Blood And Fire

Sneak Peek into Awakenings and Retributions: Volume 2 of The Draconos Saga

Nick opens his eyes. Darkness continues to consume his vision. Panic fills him and he jerks convulsively only to find that his movements are restrained by a solid object that seems to completely surround him.

"Help!" Nick screams in terror. He starts to hyperventilate and nearly passes out again.

As his mind continues to reel from the predicament he is in, Nick's energy begins to wane. Eventually, he starts to calm due to exhaustion. The darkness continues and his body is still held fast in place, but gradually his pulse slows and his mind starts to contemplate.

Nick tries to recall his last memory from before being trapped. He remembers the battle in the City of Aldin. The city was in chaos, but he, Drake and the Enforcers of Aldin had made considerable progress in reducing the zombie threat. They had discovered that burning the animated corpses was releasing a deadly plague upon the city. Once they changed their tactics and got the assistance of Sparx and Pop to heal the afflicted, they seemed to have turned a corner their efforts.

Finally, the battalion of elite black dragons and riders had arrived from the Dragon Isles and were mopping up from the eastern coast of the city. The king's forces from Castle Aldin had also joined the fray, and the weather had started to help by dousing much of the fires consuming structures and trees.

But then what?

Everything had gone black. He does not recall anything until waking in this darkness. Though Nick is unable to move, he is unharmed. Further efforts at trying to establish some recollections bring none about.

Nick is stuck without a clue as to how he got here. Or even where here is...

Just then a door opens, allowing light to stab through the foreboding darkness. Though the actual intensity of the illumination is quite low, Nick's eyes are assaulted due to his time in the blackness. He squints as his eyes begin to adjust.

"Ah, Nickolas, you are awake", states Vlad in a pleasant voice. Its as if he was just starting idle conversation.

As Nick's vision begins to become accustomed to the introduction of light, he realizes that he is peering through eye holes that have been cut into whatever this contraption is that holds him. Because the light source is behind the individual addressing him, Nick can only perceive the silhouette of a tall person. From the sound of the voice, Nick identifies the individual as being male in gender.

"Wh-Who are you?" Nick manages to stammer out his question. The voice did sound vaguely familiar.

"My boy, it has been a very long time, hasn't it?" The soothing tones say.

Nick realizes that he has heard this voice before. But from where? And when?

"I don't know who you are", Nick replies. "How did I get here? And why do you have me trapped inside this...?"

"Communion Casket", Vlad supplies for Nick's lack of vocabulary. "And Nickolas, we are not strangers. Please, .... call me dad".

"What?" Nick's mind reels. He only has memories of his mother and even those are vague and distant. He never knew his father, or even recalls his mother ever talking of one.

"You were sent away from me when you were very young. I have been looking for you for a very long time".

Suddenly, the chamber they are in is lit as torches around the perimeter of the room ignite. The face before Nick is handsome, but pale. He recalls it instantly from the images Pop had shared with him back at Koalpan Bend. This is the vampire that had been striking deals with the Skiwa from the Rift Continent!

"You!" Nick exclaims.

"You recognize me", Vlad states. "Good. So your memories haven't completely eluded you". The handsome vampire smiles, revealing his perfect fangs.