Written in the Sky

Prologue: Ruby

I pull back on my bowstring, feeling the arrow slide across my brown leather glove. Noises from the forest try to break my concentration, but I ignore them. I take a deep breath in, focusing in on my target and letting the arrow fly.

It hits the deer in the side and I hear it scream in agony as it topples over. I sling my bow onto my back and jump over the moss covered log I was hiding behind. I kneel down next to the deer as it holds onto the last little glimpses of life. Poor thing. I know I should feel sorry for it, but when your life revolves around killing or dying, it becomes something you're used to.

As I pull my arrow out, the deer lets out its final breath and I slide the arrow into my quiver. I stand and haul the deer's hind legs over my shoulders and begin to walk back home. The sounds of nature begin to surround me once again; The birds chirping, the leaves rustling, the water running in the distance. Good old Scotland.

Suddenly, something catches my attention. It sounded like a loud plonk in the distance. Being my usual curious self, I go to investigate. Dad always told me to never go after mysterious noises, but I'm like a person from a horror movie. I'm stupidly curious.

Through some bushes, I find a little path made of mossy stones that lead down to a little pond. Something lies in the mud, but I can't make it out. The brush tries to push me back as I walk through it, but it doesn't succeed. Sometimes nature has pretty measly strength.

At the end of the path, I recognise the object to be a book with splatters of mud all over it. I pick it up, wiping away the grime and looking at the front. It looked old, since it was leather-bound and looking like it was going to rot out of my hands. I open the book to a random page to find a language of symbols I can't distinguish.

I sigh. "What have you found this time, Ruby?"

I flick to the front page, hoping to come across some sort of cipher. But, sadly, there isn't one. The only thing that sits on the page is a little line of text in the middle of the page and a folded slip of paper. I grab the slip and open it, finally finding something in English:

North-West, Aisle 3, Shelf 2, 5 Across.

I stare at the slip for a while, wondering what on earth it could mean. I make funny little noises with my mouth until I finally get it. I get it.

My brothers and I always go into the little village nearby on our horses. Dad says we shouldn't, but we do it anyway to be rebellious. We're not even allowed to get jobs! Anyway, back on topic. They never really paid much attention to the buildings, but I did. One time I noticed a library, with the windows so clean that it must've still been open. It's the only place I can think of that involves aisles and shelves. Maybe it'd be a book that had a cipher in it.

But why me? Why a random Scottish girl called Ruby? Why was I so important?

But, ignoring the questions, one statement still lingered in my mind:

If I was meant to find this book, then I'm meant to find the next one.

Hey Guys! What do you think? Sorry there's only a Prologue at the moment, but there is more to come! If you have any feedback, please feel free to leave a comment!