Isolda

The capitol buzzed with excitement as news of the siege of the traitor city Autumnveil traveled back. Many cheered and celebrated the blow the crown had dealt to the magestrate. Many common-folk feared mages and believed that if mages ruled the realm that common-folk would be enslaved. At least thats the propaganda spread by the royal family.

Booths lined the streets selling news papers and flags bearing the royal crest. The capitol city, La'velle, was tucked away south west coast sharing a boarder with the savage lands. Years of fighting the orcs of the savage lands had caused the city to have multiple walled sections. From above youde see the castle facing the coast with a giant wall over ten meters tall surrounding it with a giant obsidian gate. Outside that was a higher city, homes to the wealthy and politically powerful, it also had a large wall and impressive gate. Then you had the market district, its wall and gate werent so grand or as pristine as the other two sections, even the streets, which were marble tiled streets for the first two sections, was gravel and black compact dirt. The fourth section was the middle class and poor, they had a more militarized wall, smaller than the last three at only five meters, but large spikes and razor wire covered the tops. The last section the was was made of spiked giant black wood posts, venom secreted from the wood naturally, this section was farmland for live stock and crops. Behind the wall you could see the tops of the trees belonging to the savage lands. Behind La 'velle was the cold ocean. A large shipping yard had been built many centuries prior by the last great ruling families, the port was the capitols main source of trade, and the royal families prior had built an impressive navy.

When the current royal family over threw the last great dynasty many were resistant to having a new monarchy, so in an effort to to quell any rebellions they struck a deal with the Supreme Magestrate of the order of the Mage. The crown gained weaponry to help agains the orcs in the savage lands and the appearance of cooperation with the peoples governing body.

The issue was the Magestrate was very ambitious, and hungered to be the ruling force in Thre'a. Knowing this it was only a matter of time before another war broke out and the power struggle ended. The crown had made the first move, attacking the unofficial capitol of the magestrate.

A young witch and her mother sobbed as they held the days newspaper, the headlines read "The traitorous city of Autumnveil felled by the brave royal army!"

"Do you think papa's ok?" The little girl said still sobbing, the mother visibly holding back tears, preparing to have to lie to her child. " im sure he blinked to safety, or was long gone before they attacked. "

A small girl with bright green eyes watched in the shadows of the alleyway nearby, eves dropping. She was around 6 years old, a little tall for her age and lanky, she had her jet black hair pulled into two buns. She wore black robes with gold trim. The lapel held a pin with a gold crown around a blue peacock.

" How sad, at least you have one of your parents left." Isolda said to herself as she turned her back to the pair, she had been an orphan as long as she could remember. She was an Autumn witch, she lacked the red hair that had become synonymous with the blessed.

She did have the bright neon green eyes that nearly glowed, another shadow slid across the wall beside her, its red eyes was the only proof its existence was true and it was not another shadow.

"Vladimir, lets go home before the streets overfill with people and I have to hex someone." She hopped into the shadows and sped her way through alleyways of the city. There were no archegates in the city, just normal doors. Some were more grand based on how well the merchant was doing or what families owned the shops in the district. The orphanage was a public service paid for by the taxes of the inhabitants and supplemented by the crown. Often the magestrate would offer to pay for the care of the magically inclined and would sponsor them. Isolda was a year from going to the citadel and she was pretty sure that dream was dashed now that the royals were openly declaring war on the magestrate.

"Just my luck Vladimir, just a year to go and the stupid King has to blow up Autumnveil!" The other shadow laughed " thats the green eyed curse at it again!" Isolda had been plagued with the worst luck her whole life. She was even owner of a hopelessly weak daemon. He couldn't even posses a straw doll. His only use was as lookout when she went to nick food or sweets off of carts or shops. He was also her only friend, in the capitol mages were treated like they had diseases and most were downright cruel to them. It had gotten worse over the years since the new family came to power, spreading fear of a country run by the mages of the Magestrate.

Isolda came the front door of the orphanage, she entered the building and looked behind her. The streets had begun to swarm with people, music could be heard all across the districts.

The celebrations continued until nightfall where the higher classed districts started shooting fireworks that would drop gold coins over the other districts.

Isolda just watched the rest of the children and staff go out and enjoy the festivities, Isolda had only one thing on her mind as she watched from her window, leaving. She had dreamed of living in Autumnveil after she graduated the citadel, be somewhere she was wanted. The king took her dream away and she could feel herself growing more and more angry. " I hate this place vladdy, we are gonna leave here soon, i promise!" Vlad was laying the crook of a shadow being cast by Isolda bed and nightstand.

"Do you think the Magestrate will retaliate?" Vlad asked curiously, Isoldas eyes widened, " of course! We need to leave as soon as we can!" Isolda was sure the Magestrate would send a thousand mages to destroy the city and remove the royals, they may lay waste to everything in their path just to do it.

Isolda went to a bureau in the corner and pulled out a large black pouch with a red draw string and started putting clothes and other various items she thought she may need. She stuffed the small bag without any indication it was getting full. After she finished with her room she left her room and entered a hallway, she met a staircase at the end of the hall and at the top was a yellow door. Isolda turned into a shadow and slid under the door. She had entered the headmasters quarters, she walked passed all the books and files to a safe behind his desk. Isolda spoke some incantations and a click could be heard coming from the safe, it swung open reveal stacks of gold and silver, some gemstones and even a few magical items. Isolda quickly emptied the safe into the magical bag, it was full but didnt have any weight to it, isolda secured it to her waste.

"We need a map vlad, otherwise i have no clue where we are gonna go." Vlad mentioned the history teachers room, she taught geography as well so surely she had some sort of map. They went down the stairs and took a right through a doorway and then up another round of stairs. There were painting of the past kings and headmasters variously strew across the walls, the door they came up to next had a plaque the read " history/geography/ merrytime navigation.

She shifted into a shadow and once again slid under the door. There were globes and scrolls on the book cases in the room, a chalkboard behind the teachers desk and twenty or so desks for the children to sit. Isolda walked over the the teachers desk and sitting there open was a map of the current kingdom. She rolled up the map and placed it her black sack, down the hall Isolda heard the sounds of other people, it was just a few girls coming back to grab a cloak before heading back outside. It was early September and fall was on its way, it was warm during the day but at night the temperature was getting colder, cloaks were almost a must in city at night. Isolda melted into the shadows and waited for the sounds of the girls to disappear. She melted under the door and decided to take the hallway to the kitchens, she'd slip out the back where the kitchens brought the monthly groceries in. She'd be sure to nick a few things from then stores as well before she left the orphanage behind for good.

The night creeped up faster and the city began to glow with festival lights and fireworks, the adults had taken to the pubs, some even raided a few pubs bringing the barrels to the streets. By this point a little girl running away would be unseen and wholly ignored for the pleasures the celebrations would bring.

She would remain in the safety of the shadows, shadow hopping left the untrained eye to believe that she was in fact a shadow and not just hiding and moving through the power of the shadows themselves.

There was an eerie sense of calm, even amongst all the celebrations, it was a false victory. The dark clouds rising in the north began to head toward the capitol. Small flashes of lightning emitted from them at first, then more furiously. The black clouds started to swirl with a fire like glow. "They're coming Vladdy, we have to leave before the destruction starts!"

Isolda put Vlad in her pendent and hopped into the shadows, shadow hopping also made traveling faster as long as there were plenty of shadows and darkness, and it was dark, only lanterns lit the streets leaving plenty of shadows for her to make haste throughout the merchants district.

The clouds were rapidly approaching, the winds picked up, and the lightning began to cause the ground to shake. Isolda made it to the gate entering the fourth district, the celebrations were less grand here as most of the people were in the third district and those left behind were too poor to be able to join in. She decided to stay in the shadows in case a guard or someone from the orphanage managed to find her.

The storm hit and as Isolda expected it was retaliation from the magestrate, the storm opened up and mages of all types dropped into the city letting loose their revenge on the capitol. Isolda heard the first sounds of the attack, low rumbles and screams, then a explosion sending ashe and stone into the air with such force the second and fourth sectors walls began to fall and the nearby buildings crumbled behind the aftershock.

Isolda began to leap through the shadowns, more screams and explosions came from behind her. " we have to make it to the first sector gate!" Isolda yelled, almost pleading with the destruction behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see arcane bolts hitting houses and people, sending debris and body parts across the streets.

The gate came into view and Isolda pushed herself to go faster, a barrage of arcane bolt shot passed her smashing through the gate leaving a massive hole leading to the other side. Good fortune for Isolda, she could just hop right through without having to stop. On the other side there was nothing but farmland sectioned off by wooden fencing to separate the livestocks from each other and the produce from the live stock. In the distance the top three sectors were ablaze, the castle was crumbling into the city below and the fires raged. Isolda kept making her way to the last gate, the guards had left to go help the high sectors so the last gate was abandoned like the others. One last look at the falling city of la'velle, listening to the screams of the occupants, it was music to her little ears.