Prologue

Three brothers set out on their own in a strange and dangerous world after tragedy strikes their small home and they become orphaned.

Ever since I could remember the world had been like this, cold, dark, depressing. And monsters, it was filled with monsters and demons alike but we’d always had a way to deal with them, a way of protection.
I had taught myself about it in our small home in the town of Sodgrove Valley since our father was never around to teach me himself and our mother didn’t know how. I read his books for hours on end, somehow learning from the difficult text but it wasn’t enough, the demons still got the better of us. I realized this that night, as I watched the swirl of  red, yellow and orange engulfing our childhood home.
“Keno, take your brothers and run as fast as you can away from here, don’t look back,” mother had grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes. I was only twelve at the time, my brothers only six and ten.
“Why? What’s going on?” I asked with tired eyes, she’d woken me up, dragged me out of bed and stuffed things into a bag before shoving it in my hands.
“Demons in the village, they’re coming this way, there isn’t enough time to explain it to you,” she said with stress lining her face. “But they’re here for a reason, this isn’t the usual raid. They want something from us. Now, go and protect your brothers for me, will you?”
“Always, mother,” I said. “But I don’t understand, what do they want?”
“There isn’t time, dear, maybe your father will be able to explain,” she touched my cheek. Her hazel eyes looking into mine. “Find him?”
“What? Why?” I asked with desperate anger, I’d never been a big fan of father, Ozzie had never met him and Logan still thought he was the greatest.
“Just do it, Keno,” I didn’t argue after hearing her tone. “I love you boys, take care.”
I ran into our room and shook Logan awake first, throwing the bag into his lap while I went over to grab some more things.
“Keno, what are you doing?” He asked, rubbing his eyes.
“Shh,” I said. “We have to go.”
“Where are we going?” he asked as he started getting dressed and I woke Ozzie.
“I don’t know,” I said. “But we have to go before the demons get here.”
“Where’s mama?” he asked as I helped Ozzie get his shoes on.
“She’s staying here,” I said.
“She’ll meet up with us, right?” I looked up at Ozzie and nodded. Ozzie believed me but Logan didn’t though he didn’t mention anything about it. We went down the stairs, quickly and quietly, and went around to the back door. I didn’t know where mom was, probably out front to distract any demons or monsters.
I opened the door only to be hit hard by a large claw that sent me hurtling towards the far wall. I slid down to the floor, half dazed from the onslaught.
“Keno!” I looked up, rubbing my head as the monster grabbed Ozzie by the throat, after tossing Logan aside. Then it licked the blood off the scratch on his cheek.
“Mine,” it gurgled in an acid-like voice. I got up and grabbed the sword hanging on the wall, it was my great-grandfather’s, used in many fights against demons. I quickly touched the Channeling sphere carved into the hilt to energize the sword and slashed at the demon so he dropped my brother.
“Let’s go,” I grabbed his hand and started to drag him out after pushing Logan who carried the rucksack. We were outside, the one demon I had slain was the only one who came around the back. I turned to see the house go up in flames, I could hear her screaming inside, a long, painful, and torturous death by fire. I covered Ozzie’s ears though I knew he already heard them and when she appeared in the back door, dark hair up in flames, my brain couldn’t register to turn myself or either of my brothers away.
It wasn’t until she ran back into the house, still aflame, and the demons came around back that we turned and fled. I wasn’t sure if they’d seen us but if they did they let us go, probably thinking we were just street urchins in the wrong place at the wrong time. We hid in the bushes over the hill to the river, a place we’d once played in many times before to wait until morning.
Ozzie cried for a long time and Logan tried to hide his tears from me. I, too, felt like crying but I couldn’t, I had to be strong, let them know that I could protect them. I looked at the sword, glad that I had taken it with us out of the house and pondered over what mom had said. What could they possibly want? Why did they kill mom and destroy our home?
I heard a twig snap behind us, the demons were searching for us I was certain. So it wasn’t anything in the house they wanted, they wanted something from us, something mom had sent with us. I stood up, alarmed and the sword in my hand. I summoned up enough courage to sneak up the hillside, away from the river and peek under the bushes.
They were searching alright, and they were getting closer. I looked back at Ozzie, fast asleep, I couldn’t just wake him up and scare him again. Logan was awake, I motioned for him to come up and he obeyed. We watched the monsters for a moment in silence.
“What are they looking for?” Logan asked in a whisper.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “But let’s not stick around to find out.”
  I slide back down the grassy hill and put the rucksack on my back filled with the last remnants of our former life and three thousand Pieces. I stuffed the sword in my belt and I bent over and picked Ozzie up gently, he mumbled in his sleep and another tear slide down his cheek.
I had to be strong now, I had to find answers, protect my brothers, get vengeance.
I had to find the demon or demons responsible.

Author's Note

Grammer and spelling may be iffy but this is the Prologue... Enjoy
I also just want to clarify that "Pieces" is the name of the currency in the country where this book takes place... There are sapphire, ruby, emerald, opal and diamond Pieces which they use for money..

Reviews

[Willow's Sky]

That was really good! I liked how you set up the scene, and the enchanted sword was really interesting. I hope to hear more about it in the coming chapters.