Mira - Prologue: Lost

Mira village.
It’d been a long time since he’d been here. A long time indeed.
Ferondir and he had been younger then. Children. Apprentices at the Wizard's guild in Castletown.
Yami’s cloak caught on a low hanging branch and ripped.
“Mmm.” he disentangled himself and continued down the main road.
Ferondir, a father. The last time he’d seen his rival was when they were at the journeyman’s trials. He’d been a scraggly, stupid, kid. Barely becoming a man.
He stopped to stand in front of a certain quaint house and examined the sign that adorned the door.
House of Master Ferondir and Shiallia Aroksson.
Yami chuckled softly, taking down his hood and stepping up to the house.
He knocked and, after a moment, Shiallia opened the door.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said.
“Yami!” Ferondir warned from the other room. “You can stop that right now!” He stomped over to stand behind and beside Shia. “That’s my wife you’re flirting with.” His frown broke, split by a wide grin. “Come here, you old pervert!” He pulled his old friend into a hug.
“You’re getting old,” Yami said.
“No more than you, Geezer,” Ferondir said.
Yami turned to Shia. “And are you going to let your husband leave such a decrepit old man as myself out in the cold?” He asked Shia.
“Come in, both of you,” said Shia. “The twins can’t wait to meet you.”
Yami stepped inside and Ferondir shut the door behind him.
“Twins?” Yami asked. “You didn’t say anything about that in your letters.”
“I didn’t know,” Ferondir said. “They’ve got souls that are so alike, I mistook them for one!”
Yami chuckled and sat down on the sofa. “You’re losing your touch.”
“I most certainly am not,” Ferondir said, joining him.
“Keep dreaming, buddy.”
Shia, meanwhile, left the two to talk and went to find her precious children, eager to show them off.
“Yami. I am so glad you could make it. The whole town’s in an uproar, and I don’t think I can handle it by myself.”
“Ah, yes, the celebration,” Yami said. “I’d almost forgotten about it.”
“Ha! Who’s lost their marbles now?” Ferondir said, standing up and heading into the kitchen.
“I said no such thing,” Yami said, twisting in his seat to keep up with Ferondir. “It is tomorrow evening, right?”
“It is.” He smiled. It seemed Yami had actually forgotten. He returned holding a tray with three cups and a tea kettle. “We weren’t expecting you until tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, I had a bad dream and thought I’d come early.”
“Hey! Old guys!”
They both looked up.
She was standing at the base of the stairs holding two unidentifiable bundles.
Yami and Ferondir set down their tea and rushed over to see the children.
Shia carefully uncovered the children’s faces and Yami gasped. “They must’ve taken after their mother because there is no way such gorgeous little children could take after your ugly mug.” He shoved Ferondir good naturally.
“Hey!” He pushed Yami aside and reached out to take one of the children.
“Ferondork!” She said, disallowing it. “You’ve already seen them.” She carefully handed the eldest by a moment girl to Yami.
Yami gave Ferondir a victorious smile. I win.
Shia poked her guest in the chest. “Drop her, and I rip out your tongue.”
Ferondir gave his look back. No, you don’t.
Yami smirked anyway and examined the baby. “Beautiful children, I can’t say it enough.” He looked up at Shia. “Have you named them?”
Shia shook her head. “I haven’t decided.”
“Ferondir Junior is pug headed, apparently,” muttered Ferondir.
“I said PIG headed, and we’re not naming them after ourselves,” Shia said.
“I think she looks like a Ferallia.” Yami suggested.
“Yes!” Ferondir smiled.
“Absolutely not,” Shia replied.
“Well, why not?” Ferondir asked.
“That’s a stupid name!” she insisted.
“It’s both of ours put together!” Ferondir explained.
“It’s ridiculous,” Shia said. “She is not going to be a stupid girl. She’ll be smarter than either of us.”
“Okay, then, what else would we call Ferallia?”
“Well...” She thought hard. “Damn it all, it’s stuck now.” She crossed her arms. “Ferallia isn’t so bad anyway, I guess.”
Yami gave Ferondir a smug smile. “I just named your daughter.”
Ferondir pursed his lips. “I’m just as fond of the name.” He insisted.
Yami rocked the sleeping baby. “I just named your daughter,” he sang.
“Also,” he took her carefully out of Yami’s arms. “She’s mine.”
They talked well into the night, but couldn’t decide on a name for the boy.
Finally, Shia convinced them it was far too late to reasonably make a decision, and they retired to their respective beds.
...
The next day, Yami was interrupted from his morning ritual of reading a fanciful book when Ferondir burst through the door.
“YOU!” His host shouted. “You have to leave!”
Yami, hardly phased by this after growing up with three brothers, looks over his book at his old rival calmly. “What’s gone wrong now? I didn’t do whatever it is you think I did.”
“I don’t have time to explain! Just help me get everyone out of Mira.” Ferondir said. “Please.”
Yami closed his book, set it on the chair beside him and stood. Ferondir wasn’t teasing. Something horrible was happening. “Of course.” He left.
Ferondir continued through the house. “SHIA!”
He ran up the stairs, and almost crashed into her.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, calming his agitation with her hands oh his shoulders.
“There’s a Watcher. But like nothing we’ve ever seen.” He pushed past her and looked into the bedroom. “Where are the twins?”
“Ferondir!” Shia said. “Stop! Is it here?”
He looked back at her. He’d been worried on many occasions, but never looked as anxious, nor as old as he seemed now. “You must take our children and leave with the others. I’ve got to stop this.”
“Feron-” she started to say, but he’d already ducked into the room, returned, and placed their son and daughter in her arms.
“Go,” Ferondir said.
She opened her mouth to argue.
“NOW!” Ferondir said.
She turned and ran downstairs. She looked up at him. “Be careful!”
“I’ll catch up!” The first and last time he’d lied to her. “GO!”
He watched as the three most important things in the world disappeared through the door.
He shook his head and flung open his apprentice’s door. “Stirling!”
The Zora started and dropped the amulet she’d been holding. “Master?” She asked. Getting to her feet and taking a small bow.
“You’ve got to go. Shiallia and the others have already gone. Take them to Castletown and keep them safe.”
Confused, she grabbed her pack and wand.
“No time!” Ferondir guided her roughly out. “Find them. Guard them with your life!”
He ran off to the east, the opposite direction that the villagers were running.
Still unsure of anything, Stirling the Zora joined the crowd, looking for any sign of Shia’s aura.
...
Meanwhile, Yami was doing his best to guide the village out of Mira as quickly as he could.
Shia caught up with him just as the remaining people left Mira.
Yami stopped, looking at the swaddled babies in her arms. “Where’s Ferondir?”
She said nothing.
A voice echoed to them, louder than the noise of panic and destruction around them. “Quod in corpus tuum pusillum cupio ex te qui hoc propositum debet esse, et sic erit--”
Shia looked back, understanding the spell.
“No!” She said. “Not that!”
Yami grabbed her arm.
“He’ll be fine. He’ll save Mira. He always does.”
“You’re wrong,” Shia said.
He realized she was crying.
“We always save it.” She shoved the bundles into his arms. "We save it, Yami. Us." A hardness had come over her voice. ”Take good care of them while I'm gone, Yami.” She pinned him to a post with her arm. “I mean it. If they have a single scratch when I get back...” she said, viciously. “A single scratch... you are dead, you hear me?" She let him go and sprinted back into the burning city.
Yami fell to his knees, gasping. “Yes Ma’am,” he muttered. He caught his breath and ran, never glancing back at the city that had stolen his heart.
Meanwhile, Ferondir was standing on the watchtower, great tendrils of energy wrapping around him.
The beast drew nearer to the spot. It towered over the trees and buildings. A living fiery blaze, spewing smoke into the air, darkening the sky.
He continued to read aloud from the book.
Shia stepped up beside him.
“You can’t do this!”
Ferondir looked at her but said nothing. One misplaced word and the spell would splinter and rebound onto him.
“It takes two wizards!”
He shook his head, but she’d already taken hold of his arm and placed her other hand on the book.
This is why I married you, you crazy bastard, he thought.
She could see it in his eyes and nodded. “Quod in corpus tuum pusillum cupio ex te qui hoc propositum debet esse, et sic erit.” They chanted together. “Quod in corpus...”