The house rose up in flames. They licked hungrily at the night sky, silhouetting the forms fleeing the conflagration of their home. As they reached the edge of the forest a shadowy form emerged from the dwelling’s charred remains. He watched the family flee, before signalling to his men. Two trolls strode forward with drawn weapons and entered the forest with cruel smiles on their faces. The leader turned and beckoned to several others. He drew his dark longsword and found a house that was not yet burning. The two soldiers understood. They smashed down the door. The first to enter bellowed a challenge. There was a clash of steel on steel, followed by a dull thud. The troll roared in pain. He stumbled out of the hut holding his chest. The man watched him crash into another building and fall to the ground, smashed. He angrily barked out an order to his warriors. Three trolls charged into the hut. Another clash, and another troll fell out the doorway and lay on the ground immobile. Clash. A human yelped. The being groaned at the ineffectiveness of his trolls and advanced towards the hut.

Inside the house, a man and a seventeen year old boy fought against the trolls. Three remained, and the father, whose name was Henry, had a painful wound on his left arm.

“David, I will block the other two outside! You take this one!” yelled the father. The boy lunged at the troll and slashed his sword across the troll’s side. The troll roared at David and swung his huge axe. David ducked the sweeping blow and stabbed upward. The troll groaned and fell to the ground with a thud. Henry was keeping the two others outside. He was not armed with a sword, only with a wood axe. However, this did not impede him, for he had slain another troll already. Suddenly, the last troll hit Henry in the chest with a fist. He flew through the air and crashed through the weakened back wall of the house.

“Helen! Go! Take Daniel and Anne to safety!” he rasped. He could not rise on account of his broken ribs. “Leave!”

Helen shook her head. “I will not leave you, Henry,” said Helen.

“Mommy, I’m scared!” Anne was eight years old and she was very frightened.

“I am too, Anne. You need to leave. Daniel!” A brown haired boy emerged from under the table where he had gone unnoticed. He looked to be fourteen.

“Yes, mother?”

“Take Anne and-” Helen broke off in a scream as the last troll began to approach her. She raised her arms for some pitiful protection, knowing that she could not stop the inevitable. Right before the troll struck, a harsh voice rang out.

“Creator help us,” she cried. “Henry? Henry!” He grimaced on the floor.

“Down here.”

“Oh, Henry!” she flew to his side. “First David, and now you!” she broke out in sobs.

“I’m not gone yet, Helen.”

“You should have stayed silent, Henry.” Vathran walked across the floor in long, heavy strides. His sword was drawn.

“Goodbye, Helen.” Vathran’s sword rose and fell.

“Henry!” she screamed.

“Mother, come on!” Daniel grabbed his mother’s hand and pulled her toward the exit. Helen allowed herself to be pulled and Anne followed her. Vathran lunged at Daniel but missed. The family ran out of the house as it went up in flames, and made a mad dash for freedom. Their pursuer walked out of the hut and saw them. He motioned to another wraith. It ran to him.

“What is your bidding, Lord Vathran?” he said after kneeling and saluting.

“Stop them.” Vathran gestured at Helen and the children. The other wraith laughed maliciously. He drew back a longbow and fired. It smashed Helen instantly. The thud alarmed Daniel and Anne who turned to see their mother lying on the ground.

---

It stays dark for some time, lightens up when they meet a certain character, then gets darker. Young children should leave now.

But I wrote it.  I was referring to young children. Like tweens.

Once I turned 13, I became a teenager.