Book 1: Assemble the Troops

Raven

I watch Mother as she paces back and forth among the line of troops. No one would call this an army. It’s more like a rag-tag team of poorly trained teenagers. They aren’t all so young, but they are scrawny, pale, and a little gaunt. It’s evident that many of them have not seen the sun in ages. Even outside in the bright light of the sun, most of them squint, unused to the bright glare of natural light. 

“Raven, a little help please?” my mother calls to me. 

I imagine a small cloud covering the sun, and the next moment it’s there, shading the worst of the early afternoon brightness. 

Mother still isn’t fully certain that my plan will work. I can’t blame her. We have to take into account a lot of variables. Her main concern is that, if I fail, there’s no backup. Her “troops” can take on a small band of old, overweight soldiers if the need arises–thankfully, it hasn’t yet.

My plan involves a much scarier possibility.