Dragon Calling

Prologue

     A full moon rose slowly into the star studded sky. Below the array lay a small village nestled among the silvery fields of the Dragon territory. Houses were scattered about in a haphazard manner, each filled with warm firelight and jolly voices exchanging various bits of town gossip. In one of these houses, a girl shivered as her bare feet were tucked under the warm covers of her bed.

     "Goodnight Nola."

     "Goodnight mother," came the young girl's reply. Her mother leaned over and kissed her daughter on the forehead, her dark hair tickling Nola's nose. Her mother then turned to the nightstand, carefully blew out the flickering flame in the bottom of the lantern, and shut the creaking door behind her with a soft click.

     Nola rolled over in the blankets covering her small form and gazed out of the window at the stars blanketing the night sky, the moon bathing her innocent face in its beams. I wonder if Kai can see those same stars, she wondered. She hadn't stopped thinking about him since he had left for the Academy a year ago. The nine-year-old girl would often pepper her father and mother with questions concerning her brother's return, but neither one knew. She thought that her parents assumed he wouldn't return, but Nola refused to give up on her best friend. With a sigh and a few tears, she closed her eyes and tried to find sleep.

     Hours later, a cry brought Nola from her slumber. She sat up in bed with a jolt of fear coursing through her veins. Reluctantly, Nola glanced out of the window for any clue as to the bearer of the shriek. There was no movement of any kind, but small pools of water circling blackened patches of grass extended the length of the street. Just as she was about to call out for her parents, another cry came, and terror clutched her heart once again.

     "Mother! Father!" Nola called, climbing out of bed and attempting to find her slippers. Once she slid her pale feet into them, she ran down the hall to her parent's bedroom. But neither of them lay in the mussed sheets. Just as she was about to leave, Nola spotted scorched marks surrounding the bed on the floor. Shaking with fear, Nola wrapped her arms around her body, trying to stay warm in the threadbare nightgown covering her.

     Spinning on her heels, she ran to the main room and found the front door wide open, flurries of snow blowing in around a silhouette standing on the threshold. "Mother?" Nola asked, almost collapsing in relief. But her relief only lasted a moment. The silhouette turned and stalked towards her, one smoking step at a time, with only silence escaping its lips. No distinct features were to be found across its face, reminding Nola of a shadow, that is, if one could come to life. "Who-who are you?" Nola asked, carefully stepping towards the kitchen door but not daring to turn her back on the smoldering nightmare. Stumbling into a chair, she caught herself and moved back more quickly.

     Reaching the door, Nola felt for the handle and dashed outside as fast as she could. Her feet crunched on a white blanket as she sprinted towards the woods. The person followed behind her at an unearthly rate, although its legs were barely pumping. It left a trail of charred grass and tiny rivulets of water in its path.

     Catching up to her within seconds, it reached out and tentatively touched her shoulder with a sultry hand, its scarlet eyes peering at her from under a dark, sweaty brow. A huge ball of fire enveloped her, and even though it didn't harm her, she was unable to escape her prison. Floating into the air, Nola screamed as loud as she could, but no one came, and the figure still didn't make a sound. Nola had a moment to scan the roofs of her village and saw smoke billowing from the blackened remains. Just as she was about to faint from the shocking events, Nola's surroundings disappeared and she found herself among hundreds of cells made of fire, all with unconscious people trapped inside.