Six Years Later

The town of Laeth stood in ruins. Most of the buildings in the main town square sat empty husks of their former beauty. Several along the perimeter near the low stone wall still smoldered, the remnants of the fire that had ravaged the vicinity not even a fortnight past. The fae had struck hard, fast, and without warning and razed most of the town to the ground.

It had been the town’s folly to believe they were safe. An assumption that had cost many their lives.

A young willowy woman kneeled beside a trampled rose bush, dark hair pulled back from her face with a strip of dirty cloth, carefully digging the remains of the plant out from the ash and debris that covered it. She was dressed plainly, brown pants and a sage green tunic, belted at her waist with a leather cord, both long since covered in streaks and smudges of soot, dirt and who knew what else. She didn’t care to think overly much on that last bit and kept focused on her task, only pausing briefly to wipe at the sweat that had begun to trickle down her forehead and left a smudge of ash in its place. After a few more minutes of digging she sat back on her heels and blew out a breath. Taking a quick glance around to make sure she was alone she carefully reached down and unclasped an old leather bracelet that was around her right wrist and laid it in her lap. Leaning forward she cupped her hands around the damaged roots of the bush and closed her eyes a moment. A soft shimmer, like that of a heat wave, brushed against the tangled bits of wood and the bush shivered as if caught in a draft of wind. The young woman opened lavender eyes as the bush shivered again and began to regain a bit of its color. A few small, green leaves unfurled.

She smiled.