Song of the Soul

Chapter 1

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"I am not this hair. I am not this skin. I am the soul that lives within."  -Rumi

Ailsa woke in the middle of the night to the sound of screams. She shot up in her bed and peered out the window into the streets below. The moon was out, illuminating the armor of soldiers breaking down doors and smashing windows. Families were standing in the street in their nightclothes, watching as their homes were searched.

Getting up, Ailsa threw her coat on over her nightgown and slipped on her boots. Her shaking hands fumbled with the laces. She dashed out of her bedchamber and into the side room, her heart pounding. She quickly grabbed her satchel and stuffed it with an old spell book, some herbs, and a handful of coins, all that remained of her inheritance.

Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she darted back into the hallway. Her boots sounded like thunder on the old, wooden floors. As she reached the stairs, she heard glass explode as a window was shattered. Ailsa's breath caught in her throat and she tore off towards the basement. Throwing open the door, she leapt down the stairs, landing gracefully on her feet in the darkness. Getting on her hands and knees, she felt around for the edge of the throw rug and grasped it, throwing it aside. Her hands found the metal handle of the trapdoor and heaved it back. The door threw off a cloud of dust that made Ailsa's eyes water and her throat itch. Grabbing the edge of the opening, she swung herself down into the obscure darkness of the tunnel and closed the door behind her.

Ailsa couldn't see a thing, but she felt the cold, stone walls of the tunnel and used that to slowly make her way forward. The space was quiet but for the sounds of her footsteps. She trudged onward for what could've been minutes or days. She pulled her coat tighter around her shaking body to ward off the chill of the passage.

She had been walking for what seemed like years, when she heard a slight sound break the deathly silence. She paused, holding her breath. It came again, louder this time. Someone was banging on the trapdoor.

Ailsa's eyes widened and she took off as fast as she could down the tunnel, hands trailing lightly on the sides. Then, she heard it. The booming crash of wood splintering and snapping. Ailsa felt as though her heart would beat straight out of her chest. Her feet pounded the stony ground as her lungs burned like wildfire.

She heard voices and footsteps getting closer and closer. A light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Ailsa ran as fast as she could towards it, tears streaming down her face. The soldiers were so close she could almost feel them breathing down her neck. She could tell they were gaining on her. But the light was so close now, she could see it was the outline of a doorway.

Ailsa skidded to a halt in front of the door and frantically felt around for the knob. She found it and turned it, throwing open the door to reveal a bustling marketplace. She ran out into the crowds of people, quickly blending in. Ailsa heard the soldiers shouting behind her but knew they wouldn't find her. She was just another face in the crowd.