This is a story I hope to get published sometime soon. I am going to send the first few chapters into publishers and hopefully, if they like it, they will accept it. But before I do that I wanted to see what all of you thought. This is the Prologue to my book 'Flames of Twilight'. I hope any readers out there can give me advice about my writing.
The sky was streaked with a bloody crimson, making the dark, black clouds seem even more menacing then they already appeared to be. The land that stretched before me was shrouded in a darkness that no light, it seemed, could ever penetrate. The land rumbled with anger and rage as the long battle down below me continued nonstop, and it felt as if the earth itself was going to shatter under my talons. The scent of cold blood stained the air, a scent I had gotten far too used to. This horrifying death scent struck fear into most, giving one the sense of doom, but it brought horrific pleasure to others.
Death followed soon after the darkness clouded our fair kingdom, and the deaths and slaughters only brought more darkness. There were beings that took delight in others pain and suffering, and these beings were the cause of this seemingly endless bloodshed that threatened the beautiful land of Aranna. They were the ones who had brought all these years of endless war and butchery. Not even the youngest or feeblest of creatures had been spared by these demon-like creatures from Hell. They were mutants; creatures composed of pure darkness, the deadly monsters that lurked in the minds of children, except far more real. It was a known fact that these demon creatures were some of the most ruthless and cruel creatures to ever walk these lands.
No. I thought firmly, correcting myself. They weren’t even close to the most ruthless creature in existence. After all, I was almost exactly the same as those mutated monsters. In fact, I was no different from them at all. Except for one thing; I was free. I was not bound by magic to the one who had changed me into the being I was, like the other demons were. No, I may look like them in every way possible, but I was on the side of good, not evil. Those creatures were once good, just like any other being, but they were altered by an evil man. An evil man who struck fear into every being alive, even his own minions. This evil mans name was DreadKill.
I replayed the name over and over again in my head. My dark crimson eyes burned with fury as the name echoed inside my mind. My whole body began to shake with rage, becoming angrier every time the name was repeated in my mind. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but I knew that I would fail. I tried to block the old memories of long ago from entering my mind, but I couldn’t keep them away.
There was a time long ago that I was just like any other being. A time when I didn’t strike fear into those who passed by me. A time when my allies weren’t afraid to call me ‘friend’. Yes, there was a time when I was what everyone called ‘a normal being’. But that was a long, long time ago. That was before the Dark Ages fell upon our once noble and peaceful world, and plunged so many lives into darkness for all eternity. Ever since the Dark Ages came, no one could even remember the meaning of ‘Hope’.
The arrival of the Dark Ages seemed very subtle at first. There were a couple of disasters and times slowly got difficult, but difficulties always happened so we assumed they would eventually pass. Never did we think that something so terrible could actually happen. Something that would destroy the lives of so many individuals, and bring so much needless pain and suffering. We were wrong.
I turned my head when I heard a whimper from behind me. I didn’t see why this whimper was any different from any other whines and cries, since there were so many around me, but something drew my attention. The whimper was issued from a massive golden winged wolf, a couple of humans at his side trying to bandage up a fetal looking gash along his side. He moaned weakly, flinching every time the humans attempted to help him. I almost pitied him, but all of us knew that there was no room for pity in our world. Not anymore.
“Stop whining,” one of the humans snapped impatiently. “Do you want our help or not?” The winged wolf instantly fell silent, his wings drawn closer to his side as he twitched once more. I could tell that he was in a lot of pain, despite the numbing herbs the humans fed him.
I looked away, and couldn’t help but glance around at the rest of the suffering creatures in the camp.
A dragon lay motionless in a heap on the ground, blood seeping from an open gash on his underbelly. I guessed that she just made it back, but no one could save her from her fetal wounds. A human lay crying by his dragon, stroking her eye ridges as if he hoped it would bring her back.
A drake lay on his side, panting hard because of his torn wing. A couple of the human healers were tending to it, but it didn’t look as bad as it could’ve been. He was lucky to get attention for it so quickly, or it might’ve gotten infected.
Healers hurried all over the camp to heal the mortally wounded, but I couldn’t help but feel that some might not make it. Their lives lied in the hands of Soa now, and only he could choose whether to take them or to save them. A healer could only do so much.
Some of the unharmed, or at least those well enough to fly, anyways, lined up at the side of the plateau, staring down at the raging battle below. By the looks of things, neither side was winning, nor losing. The Ground Unit would need to hold strong, or retreat. They would need our assistance soon, but I didn’t think we’d get there soon enough.
The Sage and Bow Units stood up on the higher cliff tops, firing flaming arrows and powerful spells down at the enemy. Their blows were strong, but the odds were against them. Even though the enemy didn’t have either of those strong and well organized Units, or any Units at that, they were large in numbers, and would be difficult to bring down.
I ruffled my sharp, blackish purple wings in displeasure. I glanced once more at the ruthless battle below, before walking over to the General, hoping to hear some good news.
“What is our current situation?” I asked General Kamear. He blinked his brown eyes in surprise, a little shocked of my silent approach. Standing next to him was his massive dark blue dragon, Rawz. He blinked at me curiously, but said nothing. I saw something flicker inside the Generals eyes, and assumed he was having a word or two with his dragon.
Our Aerial Unit had landed atop a nearby plateau to heal the wounded and rest, which was desperately needed for all of us. We had spent the previous night sleeping peacefully and gathering our strength, and so had the other Units. But the fighting instantly started up again at dawn, or at least, the ground battle did, anyways. Their leader, DreadKill, didn’t summon his dark flying creatures to battle, at least not yet. I guessed that he was using his weaker, more worthless black creatures to ware us down. I didn’t like to admit it, but this rest time was a huge relief on our behalf, for they were squeezing us like a viper squeezes its prey.
General Kamear shook his head with frustration. “Neither side seems to be winning, but it is quite obvious that both sides are losing,” he said finally. He paused to look at me, and I could tell that he was trying his best not to shudder. He did anyways, but I ignored his fear towards me. I was used to getting uneasy and fearful glances, and this was no different. It became apparent that me ignoring his shudder only made the General more nervous. He trusted me, sure enough, but humans had a tendency to judge others by appearance, rather than by heart. I didn’t blame him, for I would probably fear me if I was someone else as well.
He looked away quickly, and began to mount Rawz, who crouched down to allow General Kamear more leverage. “We still have enough of our Unit to go in for a fifth aerial assault. Let’s just pray that it’ll be enough.” Kamear continued, drawing his sword from its sheath.
“The battle is far from over,” I growled, letting the features on my muscular body stand on end. “It’ll take more than winning a couple of fights to win this war. It’ll take all week before our forces even begin to penetrate their main defenses, and that’s if we don’t lose anyone in battle! It would be easier to strike the main source.” I raked the ground with my long black talons, cutting through the hard earth like it was water. “Chop off the head, and the body will die.”
The massive blue dragon turned his head toward me, craning his neck to look at me directly in the eyes. You’re not suggesting an all out attack on their leader, are you? He asked, his worries echoing inside my mind. He’s far too powerful, and besides, I doubt any of us would get passed his main guards, let alone to him.
“Rawz is right,” Kamear agreed softly. “We’d be dead before we reached him.”
I snorted in disappointment, but knew nothing could be done about it. Instead, I walked off and decided to prepare myself for the attack. I knew that the battle was going to be rough, even if we did have the advantage of air.
I went over to the food storage area and gathered up a young buck to eat, tearing off large pieces for myself with my long sharp beak. I quickly finished it, and went to fetch quench my thirst. After a couple of gulps of some low quality water, I proceeded to sharpening my claws on a rock until the General announced the attack.
Finally, I heard his voice ring throughout the camp. “All who are well enough to fight get ready to fly!” Kamear shouted, his dragon rearing back and roaring loudly to get everyone’s full attention.
I could see that most of the Unit rushed over to the edge of the cliff, ready to take flight. I joined them along the edge, awaiting the order to go into battle. Dragons and riders, pegasus, gryphons, winged wolves, wyverns, harpies, drakes, and various other flying creatures stood at the plateaus edge.
I remembered how when I first joined this war many years ago how my body would vibrate with excitement and anticipation for a fight. Now I knew better. Now I knew that war was no party, and was the worst thing that could ever possibly happen.
“Is everyone ready?!” Kamear sounded once more, his dragon crouching down to get ready for liftoff. There were battle cries from the surrounding creatures, all of them ready for a fight. “Take to the skies!” he shouted, and his dragon leaped into the air, spreading his long wings and roaring his terrifying battle cry. At the exact moment of Rawz’s thunderous roar, the entire Unit sprang into the air, bellowing furiously. My powerful hind legs pushed me off the edge of the plateau, wings slicing the air like a dagger cutting into the flesh of an enemy, and taking me upward into the sky.
I felt a massive amount of heat boring into my back, and I saw that four drakes and two dragons were flying above me, their heated scales radiating warmth. I fell back behind them, noticing the obvious signs of a dragon or drake about to spew flames. They dove downwards and breathed a jet of flames toward the ground enemies, the deadly flames burning the enemy forces to ash.
Upon our arrival in the battle, DreadKill’s flying forces instantly sprang into a rushed flight, startled by the sudden attack. The two fighting forces joined into one, claws locking with talons in deadly combat.
Two winged wolves tumbled in the air close by me, snarling and snapping at each other. One was a dark gray color with a long face and amber eyes, the other a dark blackish purple color with longer claws and fangs. Its wings were jagged and dagger like, and its eyes were sharp amber.
Three demon-like dragons without riders outnumbered two gryphons, but the gryphons had far greater aerial skills that matched the dark creatures, but I knew that just one swipe from any of those dark dragons and it would be over. If the claws didn’t kill the gryphons, then the poison that laced their claws would.
A black drake glanced at me, eyes blazing with the thought of battle. I snarled in warning, raising my claw to strike at it. It turned in air to go battle another drake, completely ignoring my snarl. I blinked in surprise. The drake looked at me as if I was an ally, rather than a foe. I smiled. Since I looked just like the enemy, it could work out for me in many ways.
I heard a scream from behind me, and quickly wheeled to see a golden female dragon and her rider struggling with a massive black dragon that was over three times the female dragon’s size. I flung myself into action, clacking my beak furiously. My needle-like talons struck the dragons flank, forcing him away from the gold and her rider. The rider’s eyes glimmered with gratitude, and she veered her dragon to fly off and help her comrades.
I heard the beating of wings from my right, and I instinctively ducked, barely avoiding massive black claws. It was the same black dragon I struck down earlier, his pewter eyes clouded with shock and fury of being attacked by who he thought was an ally.
The black dragon was huge, with nasty spikes that protruded from his head, the backs of his legs and arms, and down his spine. He had a deadly retractable tail blade, a skill that only the demon-like dragons and drakes could use. He bore no rider, which didn’t at all surprise me because the enemies flying forces rarely had any rider at all. They followed the command of one being and one being alone, and that was their master; DreadKill.
I dodged the vicious tail blade that the dragon lashed at me, and swerved to rake his underbelly with my long, curved talons. He screeched, and broke away from my grip, purplish blood dripping from the deep wound. Lucky for him he was a dark creature, or the poisons in my talons would have killed him almost instantly.
The gash slowed him intensely, making him weaker.
Easy prey for me, I thought coolly. I sped underneath him, and than over him, dodging the slowed tail blade once again. I did a sudden back flip as he swerved his head and shot a jet of black flames toward me, and struck his wings, tearing into them. Blood stained my talons as I broke away from the screeching black dragon. He roared weakly, but couldn’t keep flying; he was far too wounded to continue fighting. His wings began to fold to his side, and he began a quick plummet, shrieking helplessly. Seconds later, he crashed into the side of the cliff side, dying on impact.
I noticed the enemy forces began to retreat, and I felt a burst of pride. Maybe things were finally turning around for us. Everyone gave a cheer of triumph, but I knew it couldn’t have been this easy. I flew high above the Aerial Unit, thinking deeply. Suddenly, there were gasps and cries from below me. I glanced around, and my eyes locked on a fast approaching figure. I squinted, and saw that it was the biggest black and gray dragon I had ever seen. Rage built up inside of me when my eyes fell on the rider, and instant recognition flooded into my mind.
“DreadKill!” I hissed as the huge dragon and DreadKill stopped in front of me. The dragon’s eyes glistened with a harsh intensity, and his rider smirked at me like I was no more than a speck of dirt on the edge of his sword.
“Well, well, well,” he growled in an inhuman voice. “Looks like we meet again, old friend. Looks like you aren’t as weak as I thought you were.” He grinned menacingly, pulling back his coal black hair. “I should’ve never let that curse fail, because you would’ve been quite useful to me. “But I suppose I can’t have everything, can I?”
I was too furious to even think. I screeched, and pushed myself as fast as I could fly. The dragon pulled back his head, and spewed a jet of yellow and black flames. I attempted to dodge, but I couldn’t escape the full impact of the blow. It struck my back, completely singeing my feathers. I tried to cry out, but the pain was too much for me to handle. I began to drop, my wings folding to my side and I began to fall toward the ground. I could hear the terrible laughter of DreadKill as I fell closer and closer to the ground.
This is the end of me…I thought hopelessly. Memories began to flood into my mind; memories of the darkest moments of my life, all horrible in their own way.
Me, a baby gryphon, huddled next to my younger sister in the roots of a half torn down tree, watching our parents being torn apart by horrifying creatures.
Urran, a small village my sister and I had found refuge in after the sickening event of our parent’s ruthless death.
My sister, dying in my talons, her blood staining the grass as I watched the last light of her life drizzle away from her eyes.
My heart began to ache for those losses, all caused by the same being who was killing me at this very moment.
“No!” I cried out, spreading my wings and stopping my plunge. The pain from my burns instantly leaked away, and was replaced with a sudden empowering motivation that drove me upward. I picked up momentum, and drove myself into the huge dragon’s side, knocking him off balance.
“Get back in there you stupid moron!” DreadKill snarled at his dragon, eyes wide with shock and anger.
I didn’t give his dragon the opportunity to recover. I climbed above him and his dragon, and plunged downward, talons extended and beak snapping. “This is for Kara!” I screeched.
I opened my beak, emitting one final screech, and fired an explosion of electricity at the two evil beings. DreadKill and the black dragon screamed in pain as the voltage was sent throughout their bodies. The dragon began to fold its wings in submission, not able to sustain flight, but I wasn’t satisfied. A new energy burst through me, and I sent another electrical wave to course through their bodies, destroying them internally. DreadKill gave one final cry of terror, before both dragon and rider disintegrated into nothing.
His death was followed by more thunderous cries of pain and terror, and I saw that all the demon creatures, both flying and ground, fell to the ground, dead.
I felt extremely dizzy, and my wing beats became slower, along with my heartbeat, and breath. I had used too much of my energy, I was dying! I closed my eyes, proud to have been the one to finish off DreadKill. I had won, I thought to myself. I had avenged my family’s death, and saved generations to come from utter destruction. It was over.
I felt my wings fold, my ears ringing and everything going black. The last thing I saw before passing out was an enormous blue figure flying toward me.