Excerpt: Never Surrender

I stood there. I just stood there. All I had the power to do was stand there and witness every innocent man and woman die because they had loved, and their love had come to being in the form of a child of both races. An Elf and a Human. A Half Elf.
A single tear found it’s way down the dried trail of tears that had flooded down my face earlier. I had already witnessed my own parents death to that cursed dropping blade of the guillotine. I felt a shudder go down my spine as I thought how they’d been alive and smiling only just yesterday. My mother was so sweet and kind, and I remembered when she would hug me if I cried. I had no one to hug me now. I shut my eyes as I thought about my father who used to spend long hours away, being a merchant, but then how he’d come home with a gift for me. The smiles and the joy of those simple things. Without them, I have nothing.
Then I felt the boy resting in my arms shift. I hurriedly glanced down at him and saw he had only tried to find a more comfortable position to sleep. His head laid against my shoulder, a soft snoring sound whispering out of his slightly open mouth. I was grateful to hear it. I didn’t want him to witness this. I looked up again when that horrid chopping sound abruptly stopped. A man, the head of the city, came up and announced that all the ‘sinners’ were dead and if anyone was to find anymore of them, they should be brought forth immediately. He went on to say that anyone who harbored these people, would also be subjected to death by the blade. I glared with all my pent up fury at this man. He’d just murdered innocent people! People who just fell in love! Was it a crime to love someone of another race? Apparently so, now.
Little Donovan started to wake as the morning light of the sun began growing ever brighter, and I knew it was time to leave. I didn’t want him to see the pile of bodies, and I was beginning to feel sick at the sight as well. My fury couldn’t change this, not now anyway, so I’d just have to wait for my next chance. When I was older and more experienced and could truly give these narrow minded people a reason to fear us. I turned away from the sight and ran as fast as I could. I knew some other half elf children had escaped as well and would meet me in some nearby woods. From there we’d figure out where to live and where would be far enough away from human activity. It would be too dangerous to be near humans while we were still young and learning. We, well maybe just myself, wanted to live to prove that our parents did not die in vain. Their love lived on in us. In me. I wanted to prove our goodness, our worth. If ever I could…I would.