xxxxThe night air was cool, quiet and the breeze tickled the blades of grass, causing ripples in the large fields. The only sounds that could be heard were crickets and other small animals in their routines, the occasional neigh of a horse, and far off in the distance what could only be described as murmured voices, mixing together in a undistinctible pattern providing a soft ambience to the over all atmosphere. The city itself was imposing, buildings was white in the moonlight, candles and lanterns providing light and shadow in contrast against large column of marble and stone.  It was the perfect night, the kind that artists and visionaries dreamed about in Aegeas, a night where all was peaceful and perfect- a tribute to their lifestyle.

xxxxAt least, until they came.
xxxxFire on the horizon, they came in a swarm, lighting everything they could- the fields of grass, hay in the streets, throwing torches in open windows to burn from the inside out. Screams broke the still night air- the city was being sacked.
In a villa just off of the main road, one servant ran down the hall, her bare feet slapping against the cold floor. Her mind raced, and upon reaching the door in the middle of the hallway past the courtyard, she opened it and shut it tightly against her.

xxxx In a villa just off of the main road, one servant ran down the hall, her bare feet slapping against the cold floor. Her mind raced, and upon reaching the door in the middle of the hallway past the courtyard, she opened it and shut it tightly against her. Rushing to the bed in the room, she pulled the blankets down, finding momentarily relief when she found the child still in bed. Shaking the child's shoulder gently, the servant kept looking at the door, knowing it wouldn't be long until the villa was eventually reached. "Get up Paramin! Run!"

xxxx The girl in the bed looked up at the woman who had awoken her and blinked, confused. "What-- what's going on?"

xxxx"It doesn't matter, we just need to get you out of here." Helping the small child out of the bed, the servant gripped her hand tightly and leading her outside. It was then that the distinct growls of men caused the other servants to scream in terror. As they ran, the sounds of pillage became so obvious that the girl tripped, and began to cry- to scared to continue. "Dear one, you need to get up!" Looking behind her, the servants eyes widened and she hurriedly pulled the young girl off the ground and pushed her away. "RUN!" she yelled.

xxxx The girl did so, her feet carrying her faster than she ever remembered they could, and behind her she heard a sickening thud. Not even daring to look behind her, she knew what had happened. The woman who had been her friend had saved her own life- giving hers in the process. The men didn't seem to be chasing her, and as soon as she reached the wooded area past the open field, she crawled into a small hollow under a tree, crying herself back to sleep.

xxxx The next morning when Paramin crawled out of her hiding spot, and as she walked back into the center of town; she could see survivors already rebuilding the city- it had not taken as much damage as she had thought over the corse of the night. Many people were crying as they covered loved ones that had been killed in the raid, while others were simply helping where they could with repairs and cleaning up debris that littered the ground. She stood there, and looked around- not quite wanting to go back to what may or may not be left of her home.

xxxx At some point, in her daze, a man walked up to her, looking at her. "Hmph... you must be his girl. Well come on then." He started to walk off, motioning that she should follow. "e I owe them a debt, and I shall repay it by taking you in- but you seem smart enough to understand that your parents are either dead, or enslaved."

xxxx Paramin continued to say nothing and the older man only looked back at her one more time as she continued to walk."You should know that I won't be your father, that was your fathers job, albeit he didn't do a very good job. I won't be your mother either, as you are past the stage of needing maternal comfort." Brining her back to her home, he instructed her to gather her things quickly; and to make sure that she only brought what was needed.

xxxx Running inside, Paramin raced to her room, chills running up and down her spine. Everything was so quiet, it was discomforting. Grabbing a small trunk, she filled it with clothes and a few other items: including a old book that belonged to her father and a blanket made for her by her mother. The blanket wasn't tucked away in the trunk, but rather keeps it clutched in her hand, held up to her face as she walks back, dragging the trunk with her other hand.

xxxx He raised an eyebrow, but remained silent as he saw her walking back. He inhaled, and his face set in something that could have resembled disapproval, but he reached to take her trunk from her. Reluctantly, she moved it to him, dragging it across the ground so that it stopped between the two. He reached out to grab it, and she slowly moved her hand- part of her knew she could trust this man, and part of her was screaming to run again. Paramin continued to say nothing, weighing the option; knowing that this would be best. Inhaling deeply, she settled into the carriage and looked at her home one last time.

xxxxThe carriage brought them to the man's villa and once inside, he wasted no time in giving her a tour. The last room they got to was at the end of the west hallway, far away from the main portion of the house. The man stopped and turned to look at Paramin- who was still clutching the blanket, holding it up her face. The man snorted, almost in disbelief, and placed his hand on the door. "Do you see this room? What do you suppose you are never allowed to do?" "Go in there." her voice was quiet, and she looked down at the ground as she responded to him for the first time..

xxxx "Ah, so you do speak."He seemed slightly amused, but remained firm as he looked at her. "Good. Now-- are you hungry?" A head shake came as his reply, and the man snorted. "Surly you must be, I imagine you haven't eaten since the other day." She shook her head, and the man looked at her with one eyebrow raised, "Not even for some bread and honey?". She seemed to pause, as if thinking about whether or not she was actually hungry and then nodded.

xxxxThe kitchen was small and plain, with only one servant standing behind a table cutting meat. "Ah, Inga. Meet the girl. Give her something to eat." With the short directions given he then left. Inga looked at her, and set the knife down, walking out from behind the table and picking up a loaf of bread and a plate. She set the plate down in a clean area on the table and broke the bread, setting both pieces down as well. "sit child".

xxxxParamin did as she was told, and watched Inga's movement as she grabbed a jar of honey and then drizzled some on the bread, &eat, please&. She smiled gently at Paramin, who gingerly picked it up and nibbled a bit of the bread before eating it hungrily. Inga walked back to the side of the table where she had originally been cutting the meat. "I apologize for my poor Aegean, I am. . . from Eisen". Paramin nodded and licked the honey off of her finger, wondering just what an Eisen native was doing in Ageas.

xxxx Over the course of the next couple of weeks, Paramin became close to Inga, learning her language and culture. She viewed Inga as an older sister, and began to become more comfortable in her new situation. The man, whom she had come to know only as MD, tended to leave her alone- unless asking about her current studies, in which he seemed to hold little interest in. This pattern continued for a few years, and Paramin studied diligently under many tutors, with MD checking in every once in a while. She found great interest in the study of alchemy- and while the studies of such magic were normally reserved for me, she was never discouraged. She had grown content with her situation, and it wasn't until one summer night did that feeling of uneasiness return to her.

xxxx I was nine. Nine years old when my mentor decided I was old enough. I know- that I won't ever forget that night, as few things like this are ever forgettable. The evening had started out like any other, we had taken our dinner in the dining room; and me at my curious age had been asking about the ways of agriculture- wanting to know how plants grew and how it was that the food had gotten to our table. Something was on his mind- something more than just thinking of ways to answer my numerous questions. He set his goblet down, and those piercing green eyes looked at me; a gaze that made me sit proper in my chair and hush almost instantly. I knew that look- he only ever gave when something very serious was about to happen.

xxxxPutting his eating utensils down, he sat his elbows on the table and locked his fingers together. "Now girl, after we eat dinner, we are going out". His words were short, deliberate as they always were, he never did pad things. "I want you to understand that the place we are going to is not to be taken lightly. It is vital you are on your best behavior".
I nodded, taking the change to poke at the vegetables on the plate with my fork.
"For the love of Theus girl, eat them. There are children in the street starving as you very well know."
Nodding again, I began to eat, and he continued his meal as well. The rest of the time passed in silence and when we were both done, he stood and walked out of the room. Inga looked at me, a look of almost horror on her face, but motion for me to follow just the same.

xxxxInga looked at me, a look of almost horror on her face, but motion for me to follow just the same.We walked in silence. Myself slightly behind him, instead of off to the side. His walking cane hit the pavement, the sharp tapping echoing against buildings; one of the few noises in the streets during this time of night. Sometimes I wondered why he had the walking cane, although in the years I had come to know him, I had come to assume he used it as a statement. We we no where near the taverns or local night spots and few people dared be out in the cold this time of year. I could see my breath curl up and disappear after dancing around in the air, and I purposely began to blow into the air- studying the patterns and trying to remember the lessons I had read on water and weather.

xxxx"Up beside me girl. Don't... don't need you getting lost now".
I quickened my pace and looked up at him, my own eyes meeting his for the second time that night. His face was set, determined, I had not seen him so serious in a while- this was a stoicism that was beyond his normal view on study and research.
There were two large men standing in front of a tall, dark, wooden door and as we approached the building they eyed us suspiciously. My mentor never flinched, he just stopped and raised his arm so that I was no longer helping him stand. I took the opportunity to go back to standing just behind him; I was certainly intimidated- even if he wasn't. The two brutes chuckled, before stepping aside and allowing the doors to be opened.

xxxx My mentor didn't move, just waited for me to enter the doorway before the doors shut behind us. It became dark immediately, and I nearly jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It squeezed my shoulder gently, and I recognized it as Inga's. She was following behind me, and to be honest, I had been so caught up in my thoughts I hadn't noticed her the whole time.
"Don't speak girl. Don't stray. Stay very close to me." His voice was quiet, and seemed to lack the normal harshness it contained. It worried me, I had grown so accustom to his direct form that I just felt my stomach drop. It wasn't the dark, or the secretive location, or the ominous feeling that crept over me as we walked into a very large room with many other people standing in it.

xxxx Curiosity was starting to tug at the back of my brain. Whether it was genuine curiosity for something I knew nothing about or fearing for myself and having that need to know what was going on, well... I think at this point they were one in the same. It was dark, and my eyes were taking a while to adjust to the dim light, provided solely by candles that were placed in a circle in the middle of the room. In the center of that circle was a man, he seemed dressed well- aside from the fact that he was bound and gagged as well as chained to the floor. It was obvious that the man had done something to deserve such punishment.

xxxx There were others standing around in the room, all wearing the same black garb we were. Some continued their conversations, but a few stopped as soon as the three of us walked in. One even came over, and looked at MD almost as if to challenge him, and then looked at me- looked at me like I was some insect. &Do you really think it was wise to bring such a child here? This is a secret ritual for a reason."

xxxx MD looked at the man, anger in his eyes. "Well. Considering the girl has had no inkling of this beyond what I have told her, congratulations. Now I get to explain everything." He looked down at me, and waved his hand at the man without even looking back at him,a clear dismissal. "Girl, you must listen to me carefully. That man in the center of the room is a traitor, he has betrayed us all and two men are now dead because of this treachery. For this betrayal, he is to be put to death".

xxxx I looked towards the man in the middle, who was simply sitting there, a smug look on his face. MD walked over, and everyone became silent and turned their attention to him. "We all know why we are here, so there is no use in debating that. What we may debate, is the manner in which this man is to die. Now-", MD pulled a small vial out of one of the pockets in his robes shook it gently, the purple liquid sloshing gently. "This will be the most effective, so I suggest we use this and go on with our lives".

xxxx Many people murmered in agreement and MD walked over to the man, who laughed. "You don't understand, they're coming after all of you, heretics! Your so called research is for nothing, and Theus's will be done!" MD said nothing in return but rather grabbed the man by the jaw and pour the liquid forcefully down the mans throat.

xxxx From where I could see, the mans throat instantly began to bubble up, and as if trying to retort, he spit some out onto MD before screaming in agony. MD quickly backed up, trying to brush the liquid off of his robe frantically, reaching for another vial and taking a swig of that and dumping it on his robes where the liquid had landed. My attention turned back to the man who was writhing on the floor, and as I watched, I saw his skin melt and his body begin to disintegrate. My eyes widened, and I could see Inga run towards MD, but I couldn't. It took less than a few minutes before his body was nothing more than a pile of ash, which then dissapeared all on it's own.

xxxx I stood there dubmfounded, and then ran over to my mentor as well. Inga was holding him up, and I could hear him muttering angrily. As I kneeled down next to him, it was apparent that the liquid had aged him; it was hard to contain my shock. &are... are you alright?& I asked hesitantly. *Ob-- obviously not girl" was his reponse, and his voice was raspy, slow, I could tell he was shaking. "Now, let's get out of here before someone else notices"

To Be Continued