The midday sun
rayed down on the duo. In the distance one could just make out the
voices and sounds of Cirra. The teenager contemplated her life, for she
too realized that today was the second anniversary of the family's
arrival in Cirra. She could scarcely believe the changes in her life,
or how those changes had affected her.
Callisto's youth had been harsh, with her father the bane of her
existence. At the time, she couldn't understand why he beat and abused
both her mother and herself. She had believed that she was an evil and
wicked little girl, for that's what her father had told her time and
again. Mother had been strangely distant and unsupportive -- perhaps
she had been cowed by her repressive husband.
In any event, instead of trying to be good and please her father,
she had rebelled and had almost become what her father claimed she was.
Callisto had committed acts theft, arson, extortion, vandalism, and
violence. Sometimes she had been caught and punished, other times she
had gotten away or had shifted the blame to other kids.
The birth of Maya had brought a new perspective to her life. In
her little sister she saw the innocent girl that she had been and could
not help but contrast it to what she had become. Shame and guilt had
compelled the young Callisto to run away on a few occassions, but she
could never stay away for long. She felt she owed it to Maya to protect
her from their father.
So it came to pass that one night during one of her excursions, she had
witnessed a drunken fight which had left one rather important figure in
town dead from a knife wound. She had taken that opportunity to leave
her father's knife, which she had surreptitiously stolen a few days
before, in the body of the deceased.
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What happened
during the next few days she would always cherish. Her father had been
apprehended and had no alibi for his whereabouts on the night of the
murder. But the case had not been quite strong enough to warrant the
death sentence, so she had stepped in as a witness. Callisto's story
had been very convincing, and with his daughter testifying against him,
her father had been sentenced to death.
Her mother may have suspected that Callisto was lying, but she
had kept her suspicions to herself. And so, the three women had been
freed from the tyrannical father. If she went to Tartarus for this, so
be it. At least Maya and her mother would be safe, and in the end
that's all that mattered to Callisto.
Twilight enveloped
the town of Cirra. All of the residents had retired to their homes or
the local tavern to enjoy the company of their loved ones and friends
after another long day. On a hill overlooking the vulnerable town, a
Warlord sat astride her horse and examined the layout of Cirra,
envisioning the likely response from the local defenders to the
impending attack.
This town would be a suitable place to test her troops, many of
whom were young kids who wanted to join her army. With almost no real
combat experience, these prospects would get to prove themselves in an
authentic raid. The raven-haired leader liked to accompany the green
troops in their trial mission so she could evaluate their performance
first hand.
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