Followers of the Light - Prologue: The Child
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She ran through the trees in the forest, as fast as her legs could carry her, holding a bundle in her arms. The woman could hear the hoof beats of her pursuers' horses, and nearly fell as she pushed aside the tree branches clawing at her.
I must not let them reach my child; God, please don't let them take her, were the thoughts running through her head, over and over. God, please don't let them take my child!
They were almost upon her, and they surrounded her, drawing their swords to strike her down.
She stood there panting, and frantically looked around, searching for a means of escape, but found none. "No! God, please help me!" she prayed.
They advanced slowly towards her.
"No!" she shouted, clutching the tiny infant in her arms. "You can't have her!"
But still they crept forward ignoring her cries. Just when the horsemen were several arm lengths away, they suddenly stopped frozen, as though they could advance no further. The leader stared at the woman, with pure hatred, but after sheathing his sword, he turned his horse around and rode away. The others followed suit.
The woman didn't quite understand what had happened, but she knew that somehow, God had performed a miracle. Grateful, she resumed her journey and continued to run towards her goal. A few minutes later she came upon the cave.
"Yes!" she whispered. "Thank you, Blessed Light of the Worlds!"
The woman's brother-in-law came out to greet her, with relief showing on his face. "Good! You've got her. I was worried they had gotten to you."
She handed her daughter to the man, tears falling down her cheeks. "Take good care of her. Okay?"
"I will," the man promised. He held the child in his arms as he walked back into the cave, and the woman followed inside.
She saw the portal, four metallic rods connected to each other forming a doorway. The charata, a gel-like substance the color of the sky fluctuated within the boundaries of the rods. It led to the Gateway, to Stone Mountain.
Standing at a distance, was a second man, waiting nervously. "Ready?" he asked.
"Yes." The woman's brother-in-law passed through to the other side with the child in his arms. She was standing next to the second man as they watched him disappear.
"Are you sure that they'll be safe there?" the woman asked.
There was no reply, for an arrow had pierced the second man's heart. Her pursuers had returned.
The woman panicked for a moment wondering if they should follow through the portal. But just then, the charata faded into nothingness; the portal had closed. And when it would open again, no one was certain.
Enraged that they were too late, they bound her and took her away, leaving the dead body behind.
