~The Prologue~



It was evening. The sun was beginning to sink behind the trees of Braedoch Forest, throwing its leafy depths into shadow. It was early spring and the forest was still newborn; winter's chill could yet be felt in the air at night.On the eastern edge of the forest, the eight children of Isaak Romany were gathering together.Their home was a small house of stone, composed of three circular chambers. In the central chamber a fire burned slowly, varying light dancing on the face of a tall man in a dark cloak. He waited for the eight to gather. His face seemed set in granite, as always; no hint of emotion, no whisper of affection for the children he had raised. He, Maeron Duard, was their guardian, nothing more. They did not care for him either. Though they had grown up in the house, they often chose to stay apart from it: they wandered the forest, worked in the wood shop, climbed the small mountains that overlooked their home in the north. They were not like others. Their life had been one of isolation. They knew weaponry and woodcraft, but little of humanity. They cared for each other and yet spent much of their time in solitude.Their guardian was afraid of them. Once the clan of Romany had been strong and numerous. Duard's ancestors, druids and powerful, vengeful men, had cursed the clan nearly a century ago. In the succeeding generations, hardship, famine, and war had plagued them--helped along by the druids. At last only Isaak Romany and his wife were left. They took their children to Braedoch and tried to live with them there. But Isaak was a powerful man of great personal force, and the few remaining druids feared that he would father a new beginning for the clan. They sent Duard to kill him. And he did. He killed Isaak and his wife, but could see nothing to fear in the children... behind his face of stone there was perhaps a heart, for he kept them alive, and raised them.But he feared them now. Alone, he thought, they could be no threat. But as long as they stayed together, the clan Romany might again arise.
Aquila had been sitting in the middle of the river for the past half hour waiting for the dreaded meeting to come. She did not like the feeling she got when she thought of this meeting. Her bare feet moved silently through the cold creek water as she toyed with her long black hair.
As the time slowly slipped by, Aquila braided her hair into a long braid and twisted around her head. Maeron made her feel vulnerable and awkward anyway, but her hair made her look smaller than her 4'11” frame and it did her confidence no good.
Finally the smell of smoke came and she rose from the tree root that rose from the root of the old Willow. It was such a big tree that its roots spread even into the river and one particular root went farther out then the rest. She stood and tried to balance herself as she walked over the root to the riverbank but her wet foot slipped and she plunged into the cold river.
She came up quickly and gasped. It was too cold for a swim much less a sudden plunge like that. She quickly pulled herself out of the river and did her best to wring the water out of her dress as the cold sunk into her body. Her braid was completely wet and she hated that. The braid came out and she began wringing it out as she walked through the forest towards the house shivering. Her hair would be impossible to deal with now.
After wringing it out as best as she could she sighed. She didn't have time to braid it all over again before the meeting. She would just have to take a deep breath and face him like she never had before.
Sam was working in his garden as she came around the house from the west side. “I would not tarry much longer if I were you,” she said as she tucked a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear, fighting to keep the chill from making her teeth chatter. “Duard does not like to be kept waiting.”
“All right,” Sam replied.
Aquila came to the door and took a deep shaky breath. Slipping into the room, she quickly found Wren. Wren wasn't large but she was bigger than Aquila. Aquila felt vulnerable under Duard's scrutinizing eyes when not with her closest sister. Perhaps had Wren not been there she could have cowered behind Aiden or Taerith but she preferred Wren's company.Most everyone had been here when she came in except for Zoe who now entered the room unapologetic of her late entrance. Aquila smiled inwardly. Good for you, Zoe. I only wish I could be like you. Perhaps I would not feel so vulnerable around him. I hate myself for feeling so around him. And then I had to go and fall in the water. Now I'm miserable in every way imaginable.
Aquila then glanced quickly from one to the other now situated around the fire in the central chamber of the house. It seemed like there was something hanging over the room. Something looming over them like the clouds over a stormy day. Aquila felt dread creeping up inside her and she tried to push it down as well as the urge to shiver uncontrollably. She wanted to get close to the fire but that meant putting herself out in the open for Maeron's cynical inspection.The silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife which accounted for the reason why Aquila jumped when Maeron finally spoke. "You wonder why I have sent for you. I will not keep you waiting. The time has come for you to go. Braedoch is no longer home to you, nor are you any longer a family. You will each depart alone. You will have nothing more to do with each other from this day forward. You are not to communicate, and absolutely not to see each other. If you do, terrible consequences will follow--I am warning you now."
The strength in Aquila's small body that she had managed to preserve despite her wet predicament left her and she sank to the ground. No more family? Alone? No communication? Why? Why did they have to go?"Make whatever preparations are necessary. You leave in three days."
Aquila was in too much shock to give way to the urge to cry. Three days. She couldn't think anymore. Everyone and everything was drowned out as Aquila began to withdraw. He was banishing them. Nothing else needed to be said. Her world was already torn apart.
When Aquila finally came back enough to notice her surroundings Arnan had left and Wren was standing at the doorway. Taerith had also taken his leave as had Duard. Aquila was relieved. She'd never like him growing up and never liked to be so out in the open when he was in the room.
That night Aquila rolled up in her bed and cried. It would be her last for a very long time.