Arc

Preface

The ocean churned in an untamed fury, painting pictures with the moon light, froth lining each savage wave's lip, but Astria was floating, still and silent beneath the turbulent surface. The weight of her armour kept her suspended, not quite enough to sink her completely into the unfathomable depths of the sea, as blood trickled steadily into the water shrouding her from the wounds littering her body.

Consciousness began to rear its head once more, drawing a gasping breath from Astria's lips, which was met with the salty tang of seawater, that seared the inside of her lungs with each drop. Each limb twitch in synchronity, for the body's assurance that is was still dutifully attached and tiny shards of memory began to pierce Astria's mind in a flurry of mismatched scenes.

14th century Italy.

The son of a Lord with stormy eyes and a turbulent heart.

A war waged between two families, each with a different allegiance, of flesh and sword and bow.

The death of soldiers and screams of horses echoing through the field.

They had won the battle against the Demonte clan, with great bloodshed, slaying their Lord and burning their fortress to cinders. She had saved her Marked one, the Lord's son, Fortino, who would now rule over both his own clan and the Demonte's.

She had done her duty as a Cadmar, ensuring that Fortino would live to fulfil his destiny without interference of outside forces and set the course back to perfect balance.

Then a blinding pain erupted from her torso, a lone Demonte solider had stabbed clean through her leather breastplate into her stomach, fire and heat bursting forth from her wound.

Fortino screamed her name, the sound of his running footsteps drumming into the sodden earth. Astria had fallen to her knees, pitching forward into the ground, strangled gasps, mixed with the wet gurgling of blood escaped her lips. She thirsted, unlike any worldly thirst she'd ever experienced before, and struggled to drag her body that grew limper by the moment along the ground, to the edge of the lake.

Her bloodied hand shook with fervour as it dipped into the shallow expanse of the water, and she was dragged beneath the surface. Darkness engulfed her consciousness, and awoke to the tang of salt in her breath.

Fortino was safe, the balance was restored and Astria had transported, just as many times before, without her will.

Her mind kicked into full awareness with a gasp of seawater filling her lungs and Astria struggled out of her armour, letting it sink deep into the abyss. Kicking swiftly, against the searing pain of her wounds, she swam towards the tumult of light that beckoned at the surface.

The expanse between her and the air her lungs screamed for seemed endless, the strength in her limbs fading quickly. Just as her lungs threatened to burst under the pressure, Astria broke the surface of the water, sucking in huge greedy gulps of air, as if it would never be supplied to her again.

The darkness of night greeted her, stars littering the sky like jewels, the moon a thin shard of light high in the sky. There was no sign of land in any direction she looked, swinging her head from left to right, then back again. She screamed, the furious high pitched wail echoing along the crest of each wave.

Something wrapped around her shoulders and pulled, hard. Darkness flooded her mind once more.