The secret doors to Zachaia

Prologue

Her only thought was to get back to her boys.
Running through mud and snow, ice-cold wind stinging her aged face, Stella kept running. She had to make it to the door.
Zane and Sam, her grandchildren she raised from a very early age, without knowing, were the key to everything. They were also in danger from the very thing chasing her now.
Stella was within a few metres of her safety when they stepped out in front of her blocking the path. Seeing them, Stella slowed down and finally stopped. She had forgotten how big they were, never showing their face, always covered with torn and dirty hoods from the trench coats that dragged on the ground behind them.
Cowards, they never looked her in the eye, they knew! They knew what would become of them if they dared.
Unless. Surely not! She kept repeating in her mind, and then she heard the heaviest of footsteps behind her.
Stella now knew he was behind her, and also realized how they had been so quick to get here. She slightly shook her head in disbelief at her stupidity, before turning slowly to face him.
There were no words spoken, not a sound except the whistling of the bitterly cold winds circling around them. Looking up at him, her usual calmness started to become shorter, sharper breathes. He had grown since the last time she had seen him, he was so much taller and broader, but his smell? Never got any better. He was foul.
With the slow movement of his gesturing hand to those behind her, she felt them take her arms. Their hands were so big and easily wrapped around her limbs like twigs, but still she remained looking up into the shadow of his hood, seeing nothing except the condensation flowing from underneath it with each breathe he took.
Stella knew what was about to happen, she had to remain focused and calm when she saw him drop to a knee in front of her, before fully kneeling and having his face directly in front of hers.
This was it, she knew it, his huge arms slowly came up to his hood and started removing it. Stella slowly shut her eyes.
With only thoughts of Zane and Sam, she opened them slowly.