The Halo Of Vakh (BOOK 1)

DARK OMENS

Screams erupted throughout the village. The people in the tavern threw back their seats as they rushed towards the doors, their footsteps mingling with the ominous music outside. Someone pulled her aside and she realized it was Margayn Therin who had done so. An arrow embedded itself in the door. It would have been in her skull. She stood up as quickly, regaining her footing and offering a breathy 'Thanks' to the farmer.

A yell erupted from behind her and she turned to see a cloaked man lunge at one of the shoemakers she had seen so often talking to Delster, with a dagger, his bow on the floor. Her hands worked of their own accord as she sent an arrow flying at the man. The shaft embedded itself in the man's chest with a metallic clink that indicated the armour he wore under his heavy coverings. The man fell to the floor, another arrow in his stomach, red dripping onto the floor as he fell. His armour clanged loudly when he hit the stone below, his cloak sliding off to reveal matted hair and a scarred face.

Once sure there was no more danger inside the tavern, Sapphire hurtled out into the market street, the strong wind blowing off the hood of her cloak and whipping her hair around her head like a fiery halo. Around her, the people threw the doors of their shops shut. Children were being led by their mothers to the western circumference of the village, towards the dense cluster of houses that rose against the sky. She saw Aine run past her, heralding a group of nine children. Behind her Delster bounded out of his butchery two scimitars in his scarred hands. It was chaos and it was war. It was the bloom of dodders ruining their land.

Sapphire rushed to Delster's side, pulling out an arrow from the quiver as she went. Together the two rushed where the rest of the men were heading; towards the eastern edge. The drums beat louder, screams renting the air. Delster disappeared somewhere in the crowd. She was about thirty feet away from their stone fortifications when she saw the men bounding from the roof of one shop to the other.

This was what war looked like and the thrill and adrenaline that came with it made her feel as if she could peel off the very layers that sat on the ground and fly like a bird set free from its cage. It made her thrilled and sick simultaneously.

She heard a yell of command issue from the ramparts but it was lost in the wind like a whisper. Without hesitation Sapphire took aim, three arrows nocked at once, keeping her arrows to the extreme right of her aim. The wind blew to the left. She shot. Two arrows hit the target, the third was whizzed off the mark.

The soldiers jumped down onto the street, their armour chiming like bells as they swung down the poles. The sounds of bullets ricocheted off the stone walls, mingled with pained yells. She hoped no one died. Swords in hand, they charged upon the villagers, who countered with a savage war cry that made the hair on Sapphire's arms stand with the intensity of its anger and hatred.

Those men will be lucky if they make it out alive this time.

She bent down to retrieve the daggers in her leather boots and flung one of them at the nearest soldier, shooting down one of them with her arrows. The men fell dead. Three more came her way. Rage burned in her veins, prickling at her heart. All three soldiers fell under the impact of her arrows. An arm twisted around her neck and she whipped her arm high above her head, bringing her dagger down on her captor's abductor. The dagger's blade cut through the mail of the soldier's armour and embedded itself into flesh. Sapphire felt blood spray onto her hand as the man howled in pain. She turned around rapidly, and punched the man on his exposed nose, twisting her blade before he fell under someone's arrow.

The oncoming tide of soldiers ceased. The villagers beyond the wall seemed to have stopped the larger part of the battalion at the gates. A battle raged beyond the wall whose menacing noise was amplified by the wind that carried the sound of sword clashing against sword towards them.