First Chapter

Hello again readers,

Today I will be sharing with you the first chapter of my book, 'The Shadow Beneath the Tree'. Enjoy!

Chapter One

“Hello.” she questioned me with her unblinking, amber eyes.

“Who are you?” I wondered aloud. She avoided my gaze for a few elongated moments. My question hung in the air.

“My child.” she started, unsure of how to continue. “Have you ever met the king or queen of Amissula? Or seen a picture of them?”

“You know I haven’t. No one has. Wait, what are you saying?” I was suspicious of this woman’s intentions.

“You still haven’t answered my question.” I began to think about the woman’s features. She was beautiful, easily the most beautiful woman I had ever met. She was dressed in the most exquisite garments, surely made from the finest cloth in all of Amissula. She towered over me; she was at least five inches taller than myself, and I stand only at five foot four. Her posture made her seem taller, as she stood with her back straight, seeming as if she spent many hours a day in a wooden chair, speaking and listening when she chose to. I took another look at her. Everything clicked. I must have gasped, because the woman smiled a sweet smile.

“Figured it out have you, child?” she asked, her eyes twinkling in anticipation.

I curtseyed low, whilst trying to fix my unruly hair and torn clothing.

“Stop worrying yourself, my girl. I no longer expect these things as I have spent many long years without this appreciation from my people.”

“Ummm…” I couldn’t think of how to reply. “Your Majesty, may I ask why you are here?” All mirth in those amber eyes dulled at my question. Her slim but angular face became solemn.

“My child, all is not as it was yesterday. I fear for the wellbeing of our country. I fear for our kingdom. It has come to my attention that you are the keen apprentice of a Professor A.T. Praesenti. I have tasted his Caelestius coffee, and it certainly lives up to its name.”

My confusion must have shown on my face, as the Queen said “Caelestius means ‘heavenly elixir’ in the ancient language of Latin. I know it’s a human language but it is by far my favourite, even over Elfish, which is so sweet to listen to!” For the benefit of my human readers, the language we were speaking at the time was in fact not English, but the language of Macchialios. You must be confused as to what I am talking about. You see, there at two rival kingdoms on the island Amissula. The one that I live in is called Macchialios (as we specialise in the Macchiato) and Latterenios (as they specialise in the Latte). The only think that these two kingdoms agree on is that no one should ever cross the Shesack River. Every child has been read legends as bedtime stories. They enjoyed them, until they learned why they were having the stories read to them. The legends tell of a dark force that had once swept over Amissula, seeking a place to rest. It chose Shesack. I am telling you this to warn you of what is to come in the future. Shesack was once home to the most lovely people you could ever wish to meet. There were fairies, goblins, elves, all sorts. They didn’t even have time to run. They were all killed, brutally slaughtered in their hundreds. Shesack is now a ghost town, home only to Evil. It has been this was for thousands of years.

Now I’ve warned you about Shesack and all Evil and everything else to be scared of, I will tell you my name. I will fill you in on where I live and who I am with most of the time, and then I will continue the story as it was. You will repeat this to no one, understand? If you are one of my human readers, you might not be able to do this as easily as a fairy for example. Oh well, it's alright if you slip up with this occasionally. However, if you ever give my name to someone who is abnormally tall, has suspiciously large ears or white hair that doesn’t seem to suit their youthful features, then I will probably not live to tell you what a grave mistake you have made.

My name is Raven Rafala Vajilana. You can tell which family within which tribe I am from. My brothers are named Shayde and Zephyr, but I just call them Shay and Zeph for short. They are about three years older than me, and their broad shoulders and huge arms go well with my broad shoulders and slim waist that make us look a formidable opponent when faced with danger. Shay is the same height as Zeph but he’s not quite as big. He makes up for it with his speed, though. If you watch him do his morning run, you blink and he’s no longer in your line of sight. His blue-black, straight hair is styled in a long fringe, which sometimes covers his soft, light blue eyes when he’s embarrassed. Zeph has enough muscle capacity to take down a small elephant. His copper, curly hair and light blue eyes make him look a little baby faced, but when you get to looking at the strong jawline and huge biceps, your not so sure about your first impression of him. They both stand at about six foot four, a whole foot taller than me. They are the best brothers I could have ever wished for.

My parents are called Luna and Leviathan. My mother is very small and slim, and often keeps herself to herself. However, when she’s mad about something, everyone within two hundred yards of her knows it. My brothers got a little of father’s features each, where I got most of mother’s. Zeph has father’s curly hair, and Shay and I got his blue-black hair, which I keep in a Dutch braid the reaches to my waist and can be used as a weapon when swung at someone’s face. Father is about six foot five, so he still stands the tallest in the Rafala family, although Zeph keeps teasing that he won’t be for much longer. I got my mothers height, although I am about three inches taller. I also received her full lips and high cheekbones. Shay and Zeph also have these features, and Zeph also shares her copper hair. We all have a porcelain complexion, which makes us stand out against the other families in the Vijilana tribe. They all have tanned skin, as they have been here much longer than us. We moved from Arokanola because it was riddled with war and rioting. We couldn’t stay there. The Vijilana tribe welcomed us with open arms. They are the kindest of the tribes, so when we came and they heard of our situation, they had found us a large comfortable treetop house by the next day. We are now part of their family, and everyone in the tribe considers us their friends and for some, more than that. Anyway, I’ve rambled about myself for long enough. Back to the story.

What do you think? Let me know!

Chapter 2 will be out soon!

See you later, alligators!

E.V. x