I breathe in and out quickly trying to slow my shallow breath. My heart is pounding in my chest and I close my eyes to block out the night sky. What am I doing? I harshly question myself as I lean against the backside of the house. Am I crazy or something? I shake my head but I know it’s true. I am crazy.
Over the last couple of months, I’ve gone completely insane. All because of one man. I sigh under my breath as I picture his face so trusting last night when we talked by the fire.
“You’ll come?” his question is hesitant like he doesn’t believe I've really made up my mind to come away with him this time. I nod as I push his hair to one side like I like it. My fingers drag down his face and he grabs them kissing my palm.
“Promise me that you’ll come…” he whispers into my tender skin, “Promise.”
I bite my lip afraid to make such a daring promise. To promise him would be to give up my entire family and friends. To promise him would be to leave the city of Legalism. How could I do it? But I nod and whisper quietly, “I promise.” He leans in and kisses me tenderly.
I blink a couple of times to clear the images away as I rest against the house. Even though my heart is still beating rapidly, my breathing has slowed. I start to move again.
I slink through the night, like an outlaw, as I pass from house to house in the shadows. I know it’s only a matter of minutes before they come looking for me. I don’t know why, but the idea of facing my village in the dark with their torches and pitchforks makes me nervous. Every shadow that moves makes me jump.
I’m afraid.
My father, as good as told me that if I left with him – neither of us would live very long. I gulp as the words pass through my brain again.
“I will personally see that both of you never see each other again,” the maniacal look in his eye makes me shiver even now.
Fear crawls up my back and I look over my shoulder for the hundredth time. My house is in the far distance but I can still faintly make out my window that is open. I think I see a shadow of a person in my room.
My eyes widen and I take off sprinting. My heart races as I lose all breath in my lungs. I’m panting hard. I hear a faint shout behind me and I push faster. I know someone has discovered that I’m gone and I only have a few minutes before the whole city is on my trail.
I push through the bushes and trees trying to make as little of a path as possible. The shouting starts to increase and I feel my legs start to give way at the sound.
Bong!
The large gong in the middle of the square starts to ring out. I struggle to continue to move forward. I feel my legs start to give way.
“I don’t think I can make it…” I whisper to myself through shallow breaths.
Then a little voice inside of my mind reminds me, You must! I feel tears start to leave my eyes and drip down my face. There are voices shouting and screaming my name. It sounds like hundreds of them. I don’t dare look behind me. I know what I will see. I will see hordes with torches coming after me, anger lit by the fire. My father will be at the head of the pack leading everyone to find me and tear me apart.
I’m falling!
My foot is tangled in a root and I hit the ground hard, biting the dirt. I allow myself a muffled cry as I try to push myself up again. I struggle to move behind a bush and look at my foot. My ankle throbs and my toes are covered in blood.
I rip a piece of my dress and wrap it gingerly around my toes. I apply pressure but I shake my head. They will find me… I think woefully, they will find me and kill me. I close my eyes waiting for them to come upon me.
“Jewel!” I hear a harsh whisper somewhere in the nearby bushes.
I’m scared stupid and can’t speak.
“Jewel!”
I hear the soft footfalls come toward my hiding place. I quietly pull my legs up to my chest and tell my breathing to be quiet. I don’t know who is coming to find me. It sounds like they don’t want to be heard but why… My eyes widen as I realize who it is. I almost shriek with relief as the feet pass by me.
“No, wait!” I whisper urgently, “Comfort!”
The footsteps stop and I hear him shuffle back to me. When he drops to his knees in front of me I see Comfort’s face.The tears start again as he smiles at me, “I'm so glad I found you!”
I nod and continue to cry as I wrap my arms around his neck.
He sees my feet and frowns, “I’ll carry you until you are able to walk – but we have to keep moving.”
I nod silently as he picks me up. My feet hurt, but I bite my tongue hard to keep from screaming out. Swiftly he moves down the path and I stare at him. His bright blond hair is like a beacon to all the fires behind us. I look over his shoulder and see them dimly burn.
A cold chill goes through my entire body. I squeeze his neck tighter. I trust Comfort with my whole life. Comfort is my best friend.
He is the only one who encouraged me to go with my love. He is the only one who confirmed everything my love was saying. I knew I could trust Comfort – especially when everyone else started to treat me differently because I was in love with someone from the outside.
Our city is strategically built to keep people out and more importantly, us in. My father tells me that the outside world is a terrible place full of hate and malice. He told me that the King of the world was evil and that the only way to be safe from him was to keep inside the city.
I believed my father… Until I met the King’s son.
Chapter 1
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