Prologue

The cold dark silence ripped through my body like I knife as the wind tore tore through my layers and cut straight to my bones. I did my best not to shiver; this was no time to look weak.
My men stood behind me, and I know as well as any, that any small fears I had were nothing in comparison theirs.
The intestine thing about loosing everything, is that it makes you brace... Or at least it makes you fight like you have nothing to loose.

Although, this time I did have something to loose. 4,000 men stood behind me. 4,000 men with wives, children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters.. 4,000 men with homes to return to, mouths to feed, and loved ones to protect. Suddenly my simple existence became an immense responsibility. I was their only hope, and in return; they were mine.

I could not vow to bring them all home safe, but I was willing to die trying.

I could see the masses gathering below us in the valley. They moved like thick molasses, shadows in the darkness, nothing more. A huge mob of shadows. I knew what we were up against; Heron's banners were at least 10,000 strong. Over twice as many men as we were.

Yet, we had the advantage. First of all, they had no idea we were coming. Second, we had come from the funnels, and taken the ridge. If we could keep them beneath us, than we could take the upper hand. I wanted the valley to run red with Huronian blood. I wanted them to know what it's like to watch your world be shattered... Just like they shattered ours.

Start the Day

The dim grey light leaked through the window pain as she churned under the soft covers.

"Make it stop!" she mooned lazily as the sharp, "bleeet, bleeet, bleeet, of the alarm echoed through the room.

She flipped over, turing herself away from the window light as she scrambled to find the wretched noise maker. "That's that happens when you fall asleep with your alarm in your bed stupid!" she thought angrily.

Finally, she grasped the little thing and jammed her finger on the "stop" button. "Awe, peace at last."

But something else wasn't right. She felt the covers soft against her skin and some hard, small object dug into her side. Eden looked up, "what the..." Sometime in her sleep, she must have become a stripper? Maybe in a dream?

Her shirt, watch, socks, and bracelets were strewn in all directions. "Huh," she thought feeling around for more loose materials. "What in the hell was I dreaming about!?" she racked her brain, but nothing came. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd done something strange in her sleep.

"Ugh," she groaned kicking her feet out against the heavy comforter. "What the hell!?" she screamed out loud.

Wet. Her foot was wet. Eden clambered out of bed, still dazed and confused. The rain fell heavy on her window pain. Even in the dim grey light she could see the thick droplets platter down.. And there, above her head.. They fell from her ceiling too.

"Ahhhhh!" the groan came from her throat like she were some kind of sick animal. It wasn't that the ceiling hadn't been leaking, or that it hadn't been raining for the last three straight days, but now, as her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized the true impact of the outside storm.

Where the leak had been, had grown remarkably. Ceiling plaster littered her floor and water dropped all across the crack, right above the foot of her bed. Groggy, angry, and now very wet, Eden made her way to the kitchen to gather more drip catching devices.

"What a great way to start the day!" she thought. And went straight to the cupboard where she hid her emergency chocolate supply.

Massacre

Cold cut silence
and a face full of dread,
It wasn't something that you did,
But it was something that you said.

Mismatched heart ache
And a sharp pains through your head,
If you tell me what your after,
I might take the pain instead.

Deep stunted silence,
And your feeling mislead.
Keep your hands where I can see them.
Keep your hands behind your head.

Sharp clear pain
All your limbs feel like lead.
Take your time to call the banners,
Take your time to leave them dead.

Fast break movements
Feathers rise from the bed.
Could please protect your heartache
Could you leave before it ends.

Hard loud echoes,
All your words filled with dread.
It wasn't something that you did,
But It was something that you said.

It wasn't something that you wanted,
But it still happened in the end.

Letting go

And the wind, my love...
Can you feel it? Does it rattle in your bones?
Are you scared, my love?
To be beneath it...
Are you scared to let it go?

Do the mountains in the distance..
Do they climb into your soul?
Can you feel them all around you?
Are their crests what makes you whole?

And the sky, my love...
Is it calling? So high above your mind
Does it whisper to you sweet nothing's?
Does it leave the world behind?
Do you think that your could fly there?
Reach beyond your minds confines..
Is it always what you wanted?
Will you leave us all behind?

Stay close, my love...
Don't tremble.
It will all be over soon.
It's true, my love...
I remember what it's like to feel the way you do.
Hold on, my love...
Its just a passing, a slip in time and space.
Look here, my love...
We are lasting.. Even beyond this place.