Talon had been lying by his wife for only a short time when the shouting began. “Quickly,” a gruff voice sounded, “send word to Trinas, Graf is in need of aid!”

“Right away captain!” A younger voice answered, the sound of a horse's hooves quickly followed.

“Arletta, quickly, wake up.” Talon urged, shaking his wife’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong love,” she tiredly questioned.

“Something is happening outside, quickly now, get Warren while I figure out what's going on,” He commanded. His wife's eyes widened, his urgency shaking off what tiredness remained in her.

Talon went quickly to the door, Arletta entering a separate room to retrieve their son, “be careful,” she called, shouts still audible over her.

Talon opened his door to a nightmare, the town of Graf was in hysteria, the screams of the townspeople rising to the stars as smoke tried to choke both out. He frantically looked to the docks, only to see two ships, lit with torches, docked, the silhouettes of armed men streaming off their ramps, charging into the town. A third sat floating offshore, an angry red bolt firing from the ship as he watched, striking a nearby building and starting a new blaze.

“What are you doing here” The gruff voice from before shouted, snapping Talon out of his daze. “All citizens are to flee to Trinas, now quickly, go! I, Captain of the Guard of Graf order it!” With the same urgency as his command, the captain hurried off in the direction of the docks, a number of soldiers in tow.

Talon turned and met the face of his wife, her eyes wide and face drained of color as she saw the image through the door behind him. “What do we do?” Her voice wavered as she clutched more tightly to the young boy now in front of her.

“Come here Warren,” Talon said as he picked up the groggy boy. “We need to make our way to Trinas, come now, there is little time to spare,” he instructed his wife, reaching out his hand to her. She took it firmly, her face becoming more at ease as she met its warmth.

“Do you think we will make it all the way to Trinas? What if they have the road blocked,” Arletta questioned as they ran through the streets. The smoke was getting thicker, the frantic screams of the citizens slowly being replaced with the sounds of skirmishes between the guards and the attackers.

“Stop!” A voice hissed as they were nearing the square that let to the exit to the town. “Quickly, hide over here,” the voice urged.

Talon and Arletta froze, looking over to find a haggard young woman hiding in a dark alley, beckoning them frantically.

“What is it,” Talon questioned when they joined her. The girl was alone, her small frame trembling like her voice. Talon could hardly think of what horrors she had seen to put her in this state.

“They… they have the exit guarded, we can’t escape, they’ve killed them,” she replied.

Talon knew she was right, but to head back the way they had come would be too risky, behind them the town was quickly becoming an inferno, and even if they escaped the flames, there was no way telling where more invaders would be. Talon steeled himself, “I have an idea he announced.”

“What are you doing,” Arletta questioned as Talon handed Warren to her.

“While I distract them, you three need to escape,” Talon instructed as he picked up a piece tiber that was left in the alley.

“Are you insane,” Arletta pancidly whispered. “How are you ever supposed to escape after that?”

“Don’t worry, I’m fast,” Talon gloated, determined to keep an air of confidence about himself. “Come now,” he said, pulling his wife into an embrace, sandwiching young Warren between them, “be brave… for both of them,” he whispered in her ear, so quietly that even Warren couldn’t have heard it, his head being only to the other side of his wife’s.

“Okay now,” Talon said as he pulled away, “get ready everyone!” Arletta’s eyes seemed to fill with determination, Talon’s words seeming to give her courage.

“Come now,” she said in a steady voice to the young woman as she took hold of her hand, still holding Warren in the other arm. The young woman had been standing silently against the building behind the three, her face filled with fear, but Arletta’s hand seemed to give her some solace. “Are you ready to run with me,” Arletta asked her in a soothing voice. She was met with a silent nod.

“If we are all ready, I guess it’s time to do this,” Talon announced as he gazed at his wife and child. “Stay hidden for a couple of moments until I have their full attention, then you two run with all your might to Trinas and don’t look back, I’ll follow behind after you get away.”

With those words, Talon, his piece of timber in hand, flew from the alley into the street, sprinting the short distance to the square that the road started out of town from. Upon entering the square he saw two menacing looking men holding curved swords, one standing over two fallen people not in armor, “are these guys here solely to stop the citizens from escaping?” Talon thought.

Clearing the horrible thought from his head, Talon charged, releasing an angry shout, clearly startling the two men, only now alerted of his presence, a lone man looking mad as he charged through the smoke.

Talon brought the timber down hard upon the head of the first one he came to, never giving the man time to react to his sudden assault, he collapsed like a corpse to the ground.

The second man that was standing over the bodies was quick to react, charging Talon. Unable to respond, Talon took the pommel of the attackers sword to the stomach, letting out a gasp and dropping his weapon as he doubled over. Talon threw a glance in the direction that he had come, seeing two running figures dart out through the smoke headed towards the road to Trinas. Talon quickly threw himself at the man now standing over him, determined to distract the man from his escaping family. When the two hit the ground, Talon grappled with the man, determined to get his sword, he had to get away, for his family’s sake. After a short struggle, Talon heard a growl behind him, followed by a sharp pain in the back of his head, “the other recovered,” He frantically thought as everything suddenly went black.