Vengeance from the Sky (Completed)

Chapter 1 - She Came in a Dream

The starry heavens above the land of Ahnwen split open with a thunderous CRACK and large balls of fire began to rain from the obsidian sky. Talon looked on in horror from his stance on the bridge that spanned the Livius Sea Bay.

"What is this?!" he demanded of no one in particular, his beardless face clouded in confusion and dismay.

"This is what will destroy our world if He isn't stopped," a soft, feminine voice said from behind him.

Talon spun around, reaching for the dirk at his belt, and spotted a woman of incredible beauty balancing gracefully on the wooden rail of the bridge, her dainty feet bare. Her skin was as pale and smooth as peaches in cream, and her long, white-gold hair was plaited into a loose braid over her shoulder. She wore only a thin, white shift that did not quite reach her knees. But it wasn't her ethereal beauty that had him entranced, it was the pair of large, ivory feathered wings that were delicately folded behind her, sprouting from her shoulder-blades.

"Who are you?" he gasped, then quickly added, "and who is this 'He' you refer to?" His hands itched to grab her by the waist and pull her down from her precarious position, but he silently reminded himself that she had wings, and would most likely take flight before she plunged into the choppy waters below.

"He," she said, pointing at one of the fire balls. There, standing on the top of one of the huge fiery rocks, was a lone dark figure, unphased by the smoldering flames. "He is the sky God, Arlo, and he means to exterminate the good people of this world."

"How do you know this? And how can he be stopped?" Talon demanded, eyes glancing between the descending God and the mysterious woman before him.

She pierced him with her brilliant, star-like eyes. "Search out the heroes of the great races. Ryker, lord of the dragons, Opal, the pegasus prince, Zenon, the high wizard, and lastly, the daughter of Arlo himself."

"Can the God's own child be trusted?" Talon asked.

She smiled at him as she began to fade into the shadows. "She is the one who has just shown you the way."

"Wait!-" he called as the woman and the world vanished from sight, replaced by the darkness of oblivion.

~

Talon abruptly sat up in his bunk, breathing heavily. What was that foreboding dream he had just emerged from? A nightmare? 'No,' he thought, violently shaking his head and ruffling his short brown hair.  'A warning.' He jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of brownish-gray trousers before heading up to the deck of his ship, The Sea Serpent.

"Baelin," he called to his first mate, who was manning the wheel at present while most of the crew slept.

"Aye, Cap'n," Baelin saluted, pulling himself up to his full height of near-on seven feet.

"Make way back to Ahnwen at once," Talon directed, dark brown gaze scanning the blackish-purple sky.

"Cap'n?" Baelin asked, orange eyes darkened in his confusion. As Talon's first mate and only friend, he was the sole man on board bold enough to question the captains orders. "We're meant to make port in Vaernon tomorrow. Ahnwen's a week off."

Talon grunted, not wanting to reveal the strange vision to his odd companion. "Something important has come up. I have urgent business to attend to there. I'll let you in on the details if it becomes necessary."

"Aye, Cap'n," Baelin nodded, a frown creasing his heavy, blue brow, "as you say." He checked the position of the stars and compared them to his trusted compass, then began to gently coax the wheel, and therefore the ship, onto their new course.

Talon continued to study the calm night sky, worry gnawing at his gut. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but his instinct told him that something was brewing. Something malevolent.