Iron Bloodlines

1. Memories Past

Adelia

The smoke and its vapor began to make her cough and her lungs begged her to get out of the burning tent. Above her, she could see the cloth ceiling brightly lit with flames. She was so scared. Naomi, her governess, had told her to stay there, that she would be right back after she investigated a strange noise. She clearly wasn't coming back. The girl grabbed the stuffed toy from her cot, mustered up all the courage she could and ran outside the tent seconds before it collapsed in a loud heap in the dirt. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, the smoke was so strong, so thick. In the midst of the chaos all she could see was the light of the bullets whizzing back and forth, seemingly right near her head. The smell of hot metal and flaming cloth burning her nostrils. Her father's camp was almost completely destroyed, and his guards had been caught off guard by a violent group of outlaws. She could feel streams of tears on her face turning cool from the night breeze. 

Her father was nowhere to be seen, even out of the chaos she did not see much of him, but she understood. He was a very important man. She wanted him now. She wanted him to come and swoop her up into his arms and carry her away from this place. She wanted to feel safe again. The stuffed toy she clutched in her arms gave her some comfort. She would make sure she kept it with her, she would keep it safe. People were all around her, yet she felt like no one even noticed her. She wondered why the outlaws were here, she knew they were on a special trip to help these people. Why were they doing this? Suddenly she felt herself being forcefully lifted off the ground. She let out an instinctual scream as she was being carried off in a rapid dash towards the forest. She turned around to see an outlaw with an old worn out hat on his head and scarf that covered his mouth and nose. 

Now away from the blinding smoke of the camp, the full moon that shined bright in the sky above allowed her to see his eyes clearly. They were dark and fearless. Across his right eye was a frightful and beastly scar. It almost looked shiny in the moonlight, like metal. She screamed louder and began to kick and thrash in the man's grip. His grasp remained strong and undeterred as he continued running effortlessly into the forest that lay behind her father's camp. 

She knew she had get free or she might never see her father again. Before she could think though, a damp cloth went over her mouth and nose. It smelled of gas, dirt and a briefly sweet. She felt herself becoming weak and her eyes becoming heavy. She grasped his arm in a terrified effort to get loose, to get a clean breath of air, but in every second she tried she became weaker and weaker. As she fell deeper and deeper into darkness, she opened her eyes one last time to see she had dropped her stuffed toy. Sadness and fear overcame as the blackness of her vision increased and she heard and felt no more.