SCARRED; The Dark Tower

Prologue: The Scarred Child

Hello any new readers of this book! This story is just an idea that just sort of randomly came into my head a while back. Anyway, I hope you like it! xxx

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Thunder flashed, lighting up the path in front of Canoc as he sprinted up the road. Mud splattered up beneath him, and rain poured down from above him. He felt exhausted and his legs were growing stiff, but he knew he had to keep running. He could hardly see three feet in front of him, it was so foggy and the wind was blowing the rain all over. It was lucky he had walked this way many times before, he thought to himself. 

He turned onto a thin, muddy path and a house emerged from the fog and towered over him. He ran to the door, nearly slipping as he lept up the steps. Another flash of thunder lit up the door in front of him as he pounded on it with as much strength as he could muster after the long run. A terrifying crash followed the flash, which was followed by a call from within the house. 

"Coming!" the voice shouted. Canoc could barely hear it over the pounding of rain and the howling of the wind. 

It felt like hours to Canoc, who was growing desperate, before the door opened and the familiar face of a middle-aged woman peaked out. Holsar gasped with surprise to see Canoc before her, and seemed to realize what was happening before he even spoke. She hurried back in, and when she returned, she had a coat around her. 

"Let us make haste" she said, and they took off down the path from which Canoc had come from. Returning was painful for Canoc, for he was desperate to get back quickly; but with a middle-aged woman accompanying him, he could not go as fast as he wished. 

After what felt like eternity to Canoc, they finally arrived to their destination: his home. They ran to the door and burst in, covered with rain and mud and feeling exhausted. Holsar threw off her cloak and ran to the young woman who lay on some blankets on the ground, gritting her teeth and sobbing.  

"Just breathe, Grinelda," Holsar said calmly, stroking Grinelda's cheek.  

Canoc leaned against the table in the center of the room and closed his eyes as Grinelda gave instructions to their young maid, who obeyed them hastily. He prayed under his breath that everything would be all right. 

"It's time," Holsar said suddenly. "Are you ready Grinelda?" 

Canoc turned and saw his wife nod, grimacing in pain. 

Holsar muttered something under her breath that sounded like a prayer. "All right," she said. "Push!" 

A scream escaped Grinelda's lips, and Canoc turned and hid his face in his hands, unable to bear watching his wife in pain. It felt to him like the screaming lasted for hours before a wail suddenly came from behind him, and his wife's screaming came to a stop. His heart beating, he turned to see what had happened. 

His wife was now smiling weakly, and Holsar was laughing softly, staring down at a little bundle in her arms. 

"It's a boy," she said, looking up at Canoc. 

Canoc nearly laughed with joy. It was over. He walked to Holsar and looked down at his new son. As soon as his eyes fell on the new-born baby's face, he thought it was the most beautiful baby he had ever seen. It wailed a bit, scrunching its face up. 

"He's beautiful," Canoc smiled 

"Want to hold him?" Holsar asked. Canoc nodded and Holsar distributed the baby into Canoc's arms. 

"May I see him?" Grinelda said weakly. Canoc nodded and knelt beside his wife so she could see him. A smile spread across her face and she reached out to stroke the baby's cheek. 

"He's gorgeous," she whispered. 

"What shall we name him?" Canoc asked. 

"Jerrick," she replied immediately. Canoc smiled. Jerrick was the name of his beloved father who had died only months before. 

Holsar stood above both of them, smiling at Canoc and his new family. But then Canoc noticed Holsar's smile turn to a frown from the corner of his eye. He looked at her and saw that she was looking at their baby with a troubled expression. 

"What's wrong, Holsar?" he asked, confused. 

"Look," she whispered in reply, pointing at their child. "Look at his neck." 

Canoc and Grinelda followed her gaze to the child's neck. 

Grinelda gasped. 

Canoc's heart skipped a beat. 

There, on the right side of the new-born child's neck, was a curved scar that they had not noticed before. 

And at that moment, Canoc and Grinelda knew that the child that they had long anticipated was not going to be a normal child.

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Little did Canoc and Grinelda know that they were not the only ones who knew of the strange child with the scar who had just entered the land of Harmial. Far from where Canoc and Grinelda leaned over their newborn child, a group of Valteri - magic-users with unique abilities - were waking up in the night, a jolt of acknowledgement coursing through their bodies.

The Chosen One had been born.

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Thank you so much for reading! Please comment and tell me what you think! And please point out any grammar or spelling mistakes I made. Thank you! xxx