• ~-~ Chapter 1 ~-~

    Tears of fear clung to Andrew’s skin, hanging like ice sickle building up as the time passed ever slowly. Cold was the night, as he ran down the street. Barely a cloud in the sky, yet rain poured down as hard as hail. No one was quite sure where it came from but it happened anyways coming down in swift hard storms but leaving almost as quickly as it came.

    Andrew was not the tallest of all of the people of the land but he wasn’t short either. But he was smart, even though he had not had an education to pass his early years of child hood. He had learned to read and write the country’s language, from a teacher at the most famous Helious in the country. A Helious was an institute of learning, the most advanced type of long learning facility that there was to be seen. He had also started to learn mathematics from his friend, but sadly his tutor was in his late years and died soon after Andrew started arithmetic’s. But despite his intelligence he could not avoid the trouble that came from having lost his parents after the plunder of his city. For all he knew his parents where taken as slaves to be sold in some far off land. And he wasn’t even sure what they looked like, but they must have been foreign in this land as of his hair and eye color, both of them a strangely light white-blue color, unusual even in this foreign land.

    So even as he ran people spotted him in the streets, he had no choice but to steal from the market stalls as he had no one to take care of him or feed him. He lived on the streets, always not without a pair of glasses and a capoar; which was a type of helmet worn by open flying pilots. It only covered the head but offered much protection. It still drew attention but not as much as his hair. Malnourished as he was he was still strong and determined. Some day he would find his parents and rescue them from the tyrants who took them from him so long ago.

    “You! Boy! Stop now!” shouted some soldiers from behind him. He pretended not to listen and kept on running. Caught stealing in this city was to be tortured to a slow death. He had seen what had happened to others who had not been so lucky as him. Brought to the jail and not seen for years and finally showing up in the executionings. He did not want that to happen, so he kept on running.

    He turned down an alley and into a small trapdoor hidden by trash and other misbelongings. Below was a room about ten feet by ten feet. A small, low bed lay in the corner, a candle next to it and a table and bookshelf on the other side of the room. He walked over and sat his small package of food on the table and jumped and landed on his bed listening quietly for any signs of the guards who had followed him. He heard them run by and started to relax. Glancing at the basket of food he had taken. He did not get up and eat it even though his stomach screamed for food. He could never eat the things he had just stolen, it just didn’t seem right. But slowly his eyes closed and he drifted into a subtle sleep.




    ~-~ Chapter 2 ~-~

    Andrew awoke with a start; it was dark and cold in his small cavern. The rain had stopped but the signs still lingered about. Water surged over head from the sewer lines rushing water away to some distant sight.
    “Aggh…” groaned Andrew. He was still sore from yesterday after being hit in the back by a passing market stall owner. He sat up and looked around and saw the food on the table and decided it was finally time to eat something; after all he was starving. He ripped open a package of dried meat and began to chew. Rarely ever did he have any type of meat, so to eat some now, even in this poor state, was a delicacy.

    Horse hoofs could be heard clambering against the ground above them and loud music could be heard from somewhere near the castle.

    “It must be a celebration,” decided Andrew. “But I wonder what they are celebrating.” He rose and walked out of his cavern into the streets. Loud cheering could be heard from all around. People blocked his vision so he clambered up the side of a house and sat on the roof not far above. Gilded Chally’s, which hovered slightly above the ground, were carrying King Fortan and his wife, gliding valiantly past. A small basket right in front of him and the crowd was elevated and covered in a light blue blanket that was laced with gold and, lavishing gems that glowed from all angles. They removed the blanket to reveal a baby in which they lifted up high. As they did so, people cheered ever more loudly even as the king and queen drifted out of sight.

    “Hmm,” said Andrew to no one, “ It seems as though the queen has had her first child. Curious…. Most of us just thought she was ill,” Seeing that the excitement was gone he climbed back down and walked out into the continually thinning crowds of people.


    OK… Thank for reading an excerpt from my story. I hope you liked it!