Chapter 1: The Ominous Horizon
All around Fallowfen the entire bastion was whirling in motion. The streets were jam packed with people, horse-drawn carts impatiently waiting in lines.
These carts were piled with goods, to the point of nearly falling over at the slightest jostle. At every slight indent in the cobbled path or shift in the wind the veritable roving danger-hazards would wobble to and fro, going just to the brink of collapsing before righting itself back up again.
Initially, at first glance one would view this to be a giant caravan set on leaving the kingdom to trade exotic goods so as to strike it rich. However, the immense amount of people walking beside these carts struck that picture down before it had a chance to rise.
The long disorganized crowds of people wearily walked with limps in their steps; gaunt, dirty faces casting a grim visage.
Children shyly clutched onto their parent's legs, peering out from time to time before ducking back into the safety of what was familiar to them.
Some of the younger boys stood beside their parents, only a quiver visible along their lips. Putting on a brave face for their younger siblings they placated the toddlers.
The girls discussed the details for the evacuation, where they were going, what they were going to eat, what they were going to do.
At times a group of panicked civilians would burst out in an uproar to try to push through the massive throes of people to try and rush out of the gates before being forcibly silenced by the guard.
They weren't killed, for despite all the humanity they have had to sacrifice from themselves, they still possessed shreds of morality, innately knowing that killing them wasn't right.
But the panicking masses were silenced. Forcibly so.
The houses that lined the streets were barren, the fires blown out and nary a soul could be captured within the walls.
The guards from overhead on the city walls looked down upon the evacuation, grim expressions cast on their face before glancing across the horizon.
They glanced back down again before once again resuming their watch, their knuckles going bone-white from the grip they had on their weapons.
The lines slowly moved forward past the gates. Not fast enough.
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The sunrise slowly changed to noon and the streets were still packed, people were still rushing out the city and the city was being emptied.
The lucky ignorant babes wailed and screamed in their swaddled up carriages as the already anxious mothers rushed to stroke their heads and backs, trying in desperate efforts to comfort the children.
But the air was filled with a certain apprehension, a deep feeling of wrong.
Suddenly a soldier from atop a watchtower cried out, tremors distorting the words he was trying to convey so that it came out as some sort of garbled mess.
His commander, noticing his distress, rushed to him and patted his shoulder, asking him what was wrong.
His limbs shaking the soldier shakily pointed his arm to the horizon that they had been watching all the while.
The commander's line of sight followed his soldiers, when he finally saw what his subordinate had seen he cursed out several expletives.
"Goddamn it, this fucking bullshit. Why's it gotta be now?"
"Camden! Get the guards below to rush the process! We don't have much time left!"
"Curses! Get the archers up here already! They're going to be upon us soon!"
Glancing back, a lone figure separated itself from the throbbing horde just on the edge of their vision.
This figure swiftly climbed up, defiantly pushing against the forces that desired to drag it earthwards, proudly displaying its dominance for all to see.