The Scarlet Moon Chronicles

Prologue

PROLOGUE

His unwavering gaze pierced into hers making gooseflesh cover her arms, for at that very moment it seemed that like he was looking into the very depths of her soul. She quickly averted her eyes in fear of what he might see, but as she did regret quickly followed. She gasped as fear gripped her, its hold unyielding.

She soon found herself stumbling backwards away from him, falling in the process. She didn’t know what scared her most then the haunted eyes that that looked at her filled contempt and hunger or the creature that the eyes belonged to.

The creature whatever or whoever it was looked almost like a wolf, except for its size, it was huge, its grey black fur was caked with mud and what seemed to be blood. It stared at her for what seemed like forever its gaze so intense that it scared her.

 Finally it moved its gaze from her to the woods that surrounded them and started pacing; as it did she contemplated running but fear told her not too so she slowly started to back away until she bumped into something solid.

 She looked up to see the bare branches of a tree reaching towards the grey colourless heavens. The greyness was so overwhelming that even the suns light couldn’t penetrate. Her gaze fell back down to see the creature was looking at her only then did it occur to her that his eyes were blue, a deep piercing blue that was so starting she let out a gasp of surprise.

 It sauntered toward her until all that lay between they’re faces was a tense eight inches. She sat absolutely still not moving a muscle not even breathing as it leaned forward taking a deep whiff of her scent but as he did the trees started shaking throwing a breeze here and there howling in rage and suddenly everything was quite.

The atmosphere was suddenly deathly silence until the sound of a branch cracking seeped through the quite causing her to shiver at the unknown threat. She searched the clearing before her just as the creature did.

Its fur was bristling; its body was tense, and seemed to be positioned in a way that almost seemed protective. It took a step forward before tilting its head back and let out a bloodcurdling howl, filling the air with its war cry paralyzing her with fear.

That’s when they’re silent enemy seemed to appear out of the dense woods in front of them.  His wavy shoulder length hair fluttered over his ageless face and his startlingly white cloak billowed in the breeze, and right then he seemed like an angel, the angel of death that was for in one hand he held a sword that glinted with blood lust in the other was a shield with a Sigel that she couldn’t comprehend. He wore no armour or chain mail only a loose woollen tunic, yet to her it seemed armour wouldn’t have benefited him.

His  eyes danced with a challenge that the creature held for him but instead of charging as she had expected him to do, he forced his sword into the ground so that it stood there reminding her eerily of the tales her brother used to tell her as a child of King Arthur and the Sword in the Stone.

“Give me the girl and I’ll let you live,” he requested in a velvety voice that was filled with promise but his face twisted into a cruel smile making her shudder, “I might even lift the curse,” he said to the creature before his face suddenly morphed from the cruel smile to one that was almost likeable, his coal black eyes glinted with a secret as he held out his gloved hand for her as he locked his gaze on her.

“Come now, I’ll save you from this retched creature,” his voice filled with venom when he spoke of the creature, yet he face still held the soft smile.

 Before she could even speak or make a move the creature let out a feral growl and was hurtling toward the man with speed that she didn’t think possible for him to possess, but the man was equally fast for he had collected his sword and shield and was ready for it.

They lunged, dodged, and danced the dance of battle and she did the only thing that she could do and stood there leaning heavily on the tree as she watched awestruck.

Nobody in the clearing seemed to notice the thunderstorm that was brewing overhead, the skies rumbled again the clouds becoming heavy with the precipitation that it held until it could hold no more and let one a single raindrop free. The drop free fell to the earth over sliding over various tree branches, leaves and plants until it finally it landed, right slap dab in the creatures open mouth as it lunged toward the man.

Everyone watched in awe as the creatures started convulsing, its fur rippling and shimmering as it started to fall to the ground in tuffs of black fur. It let out growls, howls, and whimpers of pain as his limbs and bones started to bend, break, and regrow as they changed forms. No one seemed to understand what was happening, except for the man.

He lifted his sword grasping the hilt in both hands as he brought it down right at where the creatures’ heart would have been. The girl had been too preoccupied watching the creature to have noticed the man in time, letting out her plea of protest too late. She watched in horror as a mere few feet in front of her lay a boy.

A boy with thick shaggy mud and blood caked hair and with eyes the color glinting blue gems, with a sword pierced a few inches away from his heart gasping haggard breaths of air that would be his last as he struggled foreward  to pull the bloody weapon out of his body, succeeding only to find himself in more pin and all the more closer to death as blood pooled out of his wound.

As realization of the events that were happening hit her she found control of her limbs return and the next thing she knew she was running and kneeling next to him. She didn’t seem to be aware of the sword that lay on the other side of him covered in blood or the man that loomed a few feet behind them, she had eyes for him and only him.

 He smiled weakly at her lifting his hand to brush a tear drop that she hadn’t realized was there before dropping it as he winced in pain grabbing at his wound, where blood was spilling continually. She watched as he tried to get up only to fall to the ground. Tears streamed down her cheek falling to the ground around her reviving the dead ground with flower, but neither she nor him noticed as he looked up into her eyes taking one of her small hands between his big calloused ones.

“You must promise me something, you must save us, you and only you can do this,” he instructed his eyes pleading as he gasped out the words. She nodded though she knew not what he was getting her into, but before she could word her thoughts, the man interrupted her.

“She won’t be able to save anyone if she’s dead,” she turned around just in time to see the man bringing down his once fallen sword on her.

Andrea Kora Brandink woke up screaming for dear life.