World of Ash [Old Sample]

Chapter One

   The blade in Artemis's hand reflected the morning light, the dagger slicing through the air at an invisible foe. Her knuckles ached from the grip she held on the silver, topaz embedded handle as she struggled to break Kayaba Islands protective barrier. By the time she felt the barrier break, sweat stained the back of her black top and her ebony hair clung to her face in clumped strands.

   Tossing the dagger to the floor she reached forwards and caught the last shimmering grains of magic. A spark burned her fingertips. She yanked her hand back, leaving the remaining magic to disperse in the air.

   With a relieved groan she sat on the sand. A sense of release lingered in her arm at no longer having to slash through the barrier- or any other barrier- like she had been doing all day. Having procrastinated doing the job until the end of winter she had thought they would have been easier to break- how wrong she had been.

   She turned towards a nearing figure who walked with hunched shoulders- no happier than she was to be doing the mandatory checks.

   Artemis was co-leader of Kayaba Island located to the south of Britain. It was a sanctuary to any and all- from Supernatural beings to humans and anything inbetween. She was one of the inbetween.

   With a single glance others may have thought she was human and not the goddess spoken about in Greek myths and legends. Books spoke about her life before she went rogue. They made her appear like a wise warrior- a woman- who stood tall and proud. They never showed her as a teenage girl, living in fear of humans and the family she had left behind. Neither did they mention how her father had taken it upon himself to mark her face with a waxing crescent moon. It was a scar she tried her best to hide. Often she would claw the mark, hoping to make it deformed- unable to identify her god lineage anymore. She was relieved to know the world was yet to gain knowledge about the scar or the story behind its appearance. No one knowing the details of her life or the ordeals she had to face- it was how she liked it. She enjoyed the privacy her new life had given- even if it had come at a price.

   Diverting her eyes back to the ocean she saw one of the local sirens staring her way, the familiar aura of challenge pulsing around her body as she floated.

   Artemis waved. A smirk twisted her lips. She turned to stare at the hill leading up towards the great Willow.

   Grassy hills separated the beach from the rest of the island. Trees and bushes served as a barrier at the top; enabling coverage to anyone who wanted to hide from those below while being able to listen and spy. Often children were seen to be hidden there, waiting to try and spook an innocent passerby who would fake surprise in order to see their laughter and joy.

   The island itself was inhabited by 400 people- some human and some not- but all living in peace; not just with each other but with nature itself. It was just how they had planned. A combination of three great forces living together in harmony.

   Nature.

   Humans.

   Supernaturals.

   Artemis closed her eyes and laid back. She sprawled across the sand and ignored the sensation of it rising up her shorts. The nearing figures muffled footsteps dulled as she focussed on the sea- listening to its melody.

   The ocean was the greatest protector of the island. To those who lived there it served as both a friend and an enemy. It kept those on the island trapped, and those who tried to enter at bay. Whenever someone tried to leave or near the island the sea would whip into a frenzy and push them away. No matter how high the person was, the sea would do its job- trapping them within its waters and pulling them down to the oceans floor.