chosen Trilogy - Book One

Prologue

Estaur (Y'Ken'Ohl) - eastern star
Rava'eth (Y'Ken'Ohl) - king of my soul

The moon was bright and full, but it shed no warmth on the midwinter night. Snow glistened on the red-tiled rooftops of Fallor and glittered on the neat cobblestone streets. Nearly all the windows of the buildings were dark, the residents within asleep- which was precisely why Malachi had chosen this time of night to sneak through it. It wouldn't do for some curious neighbor with a wagging tongue to speculate on his intentions early.

He crept up Tarrow Street cautiously, ducking from shadow to shadow. The wooden signs above the doors of the houses creaked in the icy breeze, and Malachi shivered, huddling further into his cloak.

If he had stepped into the light of the lanterns lining the street, a passerby might have noted that he was very handsome, in a brooding kind of way: dark hair, dark eyes, fine-boned features and a mouth that rarely smiled. His shoulders were broad, his hands calloused from years of hard work. A farmer's son, with the tan and the strength to prove it. 

But of course there were no passersby, not at an hour past midnight, and Malachi didn't step into the light. Instead, he fixed his gaze on one of the hanging signs, a mortar-and-pestle painted on a fading blue background. The hallmark of a healer, though he had never been sick a day in his life. The door beneath the sign was also painted blue, but he didn't knock on it. He didn't want to wake those who lived here, especially not tonight.

He slipped from the street to the narrow side alley beside the house, stepping even more carefully to avoid the frozen, foul-smelling slush that had yet to drain into the town's sewer system. He wasn't afraid of injury, but if he fell he might cry out, and he had reason to know that the people who lived in the house slept very lightly. 

A single window was slightly ajar at the rear of the house, the curtain fluttering in the breeze. He headed for it, waiting until he was touching the windowsill before he whispered her name. "Adelie."

The curtain twitched and her face appeared, young, beautiful, and slightly worried. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and he quickly put a finger to his lips to remind her not to speak. She nodded, then opened the window fully. At one time it would have made a horrendous screech, but Malachi had taken care of that months ago, so tonight it moved soundlessly. 

Adelie handed him a heavy bundle, then expertly clambered through the window to join him in the alley. She lifted her hood as Malachi closed the window, and they set off wordlessly for the street.

It wasn't until they were on the wide main thoroughfare that would take them out of town that Adelie dared to speak, and even then she kept her voice to a whisper. "Did you get everything?"

"Yeah." Malachi shifted her bundle so he could wrap his cold hand around her warm one. "Did you?"

"I think so." She shivered and her hood fell back, the moonlight bleaching the gold from her hair. "Do you think my father suspects?"

"That we intend to elope or that you're pregnant?"

She bit her lip and glanced over her shoulder. "Either."

"No." He stopped, drawing her close to drop a kiss on her lips. "If he did, I would have found you chained to your bed, and I would be on my way to dig my own grave somewhere."

She still looked worried. "Perhaps we shouldn't do this. I could talk to Mama, see if she could get Papa to relent-"

"It's too late for that," he reminded her. "We can't hide your condition much longer, and your father will kill me for sure when he finds out. Besides, this was your plan, remember? West to the temple to get married, then north until the baby is born. We'll find a place to stay for awhile, and by the time we come back all will be forgiven."

"I know. I know I said that, but..." She looked away again, back toward the house on Tarrow Street, though it was hidden from view by the other buildings. 

Malachi sighed and cupped her chin in his free hand, forcing her to look at him. "Estaur." The nickname made her smile as he stole a kiss. "You love me, right?"

"Yes," she whispered breathlessly. Her eyes were dreamy as she stared up at him. "Yes, Rava'eth. I love you."

The look on her face made his blood run hot, but he pushed it aside as he lifted her hood, covering her hair once more. "I love you, too. So trust me, alright? Everything is going to be fine." 

Adelie nodded as he took her hand, following as he resumed walking. She didn't look back again.