Deliver Us Prologue

A man looked around as he took off his red cape. There was nobody around. Good. He vanished into the bushes again and draped the cape around a young girl holding two wrapped bundles in her arms tightly. "It's okay now. Let's go."

"Just a minute, Father." The girl whispered, her voice on the verge of breaking into tears. She looked down at the two babies in her arms. They both had dark auburn hair, one had a curl on the left the other on the right. Both baby boys opened their golden brown eyes. They looked up at their mother. She had long wavy auburn hair brighter than theirs with chocolate brown eyes. Her eyes were brimming with tears. "My beautiful sons..."

"Maria, we have to go now before they find us." The older man said. The girl looked at him, seeing the scars wherever she could see his skin. It wasn't long for them, but her sons have a chance. "The Gods will guide them to safety."

Maria looked at her sons again and nodded. She followed the older man out of the bushes toward the river. It was calm now, but she feared what would happen when the river got rough. Would her sons be okay? The man pulled out a basket large enough to hold the twins comfortably. She looked at her boys again. They noticed her fear and both of them began to cry. "Shh...I miei figli buona e tenera...Non avere paura e non avera paura." The babies hushed and were starting to fall asleep again.

The man quickly spun around hearing yelling. "Maria, hurry! They're coming!"

She gently placed her sons in the basket, then leaned in and gave them a single kiss on their foreheads as they fell into blissful sleep. "May the Gods guide you to safety." She carefully set the basket in the river and closed the lid. Her shaky hands let go and the basket began to flow with the river's current. She stayed sitting on her knees, watching the river take her sons away. She let her tears flow freely, her heart tearing into pieces. "Liberaci...per l'umanita."

***Deliver Us***