Night Rider

Prologue

The prologue is only around a third of the length of the average chapter. Enjoy!

Boom!

The deafening sound vibrated around my bones and splinters of wood cascaded onto me, cutting my skin ever so gently in the places it wasn't covered by my black, leather armour. The building was up in flames, smoke rising and forming small clouds, hiding the view of the night sky from those on the ground. Dragons flapped their wings around me, urgent to get back into the air after so long in captivity and I felt a rush of pride zip through my body. Another group of dragons freed from their torment.

Below me, people were screaming and running around, coalescing at the docks to form a huge mass. Some vikings had their weapons pointed at me; others desparately trying to untie the boats from the burning docks. Soot and ash rose into the air, obscuring my vision and cutting me off from what was happening below.

What was happening below? I thought. I only came here to free the dragons from their enslavement, but I had not set fire to anything. Unless...the other dragons did. Maybe their hatred for their captures went so deep that they are willing to slaughter a whole civilisation - men, woman, and children - just to get revenge and to tame their raging desire to escape freely.

"What have you done?" Shouted a male from the crowd.

"Who are you?" Another hollered.

"Why us?"

"Come down and face me like a man!"

"I hope you burn in Helheim!"

Boom!

Another explosion cut their rant short. Still not being able to see, I could only listen and hazard a guess to what was going on down there. Women and children were screaming; women and men shouting insults; vikings fighting something; vikings rushing around. Then, a man's startled yelp burned my ears.

"Hjord? HJORD! My brother! Why... today wasn't your time, brother. Why, I will KILL the monster atop of the foul beast, COME AND FACE ME AND FIGHT! My only brother..."

A pang of guilt quenched around my heart. I had been the cause of a man's death? Screams and more whines shattered the air, calling for injured loved ones or dead friends. This had gone terribly wrong. I had killed people. I had killed people...

While I was still surrounded by the produce of the fires, I flew away from the desparate pleas of the village, through the dirty and black night. You may think that that was the wrong desicion, but I was so delirious with shock and guilt that I wanted to get away from that island so I didn't cause my own death as well as their's. I knew that I was being selfish... I knew... but I promised myself that I would return anonymously at daybreak and leave them with gifts of sorrow and sympathy. If there is anyone left. A part of me screached, but I blocked it out and flew out to sea, my trusty best friend (and only friend) powering through the dense smog that threatened to caccoon us, to get to the open ocean.

The prologue was published eight months after I published the first chapter and three month after I completed the story, so its kinda a bonus.

Please continue to read - it would be a massive help.