The Heir and the Spare

01. The Beginning

My story begins the day after I turned eighteen. It was an ordinary Friday. My friends and I were in our history lesson. Old Phillip Cobb was rambling on about some great war.

The floor beneath us shakes, there's shouting coming from the courtyard. And that's how it began.

---

"What's going on?" Florence asks, her voice quivering.

Something is happening.

"Is it the army?" someone whispers.

It can't be. The Castle is safe. It's always been safe from the war.

Cobb doesn't seem to hear us. He stares into nothingness for a moment before his eyes lock in on me.

"Run and hide!"

The words barely leave his mouth before the door flies open and heavily armed men walk into the room.

Florence screams as one of the men grabs her and jams the gun to her temple. "Where's Aaedite?"

I feel myself tremble. He's looking for me? I'm frozen to the spot, too afraid to speak.

"Don't make me ask again," the man growls. The other men fan out, surrounding us.

I'm about to speak when I catch Cobb's eye. He shakes his head subtly.

"Era isn't here. She's in the grounds, learning to ride," Cobb says.

The man holding Florence smirks. "Funny. The riding instructor told me she was up here."

He cocks his gun and Florence yelps. "That's Era, in the corner!"

The man's eyes lock in on me. "Take her."

He pulls the trigger. Florence doesn't even have the time to yelp before she's dead on the ground.

A hands locks around my arm and I'm dragged towards the man who shot Florence. He licks his lip before giving me a toothy smile.

"You'll be coming with us, Lady Aaedite."

Think Era! You have to do something!

The next thing I know, Old Cobb barrels into the man grabbing me. He releases me and I run as fast as I can out of the room. I can hear the pounding of feet behind me. I can't outrun these men. I don't even know how many more there are!

"The Castle is surrounded. You can't leave," someone shouts behind me.

I turn a corner and run right into Heather. The both of us topple over. I don't even have time to register what happens before a hand pulls me up. Troy has an arm wrapped protectively around my waist and I instantly feel calmer.

"We have to disappear, Era," he says as he helps Heather to her feet. The three of us slip into the kitchen seconds before I hear some of the men run past the doorway.

"I don't know what's happening," I whisper.

Troy silences me with a gesture and peers out of the doorway.

I exhale and lean against a sack of potatoes. We can't escape these men, and I really doubt that we can fight them. Even if the others are okay, there's no saying they'll help me. It's clear these men are just after me. And even if everyone stands with me, we're all only just learning how to control our powers. These men look like military. We're out of options.

"We have to hide," Troy says, turning around to face me.

"Actually, there's no hiding."