Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight

Chapter 1

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Danny turned down the familiar dark hall of the school. Strangely, he couldn't remember how he'd gotten here. What he did know was the persistent feeling of unease he felt deep within the pit of his stomach.

Trying to peer beyond a nearby door and finding the glass fogged up, he failed to see anything that might hint at danger. However, a sudden rumble beneath his feet suggested otherwise. Using the brick wall behind him as cover, he shuffled toward the glass doors and whatever might lay beyond.

Building up his courage, he cracked the door open and peeked out to find a corner of the brick wall blocking his view.

Forcing the heavy doors open, he heard a series of strange noises coming from around the corner as shuddering thuds echoed throughout the enclosed schoolyard. The ground shook again. A loud bang thundered from somewhere beyond as if something large had just collided with the school.

Danny peeked around the wall.

With pearl-colored teeth and black claws, a rosy-scaled dragon searched for its prey.

"A dragon!" Danny said in a hushed tone as he watched the mythological creature jump and swat at some unseen foe.

Something dark pulled his attention away from the dragon. In the distant corner, a form seemed to appear out of the dark, cloaked in a swirl of smoke, complete with red eyes, thin, lanky arms, and long, wiry legs. The diluted figure batted at the larger form of the dragon with a series of protracted, sharp claws.

Taking a few steps forward to get a better view, he failed to watch his footing as he felt his shoe catch and stumbled.

An eerie silence followed as Danny gulped down his fear and looked up to find the gaze of the dragon as well as the wicked red eyes of the smoky creature locked upon him.

The black creature took three elongated steps toward Danny and leaped into the air with inhuman speed.

Paralyzed, Danny watched helplessly as the black thing poised to attack. He closed his eyes in anticipation. Yet, instead of feeling the creature's wrath, he heard a high-pitched screech. Opening his eyes, he saw the dark creature hovering, just before him, its torso wrapped in the black talons of the dragon. The thing screamed, lashing out at him with thin, silver fingernails that flickered inches from his face.

With a deep growl, the dragon flung the wispy black creature against the distant brick wall of the school. The thing collided hard against the brick before falling to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Danny felt the eyes of the dragon turn upon him. From within the dragon's body, he could hear a deep growl. The dragon's massive jaws parted as it seemed to speak, "Wake up."

Danny's expression changed from fear to confusion as the dragon's voice sounded strangely like his mother's.

"Wake up!" Danny's mother yelled, opening the creaking door of his room, waking him. "You're going to be late for your first day of school."

"Alright... alright, I'm up... I'm up," Danny said, more out of instinct than waking thought. He heard his mother's footfalls stop at the side of his bed. Reaching over him, she turned on the lamp that rested on top of the nightstand near his pillow. The bulb hummed with power, the soft light it produced compelling him to pull the blanket over his head.

"Come on!" Danny heard his mother call as she retreated down the hall. Her voice sounded muffled from the distance, yet, still able to force his eyes open.

Grumbling, Danny drove himself from the warm comfort of his soft bed. Throwing the covers off, he put both feet on the floor. Yawning, he stood up and walked to the front of the closet. Examining each piece of clothing, he forced his mind to the task of getting ready. He—or, rather, his mother—had already selected the outfit he was supposed to wear on this particular day. She'd made up her mind the night before after what had felt like hours of indecisiveness. A pair of new khaki shorts and a blue T-shirt lay folded on a rocking chair to his left. However, now faced with the uncertain importance of a first impression, he was not quite sure what to wear.