Clouds of ash escaped from beneath the rider’s moving feet, smoke billowing from the burning carpet. Rising and howling around him, the flames twisted into a tunnel around the rider, finally conceiving defeat.
The soothing green of the woods rose behind the burning wall, their cool depths untouched by the sickening smell of melting flesh. The horse stood slightly into the woods, its body wavering in the haze of heat. It eyed the rider nervously, its body twitching in fear.
Glinting metal rose and fell by his side, the sword hanging limp in his hand. Eyes in a dead stare, the rider seemed almost unreal. His silhouette grew against the wall of flames, wavering and growing as he drew closer and closer. The raging fire suddenly seemed to scream, crackling madly. The raging wall parted, the cloaken rider passing through, unharmed.
The inferno roared behind him, closing into itself, unable to spread further. The rider’s eyes focused on his horse, noting its troubled state. The charred grass crumpled beneath his feet as he walked slowly towards it. The soft carpet crunched into loose stones as the rider reached the road. He walked along it, following it into the woods to where the horse stood.
“Here girl, it’s over now,” the rider whispered gently, his voice soft, hand extending. The horse backed away slightly, turning its head. Its eyes looked out into the trees, following the ground. Turning, the rider’s eyes swept out along the ground, his eyes widening as he took in the scene.
Bodies lay scattered about the trees, most stretched out along the ground, some slumped against the trees themselves. He stepped closer, walking off the road. His eyes swept them over again – all seemed motionless, and a deathly, charred white.
Turning to the horse, the rider eyed it in confusion. Its ears were up, eyes alert, staring intently into the woods, as if someone was there. But no one was, they were all gone. The smoke had killed them all, it had to.
“Come on girl, we have to get out of here. They’ll have seen the smoke by now, and they’ll be coming-“ the rider suddenly froze, unbreathing. His fingers tightened around the sword, ears alert. The space behind him started into a mangled, rasping cough. Spinning around, the rider’s black eyes met with hazy, moonslight ones.
Lucas gasped, his eyes fighting to open against the swimming world around him. Slowly blinking, his eyes threatened to roll away again. His lungs exploded into a rasping cough, struggling desperately against the mangling hold the smoke held against them.
Blinking faster, his mind slowly came back to him, hazy though it was. His eyes focused painfully, the trees swirling around his vision till finally settling into a reasonably motionless position. His senses slowly returned to him, the first being pain. A stick dug into his cheek, and his hands both felt like they were impaled on something. His legs were twisted beneath his body, and his back throbbed.
The stench of burning flesh hit him next, making his stomach churn. Then the smoke. The smoke, entwining stronger and stronger around his lungs, slowly chocking out every remaining wisp of oxygen, taking over every sense. His head throbbed, his brain starved of its life giving air.
The ground before him shifted, a pair of boots standing a few inches away from his eyes. He felt his mind give a warning single, but all he managed was a dying moan. The boots walked away, maybe behind him, he couldn’t tell. The world slowly started spinning, the pain in his mind and chest spreading. His eyes made out horse legs, then closed.
The horse knelt beside the near lifeless body. Tugging at his arms, the rider rolled the boy’s body over towards himself, a horrified gasp escaping his lips. The once body of a little girl, now a flattened bruised mess, stared with open eyes up at the rider. Her lips were torn from inside, her nose a crushed, bloody mess, limbs blue and spread out.
“He tried to save your life,” the rider whispered hoarsely, tearing his eyes away. Grip tightening on the boy’s arms, the rider dragged him to the horse. Heaving the boy over the animal’s back, the thought flashed through his mind as to why he was doing this, but he pushed it aside. He had to do this; he couldn’t leave a body to die, knowing it had had a chance to live.
The rider clicked his tongue, the horse rising. Carefully swinging himself onto its back, the rider gently nudged it towards the road. Once back onto the cleared ground, they moved quickly, heading deeper into the woods. The sounds of trickling water slowly started to compete with the roaring flames as they advanced further. The rider pulled on the reins, stopping the horse in front of a bridge.
“I think this is where you were all heading,” the rider muttered more to himself then to the unconscious boy. He slid off the horse, leading it by the reins closer to the water. Clicking his tongue again, the horse slowly knelt to its knees. The rider grabbed the boy by the arms, dragging him off of the horse’s back and onto the grassy bank.
The smoke hung thick and heavy, but as the rider dragged the boy further down the bank, it slowly lifted. Laughing as it splashed over the rocks, the creek seemed unaware of the tragedy around it. The rider laid the boy’s body out along the bank, far enough away so that he wouldn’t roll in and drown, but close enough so that the coolness would revive him.
The rider’s gaze turned straight back up to his horse, not daring to look around himself. He clambered back up the bank, swinging himself onto the horse. Jarring it frantically, they spun around, galloping back towards the fire.
Several metres up the creek, the body of a boy lay still, his breathing steady.
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A/N: EEEEEEEK!!! I am so hyped! Yes! My ultra cool plot is thickening, the way I WANTED it to! *yay*
So, are you dying of suspense, or was this... flat? TELL ME!!! (first comment gets a dedication, unless you got the last dedication... that's just selfish :P ).
Seriously though, I'd LOVE some feedback! I am actually quite happy with how these scenes turned out. I'd been having quite some trouble with them (they were actually the cause of several major re-writes, and several awesome ideas too mind), and am really, REALLY pleased with the current results.
And hence, would love your feedback!!! lol
A little spoiler of what to expect of future chapter two uploads: REVEALING OF THE RIDER! Is our mysterious Rider male or female?
A DEEPER LOOK AT ZACH! Yes, my lovely hero.
MAYBE A HINT OF ROMANCE? It'll be one way... but it's VERY necessary :P
Comment, vote, fan?
Until next week,
Pixi
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Dragon's Tooth
FantasyOLD VERSION. PLEASE READ "The Blood of a Human, The Blood of a Dragon" FIRST. I wrote this version you're viewing now when I was much younger and much less mature. I don't even remember half of what goes on here. :) In 2010, I had an idea for a stor...
DT: Part 6 [edited 5/11/11 ddmmyy]
Start from the beginning
