Unbound #onceuponnow

Chapter 1

Twinkles of embers fluttered up into the black cloak of the sky, dancing with the stars overhead until the smoke devoured them with one thundering gulp. Broken symphonies of screams punctured the thunder as flames washed over the streets and into the trees. Blazes messily tangled themselves amongst leaves with a cackle and gnawed at the edges of branches. The lumber snapped, tumbling onto the gate and into the bridge flooded with villagers. Flames snapped out at the villagers on the edge of the bridge, spilling off the burning lumber like a dam, as the wood collapsed. The villagers backed away and stared at their fellow men-their kin-in arms or bare flesh fall into the void of the pit below.

Their cries echoed in the others' ears until deafening silence was all they could hear. They raced from the edge into the fiery maze of their former home. The soles of their feet tore across the barren ground, blind to the feel of dead earth-and cold flesh. Howls erupted into in the air as molten flanks of wolves rose from the ashes. Bright, red tongues dragged over their basaltic maws, crackling in the wind, and with one last howl, pounced on the remaining villagers' heels. As the villagers fell one by one, the smoke of the onslaught climbed up along the vines of a tower.

A grin crept across a woman's lips, a lone fang glinting over her bottom lip. She slumped against the edge of the window with a sigh. "I should have done this, years ago. Everything is lovelier this way."

She chuckled at one of the wolves sinking its teeth into a villager's collar when another stabbed it in the side with a pitch fork. The wolf toppled to the side, whimpering as the villager dug his pitch fork into the wolf again. He turned to the fallen villager when she shakily rose to her feet and tackled him to the ground.

"Finally." The woman clapped her hands together, her grin reaching her eyes as the woman below wrapped her hands around the man's jugular. The woman's next words dripped with venom. "My medicine finally brings out a human's true nature."

The villagers soon began attacking one another while the wolves sunk back into the shadows and ash. The woman flicked her eyes from one scene to the next. The village below was soon devoured in a whirl of bloody gold, fear no longer corroding the villagers' senses. But anger pulsing beneath the infected's black veined flesh.

"Though, I suppose it's a shame that you couldn't be down there to 'save them.' Isn't that right," The woman's fingers drummed against the window sill with a hum, "Hero?"

A choked wheeze answered her as the man behind her spat blood across the floor. He slammed his fist against the cobblestone and croaked, "Why?"

The woman's grin dissolved, her lips tightening into a scowl. The man gritted his teeth, slamming his fist again and cried, "Why!"

The woman drew away from the window and turned towards him. His one eye not welled shut by blood stared at her and felt his heart roar in his chest. Her violet slits bled over green sclera narrowed on him. She dragged her nails down the wall, an eerie screech shaking the air around them.

"Why?" She said. "Why, you ask." She cupped her hand around her ear, listening to the chaos spewing beneath the tower. "Because of them." She stepped closer to him and grasped his chin in her hand. "Because of you."

The man glared at her, eliciting a cold chuckle from her.

"You really are only good for glaring aren't you?" She let his head drop and trekked back to the window. "This-" She pointed to the window, her nostrils flaring. "-is the precious humanity you wanted to protect. Do you still think this is worth your life? Your soul?"

The man mumbled something under his breath. The woman arched an eyebrow, turning back to him.

"What?"

The man mumbled again. The woman's lips curled back into a snarl as she slammed her iron clad boot into his side. Blood splattered over the floor, the man curling into a ball at the pain burning through his body. The woman growled, raising her foot back once more and froze when he clenched her ankle.

"Rip your words off the page," he spluttered, "And track them through the world into a new age."

The woman's heart skipped a beat. She stumbled back and ogled the man.

"I...still believe in those words." He staggered to his feet. He wiped the blood trickling down his chin with back of his hand, forcing his bloody eye open. Crimson swirled in the white of his eye, yet couldn't simmer the flame burning beneath. He gripped the hilt of his sword and squared his shoulders. "And I'll never stop believing in them until I make them a reality."

The woman blinked at him and stared at their scattered reflections on the shattered edge of his blade. She shook her head. "I wish I could believe in them too." Flames suddenly engulfed her hands, the violet slits of her eyes glowing icily. "Let's see which one of us is right."

The man ignored the throbbing in his muscles, forcing his arms back with his sword raised above him. A cry tore from his throat, echoed in the woman's as they charged towards one another. He screamed-

"-HANDS OFF MY HUSBAND!"

Alfil skid to a halt, sliding under the flame that shot out towards him. He rolled along the floor until he reached the corner of the tower. He tore his gaze away from the crackling fire, screams, and woman ready to tear his throat out to ogle the tiny bed of unruly hair propped on the edge of the stage. He swallowed thickly, feeling a bead of sweat caress his cheek as the child hauled herself up. A tangle of arms yanked the girl back from the stage only to jump away as she kicked back at them.

"You think you can escape so easily!" The woman growled.

The fire in her hands crept over her arms and devoured her frame. The flames danced around her, twirling the flesh from her body in a flurry of black ash. Her bones crackled with each jerk of her limbs that grew until the top of the tower collapsed. Black scales bloomed across her muscles and spiraled down her neck to engulf the rest of her body. Obsidian wings, darker than the night raging over them, sprouted from her back. A growl rumbled in her chest as her jaws opened, unleashing a roar that made the very wind tremble. The flames destroying the village glistened along her fangs. Her scaly lips curled back into a snarl as she dragged her claws against the floor with a screech.

Yet, the man didn't spare her a glance; his eyes widening on the child finally pulling herself up onto the stage.

"Alfil." Röska hissed underneath her breath. "I'm over here."

The child rose to her feet, her eyes twinkling as they locked on Alfil's. She squared her shoulders and yanked out the wooden sword tied around her waist. Hushed whispers from the audience trying to beckon her from the stage fell on deaf ears.

She raced towards the dragon and pointed her sword out towards a claw. She jabbed the wooden blade against the scales until it shattered. She glanced at the sword with a huff and began kicking the dragon's claw.

Röska stared down at the girl and back at Alfil before another whirl of flames engulfed her. She shrank into her human form, holding her torn dress around her shoulders. The girl scrunched her nose at her, sending the tip of her sparkling, untied tennis shoe against her shin. Röska yelped, pulling her leg back with a groan. She hopped back from the girl, tangling her feet amongst her torn robes, and toppled to floor.

The girl punched her fists into the air at the slow eruption of applause from the audience. A grin stretched across her lips as she turned back to Alfil. She scurried over to his hunched up frame, digging her hand into her pocket until a band-aid came out. She peeled the band-aid from its wrapping and leaned over Alfil.

"Stay still." She said to a squirming Alfil. She stretched her arms out and pressed the band-aid over a gash on his cheek. "Perfect."

She leaned in and brushed her lips over the band-aid before wrapping her arms around his neck. A chorus of awes came from the audience as they burst into another, louder round of applause. The curtain speckled in crystalline stars rolled down while the girl nuzzled her cheek into the crook of Alfil's neck.

Alfil leaned away from the girl, her grip growing tighter the more he moved. As the curtain rolled down, she nuzzled her cheek into the crook of Alfil's neck when a flash of light flickered in the audience.

Her lips hovered over his ear, giggling, "This is going in our wedding album."