Chronicles of Lexionius Rising from the ashes

Prologue

Racing through the woods, his heart was pounding in his ears, his blood boiling. Twigs were snapping under his feet as he ran faster and faster till his small feet were practically floating above the ground.

Shouting from the nearby guards that we're getting closer by the second. Dodging a small branch and ducking underneath it, finding a thin but small bush to hide behind. He could hear the guards' heavily armored footsteps getting closer and closer by the second.

Even over his loud heartbeat pounding in his ears, he could hear them talking to the guards. We're only a few feet away now. The small boy tried to slow his breathing, but his heart was beating as loud as a war drum. Surely, they would hear it.

The guards talked amongst themselves, the higher-ranking officer pointing a direction that his clear subordinate should go. Both men were very tall and heavily armored, the kingdom of Livonia soldiers, but why were they chasing him? What for? He was just a boy, a nobody. He and his mother lived in a small cottage in the Kingdom of Livonia when these men came calling.

He had heard his mother shouting and arguing with these men right before he ran. One of them struck her hard across the face because she would not hand over her child. The boy had heard talk from the adults in the marketplace. There was a war going on with a nearby kingdom, and these soldiers were being sent to gather not only able-bodied men but children as well.

The children were being taken to a specialized training camp where they would grow up and train to be soldiers. The leader of a barbaric kingdom marched several thousand troops on smaller parts of the kingdom of Livonia.

Calvary Commander Cornelius had not yet returned from Trobare village after village was sacked and overrun by a massive horde of barbarians. The only thing protecting the heart of the kingdom of Livonia was a massive two-hundred-foot wall of solid marble encompassing the grand palace and the immediate surrounding area. A sudden snap of a twig shook the boy from his thoughts, but it was too late spinning around to run. The boy ran right into the solid statue of an armored guard.

The man seemed to tower over him like a ten-foot-tall giant as he leaned down, eyeing the boy coldly. The man's voice was booming, "So hear you are you little runt he growled. You gave us quite a chase."

The tall man reached down for the small boy's arms and locked them in shackles. The small boy cried out hey, "What are you doing? I have done nothing."

"Quite you!" The guard snapped, "You are coming back with us. If you cooperate, this won't have to get unpleasant. Don't resist and everything will be fine."

"Ah, I see you found him the lower-ranking guard shouted as he walked up, giving his superior officer a salute. He smiled. You little rug rat you gave a good chase, but now you come with us he beamed. Eleven years in a boys' training camp will do you good right enough."

The boy blurted out, "What? Training camp? No, I don't want to be a soldier. I just want to go back home," the small boy pleaded.

"Don't give us that crap. You don't have a choice in the matter, little man. You are coming with us." The small boy struggled against his captors, who were far too strong for him. This angered the guard that was holding him.

"Stand still you little runt, do not make me carry you like a burlap sack full of food because I will." "No, don't," the small boy cried out, the lower-ranked guard lost his composure.

He swung a long arm, clipping the little boy across the jaw hard with his hand still donning his metal glove. The boy fell to the ground, sobbing. The sharp sting of the metal glove hitting his face felt as if the man had hit him with an iron mallet. The boy felt as if he could lose consciousness.