the first 5 pages of the first chapter of my novel

This is the first five pages of my novel. Now...with that being said the chapter is subject to change when actually published.

Chapter 1. The Village of Kiya

“Men are at war with each other because each man is at war with himself.”

George S. Patton

They stood in the northeast watching our every move. We are a peaceful village, we do not expect violence. The Dark Fathers are one of the most powerful and most barbaric hordes ever to walk the green ground on the Kiya Hills, and they stand so motionless. What are they waiting for? What have our people done? We are but traders, miners, and blacksmiths here.

We have weapons but they are no use to us, we know not how to use them. One of the reasons they could be watching us is due to our visitor, she is a prized possession of ours. My nephew found her injured crawling on the floor of the forest, bleeding from the ankles. The village doctor, Arthurus, has offered her cures for the pains in her ankles but she cannot walk. She claims to be a Child of The Feather.

“Lavin she has awoken,” my brother said quickly grabbing me by the shoulder. I was in the process of binding some hay together for the tradesmen that would go out into the woods.

“How is the stranger feeling, does she speak our tongue?” I asked. He shook his head, as we walked towards Arthurus’ house. “Her wounds, they embrace her mind” my brother said, “What do you….?” Before I could say anything more he opened the door, the stranger laid still except for her head was making some jerking movements, and her eyes were now glazed and crystallized with ruby red stones.

“Protect the children, protect them well, they will feast upon their souls and tonight when the moon is up they will gather the graves, and steal the bodies” the stranger spoke in broken tongue.

“Stranger who are these men and why do you speak of our children?” I said.

“Gather the swords and they will come” she said.

“Strange please aide us, you speak in puzzles, we are a peaceful trading village, we know not the purpose of war,” I said.

“Then we shall learn” my brother said with great assertion in his voice.

“The others will come at dawn. Do not fear, Children of the Feather do not walk alone” she said.

“She needs rest, she cannot train any villagers” Arthurus said. At that moment there was a sound of a trumpet being heard and a blood curdling sound of a woman screaming. I looked outside the hut; they had come down from the mountains and had slaughtered those who were roaming the outside. They stood at least 6 ft tall in height and the horses they rode on were not ordinary horses but large winged horses.

One of them was carrying a woman’s head in his hands as if it were a gift to a King. The axes they carried were made of black onyx and they wore sliver masks across their face. One of them who I assumed to be the leader wore a hood over his head. Upon his hands were golden gloves incrusted with jewels. He had grabbed one of the men and ripped him into two pieces; his spinal cord lay out and the Dark Father lifted his hood a showed his ugly vulgar features. Upon his face were two large black widow spiders which served as his eyes. His teeth green as the pastures in the hills and hair grew from his nostrils and his ears. His skin was crusted and looked to be melted. He feasted upon the dead man like a dog at raw meat. The others began to form around him. I looked up at the sky. It was dawn. The other Children of the Feather should be returning for their sister.

“They have come for me” the stranger screamed.

“We know not how to defend our village. Please stranger, aide us. If you do not these people will die” I said.

I had given up hope until I realized that the horde of men was running away in fear from someone. It was a mere group of 6 men and women on horseback carrying weapons. “I think the stranger spoke the truth, the men are leaving Ian,” I said. I opened the door and a woman whose skin was black as midnight smiled a white smile at me. Her skin was soft and her eyes matched the blue of the early morning sky. She wore a white vest across her chest, and bore a long pointed sword.

“You have our sister” she said.

“Will they return?” I asked

“Yes, I am afraid so but not for a few days. When they return they will outnumber your village, our sister is…. she okay?”

“Yes yes, please come in” I said.

She got off her horse and made a motion to the others who stayed on the horses and did not speak with us. “My name is Ayna. I am the Receptor of the Feather. She told us you were here” she said bringing out her hand. She shook it and then walked past me and to her sister. My brother looked at me and I shrugged. “Your doctors can not cure this injury. Her puzzles, they are due to the Dark Father, they have infected her” Ayna said. She stroked her sister’s cheek with the back of her fist and held her hand and kissed it gently. She gazed at her with admiration. My brother Ian spoke out of turn during the moment of family silence. “Will you stay with your people and help defend our village?” he asked. Ayna turned around and pointed outside to the others who stood still on horseback.

“I cannot stay. I must protect the Crowaven, but they will. They will train whatever villagers you have. My sister, when she is healthy, she is a good fighter, she will know what to do”

“But they return in a few days, will she be better?” I said.

“Yes, I will heal her, it will take energy out of me so I shall stay here for a night before I return” Ayna said.

“Ayna my sister, they wanted to kill me ,The Dark Fathers. They blend in. Do you not see them? They have spies if you do not find him. They will kill me. They will kill them all. Protect the children; at night the graves will be robbed”

“She speaks of two different groups. The Dark Fathers do not rob graves, they only feed upon children and the dead” Ayna said. She looked at her sister and sat down at the bed beside her.

“You must leave the room now or you shall be embodied by the Crowaven” Ayna said.

So the doctor, my brother Ian and I left the home. The morning sun was rising and still the other Children of the Feather were not speaking or moving; as if they were frozen in time. It wasn’t but a few minutes when Ayna exited the house, barely able to move. “She is Aware now” was her final word before she fell to the floor. I grabbed her and walked into the room. The stranger now was up and had left the sheets open for me to place her there. “My sister has cured me, I shall introduce myself now” she spoke clearly.

“The spy, who is the spy?” my brother said bluntly.

“My name is Cly, this spy you speak of was it during my time in your doctor’s abode?” she said

“Yes, yes you mentioned a spy who will kill us. Have you not any brains woman?” my brother said with a sharp tongue.

“I know not of this spy you say I spoke of, but if I spoke it in my daze it must be true. We must find whoever it is” Cly said. She looked at me and smiled, I smiled back with a sheepish grin. “You have a kind face, what is your name?” Cly said. “My name is Lavin” I said. She nodded.

“Your brother is a hard man to follow, but he is this village’s leader?”

“Yes he is a brave man, he knows what to do most of the time” I said

“Back to business, bring me the weapons you have and all the men and women between the ages of 18-40, the children will stay with the elders. I will make my brothers and sisters awaken.

I did as I was told and I brought the weapons from their shelter along with my nephew and his cousins. “Uncle Lavin we are going to fight” Cleory said. My nephew Cleory had broad shoulders and was very tall. He was 18 years old and eager to fight. He, like his father, is feisty. There were but 20 villagers that I gathered around her. She now placed swords and bows in each of their hands. They looked at them in awe, they weren’t really sure they were ready to fight much less defend their village. My brother stood up on a bucket and prepared them to learn how to fight.

“Villagers of Kiya, do not stand by our peaceful actions any longer, you now are to defend our village from the Dark Fathers. We no longer just make the weapons here but we will use them. All who wish us to parish and to fade into oblivion, we won’t have it. If we defend ourselves and die at least we died with honor. In the next two days you shall be learning to fight, so when the Dark Father hordes return we can fight. I too will be learning these things. I know we are supposed to live by peace, but we can no longer think like that. What happened in the nights past was too much; a mother and sister were killed and beheaded. We shall not let that happened again. Cly and her siblings will help defend as well, but it is up to us. They may have the numbers but we have the courage and the passion. If we do not defend well, they will feed upon the young…” He paused for a moment and glanced at Cly who smiled and giggled. Ian stepped off the bucket and helped her up to it.

“This man who you call Ian is right; he has the soul and heart of a warrior, as do the rest of you. When they come they will take up every side of this village, East, West, North and South. Some may even make their way through the forest there. We must not make haste” she pointed at my nephews. “You three I shall teach you how to be archers” they nodded.

“Master Ayna shall we send scouts, the Dark Fathers will have searched other villages before attacking this one” one of the other Children of the Feather stated. He was a blonde man with small russet brown eyes, whose face was sullen; he wore a braided ponytail in the back and on his wrist were two golden bracelets.

“Ewryn take Ian and Lavin and scout out the villages to the east, they may have been attacked, and if they have take any that are alive and bring them here, they can help us defend this village” Ayna said.

Being the trading town that we were scouting was obviously not our best point. I as well as my brother knew that the next town to the east was the village of Wyy. “You two follow me closely do not lag whatever the circumstances, I will lead. If any danger should arise, do not let fear overtake you, they smell fear. Do you understand? ” We were not given any horses, as they would make sounds. So we had to travel by foot. The Village of Wyy was about a half hour on foot. Ewryn did not speak much of the way, he was hard, he seemed as though something were on his mind. My brother too was like him, quiet.