Dawn Of Prophecy

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Dawn Of Prophecy - book excerpt

Chapter 1

The wind rushed through his golden-brown hair as he ran full steam through the forest. Balls of flame flew past him, some crashing into the trees and others missing him completely, as he ducked and dodged his way through the forest. He looked back, only for a second as his purple rimmed blue eyes caught site of the bald person throwing the fire.

There were five of them chasing after him. They were cloaked in black and blended well with the night. The bald one was only easier to see because the moon reflected from his scalp. The other four covered themselves so he only saw shadows moving to each of his sides.

The ground suddenly rose in front of him, but instead of changing his course he simply ran with the ebb and tide of the land in front of him. He climbed and descended as quickly as he could. The ground fell back to its normal status as pillars of dirt and rock shot out of the ground before him.

He looked to the side and saw a person whose hand stretched out toward him. Clearly, he was controlling the ground and dirt that seemed to have a mind of its’ own. The hood that he wore fell back as he picked up speed.

Galdaro. He thought to himself. Of course, it would have to be you. More pillars of dirt shot from the ground toward him as he bobbed and weaved around and under them. He shot Galdaro a look and watched as Galdaro simply smiled with his pale chocolate lips stretching wide across his face.

He continued avoiding the attacks. Galdaro was only playing with him and he knew it, but he had to keep fighting to escape their grasp. Another pillar appeared before him, but instead of simply shooting up a mist formed around it.

He looked to his left and realized the female that trailed him was about to attack. The mist suddenly came together forming a ball of water that darted toward him. He looked at the water as it rushed at him and dove to the ground. The water made a hard turn and shot at the ground toward him.

He jumped back to his feet as pillars rose and water rushed toward him. I can’t keep this up. He thought to himself. Suddenly his head began tingling and a soft voice ran through his mind.

Give up already. You know we’re going to catch you. The voice sang through his head, repeating as soon as it finished.

He kept running, the noise driving him mad as it hummed through his brain, echoing off his skull. Somewhere behind him was Hans, the only one of the group capable of implanting anything within his head. He only had to outlast their attacks and the well of energy they had.

The ground beneath his feet suddenly changed to sand as the water split and changed into balls. Soon ice zoomed past his head as the female and Galdaro did everything to distract him. The voice constantly ran through his head relentlessly. He was making great progress, though, and still ran, though his feet sank deeper in the sand, even as balls of ice pelted him every so often.

The Hunters were not making this attempt to escape easy. Though the fireballs stopped, every ball of ice that shattered at his feet, or flew past him and every time the ground shifted slightly wore on him. The Hunters were relentless as he stumbled more frequently.

He had gone forty-five miles this time around, but it still wasn’t far enough. The group that chased him, the Hunters, always caught up no matter how hard he tried. He needed training and strength before he would achieve his escape.

The ground rose before him and he adjusted for it, only to have it suddenly fall as he placed all his weight down on it. He tumbled, rolled, and fell on his face. He moved his feet quickly as a vine raised from the ground and grasped the foot that moved.

His free leg bent forward, trying desperately to pull the other free, or break the vine that entangled it, but another vine wrapped around his leg. He was pinned to the ground. His arms stretched forward, clawing at the sand. He pulled with all his might, sand filling his hands, but to no avail. Two more vines grew from the ground and secured the struggling limbs.

Galdaro stood over him first. “Good job. You were quite impressive.” He smiled as his white teeth shined in the moonlight. Galdaro continued walking as the others passed.

He submitted, watching each as they passed him, except the bald person and the green. Anger filled him and he berated himself mentally.

The mentalist sent him another message. It is not your fault you’re so weak, you’re still only fourteen winters. His mind ran blank. Of course, you could be any age and we’ll still get you. A laugh echoed in his head and he cursed the Hans verbally.

Baldy shot an angry look at him as he approached. “Your father will have you back, boy.” He said.

“My father wants to ensure the prophecies of long before we arrived here never come true.” He shouted, glaring back at him. “Of course, you’ll never be anything, but a slave to my father Dego.” He yelled at the bald leader of the Hunters.

An ugly smile ran crossed Dego’s face as he walked past. “Bora the boy is yours. Hans, Galdaro and Padyn, meet in the clearing up ahead.” He laughed as he left the boy tied to the ground.

“King Ocelot will no longer accept your insubordination.” Bora said as the vines pulled the boys arms to his sides. Soon his entire body was wrapped in vines. “You will be taken to him and that will be the end of your story.” He said loud enough for the others to hear.

The vines snapped as he leaned to pick the boy up, slinging him over his shoulder. “You ought to have listened to me the first-time. I tried to save you from this.” He whispered to his captive. “They believe I’m one of them and you’re making it difficult for me to appear as anything, but one of them.”

The boy stared daggers into the ground as his captor carried him. It had only been five days. Better than last time, but he still could not manage more than forty-five miles. “I’m not fast enough.” He couldn’t help, but well up just a bit and let his tears fall.

“Claskan has offered to train you, yet you continue to flee before he has a chance. Allow him and his training will help you control your magic and transformation. Eventually your father will have us paralyze and possibly kill you.” He paused for a moment.

“I care about you, but my duty is to the King. I would dishonor my family and I refuse to do that without good cause. I know things have been rough and I will do what I can.” Bora was a rough and tall person. His shaggy hair hung in his face, which he kept clean shaven. As he spoke a sweet essence seemed to envelope him. He opened his hand slightly and the vines grip loosened.

They walked to the clearing where Bora lay the boy on his side, on the ground. The bundled-up boy watched as the five people began glowing a different color. The display was brilliant as the area lit up with an unnatural twinkling glow.

The transformation was also instantaneous. Where once stood several people now stood five towering dragons. The green and red dragons stood above two of the others, but the largest by far was the brown dragon Galdaro, who stood far above the treetops. His wings spread over the group as though it protected them from the elements, though the night was clear and little wind blew.

They all stood at least a dozen feet above the boy, staring down at the bundle. The green dragon, Bora, stretched its clawed paw toward him, scooping him up with a grace that someone with no ill will would. Bora, though rough looking, was also the gentlest.

The dragon’s arms acted as legs when they weren’t holding something, now he simply stood on three massive paws while holding the other in the air. His tail swooshed through the air at leisure, almost as though he weren’t in control of its actions. He was a magnificent giant with bright emerald green scales that did no justice for the battle hardened nature of dragon scales. Bora’s body was slender, unlike the broad chested red dragon that stood next to him.

The red dragon roared once as it stared at the bundle. The red dragon’s face was wide and looked to be all knowing, but red dragons were nothing, but brutes. The face of the red dragons had leathery tentacles that ran down at the tip of its snout, forming a long yellow mustache that ran far beyond the dragon’s jaw. It snorted, flame leaving its nostril in a show of power, and walked away from Bora.

The smallest of the five dragons was the blue dragon. She stood at half the height of the red and green dragons and by that standard the boy assumed half the weight. Though she was the smallest, she was still five times taller than he was and he stood nearly five and a half feet.

She was small, her arms were thin and looked like they could barely hold her up. Every step the dragon took was graceful and showed no sign of struggle. Her hind legs were muscular, leaving him to think they bore the most weight.

The dainty nature of the blue dragon showcased the beauty which she possessed. The boy watched as she stretched her wings out prepared to fly. Before he realized what happened she was gone, a blue flash darting into the sky. No doubt the blue dragon was the quickest of the group and her race was known to be the fastest of all manner of dragon.

Soon the red and green dragons followed suit, raising into the air, the green dragon’s tail flailing back and forth in rhythm with the flap of its wings. The red dragon flew ahead of Bora and the boy, its veiny wings raising and lowering faster than the green dragon’s own thin wings. The dragon was a dark dull red, like the eyes of a battle-hardened person whose life no longer mattered to them.

He imagined the red dragon could carry seven or more people side by side on its shoulders, whereas the green dragon who held him could maybe carry three. The two species were so similar, yet so different in nature. The green dragon allowed the red dragon to move ahead, the boy knew he was faster from the previous encounters they had.

He turned his attention back to the ground which moved further away from them, as the silver dragon spread its multitude of tiny wings. Its silver scales glinted in the moonlight blindingly as it slithered quickly using its whole body to leap to the sky. To the boy’s surprise, though it wasn’t the first time he had seen the dragon fly, it wormed its way through the sky. Unlike the other dragons in the group, the silver dragon’s body was snake like and had no legs.

It was simply all tail, which only the green and blue dragons seemed to possess. The silver was unique in shape and the way they flew. They never seemed to use their wings for actual flight, only during takeoff and the boy felt that was just a reflex. Once in the air they slithered like a snake and it was assumed they used magic to fly, but none knew for sure.

Finally, he watched as the largest dragon raised and lowered its massive wings. The brown dragon had the same build as a red dragon only twice the size. Its shoulders could easily hold fifteen or more people.

All around it a massive windstorm picked up as its wings raised and lowered. Trees rustled. Some toppled over. The area surrounding the massive dragon became dark and hazy as dust and dirt filled the air. The brown dragon was easily the heaviest and every time one took flight the area around it felt the effect. Its sheer size and weight made it the slowest dragon. Unless they were being attacked no other dragon flew nearby. Those that tried were simply swept away by the massive void left by the dragon’s flight.

The boy’s only thought was escape, even from this height he could still transform, but it would only last for so long. Even if he did the Hunters would just catch him. He needed training, but Claskan was his fathers’ military advisor and best friend.

***

They flew for nearly three hours. The sun just began to break the horizon, giving a golden glow to all that surrounded the dragon escort. They traveled low and he watched as forest turned into plain and plain turned into valley. Currently they flew over a river which the blue dragon, who slowed down considerably for the others, skimmed the surface.

Her wings created mist with every pump as she zig-zagged the surface. This, the boy thought, must be the natural behavior of a blue dragon. The blue dragon was unconcerned with the others, knowing that she could catch up to the silver, red and green at any time. The brown dragon was still some distance behind, higher in the air.

Even though Galdaro flew high, the land below felt the effects of his flight. Each powerful flap the dragon took caused the wind to kick up in the valley below. He flew further back out of respect for the others, and to the safety precautions placed on his people.

The rules that the King of all dragons implemented regarding dragon flight only restricted the places brown dragons could fly over and land. They were not allowed to fly over a town, they had to either divert their course, or transform and walk through the town and several miles beyond. Regarding landing, the dragons had to be at least a mile and a half from villages, towns and cities before they could do so. As a result, the brown dragon populace in human form were often thin.

The brown dragons could not fly over the King’s castle either unless it was in defense of the castle. Galdaro knew and followed these rules and the boy watched as, some miles back, Galdaro changed course and flew toward a forest that would take the punishment of his flight, without dispersing it to the castle, which was less than a mile away, but considered a designated landing area for the massive dragon.

Bora flew low over the land, giving the boy a better, unobstructed view. Leaving the river behind, he could see the slave town only a short distance away. As they approached the boy could see a wall of farms a mile thick surrounding the town.

In the fields stood slaves, wearily making their way to check their crops. He did not understand why the slaves were forced to grow these crops when the green dragons could simply use their magic. The magic would grow the fruit, or vegetable in minutes, saving everyone time.

Yet here they were, slaving over the field’s day in and day out. The boy had yet to see other towns within the kingdom in his fourteen winters, but he heard that many of them had no farms and used their slaves in varying ways. He watched as the slaves in the fields looked up to the dragon’s approaching, not in fear and not in awe, but in quiet acceptance of these people that came from the sky only fourteen falls ago.