Prologue

Prologue

3 Summers Prior

 

            “Alakana,” the girl hissed, a slender hand angled toward the mage’s dark shadow. Light exploded from her fingertips and rapidly shot at the mage, Tenebris. He countered it with his own spell and a sharp-toothed grin of evil malice.

            “Engefill,” he crooned in a deep growl. Oily blackness erupted from his outstretched hand, wrapping itself around the blazing light.

            Leeka tore her hand away, cursing and narrowly avoiding the spreading tendrils of death. Waving an arm at the night sky in a wide arc, she murmured another spell and grinned when the violent wave of water rammed into Tenebris’ body, knocking him backward.

            He quickly flipped back onto his booted feet and angrily spat out the rancid water, licking his shriveled lips. “Mistake, girly.” He savagely grinned, his eyes locked onto Leeka’s. “Flexeon.”

            To Leeka’s horror, the branches on both sides of her began to unwind and wrap themselves around her thrashing body. The boughs tightened around her ankles and wrists, dragging her down, the spindly branches wrapping themselves around her torso. Their curved thorns dug into Leeka’s tender flesh and pierced the ground, holding her hostage. Her face was pressed into the muddy earth but she could see Tenebris’ boots stalk toward her and with each stomp, fear plunged its dagger deep into her rapidly beating heart.

            He bent down and smiled cruelly, breathing moist, rotten air into her dirty pale face. “Where are they girly,” he whispered into Leeka’s ear.

            “Rot in hell,” the girl growled and spat into his face. “You shall never find out.”

            Tenebris howled in vehement fury, his face darkening and his teeth bared. He ripped her out of the bindings and held her struggling form above moss covered soil. Her feet waded in the air and she screamed in pain but the mage’s grip on her fiery-red hair refused to loosen. The sky was an inky black and no moon shone, blotted out by an acrid smoke. Leeka concentrated her gaze upward, thinking of escapements, ignoring the blinding pain in her scalp.

            “Where are they?! Where did the Guardians send them,” he roared, tugging the petite girl higher into the air, digging his serrated nails into her head.

            She bit her lip to hold back a cry of pain, resenting herself for showing weakness. This must be finished, she grimly thought.

            Leeka racked her mind for an attack but blackness jolted around her thoughts as Tenebris suddenly threw her down, heaving her into a decomposing tree stump. The jagged edges cut into her and she rolled onto the ground, gasping in misery, breath trapped in her raw throat. Bright lights blotted out the murky blackness and she swam amongst the dead and the living. Leeka vaguely saw the hulking form of the mage slowly walking toward her, fists clenched in invariable rage. She tried to access her knowledge but the lights prevented her from grasping a substantial thought. Tenebris threateningly drew closer, hissing tortured promises.

            Finally snatching at a memory, she recalled a long ago spell her Guider had firmly told her to never use. Leeka knew the consequences but she closed her fingers into a tight fist and pushed herself off the earthen floor, inhaling deeply. Pain rippled throughout her frail body and blood trickled from a gash in her forehead but she was oblivious to the red liquid running down her gaunt face, purpose obliterating all other hesitations. She glared at the mage, fire passionately burning in her cryptic green eyes and her sharp jaw working, heart incessantly pounding in her throat.

            “You will never find them. You do not have the skill,” she jeered, staring into Tenebris’ soulless, black eyes. With bleak resignation, she acknowledged that no other option remained and spoke the fateful word.

            Along with a sob, the phrase of death exploded from her parched mouth as she began to tremble in fear. I don’t want to do this, she thought. I’m so scared. Please, please don’t make it hurt. Please work. Please…don’t let him find them.

            “Arelux!”

            For a moment, her scream echoed around the trees before silence reigned and Leeka feared the words contained no effect. Panic rushed into her veins and the tremors plagued her body even more.

            And then it happened.

            Her fisted hands pressed against her thighs and her bare, blistered feet dug into the soggy moss. A loud crack reverberated throughout the forest. Colorful birds burst into frenzied flight as an explosion of fire and light tore from Leeka’s body, incinerating her clothes and hair. With an earsplitting scream of excruciating pain, she held onto the explosion as long as her mortal body could withstand. Salty streaks of sweat poured down her pallid face and blood began to pour from her nose and mouth. The girl’s heart was thudding from the electrical currents coursing through her and she knew the spell wouldn’t last much longer.

            The mage realized what the girl was doing and with a furious shout, he lunged at her, arriving too late. The full-blown detonation of brilliance sent him reeling and slammed him into a massive, unforgiving tree. When he opened his mouth to howl in anguish, fire rushed into his throat and burst from his eyes, the starving beast of heat with unquenchable hunger greedily flowing into him. It burned off his flesh to reveal twitching muscles and blackening bones. Between cries of grueling torment came an unheard whisper.

            “Whisho.” His flaming eyes closed.

            A thin wisp of darkness floated up into the wavering air and spun away on an inconspicuous wind.

            “See you in hell,” Leeka gasped with great difficulty. Through the shimmering heat, she could see the thousands of Chiroe warriors spread among the trees dissolve into black ash. Their trapped souls flew into the scorching sky, free from torture. The dome of fire and light expanded dangerously, burning all life, killing fighter after fighter, allowing the fearsome battalion no escape. The rotten stench of scorched flesh wafted into Leeka’s bleeding nose but she concentrated on the task set before her, blinding pain clouding her mind.

            With a twisted grimace, she pushed out one final wave of energy, leaving no survivors. Satisfied in this knowledge, the dome dissipated and Leeka collapsed into unconsciousness. They were dead. The others were safe. That’s all that mattered.

            The ancient spell had been too powerful for the apprenticed witch. She had managed to exert the enormous amount of power through determination and purpose but it now required sacrifice. It was impossible for Leeka’s body to withstand the electrical currents pulsing throughout her frame. Her skin blistered, her muscles bubbled and her heart burst.

           

♦ • ♦ • ♦

 

            A light rain began to fall and gray mist rolled across the scalded floor. For miles in each direction, the ground was an empty expanse of ashy blackness which hid the evidence of dead bodies. The only thing seen on the bleak landscape was a small girl about twelve surrounded by charred remains. The girl was curled up into a tight ball and she had melted into the bare ground, becoming a part of it.

           

♦ • ♦ • ♦ 

 

            The softly falling water could only help the living. It could not bring life to the already dead.

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

I would like to publish some pieces in the future so please tell me if it is good or not. Thank you

Reviews

[Einstein Noodle]

i am not a fan of si fi ..but found myself engrossed in your tale ... i like it ... will be reading the rest as time permits .. nice job says i :)
E.

[Patricia]

Well my new friend....I am not in any way qualified to critique a book or poetry for that matter LOL but I do know what I like and this is brilliant and it is just the prologue. I can't wait to read it over and start the chapters. You have talent my dear, I mean true talent for capturing attention and keeping it. This is professionally done and better than most books I have read that are supposedly good and this is much better. It is gritty and bold and it flows so fast that you didn't even realize you read it that fast, I love that! My head is a bit tired from the day but I will re-read this and the chapters. I look forward to it. Keep going!!!!!! HUGS!

[Alira]

Forget 'good' ... this is actually quite brilliant! I was immediately engaged; you've got some great descriptions and images in here (very vivid)! I do recommend, however, that you refrain from saying things like "the petite girl" or "the apprenticed witch" ... Just stick with concrete words. I know you're trying to form a persona for the characters and all, but it will come through in time. For example, instead of saying "the petite girl", you could say "her small body". Just a thought.

Can't wait to read more!

[TinyBlondeMonster]

thank you for the help. I will definitely keep that in mind

[Chris]

Vivid and drawing. Very readable. But - was better than "good". - I hope that helps.

[ANM]

Very vivid and real my only thought is that in some of the descriptive passages there is a word or two that could be edited. Lovely write!

[Eddie Davis]

You crafted a very descriptive battle between the two magic users and I like the simple word-of-power casting methods they used. I think this certainly is publish-worthy. I would recommend keeping your sentences a bit shorter. Perhaps break up some of them into multiple sentences.

[A. Amos]

You created a vivid world and that is brillant, i enjoyed the write...