Leaving the Horse

Prologue Part 1

LEAVING THE HORSE

Prologue

The woman whipped her head back, long thick black hair flying into her face as she tried identifying how far her pursuers were. Her arms held blankets to her chest protectively, holding a newborn child. Hearing the cries of men as they tore through the brush, she turned and kept her fast pace. The woods were dense and wet from the harsh rain and the woman was weary and weak. As she rushed through the trees, branches scratched at her face and legs and her once silky brown dress now felt heavy and torn from the wet climate.

The woman looked up desperately for somewhere she could go, anywhere that the baby wouldn't shiver from the harsh cold air that she herself felt. Relief swept over her as she saw a small stone burrow, large enough to hold a baby. Looking back quickly at the men gaining ground on her, she tore through the bushes in a last effort to save her child.

Coming to the cave, she stuck her child in and under her breath chanted, "nav zīdītāji atradīs jums šovakar," until a small clear barrier formed around the child, making her invisible to all but her own mother's sight.

The mother collapsed, breathing heavily as if she was about to faint. Then looking over her shoulder, she could see the outline of tall metal-plated men loudly trekking toward her and knew she didn't have much time. Whipping her head back, she uncovered the child's face and pressed a soft kiss to her wrist which bore a mark of magic and whispered, "Bless you, my dear child. Bless you Jauda."

Gazing quickly at the small metal necklace that was oversized for the baby's neck, the woman kissed the child once more on her forehead. After one last gaze into the child's purple eyes, the woman covered her face, whipped her head around, and raced away into the brush. Within moments, the distant sound of an agonizing scream and eerie silence confirmed the woman's fate.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

By far the shortest part of the entire story. I try for 3+ pages each chapter. I also try to post pictures of the characters in the novel each chapter so be sure to take a look! Comment too, because I love them and I like dedicating supportive people to my story too!

TRAILER ON PROLOGUE AND CHAPTER 1

The magic chants are said in Latvian so if you want to translate them you can. ;) If not, you don't need to know what they mean. Also her name is in Latvian too.