Prologue

The night was dark. No stars were seen. The silence would have been deafening if it wasn’t filled with the clatter of swords and the screams of my people. The roar of fires and the thickening scent filled the night.

I scanned my city. My home. Several farms were on fire and I could see the humans running through each home, killing whoever they could, stealing whatever they could. My heart was broken. We were supposed to be safe here. We were supposed to be protected. The warning for their arrival had come too late. They’d come too soon.

We need you, Rashta!

I rolled my eyes. Please just call me Asher. You know I hate it when you call me that, Trayden!

I need you!

I quickly shifted and ran silently through the woods until I caught scent of my best friend. He was in his human form, crouched beside a tree. I crouched behind a clump of berry bushes.

Why do you need me? I inquired.

He shifted into his bear form and looked around the tree. See that?

I followed his gaze and saw the campfire of a group of human soldiers. The smoke from their fire only added to the suffocating heat of our valley. The humans were around the fire, roasting a wild hog, more than likely the last one around. The war had chased most of the wildlife away.

I slowly took in the scene and the caught sight of the men chained together behind them. Our people. My people.

I looked at Trayden. How long have they been here?

He shrugged. We need to get them free. There aren’t too many of them. We should be able to handle this easily.

I nodded and moved slowly to a berry bush.

My men chained behind the soldiers were the only members of my people I had seen the humans take. They were more inclined to kill than take prisoners. Hundreds, maybe thousands of my people had been killed. For what purpose, we knew not. Then again, do humans really need a purpose to attack another?

Asher, be careful. Trayden warned.

I glanced at my friend. Are you ready?

His huge head nodded. I’ll distract them. Get the others.

I nodded and sprung, flying around the soldiers without them even being aware that I was there. Trayden barreled through their camp and then took off into the darkness, forcing four of the men to chase him, leaving only two behind guarding my men.

I smiled and crept to their location.

“Asher!” Bashton screamed.

I shifted my attention to my right, searching for my little brother, the youngest of the family. I bounded into the darkness to search for him and barreled over a cheetah. Bashton shifted back into his human form, his eyes wide with fear.

I shifted back and moved him behind a bush. “What’s wrong?” I whispered.

He bit his lip, “They’re chasing me.”

“Who?”

“Us!” a man shouted.

I heard a twang and I had just enough time to shove Bashton out of the way of the arrow, but I hadn’t had time to move. The barbed arrow slammed into my left shoulder from behind, flying through the front of my shoulder.

I screamed and dropped to my knees.

Bashton’s eyes widened.

“Run!” I yelled at him.

In a flash, he was back into his cheetah form and gone, throwing one last frightened glance over his shoulder. I got to my feet and attempted to run, but the arrow yanked me backwards. I glared over my shoulder and saw that the end of the arrow was somehow connected to a chain which was connected to a tree. From that tree jumped a huge human soldier, another arrow taught against his bow.

The sound of pounding feet nearing made me realize I wasn’t going to get out of this free, but I wasn’t about to go down without a fight.

Instead of running away from the soldier, as he had expected, I ran at him, shifting into my tiger form at the last second and landing on him. I tore his throat open and sprung into the tree, hoping the soldiers hadn’t seen me.

I wasn’t so fortunate.

The soldier I had attacked was dead, but the soldiers that entered the clearing saw the chain dangling loosely from the tree. One of them grabbed the end of the chain and yanked on it, sending me flying out of the tree in my human form.

He put the tip of his sword against my chin as I struggled to my knees. “You are going to be special.”

My eyebrows met, but my teeth were bared, though I knew it wouldn’t scare him. My shoulder throbbed and the pain was so intense, I was panting.

“Do you people even speak?” the man sneered.

I glared at him, “We are not incompetent like you people are.”

His eyes narrowed and he swung his blade, slicing it across my cheek.

I growled and looked back at him.

“Weshter will want you,” he eyed me.

“What do you mean?”

“Men, tie him up tight. I fear this boy will be more trouble than he’s worth.”

The man chuckled as he watched his soldier friends yank the arrow out of my shoulder and tie my wrists behind me. The man grabbed my jaw and yanked me to my feet.

“Weshter is our wizard,” he explained.

“Why should I care, fool?” I growled again.

He smiled, “You will find out soon enough. Let’s join your friends.”

He dragged me back to their small camp and threw me against a tree. I grunted and got back to my knees just in time to be intercepted by two soldiers that forced my back against that tree and tightened a rope around my shoulders, leaving me sitting.

I growled again and struggled against the ropes, but I received a hard kick to the chest, knocking my breath out of my lungs.

A guard crouched in front of me, a smirk on his lips, “You’ll never see your people again, boy. How unfortunate for you. You’re the youngest to be taken. Alive. You should see those children.” He shook his head, “Tsk. They were so precious.”

My lip twitched in anger, but that only made him laugh.

“Iago,” he called.

The man that had cut my cheek turned around, “Yes Mortimer?”

Mortimer grinned, “May I have a bit of fun?”

“Just don’t kill him and make sure he can walk. I’m not riding with him.”

Mortimer laughed and got to his feet. He smirked down at me and kicked my side.
I grimaced, but wouldn’t let him hear the pleasure of my pain.

He frowned, “Well. You sure are strong, aren’t you, brat?”

I could feel my men watching me. My breathing became staggered, but I kept my glare up at the stupid human soldier watching me like I was…I couldn’t tell. He smirked and slammed his fist against my face. My eyesight went black with white spots, but I couldn’t see him.

“Stop,” someone growled.

“Why should I, huh?”

“He’s just a kid!” another shouted.

“That’s what makes it so fun.” Another fist slammed into my head. Then another. And another.

The blows struck my face and abdomen and then I couldn’t see.

When I awoke, I was being untied from the tree, though my wrists were still bound. The soldier pulled me to the horse Iago sat atop of, tying one end of a rope to my wrists, the other end around the saddle horn.

Iago grinned down at me, “How do you feel today, boy?”

My jaw tightened and I looked away.

He chuckled. “Is everyone ready?”

“Yes!” came the reply.

They started marching, dragging us alongside their horses. I was forced to keep up with them, no matter how much pain I was in from the night before. To add to it, it started raining. The weight of the water soaked through my clothes, only adding to the pain coursing through my body. The rain came harder and heavier. It was almost as if nature was sobbing over our capture and defeat.

Now my family was without a parent or guardian and my people were without a leader.

My people were defeated.