Debtors Recompense - Alternate Introduction

This is the unfinished alternate Chapter I for Fire, Breath and Bones.

Debtors Recompense - Alternate Introduction

The flames of the blazing hearth reached out like the arms of a lover to the bare man who paced within their grip. He felt their warmth caress his skin, licking their scorching tongues against his thighs as he walked, though they could not harm him, this he knew. If another man were to walk in his place, he would certainly have suffered the bite of the flames. It was only him, for some reason unknown, whom could place his very hand into the hearth, plunging his fingers into the grasps of the embers, and could still feel nothing but their soothing touch. He was not entirely immune to the wrath of fire; with the exception of his hands, every other morsel of his body cried out in agony against the heat, yet his skin remained entirely unscathed. It was as equally a curse, as it was a blessing.

He continued to pace for several more minutes, before staggering to an abrupt halt. His eyes stared forwards, and in his eyes, there was absence. He was not here, in his mind, but somewhere else. Somewhere unknown, and somewhere far, far away. A voice called to him, whispering indistinguishably through his mind, beckoning him to a destination which was unclear. He resurfaced from his trance, diving into action as he whipped together his ragged clothes, buckling his sheath across his chest and veiling himself under the shade of his allusive cloak. As he rested his hand on the doorknob, he heard a whimper call his name.
"Connah, please. No." He remained frozen in his poise against the door, barely moving his head to face the plump woman who had appeared in the corner of the room.

She was not his mother, for she had died before he had the chance to know her. Instead, she was the meagre replacement; a dear friend of his father's, whom had raised him from his cradle. He inhaled sharply, bracing the imminent harm to her emotions, before whipping open the door and disappearing into the night. As he mounted his horse, the woman followed him, clinging to the brindle in a desperate bid to discourage him, continuously pleading "No, Connah, No!". The hooded man stabbed his heels into the horse, rearing him away with a sudden tug of the reins. The woman fell into the mud, sobbing uncontrollably as she watched the figure fly away into the darkness.

Author's Note

This is unfinished, and rather rushed...so I'm going to re-write it as soon as possible. This is the alternate intorduction to Fire, Breath and Bones - I felt like a more allusive start would help entral the readers, so please let me know how you felt!

The information about the kingdom, the king and the current situation of the land will be re-written in more detail to form a Prologue to the book, instead of being included within the first chapter. Again, I would love to hear people's preferences!