The Dying Crown

Chapter 1

The world was silent. The screams of terror from above the ground ceased. I freeze feeling the blood drain from my face. Minutes passed like hours and hours like days. Finally the hollow thud of marching boots stopped directly over the secret door. I hold my breath as I hear the faint mumbling of men from up above. No no no please don't let them find me, I pray as tears well up in my eyes. One of the men's boots slams into the wooden door, making a hollow sound and the iron handle rattles.

I hear the pounding of my heart in my chest feeling as if it will burst at any second. The wooden door is yanked and finally comes off its hinges. I remain silent just as my mother instructed before she left me alone. A shadowy figure drops from the opening. His height causing him to lean down as he searches the room, then another comes down less gracefully. His feet slip out from under him and he curses. He shakes his head and dusts himself off.

Both scan the small dark bunker. Their black uniforms gleam in the sunlight from up above. The tall one glances over at me and turns away. He freezes in place then swiftly turns on his heels and looks me dead in the eye. He sneers at me as I back further into the corner. His hand wraps around my forearm as he yanks my small form out of the darkness.

I yelp at the sudden strain. My dark hair falls into my eyes as the sun shines through the small hole. I squint through the blinding light to see three men standing over us. The man holding me pushes me up to the others. They grasp my arms and hoist me up into the light of the fading day. Pulling my hands toward them, they tie my hands in front of me.

The ropes cut into my flesh and I start to cry. A strong blow hits the back my knees sending me forward. My face hits the ground and a boot presses my face further into the mud. I thrash under it, my breathing becoming scarce. " Stop that." A demanding voice says. The heavy boot is lifted from the back of my head. I roll over on my back, gulping down the air as if it would be taken away again.

The men stand at attention beside me. I turn my head to look at the source of the stern voice. A woman stood before me, her black hair falling into her left eye. Her cold blue eye looking down at me as she scowls," You idiots, what is this about?" The air blows and I can see a yellow eye peering out from behind her bangs. " She was hiding under ground general," one of the men says bluntly, annoyance apparent in his deep voice. " Do I sense disrespect, corporal?" She arches an eyebrow and reveals a long curved blade. His eyes widen at the sight of it glinting in the pale light.

" N-no ma'am," he stutters. " You're afraid aren't you?" She smirks as she places the blade to his throat. " I don't like fear," she says as her knife runs along his chest missing his throat by an inch. He groans as she turns her back. "Let this be a lesson to all of you, especially to you," she points at me. "Fear gets you no where little girl, do not run, do not scream, or I will kill you," and then she walks away. The glow of the sun seeming to set her body on fire. Then the others grab my arms and we walk into darkness toward the castle.