The Gifted Sisters And The Golden Mirror

Chapter One- Livia

I stand near the top of an ancient pine, my long black hair spiraling high into the air. The cool winds have drifted down from Wolfmere Peak and I've spent the whole morning listening to pine needles rustle softly in the wind. I sigh along with them.

I'll turn sixteen in two days. Even though the day shouldn't feel different than any other, the itch to leave has gotten stronger. The Black Pines are the one place I've always been able to go to clear my head. They've been my home—but lately they've felt more like my prison.

The pines surround me, stretching out for miles. For centuries these trees have thrived, from as far back as when magic once covered our land, when mystical plants and creatures were found and all four kingdoms flourished on their gifts given by the Guardians of Maker Adon.

I cautiously brace myself on the sturdy limbs below me, knowing that a fall from this far up would mean my death. By now, Amah will be looking for me. I sink back down into the shelter of the pine and grab my pack to begin my descent.

I should've been back hours ago. But I got bored, scaled a tree, and daydreamed my day away. I hadn't wanted to carry out mundane chores. I was in desperate need of an adventure.

"Liiiivia!"

My foot slips, causing me to slide down to the branch below. Scaly plates of bark flake away from the scrape of my boots. I squint through the limbs, and see Amah's thin frame stalking my way. I already can see the disappointment etched on her face.

When both of my parents died, Amah brought me to the Black Pines, taking it upon herself to raise me as her own. She's my caretaker, and her expectations of me have always been high. I've never understood why, and it's annoyingly suffocating. But this is the way it's always been.

Continuing down to the lowest branch, I brace my hands against the trunk and push off. Pine needles cushion my landing.

"You found me!" I announce.

Amah startles, and I grin. It's rare I ever catch her off guard.

Her brow angles down over the slant of her eyes, causing my grin to falter. More winds gust through, blowing her cropped hair into a black-spiked mess. With her serious expression, I find the combination rather amusing. I bite the inside of my cheek, trying not to laugh. I know better than to test her patience.

"It'll be dark soon. Let's go." Her words are crisp and harsh. Even though she often comes across this way, she's never outright punished me. Her disappointed looks are punishment enough. I follow after her.

Our cottage is tucked deep within the Black Pines between Wolfmere Peaks and Horn Lake, a plentiful area for us to hunt and fish. The closest village is a ride of two days to Kale, where we travel every other month to barter and trade. It's the only other place I've ever been.

We always stay at the same inn, talk with the same people, and go to the same stores. No matter how many times I carefully plan something different, Amah is right there, guiding me right back to her calculated schedule. It's a struggle to break free.

Amah says she's simply never found a reason to go anywhere else or do anything different. I've told her I want to travel to the capital city of Pynth, to see Willobourne Castle, where our kings and queens once dwelled. The stories I've heard paint a picture of a wondrous place that can only be magical—chock full of adventure I am dying to have.

But she always denies my requests; she refuses to go back to a home she barely escaped from. A home my parents knew, before they died in a raid brought by the erratic king in the East, almost sixteen years ago now. That unfortunate raid is what has kept me out here in seclusion my whole life.