Story Time!!!

Prologue

            Claire jumped in surprise at the unexpected knock.  She stood to answer the door, confused; she hadn’t thought he was coming tonight.  Upon opening the door, she received another shock.  She had thought that only one person would be calling in the middle of the night, but the person standing in her doorway was not the handsome, smiling man she expected to see.  In his place stood a small, grey woman.  She was hunched, shriveled, and ancient-looking, and she kept her head down, almost as if she did not want Claire to see her face.  Claire was sure she had never seen this woman before, but there was something inexplicably familiar about her.

            Before Claire could do more than stare confusedly, the woman forced her way inside and shut the door.  She quickly turned the lock and shut off the lights while a bewildered Claire looked on.

            “You wouldn’t be a difficult job for her,” the woman muttered.  “A right sitting duck you’d be if she came looking.  Not that she knows about you, mind.  She’s quite clueless as far as you’re concerned.  All my doing, of course.”  She sounded a bit self-satisfied, Claire thought.

            Claire didn’t have a clue what the woman was talking about.  She was starting to feel a bit indignant that this strange woman had just burst into her house in the middle of the night with no explanation, though, strangely, she had no thought of turning her out.

            “Would you mind telling me who you are?” Claire finally asked.

            “You can call me Addie.  I’m a friend who is trying to keep you safe.”

            “Safe? What on earth are you talking about?”  Claire was doing her best to be polite despite her frustration and confusion.
            The woman insisted on being difficult.

            “I’m here trying to prevent you being murdered in your bed.  If she were to find out about you…well, let’s just say you’d be dead within the hour.”

            “If who were to find out about me?” Claire asked, obviously still puzzled.

            “The Queen,” Addie whispered fiercely.  She seemed frustrated that Claire was asking so many questions.  “We need to get you away from here, far away, before she finds out about you.  She might know already.  We have very little time.”

            At the mention of the Queen, Claire felt a small jolt of fear.  She had heard things – terrible things – about the Queen, wicked rumors about witchcraft, betrayal, and what really happened to the Queen’s sisters.  She knew only one possible explanation for why the Queen might come after her, but she refused to believe it.

            “What would the Queen want with me?  What’s going on?” Claire could hear a slight tremor in her voice, and she was sure Addie heard it too.

            Addie had spent the few minutes they had been talking gathering Claire’s things.  She hesitated slightly at Claire’s question and stopped what she was doing, though she still didn’t look at Claire.

            “I think you know what she would want with you.  Do you know what is happening right this minute?  The Queen is hunting down every person alive who shares her blood.  Fortunately, you do not.  This is why she doesn’t know about you yet.  But you are still not safe; you may not share her blood, but the child you carry most certainly does.”

            Claire was shocked.  “How do you…?” she stammered.

            “He told me, of course.  That’s how I knew you in the first place and knew where to find you.  He told me everything so that I could help you if the need arose, just in case he…” she trailed off.

            Claire was quiet for a moment, waiting for Addie to go on.  When she didn’t, Claire prodded.

“In case he what?” she asked slowly.  She was scared to ask her next question, though she desperately needed to know the answer.  She was afraid, because she thought she already knew the answer that Addie would give, and it was something she couldn’t bear.

“Addie...” she said slowly.  The woman didn’t answer, and Claire pressed on. “Addie, where is he?”

Addie didn’t answer for a moment.  She did not look up at Claire but stared at the floor.  When she spoke, her voice was cold and lifeless.

“He’s dead.  She killed him half an hour ago.”

Claire gasped and swayed on the spot as tears began to pour down her face.  Addie gently helped her to a chair and offered her a handkerchief.  Claire uttered soft protests, refusing to accept what Addie had just told her.

            “No…no…it’s not possible…I don’t believe it…tell me it’s not true…” she spluttered through her sobs.

“I’m sorry,” Addie said soothingly.  “I know he meant a lot to you and that this is hard to accept.  He certainly loved you as well.  He kept you secret from her at all costs.  He kept you even from me for a long time.  He was planning to take you away himself, but she got to him first.  He told me about you and made me promise to take care of you should anything happen to him.  There, there, calm down, love.  Everything will be ok.  I’m here to make sure of that.”

Addie patted Claire’s arm absently for a moment, then walked slowly into the other room.

Claire sobbed quietly and absently rubbed her slightly bulging stomach with a shaking hand.  She couldn’t believe that he was gone…dead…she’d never see him again…all their talking and planning gone to waste.  She couldn’t stand it.  Where would she go?  What would happen to her now?  He had promised to always be there for her, that they would always be together.  Now he was gone forever…gone where they could never be together again, and her life was in danger.  And their child…their daughter would never have a father.  How could she possibly do this without him…alone?

Addie scurried back into the room and interrupted her brooding misery.  The little woman held a suitcase in one hand that Claire recognized as her own.  Addie seemed to have packed it rather hastily; bits of clothing stuck out of the sides here and there.

Addie glanced at her pocket watch.

“We must leave at once,’ she said to Claire, but Claire shook her head slowly and didn’t move.  Tears poured down her face as she put her head in her hands in despair.

“What’s the point?” she sobbed.  “I don’t even have anywhere to go or anyone who cares whether I live or die.  I…I don’t even want to live anymore…”

“Stop it!  Stop it right now, Claire!” Addie shouted fiercely.  Claire jumped as if Addie had hit her.  Even though she couldn’t see her face, Claire could tell that Addie was very angry; when she spoke again, her voice was low and furious.

“What’s the point?” she asked.  “I’ll tell you the point.  She is evil, she’s angry, and she wants you dead.  When she discovers that a Fawe child grows within your womb, she will hunt you down like she did your beloved Cyan.  I know you think that nothing matters because he’s gone, but like it or not, you have someone besides yourself to think of now.”

Addie took a deep breath and continued.

“The child that lives and grows inside of you is more important than you could possibly know.  In a few months, you will give birth to a Fawe daughter.  She will be the last Fawe daughter in existence besides the Queen herself.  Whatever happens, you must protect your daughter.  She is the last one who could possibly challenge the Queen, and she represents one last hope for those oppressed by that evil woman.  Without your daughter, Chrommasia is doomed to be under the Queen’s control forever.  You must keep her safe.  Do you understand?”

Claire hiccupped softly and slowly nodded.

“Good.  Now…we must leave.”

Addie turned to go, but Claire still didn’t move.  She looked back to see Claire crying again.

“I’m scared,” Claire whispered.  Addie rested her hand on Claire’s arm.  When she spoke, her voice was no longer harsh but gentle.

“I know, dear.  It’s a tough time for you, dealing with all this at once.  But there are people who care about you and want to help you.  We will do everything in our power to keep you safe.”

She patted Claire’s arm sympathetically, then guided her by the elbow to the back door of the house.  She pulled out a royal blue cloak and draped it over Claire’s bare shoulders.  Claire was still dressed in a thin nightgown.

“This is going to be a dangerous and difficult journey for you.  We need to get you to safety without you being discovered.  You should head for the mountains; you’ll be safe there.”

As she reached for the doorknob, Addie turned back to Claire once more and spoke so softly that Claire had to lean in to hear her.

 “One last thing you must remember: Trust the Sisters.  They will protect you.  Follow me.”

Addie opened the door slowly.  She stepped out, looked around, and beckoned for Claire to follow.  She led Claire swiftly and silently through the doorway and out into the black night.