Without thinking, Surin lifted his head off the downy pillow, removed the braided leather strap which held his hair together, a gift from his mate, and lay down again sighing loudly to the empty room. He looked longingly at the leather, feeling the texture of it in his hands, his hair spread about the pillow more comfortably now. His mate wanted him to distance himself from the marshal forces as soon as possible, perhaps go into the family business instead.
�I should�ve gone into mining, like Turin did,� he whispered bitterly. His elder brother had done quite well for himself and was now married with three children, living comfortably on the third level.
Surin turned onto his side, restless and confused now, unable to sleep and depressed at where his life had taken him. No sound emerged from the peaceful town-front and the dreaded alarm bells that hung along the edge of the square at the center of town lay unperturbed. The bell-ropes swayed to and fro in the winds that perpetually swept down from the mountain, winds which now tugged at the curtains hanging about the window through which Surin stared. He shifted his gaze to the fire that sputtered weakly and threw large shadows across the walls, thinking to himself, I wish I could get a little more warmth at least.
The left guard tower of the southern gates of Narshe suddenly erupted into a blazing inferno, totally scorching the wooden frame and igniting the nearby trees with wind-blown embers. The burning frame collapsed inwards noisily and immediately, the right guard tower exploded violently in similar fashion, crashing and splintering as it toppled backwards to the ground. The southern gates of the city now lay ablaze while, through the roaring flames, three glaring demons rode, the light of the conflagration reflecting menacingly off of their exteriors.
The loud clangs of alarm bells now peeled throughout the city and, one by one, the guard troupes were roused, gathering to meet the invasion force, charging forward in wave after wave of futile aggression. The Magitech Machines rampaged through the streets of Narshe, obliterating all opposition and leaving a path of death and destruction through the main streets of the city.
The young girl sat stationary within the enclosed Machine. Through the haze of smoke, beyond the smeared blood across her front visor, she saw the massacre. Her eyes remained focused ahead, unblinking and intent. The Machine continued its automated programming without need for her input. She watched the village folk die; brothers, fathers, sons� no mercy given, none expected in return, as the Machines moved methodically towards the city�s heart. She sat within the silent cabin, a single tear forming at the corner of her left eye, growing in size and then suddenly streaming down her face.
HELP ME PLEASE!! Some one help me escape this prison, she screamed for what seemed to be the millionth time in her head. Why can�t I break free of this madness? Where am I? Who am I? Why can�t I feel anything but this absolute numbness? And this time, when she thought the only answer would be the despairing silence of her own solitude, she heard an answer.
You have come, chosen one.
The Magitech Machines continued their progress along the main streets and soon the girl found herself nearing the foothills to the north of the city, leading towards the cavernous mountain base that the town�s folk mined for ore. The gorgeous spread of land before her, marred only by the new frost of coming winter, did not evoke a single emotional response. The barrier over her consciousness was impenetrable. Yet still, now there was another.
Who are you? Who am I? Can you help me?
The flow of time slows. Our race has passed its zenith, and soon our souls will rest. You are here to usher the beginning of the end, young one.
I don�t understand! I can�t feel anything. Tell me who I am!
The abrupt change of terrain passed unfelt as the Machines tore through the hilly plains beyond the town and marched towards the mines. She could see the machinery used to haul debris and the piles of glittering gems that flanked the openings into the caverns, strewn across the base of the mountain. How beautiful this experience could have been. The guards that would normally defend the mines from hill trolls and wolves had already been called to the city for defense, and probably now lay dead among the masses of bodies left behind. The unprotected entrance to the mines slowly loomed into her vision, and in an instant, darkness swallowed her whole as the Machines now strode into the cave.
