Innocent Child

Prologue

        There was a slight tremble in my fingers as I lifted my teacup to my lips. Stop. Fear wasn't going to get the better of me today. I knew what was coming and I knew how it was to end. It was just the journey that was a little unclear. Not that I feared for myself, I could survive what was coming, but could she?

          There was a soft knock on the door and then he entered silently. My back was to him but I could still feel his eyes on me. I took another sip of my tea and stared out over the castle grounds. The grey light of morning played shadowy tricks in the garden while the caretakers pruned back what had overgrown during the summer. I turned my gaze. The stable boy was already piling what was left of last year's harvest in an empty stall to make room for the fresh hay that was to arrive in the next few months. Another sip. Was all of this work even worth it if they were to know what was coming? Would they even survive? My visions never gave me the whole picture so I could only pray they would find a safe place while I was away. 

         "Are the four of you ready?" I asked, finally giving him my attention.

          "The horses are saddled and the bags are packed," he replied. His tone was sturdy, exactly like I needed him to be.

          "Remember," I started as I walked toward him, "ride only until you reach the Aison border and then complete the rest of your journey on foot." I pulled a vial from my pocket, placed it in his hand, and curled his fingers around it. "If she does not come willingly, you know what to do."

          His gaze was unwavering. "Should we ride the horses back?"

          "No, she will need time to understand what is happening and to learn all she needs to know before reaching me. Stay on foot as much as possible, but stay off the main roads. They will be searching for you, so you must stay hidden. If the need arises, there are safe houses you can contact for supplies and shelter. I've given Shameell the details."

          "And what about you, will you be safe here without us?"

          "Your duty is not to worry about me. They will come and strip me of my power; I know my fate in this war and I will not fight it. That is your job. So you must fulfill your destiny at all costs. There is only one thing that's important now."

         "Understood, Sorceress." He replied like the soldier he was.

          He was so perfect right now, so untainted and pure. He was a baby in the scheme of things and yet he stood before me as if he had seen great battles and had the experience of a veteran. But that's the way I created him. These children were about to enter a war that was not their own. And yet it was their fate to finish what had begun centuries ago.

          I turned away from my child and went back to the window where the sun was beginning its ascent over the ocean beyond the cliff. We were running out of time. They were coming, and if they got to Taiowynn before the Guardians did, we all would perish and Genneirr would fall. "Bring me the Innocent Child, it's time for her to rise again."