Lysterac

Chapter One

"No! Come with me!"

The girl's insistent cry was drowned out by the thunderous crackling of fire and the deafening crash of houses collapsing in on themselves. The girl's soft face was smeared with soot, her desperate tears leaving clear streaks on her cheeks. Frightened villagers shoved past her as they fled towards the forest, their eyes glazed in fear. Her small hand tightly grasped the wrinkled fingers of another through the burning wood. An older woman's face could be seen on the other side, her weary features barely visible through her dark, unkempt hair and the licking flames.

"Siren..please..."

The woman's voice was thick with sorrow, despair lining the edges of her words. Siren shut her eyes tightly, lowering her head as if that would tune out the woman's pleas.

"I'm not leaving you."

Her refusal was barely more than a whisper in the chaos of panicked screams and frantic footsteps. Face twisted in sadness, the woman reached out through the opening and cupped Siren's wet cheeks in her hands as a single tear trickled out of her amber eyes.

"You won't be."

Even though she smiled, Siren could see the grief in her eyes and hear the tremble in her voice. Suddenly there was a loud crackle and a flaming piece of heavy wood slammed down into their little opening, crushing the forearms of the woman. Her tormented screams reverberated in the girl's ears, blue eyes dilating in horror. The woman's hands writhed violently against the flames and her shrieks showed no sign of slowing. Siren lurched forward and clasped the flailing hands in vain, as if holding them would somehow save her.

"Mom! Mother! Don-..!"

There was another crash and the entire house crumbled to the ground in a burning heap of rubble. The screaming stopped. The girl's knees buckled and she fell into the ash, her mother's limp fingers slipping out of her hands.

~~~

Gentle footfalls echoed throughout the quiet forest, the black-haired girl trudging along at a painfully slow pace. She didn't know where she was going, nor where to go; only that her village was destroyed. Generations and generations of Karnells, all gone within a single night. It happened two days ago, yet it was as fresh as the spring she drunk from this morning.

There was one distinctly clear memory that stood out from the rest in that nightmare, the memory of a voice crawling into her mind and scratching words inside her to convey its message. This chaos is not over. You are my messenger.

The voice spoke to her just moments before the explosion at the town hall. Before her family died. Gritting her teeth, she choked back more tears and continued on her path with watery eyes. The burns on her arms and legs tingled and stung, but it was just dull pain to her now. She paused for a moment to check on her wounds. She still hadn't cleaned them, or any part of her for that matter. Fortunately her black ears and tail were still intact.

Whump. With a surprised hiss, the girl whipped around towards the sound and braced herself for an attack. Nothing happened.

Instead of an attack, her icy blue gaze was greeted by a boy that looked about her age with ashen blonde hair. Though he wasn't covered in soot, he reeked of burning charcoal. Cringing, Siren stepped back and hissed again. The boy was on his behind, his face scrunched up in discomfort. "Ouch..."

Siren's hostility turned to confusion as the boy stood up, his hand rubbing his butt. The boy then opened his eyes and looked around before his gaze settled on her. His eyes were a beautiful smoky grey. "Well this wasn't supposed to happen." He commented sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with a small grin. The girl grew even more confused. Was this strange boy following her?