Chapter One - Shattered Innocence


The girl pulled the sheets tightly against her, unconsciously attempting to negate the morning chill which permeated her pavilion. Her fair face prickled pleasantly with the night dew strewn upon her cheeks and her shut eyes shifted in uncertainty as she drew closer to awaking. She lay upon her side on a white divan, her golden hair scattered unceremoniously upon the multitude of pillows which supported her head. With a gentle sigh, her azure eyes slowly blinked open and she turned over on her back, taking in the moist air of dawn which filled her lungs with renewed vigour. She raised her arms above her head in a contented stretch, relishing in the fresh scent of a new day, and drew down her covers revealing the white tunic she wore which lay wrinkled about her legs. The plush carpet upon the floor tenderly caressed her toes as she rose up and sat at the edge of the divan, slowly stroking her long lustrous hair in an endeavour to tame the curls which had formed overnight.

Her stomach grumbled in protest for her lips had not tasted solid nourishment for four days, her diet restricted to naught but milk and honey. Such was the way of the initiation, a strict fast to cleanse the spirit and body of all impurities. Yet her thoughts inadvertently diverted to where she knew they should not, and the image of him whom she had loved seemingly throughout her seventeen summers flooded her heart. With an almost complaining realisation she pushed such memories out of her mind. The law was strict; all initiated priestesses must remain pure virgins throughout their life in the temple. Consolation drifted over her as she contemplated her future serving the goddess Kateran, it was a great privilege to be chosen as a priestess, and it would bring her family honour. The goddess would be her life from now on; the goddess would keep her blessed and secure, accommodating all her needs and never abandoning her. She had no need of the volatile passion that was love.

With an air of unbidden elegance, she arose from her resting place, modestly bending to settle the creases of the linen tunic about her calves. She walked across the pavilion to a narrow bench upon which lay her toga, the dress she would be required to wear during her initiation ceremony together with the other new priestesses. The girl ran her fingers along the soft material, from the ornate buckles which embellished the shoulder straps down to the folding pleats which decorated the ends of the dress, indulging in its smoothness. Picking it up in reverence, she unfastened the cord binding it and wrapped it around her body, proceeding to tighten the fabric about her waist. She passed her hands over her garment several times in slight nervousness, trying to remove invisible crinkles. Bringing her arms to her chest, she took a deep breath and prepared herself for what awaited her.

Pushing past the fabric which withheld entry to her pavilion, she stepped outside, her bare feet borne upon the green grass. The sun was barely over the eastern mountains, veiled in a hazy turmoil of ginger and cherry. Looming clouds were moving in from the south east, threatening to envelop the plains below in relentless downpours. Wisps of morning mist floated over the woodland landscape, drifting amidst the coniferous vegetation which bordered this elevated clearing, upon which the temple of Arkustrata lay. The imposing structure was supported by a multitude of elaborately carved marble columns, with a particularly ornate pair upholding a domed atrium before the temple's entrance. A magnificent dome crowned the rear of the rectangular building, giving it the air of a flamboyant cathedral.

The encampment from whence the young woman had come was some distance away, situated upon the southern slope of the gently inclined mound on which the temple stood. Though outside the clearing, the area was sparsely wooded, making the structure clearly visible. She surveyed the camp for a moment, searching for a sign of her fellow candidates. Realising that she was probably the last to awaken, she began a fretful trot towards the temple, her cheeks slightly blushing with anxiety and fear at being late for the sacred ceremony. Coming within a short distance of the structure, she sighed with relief, for the other aspiring priestesses were gathered before the entrance, chattering excitedly between them as they waited to be summoned by the high-priestess. Content she had arrived on time, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath, and a smile spread across her lips as she spotted a familiar face.

"Yanaya, good-morning!" she bellowed at another girl who stood amidst the conversing crowd, talking excitedly to a small group of adolescents. The girl separated from the crowd, and mirroring the smile of her lifelong friend, she began to walk towards her. The lass had long, dark hair and slightly tanned skin, and was slightly shorter than her friend, despite being a full year older. Yet her posture and expression were more matured, she was further accustomed to womanhood and her blonde companion seemed almost childish in comparison.

"Aliana," the woman replied, embracing her friend in greeting. "I trust you have rested? We don't want you to fall asleep on such a day as this," she mused.

"No, we do not", Aliana replied, her smile broadening even more. "Well... although I was almost at risk of sleeping through the entire ceremony. Why did you not awaken me?"

Yanaya's smile slightly dimmed, her expression showing slight irritation. "It is not quite my duty to see to your waking time. I simply assumed your age would allow you to show the necessary responsibility to a matter of as much importance as your initiation ceremony."

The girl's smile faded, her eyes appearing somewhat hurt by the comment, and her cheeks lit up with a mix of shame and indignation. She found herself looking down at her toes. "You do know you are but a year older than me, do you not? Why do you treat me as if I'm but a child?" she questioned, not meeting Yanaya's eyes.

The young woman's expression softened up as she assessed Aliana, and she replied in a more moderate tone, "Because you frequently behave like one. Now come on, I did not mean to distress you, I apologise if I seemed somewhat harsh. It’s just that you should show greater care towards your obligations, especially now that we're becoming priestesses."

Looking up, the adolescent responded, "Perhaps you're right... But still, you're making too much of an issue over it this early in the morning. You're my friend, not my parent."

Yanaya sighed wearily. "Fine then. I just felt somewhat annoyed that you were expecting me to be responsible for awakening you this morning. It is purely your responsibility."

Aliana opened her mouth to retort, but was rudely interrupted. A deafening sound exploded from the east, resounding over the hill and across the plain. The sound was like that of a horn or trumpet, yet it was unlike any she had ever heard. The call was answered by an identical one which originated from the south-west, and a third one echoed from even further south. All the women ceased their chattering and looked towards the sparse trees to their east, apprehension and anxiety mounting across their expressions. A veteran priestess rushed out of the entrance to the temple in order to investigate what had occurred. Something was moving through the distant trees, unsettling a multitude of birds which held the treetops as their home, causing them to fly away in distress. A low, steady rumble spread through the ground at their feet, gradually increasing in amplitude with each passing moment.

Without warning, a violent lashing resonated from the source of the disturbance, as if something very heavy had been tossed with enormous strength. Before the sound had barely registered in the girl's ears, a gargantuan chunk of rock flew through the air above them, and landed with a horrendous crash upon the temple's large dome. One side of the dome broke off and collapsed to the insides of the structure, whilst the wall supporting the destroyed part crumbled and fell apart as well. Aliana was at a loss, she could not comprehend what was happening. This could not be real; it had to bet a dream. Nothing like this could be happening, the temple was under the goddess' protection, and she would never allow any harm to come to her followers. Yet as she looked around, the women were bewildered and shocked, almost in panic. Even her friend, Yanaya, seemed unable to do or say anything.

The shaking of the ground was now almost overwhelming; with every quake Aliana's heart skipped a beat both in fear and astonishment. An immense number of figures seemed to be marching westwards among the now quivering trees, forming a front line which spread from the temple all the way to the south. It was nothing short of an army. The armoured figures formed rank upon rank in the distance, some of those at the very front bearing banners of some unknown faction. And then a nightmarish creature, which marched some way ahead of the progression, stepped out of the line of trees no further than a hundred yards from where Aliana stood. The being stood at eight feet in height, with legs akin to those of a goat and a warty skin which was a sickly shade of blue in colour. Above the waist it seemed to be not much different than a man, yet vastly stronger and bulkier, but its appearance was obscured by the heavy armour it wore, which was completed with a horned metal helm. Hung over its back were an immense black bow with a quiver full of arrows and a grisly battle axe, and in its hand it held an ivory horn. The creature brought the horn to its mouth and sent another deafening call trough the air, which was swiftly answered by another two calls from the south-east.

Investigating its surroundings, the creature that seemed to have command over the marching army waved for his underlings to proceed. The ranks began to enter the clearing, the hideous forms of the soldiers easily visible. They were fairly human-like in shape, yet they were repulsive, dreadful creatures, wearing ragged garments and rusty armours, brandishing clubs and swords, spears and axes. The leader slowly turned towards Aliana, until he looked her in the face, and only then did she realise she was on her knees and had been screaming. Many of the girls had fled or hidden inside the temple, others had fainted and others were huddled together in despair and panic. Rolling behind several ranks of soldiers was a ghastly device of wood and steel, and unto it a pair of gigantic beasts, perhaps fifteen feet in height, were stacking a huge mass of stone, under the commands of several soldiers, who manipulated them with chains and whips. The commander blew his horn once more, this time sending a different signal. The device made a creaking sound as its components set to motion, and the boulder was flung into the air, where it was supplemented by yet another chunk of stone launched from further south. Both rocks plummeted towards the injured temple, colliding viciously upon its walls and causing a great part of it to concede and cave in, sending clouds of debris in all directions.

As if on cue with the ensuing destruction, the blackened skies burst open with relentless rain and streaks of lightning flashed across the horizon. The commander had resumed his march, the scores of vile underlings following ardently behind him. Aliana felt a tight grip on her shoulder, and spinning around in surprise she came to face with Yanaya, whose eyes were wide with fear and terror. She tugged at Aliana to follow her, but she lay bewildered for a few seconds before mustering the courage to rise and flee. Even as the two women sought to escape the advance of the army, the commander reached for his bow, and with a malicious grin notched a black arrow and pulled back on the thick string. Taking a brief moment to aim, he elevated the bow slightly, and let loose the shaft.

Aliana halted. She had been running alongside Yanaya; now she was on her own. Turning around in abrupt horror, she saw a body on the muddy ground, soaking in the rain, a dark arrow protruding from its back. The girl rushed towards it, constantly shouting the name of her friend, her eyes agape with dread and streaming with tears, her stomach clenched in nausea and repulsion. Kneeling down besides her, she took hold of Yanaya's shoulder, shaking her whilst calling out her name in panic. Gathering what sanity she had left, she turned her friend over and saw her eyes, shocked, fearful eyes which were staring at oblivion. A slender bead of blood trickled out of Yanaya's mouth and flowed down her cheek. Aliana slowly stepped back, her hands held over her mouth in terror, her eyes still wide in disbelief. Looking ahead in the distance, she saw her friend's murderer reach out to retrieve another shaft from his quiver. In all her panic and alarm, her most basic instincts came into effect, and driven by fear of pain of death, she abandoned the body and fled for her life towards the nearby forest.

She had no notion of where she was heading, her only concern to place as much distance between herself and the army which marched at her heels. The rain continued unhindered, growing ever stronger as the storm swept over the plains. Aliana's clothes were completely drenched, the bitter wind clawing at her bones and causing her to shiver uncontrollably. Her thighs began to burst aflame with pain at the exertion, and her extremities began to grow numb with cold. Consciousness slowly fading away, she suddenly halted and lay against a tree trunk, her lungs gasping for breath. She began to uncontrollably slump to the ground, and with a final exasperated sigh, her eyes rolled up and she collapsed onto the muddy soil, her mind falling into a hazy void...