Prologue
Thunder boomed and lightning flashed across the sky. The rain was crashing down in a relentless pour. The clashing of swords and shields could be heard all throughout the palace. Blood flowed through the floors like a river. Death could be seen everywhere.
Teresa looked at the one year old she held in her hand. The child was oblivious to the outside world and she slept peacefully. They were both wet due to the rains. Blood was dripping from the s***h on Teresa's arm but that was the least of her worries.
Teresa kept scanning through the corridors of the palace in search of the child's parents. She feared for the child's fate and prayed to whoever listened to protect the girl who lay in her arms.
She ran towards the safe room where she saw her daughter Maria holding her one year old son. Her other five children were surrounding her and crying. Their father Darius was nowhere to be found.
Maria looked up and saw her mother Teresa holding her daughter. She sighed in relief but the relief was short lived when she remembered what she had to do.
" Mother, the palace is no longer safe for Zoe. Darius wants you to take her away from here and take care of her.", Maria told her mother. It broke her heart to have to separate the one year old twins.
"Darius will fake her death. Once everything has settled down and we have contained this war we will come back for her.", she continued with tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked down at her youngest daughter with sorrow and worry.
Teresa looked back at her daughter with determination as she understood that it had to be done if they wanted to keep their family safe. She held back her tears. She had to be strong for her family.
Maria knew that her mother was the only one trained enough to protect her daughter. She kissed Zoe's head and told her children to say their goodbye to their sibling.
She nodded once in farewell and then turned to leave. She did not turn back once. She could not look at the distraught that she knew would be on the faces of her grandchildren as they saw their sister leave.
Teresa walked silently through the secret passages with Zoe in her hands. Zoe hadn't opened her eyes even after all the commotion. She was thankful to the gods for that one small favor.
She soon reached the exit and saw the boat with which she would leave the land.
She looked back at the palace that once held so much colour and happiness but now she could only see smoke and blood. She sent a silent prayer to the gods to protect her family and to reunite them all soon in the future. With that she boarded the boat and left into the night leaving behind the screams of the dying that could be heard far away from the palace.
