Please Read the first chapter. I rewrote it so if you read the original you might be confused because I changed a lot of it
Chapter Two
Noise. That’s what woke me up. A large clang sounded near my eardrums and I fell out of my bed. I heard yelling and I opened my eyes, still heavy with sleep. Crimson light emanated from the doorway and I stood up. The whole place was in an uproar. Members around me were out of their beds and dressing, placing their weapons at their hips.
One of the older women, Shayna, grabbed my arm, “Get out of here, Melody.” She pushed me out of the way and slipped out of the barracks and into the headquarter room.
I wasted little time. I jumped into my boots, pulling my tunic over my head. Just as I slipped the ruby underneath my shirt, Merlyn appeared out of nowhere. A huge explosion sounded from the far side of the room and I fell to the ground.
“What’s happening?” I yelled over the noise.
“Massive attack,” he shouted back, out of breath. He ran to my side. “Huge invasion.”
“Of what?” I cried pulling my auburn hair away from my face.
He shrugged, “Something that’s not a specter.” I grabbed at my knife. “C’mon, we have to help.”
“We’re not going in there. Melody, you heard Shayna,” Merlyn ran his hand through his bristly jet black hair, wincing as another explosion rocked the room.
“To hell with it, I’m going in,” I said, shaking off his hand and made my way towards the door.
Suddenly, the captain burst through the entrance. “Melody, get out of here. They’ve come for the stone. Keep it safe,” he hissed.
“But…” I tried to protest but the Captain silenced me with his hand. He shoved a piece of paper into my palm and pushed me away.
“Go,” he ordered. I was torn, but the Captain looked very serious. Merlyn came and grabbed my arm. Just as we were about to teleport, a figure in a dark cloak stepped towards the captain. The Captain grabbed his knife and plunged it inside the creature. A piercing scream filled the room as the caped thing burst into flame.
“Hold on,” Merlyn hissed and suddenly we were spinning out of the barracks. I landed with a loud thump on hard ground, Merlyn dropping right down next to me.
“I wish you would butt out next time,” I glared at him, standing up and brushing myself off.
“You heard the Captain. We had to get out of there,” Merlyn returned my gaze, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“Our comrades are dying,” I hissed, walking over to the small boy.
“Shut up,” Merlyn ordered me and I rolled my eyes. Since when did he ever get to order me around?
“Where’d you take us to anyway?” I looked around at our dilapidated hiding place.
“I don’t know. I think it’s a warehouse less than a quarter mile from the place,” Merlyn looked around. I nodded. It’s not like we had anywhere else to go. People who were inducted into the order, especially children, had no family. Many were street orphans, like me, or mistreated kids like Merlyn. The order was a good substitute for family and it kept people out of trouble. The average type of trouble like Britan gangs and drug rings. We had to deal with a different type of danger.
The protectors had offered us a place to sleep and eat and you got to use magic. Or at least you used to. Now that there was a battle going on there, there was no telling if the headquarters could ever be repaired. We were on our own. But at least we were used to it.
“What’d Captain give you before we left?” Merlyn asked, coming to sit next to me on the ground.
I shrugged, pulling out the paper he had slipped into my hand. Black ink crossed the page and I handed it to the black haired boy. That’s one thing I forgot to mention. Merlyn can read; the only other thing he’s good for. I had never learned. Reading and writing were lost arts in Brita.
Merlyn glanced down at it, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration. “What’s it say?” I asked, impatient. I never could stand it when someone knew something before me.
Merlyn shrugged. “It’s pretty much the same thing that he said to us before. Find out what the stone does.”
I looked down at my necklace, pulling the ruby out from under my clothing. Again I felt that strange tug. But that was it. I traced my fingers over it. “No secret compartments. No openings.”
Merlyn nodded. “Well, we’ve got time to sort it out,” he said. He looked tired and curled up in a ball on the hard ground.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take first watch,” I said sarcastically to his snoring figure and stepped out of the warehouse. The night was cool, the beginnings of morning lighting up the sky from a navy blue to a light turquoise. I let the breeze ruffle my hair and sat down on the doorstep. The acrid smell of smoke filled my nostrils and I wrinkled my nose in disgust. It would have been a beautiful night if I couldn’t see the flames from our headquarters licking the sky, bathing the village with a golden glow.
My heart ached for the first time in a while and I locked up those feelings of sadness and remorse. Protectors were supposed to be strong, I reminded myself, steeling my heart against the inclination to weep and break down. I watched as the fire settled down to embers and as the sun rose, cooled to ash. My home was gone.
