The royal guard seemed to have a formula for their raids. First they would survey the land, figure out all exits and entrances and seal them appropriately. Next they would, as they were taught, "smoke out the enemy". Setting fire to one or two homes tended to awaken much more than needed. And finally they would search through the living until they found who or what they were looking for and execute the target.
Unfortunately for the woodland men and women, the guard had been spending much less time evaluating the civilians for signs of Rhylehood and instead spent most time killing.
So, when the screams began, you knew that time was very thin. Which is exactly what August knew when they woke her in the early hours of the morning. Judging by the firelight flickering in the cabin she judged that it would still be a few hours until the sun rose. Meaning that it was prime timing for the guard to attack.
The first scream was subtle. In the distance. Not enough to draw alarm. But the next two were much too close for comfort. She felt down her leg for the presence of her dagger, which was still there. The princess was still sound asleep on her chest. August gently shook her awake. She knew that if they were going to survive a raid alive they were both going to need to stay calm.
The only problem was that Izzy was the Princess of Aldham and August was a Rhyle.
They were exactly what the guard was hunting.
...
The knocks on the door should've been the first indication that something was wrong.
A young August awoke next to her sleeping parents in their small woodland cabin. She felt herself stuck slightly in between awake and asleep, wondering if the noise had just been a dream. It was still night judging by the subtle moonlight streaming onto the floor.
No one ever came at night. In fact, it was a rule in her household that no one came or went during the night. It seemed to be an unspoken law in their village. Reality seemed to hit a bit more when the knocks came again.
Greggory Sarkins was known for many things in his village, but his biggest pride was his family. He was by no means a small man, and few managed to actually cause his fear. But when he was awoken in the middle of the night he felt his heart rate start to increase.
It was no secret that the royal guard of Aldham had begun conducting raids throughout the land but Greggory had believed they would have more time to prepare.
While his family was active in their community and certainly respected by everyone, they harbored a secret of their own.
The Sarkins bloodline was rich with magic.
It weaved its way through generations. His great great grandfather, skipping to his father, himself and then finally making it's way to his daughter August. He remembered the day he had realized she was special, he had caught her creating a toad house made of small stones in their backyard- except she wasn't touching a single one. He watched carefully as his daughter pointed effortlessly at each small rock and willed it where she wanted it to go. Greggory couldn't help but feel proud, August was the first female in nearly a hundred generations to take on the Sarkins power. But he knew with that power came a difficult life. A life of hiding and secrets. Secrets necessary in order to stay alive.
He had lived his whole life keeping his secrets carefully hidden in the shadows and he would have to teach his daughter the same.
They only used magic when necessary, for protection and survival, and under no circumstances was it to be done in the presence of others. There was no room for error, and for the most part there was none.
