Bow and Sparrow

CH 1

The small farming town of Dast was quiet. Farmers left their crops to sway in the fields and the sound of children in the streets died out as they dragged their tired bodies home. The baker tossed stale bread into the bin behind his store and the innkeeper pulled the shutters closed. Everyone was winding down for the night as the lightning bugs emerged from the tall grass. Everything was as it should be.

"Nori, what's that?"

Or so I thought.

I opened my eyes to the setting sun and stared down Ayla's outstretched hand, her tiny finger pointing at something in the distance. Lights. They flitted between the trees. It was almost curfew and there shouldn't be anyone out in the woods, but the dozens of torches said otherwise. My mouth opened to tell Ayla that I did not know, until I heard the guttural screeches. The word died on my tongue, ash in my mouth.

Panic prickled in my veins as I wordlessly scrambled off the roof, one hand desperately pulling Ayla right behind me. The skirt of my dress caught on a loose nail. Ripping it free, I landed with a dull thud on the hard dirt-packed ground and reached up with outstretched arms just as Ayla jumped from the roof's eave. Setting her down gently, I rounded the corner and nearly collided into a patrol guard. Davin's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword, looking down at us in surprise. His hand moved from his weapon to his hip as he studied us, taking in my ripped dress and Ayla's trousers with a frown on his face. He probably thought we were up to no good, which wasn't completely false; it was just harder for Ayla to climb to the top of the house while wearing a skirt at her age.

"Ayla and I were on the roof-"

"What were you two doing on the roof?" Davin demanded, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

I shrugged innocently, "Ayla likes to watch the sunsets ." Ayla nodded fiercely beside me. Davin made a face like he didn't believe me, but before he could question us, I continued. "We saw a raider group approaching. They're in the woods. They'll be here soon." As if on cue, the church bells rang in the town below us.

The next few minutes were a blur. The house was alight with activity. Guards rushing to close and bar all the doors. Servants extinguishing every light in the house. I ushered everyone into the cellar to wait. It would be a tight squeeze, but they'd fit.

I kept an uneasy eye on the impending destruction, but they seemed to be making slow progress. Dast wasn't heavily populated, small compared to most villages. Our house was the biggest and sat on the tallest hill and most likely to be targeted. There were a few houses between us and the raiding party now, and I sent up a prayer to protect the families living there.

After dropping Ayla off with her nursemaid and ensuring everyone had made it safely inside the cellar, I ventured back outside in search of Davin. I fell in step beside him as he gave out orders to the remaining guards. He took one look at the bow in my hand and shook his head.

"I can help." I protested, but Davin raised his hand.

"No, your father would cut me down if anything happened to you. Wait inside with the others." I opened my mouth to argue but one look from Davin cut me off. "They will need someone to protect them should they get in. You know Stefan is useless."

He smiled but it didn't wrinkle his eyes like it normally does. I could already hear the defeat in his voice, in the way his shoulders sagged but he tried to hide it. It's been ages since the last raid, long before I was born. Most travelers passed us up because of our small size. Our town has been lulled into a false sense of security because of it. We were tucked into the countryside with mountains bordering us on one side and a large, overgrown forest on the other.

I nodded solemnly. Davin stuck his hand out, but I slapped it away, pulling him into a tight hug instead. Davin was like a second father to me -actually an uncle- and I spent about as much time with him as I did my own father. When father was out of town, Davin was left behind to watch over Ayla and I. He was the one that taught me how to shoot my first arrow. Father was opposed to the idea at first, but sometimes I would catch him watching me practice with pride beaming on his face. He even bought me the bow I held now. It's not like he could have disapproved much, I was the general's daughter after all.

I stepped out of the hug first, swiping an arm across my watery eyes, but before either of us could say anything, another guard ran up to Davin and whispered urgently in his ear. I couldn't hear what he said but Davin's face paled in the dim sunlight. The guard scurried off in the direction he came. With a nod, Davin took off after him and I raised my hand to wave. Anxiety crushed my heart in my chest as I watched him walk away.

"Be careful."

The wind had started to pick up now, and noticed the dark plumes of smoke that were reaching for the heavens. That much smoke could only mean one thing. Dast was burning. The thought left me cold as I closed the front door behind me. My hair stuck to the sweat forming at the nape of my neck and I hastily tied it in a low knot. An eerie quiet had settled over the house. I tried not to let it bother me as I approached the stairs to the cellar.

When I reached the bottom step, I kept my face calm as I strode into the cellar with the bow still clutched in my left hand. Eight people stood huddled in the middle of the room, including Ayla who was nested into the side of her nursemaid. It shocked me just how young she looked at the moment. She often acted far beyond her seven years.

"We can't stay here. They'll slaughter us like pigs." I didn't bother responding to the servant who spoke, his voice nasally and whiny just like him. Stefan never particularly cared for me. Most likely because I almost nicked him with an arrow once. An accident, of course.

"Not even you and your bow can stop them." I felt the spittle from his lips on the back of my neck and it took every fiber in my being not to turn around and send another arrow at him.

"And what would you suggest, Stefan?" I turned on the heel of my boot, towering over him. "Unless you know of a better hiding spot, this is the safest place in the house."

He stayed silent, but I could still hear him huffing behind me. I grabbed the heavy wooden door that closed off the cellar. It scraped across the stone floor as it shut. The ground shook above us as I found the latch to the door and slid it in place.

I stayed by the door, resting a palm against the wood. It didn't take long before the sounds of fighting started. Steel against steel. I could hear muffled yelling, but in pain or victory, I did not know. My fingers twitched nervously. I wanted to help, but I remained rooted in my spot, my promise to Davin ringing in my ears. I will protect these people if it comes to that. Even if one of them was a prick.

Soon footsteps breached the house, stomping on the parquet floor above us. Dust floated down from the rafters and tickled our upturned faces as we listened to them invade our house.

One pair of footsteps. Someone was descending the stairs to the cellar. I didn't have to quiet anyone for they remained silent out of fear. I held my breath as the person stopped outside the cellar door. My hand slowly reached for the bulk of arrows strapped to my back.

The person's shadow fell over the crack under the door as it moved closer, as if they could sense our terror behind the door. If I leaned down, I could probably see the sole of the person's shoes. My fingers tightened on an arrow, drawing it silently from its quiver and nocking it on my bow. I pulled the string of the bow back, the arrow settling into place, but I kept it pointed at the floor. The door groaned as the person outside pushed against it.