Real World

Chapter 1

Aislin stared out into the woods. She could almost see the nearest clearing, the one where the wolf had died last year. Her parents didn't know why she was so interested in the hoof prints they had found by the wolf.
"Their like all the others along the road," they had said.
Aislin hadn't understood why they didn't see how they were different. Normal hoofprints didn't glow. Then she knew; she was the only one in her family who could see the magic.
Except for her twin brother, Alain.
He didn't exactly see what she could. In fact, he couldn't see at all. He was blind. But he could sense things that no one else could. He could tell you which crops you should plant or what path you should take without you having to describe the situation to him.
"Aislin, something is going to happen soon."
Aislin turned at the sound of her brother's voice. "Alain, there aren't any more dead wolves around here. I don't think anything is going to happen, at least not today."
He stared at her. She shuddered. She still wasn't used to how his eyes looked, even after knowing him for all the eleven years of her life. You would never know he was blind, the way his eyes went through you.
"Soon is relative," Alain said. "Two months are short compared to a century. But you're right. We have the rest of today to get ready. Tomorrow we leave."
Aislin shuddered again. He sounded so confident in what he had said, she believed him. "Okay, how should I be preparing?"
Alain sat down next to her. "Set aside any warm clothes you have. Wear good shoes. And don't let any soldiers see you."
Aislin started. "Alain, you know there hasn't been any soldiers here since the forest creatures stopped coming into town, right?"
"There will be more tomorrow."

...

Aislin woke up early the next morning. She went out to the garden and checked that their plants were doing okay. As usual, they were. She then checked the orchard and the animals.
Her father thought they ought to just call their little patch of land the king's garden, with what it had. But Alain had insisted, and everyone listened to him. So far, their village had avoided the serious illnesses and poor harvests that other villages hadn't. Aislin wasn't sure whether or not she was surprised that the king hadn't heard. On one had, their village was pretty far from the main town, and was small.
On the other hand, the king made sure to visit each and every part of his kingdom at least once a year.
As she was going back inside, she saw one of her friends walking down the road. He was the son of the school teacher, and had agreed to secretly teach her and Alain everything he learned. Girls weren't allowed to attend the school, and Alain couldn't either because he was blind.
"Crispin!" Aislin called.
The boy turned, surprised that anyone else was up. This was usually his time to be by himself.
"Hey Aislin!" he called back, walking over.
Aislin leaned on the fence as he approached. "Alain had another vision. He said we need to leave tomorrow because some soldiers are coming."
Crispin nodded. "The king hasn't visited yet, so some soldiers might come to make sure we're ready for him. But why would you need to leave?"
"I know! Why would me and Alain need to leave if the soldiers are just making sure the village is ready for the visit?"
Crispin replied, "I'm not sure. How can you even be sure that Alain's vision will come true? I mean, I know they all have before, but does he have a source or something?"
Aislin bit her lip. "I mean, he's never told anyone how he knows, but somehow I think he's right on this one. Something big is going to happen soon."
"I believe you," Crispin replied. "I've seen something similar in my dreams. It's been the same one every night now for a while. I just don't know why Alain hasn't told me this himself."
Aislin turned towards the house, hoping Alain wasn't awake. If he didn't tell people about his visions, he had a reason. "Look, Alain is going to wake up soon, and so are my parents. I'll see you later for our lessons, okay?"
Now Crispin bit his lip. "Actually, I'm going on a trip with my parents to the castle. Their looking for new jobs there. I might have to move."
Aislin's face went blank, processing this news. "Well, I'll see you when you get back." And with that, she turned towards the hen house and left Crispin with a sullen expression.