Ynnam smelt the fire before he saw it. The acrid, musky scent of burning wood crept into his nostrils, informing him that his home was ablaze. A ball of flame burst through the window, shattering what remained of it and showering Ynnam in glass shards. A pained groan escaped his father. Ynnam saw to his horror that a shard of glass was embedded in his eye. The temperature inside the attic climbed higher and higher as the flames licked through the wood.

“Out! Got to- *cough* -get out now!” Ynnam’s half-blind father flailed in panic, choking on smoke, before unbolting the hatch and careening down the ladder. Ynnam wanted to wake up in his hammock, realising this was only a nightmare, but there was no such luck. Assembling the last vestiges of his bravery, he timidly followed after his father. The leech slithered after him. The ladder creaked as he tentatively descended it. A half-cackle, half-shout greeted Ynnam when he reached the bottom. Looming above him in the corridor was the red eyed man. His body was taut and glistening with sweat. Craggy piles of stone sprouted from his skin. Pupil-less eyes were within inches of Ynnam. With one swift motion, the naked man swept him into his arms, as he kicked and bit in a bid to escape. The man’s bare feet creaked across the floorboards as he started to run out of the house, with the terrified boy flung over his shoulder. Abruptly a loud crunch sounded and a cascade of charred rubble fell on top of the pair of them. Ynnam seized this miraculous opportunity and broke free of the man’s grip. He felt hot scraps of wood burn his flesh as he pushed through the rubble covering them both. A stone-encrusted hand burst from the rubble and caught on to his leg as he tried to escape, but with great effort Ynnam was able to free himself. The leech bravely coiled around the flailing arm and sank its fangs into its rocky flesh. Ynnam sprinted through the corridor, down the stairs to the ground floor. Tears stained his cheeks. His father was nowhere to be seen. Ynnam burst through he front door and out into the cold outside, feeling thankful that he’d put on his winter clothes before the Sentinels arrived. An army of grey-uniformed figures encircled the farm. Silkworms lay dead and decaying on the ground, their once white bodies now blackened and charred. Not even the animals would be spared from the carnage.

“There’s one! Over there!” A Sentinel spotted Ynnam and pointed in his direction

A loud thud sounded behind him. He turned and saw the naked man had broken free of the rubble and was limping out of the house towards him, the leech hanging limply in his grasp. Ynnam sprinted towards the barn, hoping to hide amongst the straw or under a silkworm carcass. The snow was lit by an orange glow, created by the fire that was engulfing the farm. Ynnam dared to hope he might survive once he was halfway towards the barn. A group of Sentinels were not far behind him. Reaching the barn, Ynnam was breathing rapidly from a combination of terror and exhaustion. He prized open the barn doors and slipped inside before the Sentinels or the naked man could catch him. Using all his remaining strength he fumbled to slot a beam of wood across the barn doors then secure it place, locking the Sentinels out. Ynnam’s pursuers rammed into the doors, making the wood stiffen but not give way. It wouldn’t hold forever, he understood.

“Help…” a weak voice rasped behind Ynnam

Turning, he saw a crumpled figure laying in one of the barn’s silkworm paddocks. Ynnam padded over nervously and surveyed the figure. His clothes were singed, bits of his hair were missing, a spiky shard of glass was sticking out of his eye and his legs had been reduced to two black stumps.

“Son…” croaked the man, with a pleading expression in his eyes

“Papa!” Ynnam wailed

“Shush. Ssh. Shush now. Son, I need your help. My crossbow- *cough*- is just here” Ynnam’s father brushed his fingers over his straw covered crossbow “I’m not… I won’t be able to…” Ynnam’s face contorted into an agonised expression of pure sorrow, realising what his father needed him to do.

“I can’t papa. Don’t make me”

“It just hurts too much. I’m done for either way. Just do it. Please. Go find Jurva and Urye. They’ll look after you”

Ynnam grabbed the weapon with quivering hands, hearing the Sentinels shouting and trying to break through the door as he did so. His father wheezed and spluttered as he awaited his end. Ynnam strained his little muscles and loaded a bolt into the crossbow. Not wanting to disobey his father even now, he discharged a bolt into his father’s face.

Unable to stay and mourn, Ynnam scrabbled inside a pile of hay and tried to silence his sobbing. A loud crunch sounded near the barn’s door, indicating that the beam of wood had finally broken. Loud footsteps traipsed through the piles of straw. A clamour of murmurs rose in volume until Ynnam could hear what was being said.

“Salvage what meat you can from him. Leave the little one for me” a deep, throaty voice cut though all the others

Ynnam clasped his hand painfully tight over his mouth, stifling even the most minute noise. The hay made his skin itch. Loud thumps and crashes sounded outside. Ynnam’s vision was limited to a small opening in the hay pile, through it he could see the parade of Sentinels combing through the barn for him. He was suddenly taken by surprise as he felt a slithering, wriggling thing brush past his leg. Turning to investigate, as silently as he could, Ynnam discovered his pet leech hiding amongst the straw with him. He was relieved that it had escaped from the naked man’s grasp somehow, though it did look a little worse for wear thanks to its earlier scuffle. A quiet hiss escaped the leech’s maw as he stroked it. He was thankful he wouldn’t die alone, at least.

“No sign boss. D’you think he got away?” a Sentinel asked impatiently

“No. He’s here. Keep looking” the naked man’s deep voice called out, sending a chill down Ynnam’s spine

The leech started to become agitated, as if trying to tell Ynnam something. He squinted at the creature, through his tears, trying to understand what it wanted. Abruptly the slithering animal wrapped its slimy, phallic tail around Ynnam’s arm and started dragging him from the hay-pile. Ynnam writhed, knowing his cover was surely blown. The leech was too strong for Ynnam to break free of its grip. He tumbled out of the pile and was tugged across the barn’s floor. The leech wormed its way forward, wrenching Ynnam towards the back of the barn. His eyes welled up with self pity. He waited for the end to come, either at the Sentinels’ hand or the leech’s.

“I see him! On the ground just there!” A Sentinel crowed excitedly

Ynnam saw the naked man’s bright, red eyes spot him as he was being dragged. A cavalcade of charging Sentinels zoomed towards Ynnam. Suddenly, the leech released its grip. Ynnam, now free, scrambled backwards across the floor, desperate to escape and to live. He came to a sudden halt as he collided with something soft and bristly. Turning to see what he’d bumped into, Ynnam saw a huge, fat silkworm sat against the barn’s back wall, and heard it chittering softly. An urgent, frenzied hiss escaped the leech. Only now did Ynnam understand what it was trying to say. Mustering up his strength, bravery and resolve, Ynnam leapt on to the Silkworm’s wrinkly back, straddling it. He dug his heels into the beast’s flank, urging it to move. The milky, white creature reared upwards in annoyance, letting out an angered chitter, before swiftly wriggling its way towards the barn’s open doors. Sentinels leapt aside as the enormous creature stormed past them. The red eyed man swore and stamped his feet in rage. The leech ducked down, ready to attack, before leaping at a Sentinel and clamping its black, wet lips down on their face. Ynnam was rocked by another wave of grief as the naked man grabbed hold of the leech and squeezed down hard. As his fist clenched, fire crept up the creature’s body, lighting up the barn with a fiery glow and making the leech squeal in pain. It was giving him time to escape, Ynnam realised. Sat aside the silkworm, he was carried along by the creature at breathtaking speed across the snow and into the twilight far beyond the ruined farm, away from the Sentinels.