Beyond the Darkness (Book #1)

Prologue

A little girl with midnight black hair walked against the deadly cold wind. Her hair whipped across her pale face covering her turquoise eyes from the white barren world. The snow was well above her knees but, she kept moving. The last and only thing she could remember was that she was in danger. She needed to keep moving, she needed to get away but, from what? No matter how hard she tried to remember she couldn't think of any cause to her fears.

The chilling wind was beginning to seep into her skin causing her to shiver violently. She needed to find somewhere to hide or at least get out of the freezing cold. Her exposed flesh felt like it was being ripped away with each gust of sharp wind.

She scanned the still forest for anything she could considered safe. Perhaps, leaning against a tree with its sturdy trunk being her only protection. When that dreaded option seemed inevitable, she stumbled over a  den buried deep into the ground.

She wanted to rush in there and get away from the cold, white world. However, she knew better. Who knows what kind of animal decided to claim this as its home. She straggered around the den and began digging with desperation. Her red tinted hands slowly began turning white. Luckly, beneath the foot of snow laid a rock the size of her hand. The little girl jumped up and raced to the mouth of the den.

She threw the stone inside the endless dark pit and listened carefully. It echoed against the walls leaving only silence. She cried with relief and crawled her way inside. The dark swallowed her whole as she slithered across the wet dirt. It grew drier and warmer the deeper she went. She couldn't seen anything but, the never ending darkness in front of her. So, she was forced to relay on her sense of touch.

The den went a ways into the earth but, soon she found the end to it all. She curled herself into a ball and watched the snow drift its way in. Leaving a carpet of snow in its wake. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and her skin no longer felt like it was about to fall off. For the first time she felt protected. Her beautiful eyes slowly shut while her head began to lull. She wanted to fight off her drowsiness but, in the end darkness ripped her from her living nightmare.

By sunrise the next morning she awoke to the pounding of hooves. The horse whined with surprise when it came to a quick stop. Her breath caught in her throat and she pressed further against the dirt wall. All she could do was look at the mouth of the den with fear. Her blue eyes bulged from their scokets. Her heart pounded in her ears as the cruching of snow drew closer.

She waited until she saw a pair of stained leather riding boots. The boots stalled at the very entrance, with the man facing the den. He slowly began to lower himself onto one knee and instantly his face came into view. He was beautiful, his face had sharp features, big blue eyes that were only a shade darker than her own. His hair was like strands of spun gold but, the most mysterious thing about him, were his ears.

They were long and came to a point, stretching past his crown of hair. She felt a wave of unease when he looked directly at her, almost like he could see her sitting in the shadows. Then, he confirmed her suspicions when he asked. "What are you doing here? It's too dangerous for a child to be wandering the forest."

"Go away!" Her small voice echoed against the walls.

He sat down completely ignoring her desperate command. His entire outfit was made of fine materials. He wore a coat that was lined with animal fur and leather gloves to kept his fingers warm. He spoke to her with a calming voice. Like he was speaking to pup that had been hit too many times. "Come out of there. I mean you no harm."

"How do I know that!? You could be lying!" She whimpered, fear had consumed her. She didn't know who this man was. For all she knew, he could be the one she's running from.