Prologue pt.3
Bracken is in the chasm again, surround by fire. All he can hear through the blaze are the screams of pain. A shadow steps through the fire on top of a large rock outcropping above him. The man is scarred, his face burnt, no longer able to be recognized.
"Where is she Bracken", the man shouts. Bracken merely growls in response, barring his sharp teeth. "Now now", the burnt man continues, "that's not very kind of you. We're almost family now after all". Bracken had been reliving this vision for nearly three years. Always the same thing, but he could never figure out what the man meant by that statement. His family would never seek to do harm to him.
The man jumped down off his perch, landing in front of Bracken. The drop would likely break a normal humans legs. "Come on, you know Where Alice is. I need her. All this can disappear if you just hand her over". When the man said her name, Bracken filled with rage. He wanted this man dead, though Bracken wasn't sure why.
"She's gone! I sent her back to the mainland", the words slipped freely from his mouth. Bracken had no control in this dream. He could feel the emotions, hear the sounds and smell the burning flesh, but he could only watch it all unfold. He was here to observe.
"You think I'm going to fall for for that..." the mans voice trailed off as Bracken began hearing hushed whispers in it's place. This was new. The voices stopped and the man's returned. "...ships are gone Bracken! I made sure of that. Give her to me or I'll have to use you instead". When the man finished, a girl yelled, leaping from one of the caves that were splitting off from the main chamber. She had two daggers aimed down at the man, her piercing green eyes, full of hate, would put fear into the hearts of men. The man spun to intercept her as Bracken rushed forwards. When the girl and the man came into contact, Brackens vision went white and his ears were ringing. He felt his back hit hard against the cave wall behind him.
Bracken awoke with a start, head shooting up and hitting the rocks above him. Groaning, he lowered it back down slowly and brought a paw up to rub away the throbbing pain.
"Shhh... did you hear that", Brackens eyes went wide when he heard a whisper outside his cave. He didn't have much time. He quickly got up and rushed around, gathering everything he didn't want to lose to the thieves and piling it into a corner.
"Hurry, he's awake". They were getting closer. When he had everything in the corner, Bracken stepped back and let loose a jet of flame, burning all of it. It was mainly maps from around the area and from places he'd been which turned to ash instantly, but he also had weapons. The extreme heat from the blast had fused the metal together, rendering them useless.
"Holy shit! Go! Go! Go! Get up there".
Bracken transformed and ran to the entrance of the cave, not waiting for the change to be complete. The first thieves had reached the lip of the cave, climbing inside. Bracken shouldered past anyone in his way as he reached the edge of the cliff and jumped off. He fell for what seemed like ages before coming into contact with a tree, his body breaking branches on his way to the ground. He latched on to a thicker one that was able to hold his weight and stop his decent. He dropped from branch to branch until he reached the ground. He sprinted through the trees, jumping over shrubs and logs, making his way to Llyn. Bracken didn't slow down because he knew the hunt would continue until they had a body. Reaching the gates, Bracken took a hard right, running down the alleys until he arrived at a door and knocked.
"Jon, Anna, it's Bracken". The door opened quickly and shut behind him. Bracken limped over to the fire and collapsed in front of it.
"What's going on? What happened", Anna began, kneeling down beside him.
"Just got discovered by the guild. I ran here as fast as I could", Bracken let out, taking a deep breath, "They found my hideout in the mountains".
"You ran all the way from there? You must be exhausted", Anna said, rising to get Bracken some water.
"You have no idea", he muttered. Bracken had been fighting constantly against the guild for two years, ever since he had saved Jon in the forest. There had been no trouble with the citizens as all the guilds resources and recruits had been used on him. They had tired him out, made him sloppy. Bracken scolded himself for allowing them to find his cave so easily. He would need to change his plan. It wouldn't be long before they tracked him back to town and searched him out. Bracken had wanted to take out more of the guilds members before taking the fight to whatever remained but they played smart, only leaving their den to re-stock and they never went anywhere in teams under five. Bracken wasn't able to accomplish much against the guild, as they always outnumbered him. He would've been able to take them on in their packs, but he didn't want to involve any innocent people. Bracken wouldn't let any harm come to the citizens on his behalf. Anna returned with the water and Bracken accepted it, downing it quickly.
"So what do you think you're going to do", Anna asked, looking worried. Bracken smiled. He had become close to the Smout family over the years, even the children.
"I don't know", Bracken began quietly. "The plans I had won't be as easy to pull off, now that they know where I've been living. I can't go back there". The thieves would surely be keeping guard over his cave, scouting it out, waiting for him to return.
"You can hide out here Bracken". He was about to argue but Anna put a hand up. "We have a trapdoor under the rug over there", she pointed to the far side of the room by the cupboards. "Leads to the basement. Not much down there so there's lots of room for you to sleep". Bracken looked at her for a second. Did she know? He shook his head, he was being too paranoid. No one had seen his true form. He doubted these people even knew dragons could transform into humans.
"They're going to be looking for me, and once they track me back to town, they'll come straight here. I can't put your family in danger", Bracken countered. He knew it wouldn't be long until the thieves were at the door, demanding information.
"Bracken", Anna placed a hand on his shoulder. "Please, you've done so much for us. You're practically family. Let us help you". Smiling, Bracken searched her eyes. She wasn't going to let up and he knew it was the safest course for him.
"Ok", he sighed. "But not for long. I'm going to end this as soon as possible", Bracken promised her. "Now where's Jon? I'm going to tell him what's happened so there's no surprises when he gets home". Bracken stood, turning to the door.
"He's in the market", she began but quickly rushed to him and added, "but you can't go out there! Wait for this to cool down".
"I'll be fine Anna. They'll still be looking around my old hideout", Bracken assured her as he started opening the door.
"Well at least take this". She grabbed a brown cloak from the wall. "It'll hide you a bit better, and it'll put my mind more at ease".
Bracken chuckled, grabbing the cloak. "Fine, fine, but only because it makes you feel better".
"Make sure you hurry", Anna said, fixing the cape around his shoulders. "I don't want you out there in the first place".
Bracken smiled, saying goodbye. He made his way down the alley and turned the corner, making his way to the market at the centre of town. He took it slow, watching out for anyone from the guild. He stuck to the shadows, arriving at the edge of the market, scouting out the area. Bracken cautiously took a step forward, sensing the coast was clear. Spotting Jon, he made his way to the far side, sticking close to as many crowds as possible. As he neared his friend, Bracken heard a commotion coming from each of the main roads leading away from the market. Shouting and screams of panic hit his ears as he saw large groups of thieves coming towards him. Bracken started walking faster, trying to get to Jon as quickly as he could. Bracken reached his destination, grabbing Jons arm and turning him around. Alice was standing next to him. Bracken froze in fear, Jons voice muffled in his head as he stared Alice in the eyes.
"Bracken", Jon said louder, waving his hand in front of his friends face, trying to get his attention.
"Sorry", Bracken said, shaking the fear from his body. "We need to get out of here. The guild's on their way right now".
Jon looked confused for a second. Bracken looked over the mans shoulder and saw the first of the thugs breaking through the crowd. He pointed to them, shouting to his many allies.
Bracken shoved Jon aside as an arrow came flying. It hit Bracken in his left shoulder, where Jons opposite had been less than a second before.
"GO", Bracken yelled, dragging Jon and Alice across the market, through the panicking crowd. He ripped the arrow from his body, just in time to tackle a guild member to the ground. He plunged the arrow into one of the mans eyes. He quickly got up and led Jon and Alice into a nearby alley. He felt an arrow hit him in his lower back on the right side. They weren't getting deep thanks to his tough armour and skin. They turned a corner and ran into another mercenary. Bracken pushed his friends out of the way as he charged his enemy, bringing his foot up to land a hard hit to the mans chest, dropping him instantly. They got to a door and Bracken forced it open. He ushered his friends inside.
"Hide and do NOT open this door for anyone", Bracken commanded. Jon nodded and closed the door. Bracken ripped the arrow from his back and hid up against the wall at the corner of the buildings, waiting. A few guild members rushed past, heading to the gates while one turned into his alley. Bracken shoved the arrow into the mans throat and used his limp body as a shield from the sword strike that was aimed for his stomach. He pushed the body in his arms against the small horde of thieves, trying to advance. He bought himself some time, knocking some of the men to the ground, creating a living blockade. Bracken backed up and knelt. He didn't have a choice, he transformed in a bright flash of blue. With the transformation complete, he reared his large head back and let loose a jet of white hot flame, killing anyone in his path. Movement brought Brackens attention to a window to his right. Sitting in it was Jon and Alice. They were looking at the dragon in front of them, seeing Bracken for what he truly was. Alice covered her mouth and began to cry, while Jon pulled her away out of sight. Dread filled Brackens heart when he realized Alice had just seen her parents murderer for the first time in five years. He needed to end this. If he could be rid of the guilds threat once and for all, then maybe he could explain himself. Maybe there was still hope.
Bracken transformed back into a human and ran for the docks. After scouting the town for so long, he knew that was the best bottle-neck, and if all else failed, he had escape routes. He fled through the streets, trying to alert as many guild members as possible, hopefully leading them to their deaths. Arriving at the gate to the docks, he looked around and saw two ships coming into the port. Brackens hope fell when he saw the flags, each with the guilds emblem, waving in the wind. Knowing he couldn't fight the battle on two fronts, Bracken ran to the end of the dock where the warehouse stuck out of the water. He charged through the opening at the front and locked the door behind him. Looking around, he saw only one other entry point. There was a small dock inside the building that small row boats could enter for quick access to drop off their fish and be off again. A wonderful convenience on a normal day, was now a weakness to his last defence. Bracken rushed over, grabbing the large door on the left side and rolled it on it's track until it blocked the entrance. He secured the latch as he heard the thieves arrive at the main entrance, ramming against the door, trying to force it open. Bracken quickly walked back over, grabbing a net and a harpoon on his way. He stood, waiting for the inevitable. The crashing and banging on the door went silent. Bracken prepared, getting into a fighting stance.
No more than five seconds passed and the door came crashing in on itself, splintering at the hinges. Guild members began rushing inside and Bracken threw the net, trapping a few of them for a moment while he focused on the others. He quickly stabbed his harpoon into ones face as the man closed in from the left. Spinning, he caught one in the knee, snapping any bone the harpoon came in contact with. Bracken turned back to the ones caught in the net and ended their lives quickly with his weapons reach. The first attackers dealt with, Bracken took a glance outside the door, seeing a row of archers taking aim. He slid to the left and the lid off a crate. He barely caught the arrows as he brought the wooden lid up to block his body. A couple of the shots were powerful enough to rip through the wood and stick him in the arm. Bracken looked through the cracks in the planks as he made his way forward. Passing over the body of one his enemies, he bent and grabbed a dagger strapped to the dead mans boot.
He waited for the archers to fire off another round before dropping his makeshift shield and throwing the harpoon into the group. He hit one in the head, dropping the man instantly and charged at the remaining four. They dropped their bows, exchanging them for swords. Bracken hit the first in the chest with his dagger before he had a chance to raise his defences. Spinning the body, he blocked a blow from one of his partners and quickly lunged around, piercing the mans neck. Bracken spun, blocking another sword with his dagger and delivering a kick to the attackers stomach, sending him soaring into the water. The last archer took a chance at Brackens back but he quickly brought his dagger up, cutting clean through the swords blade, and disarming his foe. Bracken threw the useless weapons away as he tackled the man, trowing him to the water with his friend. The remaining thieves fell back, further down the dock.
"A fantastic show my friend! I would love to recruit you but I feel that is out of the question at this point", Bracken quickly turned to his right spotting the source of the voice. His eyes went wide when he saw a man standing at the front of the ship in front of him. Rage coursed through his veins as he stared down Alices father. "You know", the man began again, "When they told me what was going on in Llyn, requesting backup to deal with the problems, I can honestly say I never expected to see you again, dragon". He spat the last words.
Bracken growled, showing his still sharp teeth "Haha! There you are beast" the man laughed. "So why do you fight in this form, huh? You could end us all with your fire". The man gave Bracken a sinister smile. "Ahhhh... the people here don't know your secret do they? You want to be accepted here beast? You don't want these people to see you for who you truly are eh? Your false sense of self will be your undoing". The man began walking back to the centre of his ship. "I want to see that monster break! Open fire".
Brackens eyes went wide as the first cannon fired, destroying part of the dock to his left. He dove back into the warehouse, cannons blowing apart the walls around him. He began running to the far wall, trying to get to the small dock. Blazing pain ran through his arm as he was hit and flung across the room into the crates. Hell rained down around him as he slowly got up and rushed to the edge of the small launch. Bracken dove into the water but he couldn't move his broken left arm to swim away from the chaos above him. He transformed and used his wings to rise up and out of the water. He burst through the surface and flew off across the lake, letting out a pained roar. He wouldn't attack in this form. The port of Llyn was all wood. He wouldn't risk burning down half the town and killing countless civilians to get his revenge.
Tears threatened to roll down his cheeks as he flew, thinking of what would happen to his friends. They would hate him for this. Alice recognized him from that night in the forest. She blamed him for what had happened to her mother, and now he had failed her again. Bracken hated himself for lying. He wanted to be accepted in the human world. He wanted his friends to look at him like family, not a beast. But if he had only told the truth, none of this would have happened. Even if the Smouts had despised him for what he was, he wouldn't have had to take the risks of fighting in a weaker form. He could have ended the guild quickly so long ago if he didn't have to worry about how his friends saw him. Or if they accepted Bracken, maybe he could have taken them away from this town, brought them somewhere safer. His heart hurt and his mind raced as he flew off, away from everything he cared about for the past five years of his life. He knew he couldn't go back to them but he still needed to protect his family. Even if they did hate him, he would never allow any harm to come to them. He filled with rage once more, knowing what he had to do. Bracken turned around, heading for his cave in the mountains. When his arm healed, he would find Alices father. If Bracken couldn't protect them, he would ensure no danger presented itself in the first place. He would join the guild, be their servant on the condition that the Smouts be left alone.
Notes
Thanks again for reading! This is probably the end of the prologue (finally). The first actual chapter will be in Alices POV and will take place 10 years later. It will explain what has happened over the years and whatever but the adventure won't begin just yet. Just kind of like a filler, getting ready for the action, preparing the characters for the journey. I'll do one for her and for Bracken.
So yeah that's it for this chapter. Next one will probably be up friday and then nothing all weekend because I work both days and wont be in the city.
Thanks again and please comment! I need to know if I'm doing an alright job at writing this.
TNSWV