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walked when prodded and rested when directed to do so. But she did not exist inside of the shell that was her body.  Her spirit had flown away. 
     
     
     
    Brutal, intense pain brought Amara back to herself.  She hated the man that had taken his spear and swung it against her side so hard that she heard the crack resonate within her body. 
    Tears flew from her eyes regardless of her vow not to cry.  The pain called tears forth without regard for her wishes or desires. 
    Worst of all the man had laughed over her pain.  His laughter caused icy tendrils of fear to sweep over her and Amara realized that this was what the man wanted.  He wanted her to learn to fear him and perhaps she had. 
    Amara looked to the ridges of the canyon walls above her.  She yearned for the high places where freedom rested.  She could almost feel the burn of rock and sand as her hand met with stone so deeply did she yearn to climb far and fast, away from those that held her captive. 
    Freedom.  Amara’s soul cried out for it.  Peace.  Amara yearned to know peace once more. The prod of a spear broke into her thoughts and Amara forced her legs to lock into place.  She would not stumble or cry out in pain.  She would not fall, not yet, not now.  
    When the man held her by her hair and again looked into her eyes, she knew what he saw.  Her eyes were a curse to her, though others said that she was specially marked. 
    Amara would have given anything to be just like everyone else.  But she knew that when the warrior looked at her this was the reason that her life had been spared when so many others of her village had died. 
    The warrior saw what she could not hide, unless she closed her eyes forever.   Those of her family and of her village had dark eyes the color of the midnight sky.  But Amara had eyes the color of the sunset and when her mood shifted her eyes lightened or darkened considerably.  This was the reason that the man took care not to kill her with his massive strength.  She was valuable. 
    Amara shuddered as she considered whose orders the warrior followed.  Her entire body trembled as the man shoved her to the ground.   She could not understand all of their words but their language was similar to hers.  Yet she knew the words that had been whispered through the villages that wreathed the small river where they gathered water. 
    Raiders came on horseback to attack the villages that were unarmed and defenseless.  They took captives, food , horses and anything of value. Her people had taken to sheltering within the caves that were nestled into the side of the plateaus that rose from the land. 
    Amara had hated to be concealed inside of the many caverns and caves that her people knew so well.  Her mother needed her and so she often returned to Leija’s side.  They would not eat if she did not work alongside her mother as they begged the earth to grow their crop . It was this that gave Amara the strength to rise to her feet once more despite the pain in her side. 
    Leija would want Amara to fight, to survive, for as long as she could until she could escape.  Six men surrounded her and they watched her constantly . Amara knew that there would be no escape for her. 
     

Chapter Two
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Kaichen raced upon the back of his horse as he entered into a canyon that ran parallel to the warriors that held the woman captive.  He knew that he was running out of time.  He needed to find a defensive position where he could take down at least four of the men before they determine d which direction his arrows came from.
    He held his horse’s mane tightly within his grasp and he knew that the animal responded to the urgency that pounded through his body.   Kaichen did not wait for the horse to draw to a stop. 
    He leapt from the animal’s back and began to climb the face of the rock set before him.  If he did not make it to the top of the ledge before the warriors started past, then he knew