Author's Note: Well this is it... My story to be published for real(See profile page). One of my character's names is Gallows so I put it in here. I'm working really hard on this. It's gonna be a trilogy, and this is supposed to be book one. And now my fellow readers,I give you the beginning of it all. I give you Zandrian Hearts.
Prologue: Child Of The Dragons
Moonlight pooled through the great branches of the old trees across the path, the pounded dust shining silver in its glow. A hooded figure leaned firmly against a tree as the wind blew, the black hood draped over his face shifting slightly. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, catching the sent of live humanistic flesh not to far. A smile curved around his lips at the familiar smell, fangs glittering in his mouth like polished ivory. They were coming.
"Be ready..." he whispered, his voice icy and cold.
Across from him, on the opposite side of the path, were ten human men hidden in the bushes and trees. Five archers laid pressed up against the trunks high up in the branches of the arching and twisting trees, relying on shadows to hinder their appearance. The other five kneeled in the bushes and plants, bearing ground weapons such as swords and axes. The air was still and silent.
The hooded being twisted his head ever so slightly to stare up the pathway, his cold steel gray eyes gleaming sharply. It remained bare, yet the smell of the prey came closer. He held, in his hands, a long staff of a pure black substance harder than steel, that stood a foot taller than he. At its top, it curved and twisted with three jagged points at the end, one shorter than the other. The weapon had a strange dark aura to it, no doubt, one in which even the human with the weakest clairvoyance could sense.
His body tensed as a twig snapped from under one of the human's feet. The hooded figure hissed vilely, flashing his fangs, causing the humans to shiver and shrink back. The hooded figure growled animalistically, his focus going back on the path. Blasted humans... If they dared defy him of this one moment of power and dominance with their stupidity, his one chance of finally destroying-
Then he saw it. As if by magic, a large figure emerged from the shadows of the farther up path, becoming clearer as it drew near. A horse sized Fanfir Dragon came forth, its scales the color of coal, holding its head high in pride as it's razor sharp talons struck the ground, raising dirt. Its folded wings ruffled at its sides, sitting in-between them in a saddle, were three figures.
The first was a middle aged man, tall, strongly built, and handsome, with waist long flowing dirty-blonde hair and furious, deep, dark, sapphire colored eyes. A sword was sheathed at his side with a blue sapphire gem embedded in the hilt, its purity shining beautifully in the moonshine. The hooded figure glared at the man, staring from the blonde's hands to his backside. The man's fingernails were sharp and clawed and his fingers curved ever-so-slightly as if to attack any moment. Dragonistic wings laid folded on his back, its red tendrils and black skin shifting slightly. The man also had a tail curved around his dragon's backside, displaying the red and black colors as well; red at the top, black at the bottom.
Sitting before the man in the saddle was a pretty faced, raven haired woman with glowing light blue eyes. She was average height, with a firm posture, constantly looking from left to right, often gazing down at a bundle in her arms. The hooded figure smirked as he caught sight of the sleeping face of a newborn baby. It had tinges of stringy blonde hair all over its head and its face looked innocent as it slept.
The man whispered something in the woman's ear, to quiet for the hooded figure to hear even if he tried. She spoke back in the same quietness. Their dragon and them passed the hooded figure and the human men without suspicion, continuing onward.
The hooded figure could hardly contain his seer excitement as the man and woman played willingly into his trap. His smile faded as suddenly as one of his troops accidentally snapped another twig with his heavy boot.
The Fanfir Dragon halted suddenly, snorting with a puff of smoke and stomping a foot in alarm. The blonde man whirled about on his steed, baring vicious fangs and halfway spreading out his wings in a defensive matter. His feet dug themselves into the dragon's sides, causing the creature to leap forward with tremendous speed.
The archers up in the trees nocked, and released a flight of arrows that came swerving at the dragon. One out of the five arrows found a crevice in the dragon's scales in its left hind leg. It let out a shriek before tumbling headfirst into the ground, the man grabbing the woman and leaping off the steed before it fell.
At the sight of his dying dragon, the blonde man turned to the revealed men and gave a hiss, displaying wickedly sharp fangs before grabbing the woman by her arm and rushing deep into the wood.
The hood figure let out an inhuman screech. "After them!" he cried as his men just reached the dragon and onward. "Get the woman! She's got what I want! I'll take the man!" He leaped forward, gently landing from branch to branch with inhuman balance and speed while the men below crashed through the brush with a bit of difficulty. Giving one last great jump, the hooded figure landed on the very tip of the tallest tree, his eyes glaring below in search for the targets.
Then, without warning, a small part of the forest erupted in a burst of flames, a huge aura of energy blasting into the hooded one's face, making him flinch. A roar filled the air, a roar so angry and terrible, it would've froze even the bravest blood. The hooded figure stared at the place where the explosion took place, catching at glimpse of two figures, apparently the man and woman, and a heaping pile before them. He cursed as he realized that those were his men. But not all of them.
More specks rushed into the burning ring, seemingly attacking the man, but were far from winning.
The hooded one's eyes darted as he realized that the woman was gone. He caught sight of her coming near his position, running at top speed with the baby bundled in her arms. With a smirk, he jumped off the tree and landed gracefully before the woman, her face pale with shock as she stopped before him, her knuckles white from clutching the blanket that the baby was in so hard.
The hooded figure chuckled coldly as he slowly advanced toward her, tapping into his own aura and focusing it on his staff willfully. The weapon glowed a dark light for a moment, before shape shifting into a long, wickedly thin sword. Its blade and hilt remained black, but it still shined with demanding respect from the moon above.
The woman was cursing under her breath as she slowly backed away, fear deep within her eyes. The hooded figure raised his sword to strike, but stopped in a mid attack just as the blonde man came crashing through the trees before the woman. He bared his fangs and narrowed his eyes hatefully, his fingers cracking as human blood dripped from his claws. His tail twitched and his wings spread out as if to defend the woman.
"Go. Now," he growled in a demanding voice, his voice deep and stronge.
The woman couldn't move, her face was white and she looked petrified with fear.
The hooded figure narrowed his eyes, raising his left palm at the blonde man. "Sorry, Locien, but I can't have you meddling in my affairs...alive."
Locien lunged forward, fangs flashing and claws looking ready to rip the hooded figure to shreds. The figure muttered a quick hex under his breath, a flash of pure black energy shooting at Locien from his palm. Seeing this with an inhuman eye, Locien twisted to the woman, raised a clawed hand, and cried out one word. There was a flash of turquoise light that illuminated the forest, and the woman and child vanished. The black energy collided with the Dragonic man, before he collapsed to the ground face first. He was dead.
The hooded figure whirled around, screaming with curses and swears before turning to Locien's body again. His gray eyes narrowed with despicable hatred toward Locien as he spat on his body with distaste. "Damn you, you cursed Dragonic Demon...you may have save your little mortal wife and child, but mark my words..." He growled. "...I will find them."
The staff returned to its original form in his hands as he turned away into the woods. Reaching the path were he was moments ago, he muttered a few words before vanishing into the night air without a trace.
Author's Note: What do you think of the prologue? Good huh? Please, tell me what you think of it in reviews. I'm open to ideas.