Blade of Shadows

Prologue

She was in the forest again. The same forest she'd been in for the last month. She couldn't place which forest it was, and although it felt familiar, there was something sinister lurking around the fallen tree trunks. The dirt path with the crunching leaves underfoot weaving through the trees, leading into unknown territory, was the only path she walked on. The girl didn't dare venture off the foreseeable trail, especially when she felt prying eyes on her back.

Moving swiftly through the dense trees, was easier said than done. She was consistently tripping over the thick tree roots that have dislodged from the earth, almost as if a storm had just passed through. Spread sporadically along the uprooted trunks, flowers were still sprouting new and colorful buds, which was a complete juxtaposition from the dried brown leaves on the ground.

The girl was out of breath after a mile or so, but she knew she had to continue on. If she were to stop, she had the feeling that she did not want to find out what would happen.

She came to a fork, one path veering to the left, where she knew a stream would be, and the other going right, and while she had never gone that way, she somehow knew that a cave was at the end of the trail, and whatever hid inside the cavernous tunnels was nothing she wished to encounter.

The young woman turned down the left pathway.

The left path began to open up. The sunlight started flitting down through the trees, casting a golden hue onto the vibrant green foliage. She had yet to figure out why she was there, but the answers she so desperately wanted were waiting around the next bend, she just knew it.

As she kept up her pace, sweat droplets formed on her forehead and above her upper lip. She wound her way through the forest until she came to the curve that she knew on the other side beheld the stream; the ending point to the trail she knew all too well.

Lengthening her stride, the girl turned the bend and there it was. The stream appeared before her just like it did time and time again.

Kneeling in the muddy grass, and dipping her hands in the shallow water, she brought the water to her mouth. She took a massive sip to quench her thirst. She hadn't realized how thirsty she had become on the walk.

Sitting back on her knees, she peered down into the murky water to watch the few fish swim upstream; their silver and orange scales reflecting the sunlight. As she continued to stare, she narrowed her gaze on a fish swimming lazily upstream, as if it didn't have a care in the world. If only she could be as content.

A shriek broke the peaceful silence when a falcon plunged into the water and emerged with the lazy fish wriggling, caught in the talons. All that remained were ripples on the water's surface.

Had the bird not caused a form of distraction, she never would have looked up and seen the man.

With his ochre colored skin, much like the mellow-brown light that flitted throughout the trees, the man stood opposite her on the far side of the stream. Although the two had never spoken, the girl felt her unease lift when looking at him. They stared at each other with an intensity that was almost palpable.

As she inched her slender legs into the water, the man mirrored her every actions. They stood several feet apart, just out of arms-length. The girl could not help but notice the man with his striking green eyes, flecked with gold around the pupils. With his broad shoulders and toned arms, the mystery man stood about a head taller than she did. His face was chiseled, as if carved from stone, and stopping just around his ears, was a massive wave of chocolate brown curls.

The man opened hismouth, and just as he was about to speak, Amelia felt her eyes begin to glaze overand the pull of the present moment beckoning to her.