Prologue
Blossom placed his overflowing basket of flowers gently on the ground, trying his best to crush as few of the new growths as possible. He hummed quietly to himself as he replaced a few of the cuttings that had fallen out and knelt in front of the new sprout that he had spotted. He was always excited to see a new type of flower in the meadow. The rolling field was awash with colour year-round thanks to his diligence, and he cared for each new bloom with the same level of dedication that a parent cares for their child.
Closing his eyes and tilting his head towards the sun he whispered the word that came as naturally to him as breathing, asking for Sun’s blessing in a tongue that few had ever heard or understood. Warmth surged through him, turning his pale pink hair golden with its glow. His eyes shone with that same golden power when he opened them again. He looked down at the small sprout with a smile. Reaching out a single finger to transfer the blessing, he caressed the delicate bud. He watched with an awe that never waned, no matter how many times he did this, as the sprout grew before his eyes. He could feel the power of Sun’s blessing thrumming under his skin as the new flower unfurled its leaves. Bright blue petals formed from fresh buds until it stood proud and fully grown amongst its siblings.
“Blossom.”
The distant shout caused him to flinch. The residual power of Sun’s blessing receded to his chest where it mingled with the remnants of the other blessings that he’d taken that day. His soft curls returned to their natural blush pink hue, the unnatural glow of his eyes disappearing as his power waned. In his excitement he’d forgotten his mother’s golden rule, the one that had been hammered into him every time she caught sight of his power.
Never let anyone see that you are Blessed, not even me.
He didn’t understand her fear and she had always refused to elaborate further when berating him. To him the blessings were a good thing. They let him grow food for them, let him heal himself and his mother should either of them grow sick, but his mother made it clear that no one else would see it that way. Bad things would happen to them both if someone should see him using his power, and as vague as that threat was it was usually enough to keep him vigilant. His excitement had simply overridden his fear this time.
He turned, still on his knees, ready to shout an apology down the hillside to their little cottage, but the sight that lay before him caused him to freeze. Three large men with skin paler than he’d ever seen stood at the base of the hill. Two of them were restraining his mother as she struggled against them whilst the third began making his way towards him. That was when he realised that the call hadn’t been an admonishment, but a warning. He caught his mother’s terrified gaze as she screamed the last word that he would ever hear her say.
“Run!”
