Glittering Gold

Prologue

The palm trees swaying so obediently to the wind were the only things peaceful about this night. The small sanctum of calmness was hardly noticeable amongst the chaos ensuing around it. Bombs lit up the sky like victorious blazing beacons and cannons boomed in triumph as the port town was raided. Screams of innocent, unsuspecting people brushed against my ears like a malevolent lullaby and I could hear the faintest of swords clashing betwixt the rest of the cacophonous symphony.

I closed my eyes to fight off the pained tears and squeezed to my chest the most important thing I could ever imagine possessing. This thing was more treasurable than any jewel. This thing was more fragile than any thin sheet of parchment. This thing was my daughter.

Gently smiling at her I forced myself to memorize every detail of her small face. Despite the piercing sounds around us she somehow managed to sleep quietly, her little breaths shallow and even.  Her small patch of fiery hair danced in the breeze as her face scrunched into a frown then smoothed back out to her original relaxed state. My heart ached at the knowledge of what I was about to do. Just because it was necessary did not mean it was not easy.

“Amaryllis! Time is of the essence. We must leave before she is found and it is too late.” Nicholi called out to me as he sprinted through the grainy white sand that illuminated against the red glow burning in the sky every few moments. He clasped my hand into his, not daring to let go of me or our daughter for a second as we hurried through the town and into a plant filled region few ever wandered into.

Wildly I whipped my head around to look behind my shoulder, afraid that they were going to reach us before we could get our daughter to safety. I hated myself for the situation Nicholi and I had put our very own flesh and blood into. It was not one fair to her and although we had not known of it at the time, it was going to alter her life forever.

With a concentrated ferocity Nicholi hacked at vines that clawed at us with his sword and not once stumbled or hesitated as he led us deeper into the exotic forest. As much as I wanted to hope we were in less danger as we distanced ourselves from the attack I could still hear the echoing sounds of explosions. The sounds shattered my faith. This would not end until they found her.

After minutes of aimlessly running Nicholi yanked me to a stop and I found myself gazing up at the mouth of a small black cave. Running a hand through his lengthy auburn hair he re-sheathed his sword in one swift movement. He turned his head to peer at me through brown eyes kissed with beautifully long lashes. Moisture made them glimmer and I crushed my body to him allowing him to engulf our baby and myself into his warm embrace.

“Everything will be alright. We are doing what is best for her.” he murmured softly into my hair though I could not tell if he was saying it to reassure me or himself.

“I hope that this does not turn out to be a mistake.” I murmured back and tore myself away from him to saunter into the cavern. Coldness wrapped around me like a frigid blanket and I slowly traveled further into the dank blackness of the stone walls enclosed around me.