Chapter One:
When the sun sets, the world changes.
From the moment the stars glow, a new universe is born.
Then nothing is the same.
Nothing.
Men came to our village today; strange men. Hooded and cloaked in black scarves, they sit on the wooden fences surrounding our homes.
Mother ordered Ranliy and I to stay indoors. I know I should feel protected, but I do not. I feel trapped. In a cage with no windows.
Now, Mother is in our kitchen, working. She really is not, I can tell. Mother’s doing what all the other women in our village are doing; staring out the window, watching the black silhouettes of the hooded men. Watching, and waiting.
Ranliy is my younger brother, yet he has the courage that I do not, to cross our small room to the half-circle window, where outside a hooded man sits in full view.
I cannot bear that I, a girl of fifteen summers, will not do what a boy of thirteen will do. I cross the room, and peer out the window.
It’s such a still night. The birds are as silent as the grave, the trees do not sway, only stand, like bizarre statues, and even the fall wind does not blow.
“Something is going to happen,” says Ranliy, looking sideways at me.
“What?” I say, startled a bit. My golden-brown hair finds its way to my finger, as I twirl the locks nervously.
“You can always tell,” says Ranliy again, nodding once at the man. “When something is not right.” He looks back at me. “That man is up to no good.”
Then a thought hits me. “You don’t think, that this man, he’s from the war, do you?” I bite my lower lip. “The one all the men have been talking about?”
Ranliy’s brow furrowed, finally he says. “I don’t think we can do anything about the war, Analey.”
I know he is right, but that doesn’t stop me from shrugging on my old sweater, and walking to the back door. Ranliy follows me, and grabs my arm.
“Analey!” he cries, I cringe, as mother may hear. “What are you doing?”
“I can’t stand here when the village is in danger!” I hiss. “I have to do something!” I pull my arm out of his grasp, and open the heavy wooden door.
Outside is cold. A gust of fall air hits my face, and I freeze. I’m tense, expecting to be attacked at any moment. I force my eyes to stay open, to not blink. I will my arms to be still, and not waver with the anxiety I feel cursing though my veins. I wish on the few stars above me that I am not doomed.
“Please oh please oh please,” I whisper so softly. This was a mistake, I was foolish, and I still am. I should turn back now, now before I am seen! But my legs do not move, and I still stand as a statue. And then something happens to me, I remembered. My legs start to move, faster and faster, until I am running.
I’m running.
I cannot stop. Cannot breathe. Cannot fear. Cannot shout. I’m running!
“Zwarloth ed habdun!” The voice is not my own. It is one of the men of the shadows.
I tense even more, and then I freeze. Because now I know the truth, and there’s no running from it: I’m not alone.
“An’ ‘ow long we gotta stay ‘ere in this filthy ‘ole town fer, eh? ‘Ow long?” It’s a different voice now. I know that voice.
“Boss says three days. Den we do ‘ow orders.” The first voice again. It sounds angry. It’s the voice of a man. A Wildman.
“Load a’ stinkin’ men ’round ‘ere.” The second voice sounds disgusted. My heart is thumping so hard, it hurts. “Can’t wait ’till we kill ’em!” They laugh. I practically scream, muffling my shout at the last moment with the cuff of my dress.
“Wazzat?” One of them stops, he turns my way, and I stay stock-still.
“Prob’ly da wind,” the other comments stupidly. The first one grunts in agreement, and they trudge away.
I hold my breath, shaking and quivering, standing in the eerie black darkness long after their footsteps fade away into the still and quiet night.
“Analey!”
I jump and practically scream. No. No. Please no.
“Analey it’s me!” A hiss I know so well.
“Ranliy!” I run over to my little brother, and hug him, letting my tears fall. He is just as tall as I am, if not taller, despite being two years younger. The lit lantern he carries swings as the chilly wind picks up around us.
“What’s wrong?” he asks worriedly. “Why did you go out here, why didn’t you stay in the house?” I pull away and look at the dirt.
“Nothing’s wrong.” I’m lying. Bluffing to my own brother. I don’t why I’m not telling him. Why I can’t seem to say what I just heard.
“Everything is fine, Ranliy.” I fib again. “Let’s go back home, it’s mighty cold out here.” Ranliy nods, satisfied, and we walk back home.
We reach the door of our house, Ranliy walks right in. I pause in the doorway. I no longer can see the shadows of the Wildmen. But in my heart, I know the truth. In three days our quiet village of Evveronn, right on the doorsteps of Edoras, will be attacked. The men, the men will die. The women and children, what will happen to them, to us? I stare out at the dark village and trees.
We have three days.

TBC