Prophecy of Axain

Chapter 1

There comes a time in every man's life when he must put aside childish dreams to do his duty, and this was one of those times.

Spring's morning sunshine warmed Seth Faren's face as he walked down the compact dirt road towards the center of Crey Village. Today was his birthday, and everything was perfect. He smiled at Sally, his adoptive mother. "Are we almost there yet? What are you getting me?" His blue eyes twinkled and his light-brown hair rustled in the breeze.

Her blond hair was tied up in a bun. "I promised you something suitable for your thirteenth birthday."

The aroma of baking bread, cookies, and cake invaded his nostrils. The small shops in the center of town huddled around the docks. His eyes diverted to a small fishing vessel just coming into town with a full load. Seth smiled. Someday he would be a fisherman and—

"Hey, Seth," a young girl's voice said.

Seth turned around to see a young girl with long blond hair waving at him. "Jena!"

Holding Jena's hand was a 28-year-old woman with shoulder-length blond hair and brown eyes. "Sally, sorry we're late," Keya said.

"It's okay." Sally led the group past the fishmonger.

"What do you want for your birthday?" Jena asked.

What did he want? He'd given his adoptive parents ideas every day for months, but which one did he want? "I—a new fishing pole," Seth blurted out.

Jena rolled her eyes. "Really?" She pointed over at the fishing boats. "If you do that, you'll stink, and I won't have anything to do with you."

Seth frowned.

She couldn't hold back her smile.

He hated being teased. Who didn't? Jena was different. She—

"Make way!" a man yelled in the crowded square.

"What are they doing here?" Sally asked as she turned around.

Seth looked up. Sally's faced had turned white. He grabbed her clammy hand. "Who are they?"

"They're—they're dragging someone," Sally said.

Six knights in dark armor pulled a man by his collar towards the lone tree next to the docks. There was a symbol on their shields and their right shoulders. It was a tan circle with a sword in the middle above an olive branch, surrounded by a red crescent moon and a yellow lightning bolt. "Who are they, Mother?"

"Dark—Darkstriders," Sally said. "How—why are they here?"

The largest of the six stepped in front of the crowd. "People of Crey Village, it has come to the attention of King Kade Ravenward that there are traitors in this village!" He pointed at the pummeled man. "This traitor once served the House of Ravenward, before King Galin died. Now, he betrayed the royal family and you." He nodded at the other knights.

"What are they going to do?" Seth asked.

Sally and Keya just stared at each other.

"Mother?" Jena asked.

Seth stretched his neck to see over the heads of the ever-increasing crowd. The knights tied a noose around the man's neck. They tossed the rope over a branch, and hoisted the man up. Seth turned his head, but his ears caught every gasp for air.

"We've got to go, now," Keya said. She grabbed Jena's hand.

Sally pushed her way through the crowd. "We've got to tell Brock." After they had passed the ring of people, she put Seth down and moved out. With each step, their pace picked up.