Young Writers Society

Just so you know, you may want to read the prologue first for it to make sense. Please critique harshly! And without further ado, here it is!

Chapter One: Hair

The Vira elf Baron, Magnus, stepped onto his extravagant lawn, fine features twisted in anger. He raised his arms grandly and glared at the elves congregated in his yard.

“What is the meaning of this!” he shouted over the buzz of his angry people. Everyone quieted. A man boldly stepped forward, smoothing back his long, platinum hair over delicate pointed ears. Magnus raised his eyebrows expectantly, his slender figure looking far more powerful than usual.

“I saw her myself, with my own eyes. A girl with white hair!” he said, waving his arms dramatically.

That gave the Baron a start. He fearfully thought of King Araz’s pale face, and his armored assassins. The king was extremely unmerciful, if he found out that she lived in his city, Magnus would be held accountable. Of course if he caught her right away and turned her in to the king he might be spared…

“Where is she?!” he asked, his blue eyes narrowing. The man smiled, his perfect teeth shining.

“Right this way Baron Magnus,” he said, sweeping his arms behind him as if to say ‘after you!’. Fortunately no one noticed the woman in the back of the crowd sprint away down the street in the direction he pointed.

“Zara!” Lady Terra cried as she burst in the door. She ran down the hallway and into her daughter’s garden room. The room was filled with exotic plants and flowers and light filtered in from the ceiling… or rather, absence of ceiling. This was where Zara spent most of her time since she couldn’t leave the house other than to visit her horse.

Zara lifted her head and peered around a flowerpot to look at her mother.

“I am here,” she said, sitting up against her favorite tree. Lady Terra ran to her and knelt beside her.

“They’re coming! You must go, you must leave!” she breathed, cupping Zara’s cheek in her hand. The girl gasped, her one silver and one blue eye widening in fright.

“How did they find me!” she cried, running her hand through her snowy white hair. “Why are they trying to find me?! I never did anything! It’s just this cursed white hair!” she snarled, pulling her fingers faster and faster through her soft locks.

“You have to go, they’ll be here soon!” Lady Terra said, helping her daughter up. “Go to the stables, I’ll get you some supplies.”

Zara nodded and sprinted out of the garden room and to the stable behind the house, staying low so no one would see her. Their house was barely on the outskirts of Libris, in the shadow of the Nemoros Forest, so the stable was right beside the thick wall of tree trunks.

She went to her horse’s stall and drew back the lock. The gray mare, Celeritas, nuzzled her cheek happily, snuffling in her face.

“Sorry girl, we have to hurry today,” she whispered, stroking her soft muzzle. The horse’s ear twitched, then the mare straightened up and slipped out of the stall with Zara following. Zara snatched the “horse belt” off the wall, a long strap of leather with hooks and ties on the sides, and threw it over Celeritas’s shoulders. She buckled it on the bottom, then attached bags to each side. Zara mounted then rode the mare out into the yard, just in front of the back door of the house.

Lady Terra rushed outside to meet her, carrying enough stuff for three people. Zara grinned and shook her head. Her mother dumped some of it in one bag, and the rest in the other. She tied rolled up blankets to the top of the belt then looked up at her daughter with sad eyes and handed her a map of the area around Libris, the Vira city.

“Follow Haner Creek until you reach willow’s peak. After that head straight north for fifteen miles. You’re aunt should be expecting you, I contacted her,” Lady Terra sighed.

“It’s all right mother. I’ll be okay. I promise I’ll come back soon,” Zara told her, trying to convince herself as well. Her mother nodded, tears in her eyes. Lady Terra had tried so hard to keep her daughter from knowing, to stop this from ever happening to her.

“Here. This was your grandfather’s cousin’s. I’ve always worn it, you’re father said it was very valuable,” she said, offering her a beautiful tear drop shaped pendant made of white silver with a sapphire in the middle.

“Oh, thank you! It’s gorgeous!” she cried, carefully taking the necklace and sliding it over her head.

“I guess this is it. Go on, I’ll be watching out for you,” Lady Terra whispered.

“I love you mother. Goodbye,” Zara smiled softly, then turned Celeritas and galloped past the stable and into the forest. The last Lady Terra saw of her daughter was her pure white hair being covered by a gray hood.

“Goodbye,” she muttered, then turned and went back in the house.

Only moments later a loud knock sounded at her door. She breathed for a moment, then opened the door with a smile. “Oh! Magnus! Hello!” she said, sounding surprised but not panicked.

Magnus glared at her darkly. “Where is she!?” He demanded, taking out his sword.

“Who?” Lady Terra asked innocently, wringing her hands behind her back.

“Don’t give me that! WHERE IS SHE!?” he yelled stepping towards her and plucking a white hair off her sleeve and waving it in her face.

“I don’t know!” she cried, cowering away from the tip of his weapon.

“Yes you do… and you’re going to tell me or pay!” he growled, grabbing the shoulder of her dress. She looked at him defiantly.

“I. Won’t. Tell. You.” she said, articulating every word. Her eyes were hard as stone, love for her daughter overpowering her fear.

“Pity,” he said, giving her a cruel smile.

Zara hugged Celeritas’s neck as the horse galloped beside the creek, hooves thundering across the forest floor.

“Come on girl, keep going!” she whispered, squeezing the mare’s sides. They sped on, kicking up pebbles and mud as they went.

After more than three hours of riding, Zara spotted a large lump of land at the end of Haner Creek. At the very top sat a willow tree, its branches sweeping down like a waterfall. “Willow’s peak!” Zara said, stopping Celeritas at the base of the mound. The horse looked exhausted and her knees trembled from straight galloping for so long.

She took out the map and placed her hand on the compass rose. It flashed brightly for a moment, then she took her hand off and smiled. The two-dimensional, ink needle, pointing north, magically peeled away from its position and slid west. Zara rolled up the map and turned slightly to her left, urging Celeritas on. The horse leaped into a fast canter and they flew into the forest away from the creek.

They ran on, over miles and miles of soft soil and decaying leaves. Celeritas’s coat was damp with sweat and her breath was ragged but Zara kept her going. Zara looked over her shoulder again, cupping a hand to her pointed ear to listen with her enhanced elven hearing. Nothing. She shook her head and leaned forward again.

As they got closer Zara got more nervous, a feeling of being watched growing stronger with every moment. She looked around, her ears straining for any sound. She slid her hand over Celeritas’s neck, trying to comfort herself more than the horse. She opened the map and looked it over again, tracing their trail with her finger.

Zara stopped Celeritas who, gratefully, dropped her head, breathing heavily.

“It’s okay girl… you’re okay…” she murmured, peering around the trees. I don’t understand; my aunt should be here! She thought, frowning.

A flurry of motion caught her attention and she looked up in the trees. An owl cackled maniacally as if it was laughing and swooped toward her. Piercing orange eyes jeered at her and then it was gone, shooting through the trees.

Orange eyes… that seemed familiar…she stared after the bird, trying hard to remember when she had seen orange eyes before. Then it hit her.

Her aunt’s one distinction was orange eyes among a sea of blue in Libris.

Her aunt had betrayed her.

“No!” she gasped, then covered her mouth, checking the trees for anyone who could have heard her. A faint whinny filtered through the tangle of branches and tree trunks, and Zara froze.

They were coming.

Looking at her exhausted horse she decided that she would hide instead of run; there was no way Celeritas could keep galloping.

Zara slid off the mare and unlatched the belt from her shoulders. She tied it around her like a sash, with the middle on her shoulder and the bags on her stomach and back. “Go on, I’ll call you if I need you, but now I need to hide,” the girl whispered, gently tapping Celeritas on the rump. The horse turned and cantered away, trying hard to stay silent. Zara smiled then leaned back against a tree, readjusting the belt on her shoulder.

A bump coming from the tree made her jump, then she was falling backwards through the tree. She saw the sides of the trunk swallow her up and then she was falling downward, scraping her back on stairs. She screamed loudly, then the side of the tree closed again, shrouding her in darkness.