chapter one

Tiny beads of rain pound the earth softly as I awaken in the middle of the storm. My room is empty as it has been since my older brother was taken to train 4 years ago. This is when I wonder, will I be chosen to train too?

Dark images that flood over my mind are echoes by the crashes of thunder in the background. No one outside of the battles truly know what we're fighting against. All we know is that its something big.

The nigh table to my right holds my proudest possession, a knife given to me by my brother. True, I'm more for archery, but this knife is special. Engraved on one side were the words "Courage. Skill. Love." On the other the name of my brother "Shane Triyston".

We were close. Until the council chose him to go train and fight. Thats how things worked. The council controls everything. Tall mountains stop curious people from sneaking into the rich part of the empire where the council is stationed.

"Aria." My mother called from the front of the house.

To this I rolled out of my bed and into the main area of our house. Standing besides her was a skinny old lady with a thick coat and a smirk upon her face, a council servant. I could tell by the pin tied to the coat. "Welcome to the league young one. The council has called you to fight."

My mouth opened and closed, but only the soft sound of air moving came out. How? I thought. This is impossible...

"Come, you will begin training at once."

Then I ran.

First to my room to grab my coat and knife. Then to the window, then outside.

It wasn't cold, but even if it was I wouldn't notice it. Behind be surprised shouted sounded. The worried cries of my mother and the slightly angered ones of the council servant. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I had to leave.

Then a place came to mind. My friend Wes' house. It was larger, but it was also hidden my monstrous trees and vines. It wasn't too far. With the council servant's abilities to call upon the service of any warriors in the neighborhood the closer the better.

"Wes!" I say in an anxious whisper before knocking at his bedroom door.

It took a while but there he was, messy curls nearly blinding his tired and puzzled grey eyes, but there. "What are you---"

I didn't let him finish his sentence before I leaped into his room then proceeding to slam the windows shut. "Its the council." I needn't finish my own sentence. He understood my intentions well enough.

"The longer you stay here the worse it'll be." He warned. When I looked up from where I came to hide my self, crouched in a basket set at the foot of his bed, he was looking at me with sad knowing eyes. I've always loved the way you could tell his emotions just by looking at his eyes, now I wish he wasn't like that.

"If you were in my position what would you do then?"

There was a moment of silence as he pondered over my question.

"I'd go with them." His voice cracked towards the end. Did he really mean that? We've always talked about what we'd do if we were chosen to train, never once had he said anything about agreeing to go with them.

"Wh--" I slammed the lid of the basket shut as I saw a dark figure walk by the long hall you could see from the bedroom door.

It would seem as if years passed before the lid was flung open. They had found me. I didn't know how they managed to do it so quickly, but they did. Now Wes' warning was for nothing. I had failed my mission now who's to now what I'm going to be in for.