The Flaming Fist
Prologue:
The giant bird had found its lunch. A little girl, barely seven years old, ran for her life as the monstrous black shadow loomed overhead. The town was in sight now. If only she could reach the gates, then the guards could kill the terrible beast. Not a single monster had been seen near the kingdom of New Eblan in over five years, since the rebuilding of the castle. It had once been safe for the children to play in the area, and the old tower of Bab-il was even somewhat of a tourist attraction, allowing those who climbed it to see the entire island from its summit.
However, this day was different. Little Ellis had been out with her two older brothers playing hide and seek, but something went terribly wrong. While Ellis was hiding, a dark shadow appeared overhead, and her brothers called out for her. However, she did not hear, for she was quite a distance from them. They'll never find me this time, she thought as she buried herself in the sand, nearly a half-mile from the brothers' location. She did not hear their cries, and after awhile she decided that they wouldn't find her so she came out of hiding.
The brothers, giving up hope of finding their sister, not to mention being scared to death, ran off as quickly as they could to escape the huge circling black bird called a Zuu. These monstrous birds had once populated the area, but were hunted to extinction once Eblan was repopulated. However, there was no mistake about it, for a Zuu now hunted Sam and Blake, the older brothers of Ellis. Luckily, these two boys were excellent runners, and they were not far from the castle. Upon entering the castle, the Zuu turned away to hunt much safer prey.
This much safer prey came in the form of little Ellis, whose dark pigtails struggled to keep up with her as she ran as fast as her short legs would pump. She tripped over one of the many stones on the path to Castle Eblan, and found herself with a mouthful of sand. She spat it out, only to realize the horror of the situation. There would be no escape, and she would die here as the meal of this monster. She cried out and turned to look death in the eye, but instead, she saw the bird falling in a spiral toward the ground, its body consumed in flames.
She wiped the tears from her face and blinked a few times to ensure that she wasn't dreaming. She then looked around, wide-eyed with amazement, and saw that she was alive and well, and that her would be killer was itself a smoking carcass on the desert floor. "Huh.?" was all she managed to say as she tried to understand the situation.
"Run little girl," came a deep, commanding voice from behind her.
She spun around, almost falling again. There, about twenty yards from her, stood a figure in a red cloak, the wind whipping his garments every which way. His cape was red and adorned with blue designs, and he wore a skull cap of the same colors and design. His face was stern, yet not unkind. Now it was obvious to Ellis that this man had saved her life, whoever he was. She turned again to regard the dead bird and then looked back toward the man in red. However, there was no man in red, and she was alone. She took the mysterious figure's advice and immediately headed for the castle.
Prologue:
The giant bird had found its lunch. A little girl, barely seven years old, ran for her life as the monstrous black shadow loomed overhead. The town was in sight now. If only she could reach the gates, then the guards could kill the terrible beast. Not a single monster had been seen near the kingdom of New Eblan in over five years, since the rebuilding of the castle. It had once been safe for the children to play in the area, and the old tower of Bab-il was even somewhat of a tourist attraction, allowing those who climbed it to see the entire island from its summit.
However, this day was different. Little Ellis had been out with her two older brothers playing hide and seek, but something went terribly wrong. While Ellis was hiding, a dark shadow appeared overhead, and her brothers called out for her. However, she did not hear, for she was quite a distance from them. They'll never find me this time, she thought as she buried herself in the sand, nearly a half-mile from the brothers' location. She did not hear their cries, and after awhile she decided that they wouldn't find her so she came out of hiding.
The brothers, giving up hope of finding their sister, not to mention being scared to death, ran off as quickly as they could to escape the huge circling black bird called a Zuu. These monstrous birds had once populated the area, but were hunted to extinction once Eblan was repopulated. However, there was no mistake about it, for a Zuu now hunted Sam and Blake, the older brothers of Ellis. Luckily, these two boys were excellent runners, and they were not far from the castle. Upon entering the castle, the Zuu turned away to hunt much safer prey.
This much safer prey came in the form of little Ellis, whose dark pigtails struggled to keep up with her as she ran as fast as her short legs would pump. She tripped over one of the many stones on the path to Castle Eblan, and found herself with a mouthful of sand. She spat it out, only to realize the horror of the situation. There would be no escape, and she would die here as the meal of this monster. She cried out and turned to look death in the eye, but instead, she saw the bird falling in a spiral toward the ground, its body consumed in flames.
She wiped the tears from her face and blinked a few times to ensure that she wasn't dreaming. She then looked around, wide-eyed with amazement, and saw that she was alive and well, and that her would be killer was itself a smoking carcass on the desert floor. "Huh.?" was all she managed to say as she tried to understand the situation.
"Run little girl," came a deep, commanding voice from behind her.
She spun around, almost falling again. There, about twenty yards from her, stood a figure in a red cloak, the wind whipping his garments every which way. His cape was red and adorned with blue designs, and he wore a skull cap of the same colors and design. His face was stern, yet not unkind. Now it was obvious to Ellis that this man had saved her life, whoever he was. She turned again to regard the dead bird and then looked back toward the man in red. However, there was no man in red, and she was alone. She took the mysterious figure's advice and immediately headed for the castle.