Chapter 2 -No daughter of mine

As everyone turned to look, rats began to emerge from the main tunnel. People backed away, and Trestyn pulled Jennia up from the ground. The people went from alert to panicked as the first of the rat warrior army marched into the cavern. As the people turned and ran, Trestyn reached out to grab Jennia but he lost her in the mob.

"Jennia!" He yelled out. His voice barely doing anything but adding to the countless screams. He watched in terror as one of the rat warriors grabbed a hold of a screaming woman next to him and bite her at the neck, blood spilling onto the stone ground. With no choice left, he began to run too, eyes darting back and forth, looking for a glimpse of light among the dark swirling colors. His feet pounded the ground along with countless others.

Screams came from all around, and he saw Lord Ulward running back to his castle, shoving people out of his way. The lord didn't get far up the steps before a very large rat warrior, wearing a shard of metal around his neck stepped in front of him. He caught a glimpse of bright blonde hair and followed it. He watched as Jennia ran up to another warrior who had a young woman by the neck. Jennia was punching and kicking this beast who had her sister in his claws. It didn't matter, another warrior came behind her and grabbed her by the back of her dress and held her up. Jennia watched helplessly in midair as the warrior broke her sister's neck. Jennia's sister dropped to the ground, and the monster that killed her turned to her. Two of those creatures now had her. Trestyn ran towards her, intending to try any and everything to help yet knowing deep down it was useless. He would be too late. They would be too strong. The monster who killed her sister, Justinia, now wrapped his clawed hand around the Jennia's skinny neck.

She screamed.

Trestyn realized he had never heard her scream before. It was also a sound he never wanted to hear again. The two monsters didn't seem to like the sound either, and suddenly let go of her, squalling their own awful noises, and backing away from her. As she fell to the ground, Trestyn found that he could not even look directly at her. She was beginning to glow.

The light emitting from her skin grew brighter and brighter as she screamed. Trestyn covered his eyes. His entire life had been spent in the dim tunnels and low-lit cities of the underground, he had never seen pure light before.

As if her scream gave the signal, warriors dressed in bright metallic armor with glowing weapons emerged from the tunnels and into the cavern-city. There had to be less than two dozen, but the way they cut through the rat monsters, was as casual and quick as if sweeping the street. Trestyn moved forward blindly to Jennia's side, and wrapped his arms around her. He had to keep his eyes as he did because the light not only hurt them, but would probably blind them too. He could feel her body shaking under his arms. He tested his vision for a second to see the light had faded, though Jennia's skin seemed bright. Almost painfully bright. A man dressed in blue armor stepped towards them quickly and cut down the two rat monsters that were still writhing blindly nearby, their hands and eyes burned from Jennia's glow. The man stopped, and looked down at them with curiosity in his eyes. Trestyn decided he didn't like the way the man was looking at them, and glared in return.

Behind the man in blue armor, a woman made her way up the temple steps, stopping in front of Lord Ulward and what appeared to be the leader of this rat army. He growled his foreign language to the woman, aglow in her bright red armor. The rest of the warriors were finishing up the rest of the small invasion. The woman slashed her sword down, shattering the monster's own rusty sword, and dividing its wieldier in half. A man, dressed in similar red armor ran up the stairs to meet her. With that last blow, the battle appeared to be over. Bodies of people and rat monsters were all over the streets. The regular rats disappeared back into the tunnels, too numerous to try and stop. Their armored guardians were emerging from their fights and returning to the plaza. The man in blue was still standing by them, looking as if he had found a treasure.

"I didn't know there was a Luminti in this town," he said.

"There isn't," Trestyn replied.

"There is now," he nodded towards Jennia.

She didn't seem to hear any of it, she crawled to the body of Justinia, her sister and turned her over gently.

"That's impossible, Luminti are born to parents who are Luminti. Her parents-"

"Must not be her parents," he said it so simply, it angered Trestyn.

"You! This is all your fault!" the voice of Lord Ulward boomed behind them. Trestyn turned to see Lord Ulward pointing at him.

"You're the ones that led those, those-"

"Rathns" the blue guardian informed him.

"Those things here! You must have led them here with your childish stupidity. This," he waved around himself, "is all your fault."

"Funny," a woman's voice interrupted, "I was under the impression this massacre was the sole responsibility of the rathns army we've been tracking for weeks. To get here and find out it was all the fault of a," she looked at him, "twelve year old boy is-"

"Fourteen," he corrected.

"What?"

"I'm fourteen, not twelve."

Her eyes gave him a skeptical look. "Are you sure?"

She shook her head and turned back to the adults. "If you are intent on blaming a fourteen year old boy for this attack, then I must also speak to you Lord Ulward. You are responsible for ensuring all the tunnel entrances are secured. However, the only guardians I saw were at the temple."

"The temple is our most sacred place-"

"The lives of your people, should be most sacred." she interupted, "and yet you have the guardians protecting an empty temple."

"Our temple has not been empty," Lord Ulward replied.

"So I've heard. Moving your personal belongings and person into the temple reserved for your Luminti makes you no more than a trespasser," she said angrily.

The two authorities stood glaring at each other just moments before another loud cry broke out close to them. Govan hurried to them as fast as a man his size could go. He knelt by his girls, but then pushed Jennia off Justinia and pulled her close. Jennia fell backwards, her face covered in tears, but a look of surprise on her face.

"My girl, my Justinia," he said stroking her face.

"Dad-" Jennia sobbed.

"You!" he glared at her, "You did this, this is your fault!" he screamed.

"Sir," the woman in red armor spoke, "I'm Knight Commander Sevin, and my knights and I have been tracking these creatures for days. To think some children caused this attack is ludicrous. It was a planned attack that we were just minutes shy of preventing."

"It doesn't matter," he said, turning to Jennia, "I knew we should have never taken you in. Orphans never bring anything but bad luck."

"Dad what are you-"

"I'm not your father! Lord Ulward gave us you along with a lot of gold ten years ago. Your mother thought you were such a pretty babe and we needed the money for the business. I told her it was bad luck to take in strangers but she didn't listen. Now look what you did to my daughter."

Jennia moved to go to Govan and Justinia, but Trestyn grabbed her and held her tight, afraid Govan would hit her again.

Lord Ulward spoke back up, "As you can see, I was not trespassing on the temple. We have a Luminti here in our village that is out most precious resource and must be protected. I am merely utilizing the meager defenses given to us by the kingdom to protect what is most important. Boy, take our Luminti back to the temple where she'll be safe."

"Don't move," Sevin commanded, "Luminiti Dristan was last assigned to this temple. Another has not been assigned yet. A child would never be assigned to a temple by herself."

"Ah, but a Luminti doesn't need to be assigned by the Kingdom if they are born in the village. She belongs here with us, with her family."

Sevin got into Ulwards face, "Do not play me for stupid, the man here, has just made it clear that she was not born here. Where you managed to get a Luminti child, I do not know. But be assured, I will find out and when I do, I'll be the one to find you and hold you respomsible." She whispered the last part.

"The girl goes with us," she declared.