PROLOGUE: SHE WATCHED
It was Mattie who spotted them first. It was Heidi who sounded the alarm. It was Sammie who ran inside first. But it was Mattie who spotted them first.
At first dark specks in the bluish horizon. Isabella Garland kept watching those dark specks as the children were hustled inside by Miss Rudd and Miss Budd. She watched as the dark specks slowly transformed into a faint, fuzzy swarm, barely audible over the light of the early morning sun.
Isabella Garland kept watching that faint, fuzzy swarm as she and and the large handful of children whose parents could afford to have them protected were seated in the Library, the only place in the village that was immune to the lurking danger. She watched as that faint, fuzzy swarm transformed into thousands of little, thin lines, moving at both ends.
Isabella Garland kept watching those little, thin lines as she and her group of friends grabbed blankets to cover themselves. She watched as those little, thin lines kept multiplying and multiplying until the whole of the Eastern sky was alive with activity.
Isabella Garland kept watching those multiplying figures as their multi-coloured scales glinted in the sunlight, the shapes became more clear, and millions of blood-curdling screeches were heard.
Isabella Garland kept watching those screeching, scale-covered animals as they finally became close enough to block out the sun, and they became clear at last. She watched as they began to swoop, their huge, leathery wings catching the breeze. And she watched as their huge, silver, glinting talons began to snatch up screaming victims from the streets and the ruins.
Isabella watched as hundreds of innocent people died because of what she had done.
Isabella Garland kept watching that faint, fuzzy swarm as she and and the large handful of children whose parents could afford to have them protected were seated in the Library, the only place in the village that was immune to the lurking danger. She watched as that faint, fuzzy swarm transformed into thousands of little, thin lines, moving at both ends.
Isabella Garland kept watching those little, thin lines as she and her group of friends grabbed blankets to cover themselves. She watched as those little, thin lines kept multiplying and multiplying until the whole of the Eastern sky was alive with activity.
Isabella Garland kept watching those multiplying figures as their multi-coloured scales glinted in the sunlight, the shapes became more clear, and millions of blood-curdling screeches were heard.
Isabella Garland kept watching those screeching, scale-covered animals as they finally became close enough to block out the sun, and they became clear at last. She watched as they began to swoop, their huge, leathery wings catching the breeze. And she watched as their huge, silver, glinting talons began to snatch up screaming victims from the streets and the ruins.
Isabella watched as hundreds of innocent people died because of what she had done.
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