Proem

Mother’s screech ripped into the walls of the house, tearing the delicate wallpaper to shreds as she bounded across the hall. She gripped her skirt with white knuckles as she ran. “WINI! WINI!” She screamed with her hoarse throat and flushed cheeks, abandoning all noble grace for the first time in her life.

Her cheeks stretched impossibly wide and her dry lips tore, yet she still shrieked and continued to shriek until Father hurtled down the stairs. Upon seeing her husband, she collapsed to the floor and the tears she had been holding escaped from her, tainting the wooden ground.

Father gently cupped her sullen cheeks with both hands, panic apparent in his weary eyes. “My love? What ails you?” Mother grasped at those hands, eyes wide and pupils shrunken. “Joseph! Joseph, where is she? Where is Wini?”

Father gripped her tighter, a feeling of dread settling down in the cup of his intestines. “Whatever do you mean? She resides in her room, safe and sound.”

The news did not appease her. She wailed loudly, clutching Father’s pants and bowing her head to the ground. The floor beneath her dress grew darker as her tears soaked into the wood. Father wrapped his arm around her waist, hoisting her upright. He held onto her firmly, gazing at her with disbelief.

Mother nodded. She spoke in between unsightly sobs. “The Queen… she found out. Oh! Winifred! Wini! She must hide… she must run!”

Her words made Father’s arms tremble. Pinching his face, he bellowed, “Zekiah! Zekiah, show yourself at once!”

He spoke with his usual authority, but Zekiah could hear the quiver in his voice. The ebony-haired child scurried down the stairs, taking in the scene before him with furrowed brows. “Mother? Mother why-”

Father interrupted him. “Zekiah, grab your sister and do as we planned. Do you remember where-”

A harsh, guttural groan escaped his mouth as his body began to jerk violently.

Mother stumbled back as his grip on her faltered, staring at him with abject horror. A sharp buzzing sound filled the room along with a faint smell of smoke, but both were overwhelmed by the man’s screams.

Father’s hair stood up straight like iron rods, but his body slowly teetered towards the floor.

“JOSEPH!” Mother cried out, catching her husband just before his head shattered onto the ground. Mother grasped at his cheeks desperately, her bright blue eyes causing her tears to frantically dart around her. It was no use, however, as Father lay cold on the wooden floor.

His mouth hung open in unfinished speech, and his pristine clothes were slowly being chewed up by sparks of fire.

Shocked, Zekiah looked up to see a burly man standing at the doorway with his arm outstretched. His eyes glowed red, and sparks of electricity danced on his skin. A dragon-like tattoo curled around his bicep and up his neck, the animal’s mouth open wide on his throat, where a deep scar stood menacingly.

The man sneered mockingly, glaring down at Mother with a threatening gaze. “Lady Akol. I’m sure you know why I’m here. Give us the girl, and no harm will come to your son.”

Mother stood quickly, cautiously stepping forward to shield Zekiah from the strange man. Her entire body shook as she spoke, her eyes trained on the man in front of her. “Zekiah… my love. Go do as your father said.”

But Zekiah could not move. His pupils shrunk as they focused on his father’s body, the sight of it making his feet grow roots and latch onto the wood. He dared not to pry his eyes away— his lip quivered at the thought of it.

However, Mother had no patience for him. She shoved him backward harshly, hoarsely repeating her previous command.

Zekiah’s legs buckled as he took his first step back, but they didn’t on his second step, or his third, so he turned tail and ran up the stairs as fast as his legs could take him.

The space behind him filled with blood-curdling screams, but he did not look back. He ran into Wini’s room and grabbed her arm, dragging her through door after door after door.

She came pliantly, eyes blown wide at the ugly sobs that deformed her brother’s face. The screams of their mother once again filled the hall and Wini squeezed her eyes shut, letting Zekiah lead her wherever he wished to go.

They were almost out the door. They could make it! Zekiah urgently twisted the handle of the steel door and pushed it open, stepping outside with a sigh of relief.

But then there was a tug on Wini’s arm and the two children were yanked back into the shelter of their beloved house. Zekiah’s heart pounded as he looked behind him to see the head of an ink dragon aimed at his sister’s throat.

Wini kicked at the man behind them, yelping as his grip on her arm tightened. The man tugged once more and Zekiah’s sister went flying out of his reach.

“NO!” Zekiah cried out. “NO! WINI!” He stepped forward to grab her arm, her clothes, her hair, anything, anything, anything. Just please don’t let him lose her too.

He almost had her.

A chestnut-colored hand cupped over Zekiah’s mouth and pulled him away from Wini and into the darkness outside. “Shhh…” A deep voice whispered into Zekiah’s ear. “Stay here. If I don’t come back, run.”

The man’s warm hands left Zekiah as he stepped into that forsaken house. His snowy eyes grinned sadly at him before disappearing into the light. Zekiah covered his mouth, muffling his terror as he heard the sounds of buzzing and shifting fade into the pounding of fists on skin. Eventually, all the sounds went silent.

Zekiah’s eyes had adjusted to the dark now, but he still saw no movement inside or outside the house. He huddled in the bushes, pressing his knees to his chest. Zekiah then buried his head into his arms and allowed his sobs to rock his body back and forth.

He had lost them all.