My Awe

Chapter One – Flight into ShadowsThe night was heavy with silence, broken only by the whispers of leaves swaying under the moon’s silver light. Deep within the woods, Hiron ran ahead with his long strides, guiding his wife and children through a narrow trail barely visible in the darkness. His calmness steadied them, though his heart carried the weight of fear.“Keep moving,” he said gently, though urgency burned in his voice. He looked back at his eldest son, Mian, whose quick thinking had saved them from disaster. It was Mian who urged them to flee—his warning had come just before the soldiers of King Dihon arrived in their village.Tia, though usually the stricter parent, now held little Kixa close to her chest, her face pale with worry. “Zeiya, stay close to me,” she whispered.But Zeiya was already walking beside her father. Even in the shadows, she radiated a beauty that was hard to ignore. Her dark hair caught the moonlight, and her eyes seemed to glow with something deeper than innocence—something almost otherworldly. Mian had noticed it long before tonight, but he never dared to speak it aloud. Everyone who saw Zeiya was struck by her beauty, and yet her father always said gently, “It is not her face that will change the world, but her spirit.”Still, Hiron knew beauty this remarkable was a blessing and a curse. And tonight, it was part of why they were running.“Brother Hiron!” a voice called softly up ahead. From the shadows emerged a tall man, his lantern glowing dimly. It was Hiron’s brother, a figure of strength and safety. His home was hidden in these woods, far from the king’s reach.“You made it,” he said, pulling them quickly into the cover of the trees. “I feared you would not escape.”Hiron placed a steady hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Mian’s warning saved us. The king’s men were close, but we slipped away.”The brother’s gaze fell on Zeiya, who stood silently at her father’s side. Even he, though he had known her since birth, was momentarily stunned. She was only a girl, yet she carried a presence that unsettled and captivated at once.Tia noticed and pulled Zeiya closer. “We must hide her,” she whispered. “For if the king learns who she truly is…” Her voice broke, but Hiron finished for her:“…then all hope is lost.”The family followed Hiron’s brother deeper into the woods, where shadows thickened and the air grew colder. Somewhere behind them, faint echoes of soldiers carried on the wind.The king’s hunt had begun.