Chapter One: The Queen Guard

Magic is bad. Everyone knows that. It’s the first thing you’re taught if you live in the Village. The tiny village was beneath the fabled Tower. The tower was filled with Witches, Wizards, and Healers.
“…But it’s been a long time since the last Guardian lived in the tower. Heard there’s a lass in the Town that might be one. Those Town folk, they’re a load of, well you know what I mean.”
Ane Irwin nodded before heading away from the baker. “ Eggs, sausage,” she repeated. She wasn’t sure she could get the sausage. Meat was expensive, having been exported from the Town. Maybe she could get old meat for a gold. If they had any. The meat stall was always crowded with people trying to do just that.
“The Queen is out of her mind!” Complained Old Doug. Old Doug had been imprisoned six times for “slander of the Queen” and seemed eager to make it seven. Ane pushed through the wall outside the Meat Stall. There was one old sausage left. Ane grabbed for it, but another hand grabbed her first.
Slowly Ane looked up into the scowling face of a Queen Guard. The Queen Guard were known for snatching Village kids to be Slaves. Ane twisted, and wormed out of the Queen Guard’s grasp. She turned and fled, not stopping until she reached her hut.
Raila Irwin was the best Healer in the Village. It was known that she worked in the Tower until the new Queen took over. The Queen had said that women were forbidden in the Tower. It was called the cleansing act, but everyone in the Village called it the Great Evict.
Raila looked up and saw her daughter running to her. “Ane!” She called. “ You need to stay here. Rumor is the Queen Guards are looking for another child.
“I know.” Ane said slowly. “They caught me. I barely got away.” Raila hugged her close. “I wonder who they’ll take.”
“Someone that won’t die as quickly as the other ones.” Someone that will last more than a few days like the last one.” Raila said.
Ane shuddered. The last one had been her best friend, Jenny Stiwn. Now she was dead.
They were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. Both their faces turned white as Raila walked over to the door. She opened it to a Queen Guard.
“The Queen has passed a new law,” he proclaimed in a gruff monotone. “All children between the ages of 12 and 18 must travel to the castle. You are not allowed to know why.”
Raila began to move to protect Ane, but she stepped forward first.
“I don’t want to cause any trouble, Mom,” she said shakily. “You’ll be safer this way. She stepped out the door, looking at her mom for the last time for a long time.

Chapter 2: The Castle

The Castle loomed above Ane as the Guards escorted her through the town. Around her, girls of her age were struggling against their Guards. Ane didn’t struggle. The Guards were strong, and Ane was no match for them.
The castle got bigger and bigger, and before Ane knew it, she was being shoved through the gates, into the Castle.
They were taken up several flights of stairs, then Ane saw the iron door of the throne room. They were being taken to the Queen. They were going to die.
The door opened, and there, in front of them, was the Queen. The same queen that murdered people for insulting her. The same queen that imprisoned people of other kingdoms for walking in her kingdom. It was the same queen that Ane was being taken to.
The Queen looked up, and Ane almost laughed. The Queen was wearing so much makeup, that if it wasn’t for the “I will kill you” glare, she would have been ridiculous.
“One of the girls here is a Guardian,” said the Queen. “That girl will have the magic drained out of her, for distribution to the men in the Tower.”
All of the girls looked even more fearful than when they had started the journey.
“Then the former Guardian will be returned to the Village-if she survives. Ane Inez. Daughter of Raila Inez, come to me. You are a Guardian, and the magic must be drained out of you. “
One word echoed in Ane’s mind. “No.” She couldn’t say it, but she turned and ran down the halls away from the Queen.
She was a Guardian. She was a woman. The Queen would be after her. Nowhere was safe.
Ane ran without really looking where she was going. She subconsciously ran down the palace gardens, but she didn’t know what her goal was. She knew that she shouldn’t go back to the Village, all the Queen Guard there would find her, but to her, the Village was her home.
It wasn’t a long walk to the Village, but Ane kept looking over her shoulder, sure that this time a Queen Guard would be behind her.
It seemed like hours later when she got to her house. Quietly, she creeped inside.
Her mother waited for her, tears in her eyes. “Ane!” She exclaimed.
Ane fell into her mother’s arms, certain that she was safe here. She was wrong.
That night, when Ane was about to go to sleep, a call came from outside.
“Ane Inez, give yourself up. We have the house surrounded,” called the gruff voice of a Queen Guard
Ane heard the Queen’s voice in her mind, “The magic must be drained out of you.”
Ane didn’t know why, but she knew that she couldn’t let the magic be drained out of her. Her mother would be so disappointed, and there wouldn’t be another Guardian for a century. Forget dreams of a happy life, she might not survive the draining. She had to get out of the house, but how? The Queen Guard had the house surrounded. If she left they would take her.
Ane looked at the brick chimney in the corner of the house for a moment, then she ran over to it. Ducking inside, she wedged her feet between bricks. She gripped on with her feet, and slowly, made her way up.
Finally, she was at the top. She flung out her sooty arms, and jumped to the next rooftop. Her jump was perfect, but the tile slipped under her feet. She stumbled, just catching the edge of the roof with her fingertips.
Grunting, she pulled herself up. She would have to jump into the stream, but if she missed, she would break something, and the Queen Guard would catch her. She heard thumping, and looking over her shoulder, she saw that the Queen Guard had propped up a ladder, and were climbing onto the roof.
Ane closed her eyes, and jumped off the roof.
The next thing she felt was a cold iciness, spreading through her legs. She had made the jump into the stream.
Ane got up and ran into the woods. If she could get out of the kingdom, she was safe. The Queen would have no power over her. She just had to get there, and the woods were somewhere even the bravest wouldn’t go, but Ane was a Guardian. If she could master her powers, she might survive. Hopefully.

Chapter Three: The Forest
The trees seemed to close around Ane as she ran through. Shadows were in every corner, and Ane felt as if they were watching her.
Nothing came for her, but she could see the shadows shift as she ran by.
When she felt that she was far enough from the Kingdom, she slowed down, but she didn’t stop moving. When it began to get dark, Ane found a cave. She blocked the entrance with branches, and huddled inside.
It was pitch dark, but Ane didn’t care. In the Forest, any shelter could save your life.
She didn’t mean to sleep, but after sitting there for a few hours, she found her eyes closing. What stopped her from drifting off was a growling sound coming from the back of the cave.
Ane whipped her head around, and saw a dark-wolf watching her. It’s eyes had no light, and it seemed to radiate darkness.
The only way to kill a dark-wolf was light, but she was in a cave. There was no light, but maybe she could summon some. She was a Guardian after all.
She opened her hand, and concentrated on light, but the cave stayed as dark as before. The dark-wolf came closer, the growling getting louder.
If she didn’t summon it now, she didn’t have a chance.
“Light,” she thought desperately. “Light!”
A glowing orb burst into existence, illuminating the entire cave. Shrieking, the dark-wolf began to shrivel up.
Quickly, all that was left was a black curl that slowly shrank into non-existence.
Leaving the light, Ane curled up on the floor of the cave. Soon her eyes closed and she drifted into sleep.
Morning came before Ane was ready, but when she awoke she called back the light, and emerged from the cave.
The first thing she saw was the closely packed trees. The next thing she saw was a path, snaking through the trees. Ane was sure that the path wasn’t there before.
“Did I miss it last night?” Ane thought.
She decided to take to the path, because any path is better than stumbling through the Forest.
The path was made of packed dirt, and it seemed like the darkness of the Forest was staying away.