1 Chapter 1

It was hot in the village of Shadespear, despite its ironic name. Under normal circumstances, the the sun would scorch everything at these temperatures, but this little valley was extremely fortunate.

Even with its lack of inherent shade, an endless ocean of bright green grass and deep violet flowers surrounded Shadespear, kept alive by a natural spring that ran under the village itself. A massive pine forest encircled Shadespear, erupting from the ground a few hundred yards away from the outermost building.

On most days, thirteen year old Elias Riverscar and his best friend, Sable Emberheart, would be hard at work assisting their families with their daily chores. These usually consisted of harvesting mature crops, planting new ones, and tending to any animals they may own at the time. 

Today was different though. One day per week, every family in the village had a rest day, which was usually staggered with other families so that work was constantly going on in the village. Elias and Sable were lucky enough to get the same rest day for their families, and so, for one day each week, they were able to just be kids, and no amount of heat was going to deter them from their fun.

"Eli, come on" Sable shouted, jumping for the book being held over her head, "Give it back!"

"Oh, alright" begrudgingly said Elias, not wanting the fun to end, "Here you go."

Elias always gave in to Sable, but it didn't mean he didn't like to have a little fun first. After all, she was his best friend, especially since both of them were considered the "outcasts" of Shadespear. While they had virtually the same personality as most of the other kids in the village, they were cursed with markedly different appearances.

Almost everyone in Shadespear had dark brown or blonde hair with bright, ginger colored eyes. Elias, on the other hand, sported short hair, white as a freshly fallen snow. Eyes as green as the grass that surrounded the village, flecked with gold, adorned his face, making him seem vibrant and full of life.

Sable had long, wavy, crimson hair, which reminded Elias of the setting sun. Storm-cloud gray eyes gave her a calm, almost serene look, and Elias often found himself getting lost in them.

Elias and Sable made their way to the edge of the tree line, hoping to find some relief from the sun without going too far into the woods themselves. After finding the perfect spot, the pair sat down to rest. Sable folded her legs underneath her gracefully while Elias simply fell back into the grass, hands clasped behind his head and one leg crossed over the other. 

"Sable?" asked Elias while staring at the clear, blue sky.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you like that book so much anyway? It's just a bunch of drawings and information about plants."

"Come on, Eli, you know I've always wanted to be an Apothecary. To you it may just be a bunch of plants, but to me, it's a future outside of this village."

A mix of emotions fell over Elias. He loved to hear Sable talk about her dreams, and he wanted to do anything he could to help her achieve them. At the same time though, he knew he was destined to always stay in Shadespear, and the thought of Sable moving on without him was almost too much to bear. 

Not for the first time that day, Elias let out a long sigh.

"I guess I'm destined to stay here as a farmer like my folks" said Elias. "I mean, I'm no where near as smart as you, so I guess Apothecary work is out of the question for me."

"While that may be true" jokingly said Sable, "you can be anything you want! You're a hard worker, so you could go with me to Oclus one day and become a Knight, or even find work as a Blacksmith or Hunter!"

"I think being a Hunter would be my best bet" said Elias. "I don't know if I could fight well enough to be a Knight, and Blacksmiths usually only take on apprentices who come from wealthy families."

"Then you will be the best Hunter in the Kingdom!" exclaimed Sable.

Elias couldn't help but smile. He and Sable had been best friends for their entire lives, but lately, he had started to feel closer to her. Little details, like her eyes or the way she laughed, suddenly became more clear to him, and he loved it.

The pair continued to talk about their futures as if they were right around the corner. Before they knew it, the sun was setting over the tree tops - the day gone as quick as an evening breeze. 

The birds that were normally chirping with joy began to nest for the afternoon, letting Elias and Sable know that it was about time to head home. Sitting up from her position, Sable began pointing at something off in the distance.

"Hey Eli, who's that?"

Elias followed her finger to the dirt road that led into Shadespear, which was a few hundred yards away. Even from this distance, he could see a group of strangers sitting on horseback, clustered in the middle of the road. The setting sun was directly behind the group, making it impossible for Elias to make out any details aside from their silhouettes. 

"I don't know" he said, shaking his head.

A mere heartbeat passed before the pair saw what looked like a swarm of fireflies dancing in the air between the village and the strangers. Even in the auburn tint produced by the setting sun, they appeared bright as they floated in unison towards the wooden palisade that protected Shadespear.

Everything that followed was like a terrible nightmare. Smoke from the burning wall and buildings filled the air, staining Elias' nose with it's unmistakable scent. Ash filled the sky, almost blotting out the sun and finally providing some much needed shade. 

Through it all came the screams. Even from a few hundred yards away, the wails of friends, neighbors, and family members pierced Elias' ears like knives. A few villagers attempted to flee the inferno through the main gates, only to be struck down by the assailants anyway.

Elias found himself holding Sable tightly, covering her mouth to stifle her cries and keep them as hidden as possible. Tears were welling in both of their eyes, but there was nothing that two thirteen-year-old's could do, and Elias knew it.

The attack lasted for what felt like an eternity. When the stillness of night finally fell though, the men on horseback rode back down the road they arrived on, leaving the charred village behind them. 

Elias and Sable carefully crept back to their home, hoping the strangers were all gone. When they got to remains of the palisade that once guarded their lives, they were horrified. 

Everything had been completely burned to a crisp - the wood of the buildings blackened darker than the night itself. Bodies of people they knew were strewn about the street, and dried blood stained the earth a dark, almost black color, made that much darker by the nighttime. 

Worst of all was the smell. Burnt flesh and hair mixed with the smell of smoke and the metallic tinge of blood, almost causing Elias to throw up.

Sable began sprinting in the direction of her home, with Elias close behind. On the way, Elias stopped at the old town hall, which had now fallen in on itself. He couldn't help but remember so many good evenings spent there with the other families in the village, eating, drinking, and playing games - all things he would never get to experience again.

He began sifting through the rubble, trying to find anything intact that he could hold on to for his memories. That's when he heard Sable scream.

Without hesitation, he sprinted off towards the part of the village where he heard her voice, fully intending to protect her from whatever he may find.

Instead of an attacker, he found Sable on her knees in the soot in front of her old home - now destroyed. Tears were running down her face like waterfalls, and her nose was running from crying.

She was holding the charred hand of her Mother. Looking a bit closer at the remnants of the house, Elias could see the remains of the rest of her family as well. The shock and nausea took over, and Elias found himself unable to speak to comfort his best friend.

It was hard for him. He knew he had to be strong for the both of them, but all he wanted to do was throw up and cry. After all, he was just a kid too.

After a few minutes, Sable finally picked herself up, still sniffling. Ash had mixed with her tears, leaving dark trails going down her cheeks. Elias placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, Sabe" he said, "We don't need to be here anymore."

"W-where do we go from here?" she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Elias pondered the question for a moment, only coming up with one possible answer.

"We're going to the Capitol" he said. "We're going to Oclus."