The Dragonborne: Book 1

Chapter One - Fantasy or Reality?

I shot upright in the bed, soaked in sweat and trembling from the nightmare I just had.

It happens at least once every month. I've learned that it could be a one time thing, or it could happen for five days in a row. Always in the middle of the month, though. Strange. Like it has a schedule, but an unreliable one.

This one was different. It was longer, more detailed, and more gruesome than all the others.

It always starts with me in a dark, damp cave. Running, away from the pounding footsteps behind me. I'm always never sure what's chasing me, or why. Maybe it's mad because I did something to make it angry. I wouldn't know, and I'm not stupid enough to stop and ask.

Then, I slip. The cave has become a downward slope at this point, so it's kind of like a slide at the park.

There's a gaping, black hole at the end of the slide. I'm racing towards it, and I can't stop. Everything is slick with droplets of water, my hands always sliding off the walls without griping anything. I reach the hole, and fall, a long way to the bottom.

It feels like it takes forever. I know what's at the bottom. The first couple of times was a shock, but then I got used to it.

I'm still falling, then suddenly I'm freezing cold. I've hit the water at the bottom. It's so deep, I can't feel the bottom. The water closes over my head, and I no longer know which way is up, or at least where air is.

This is where the other nightmares would end, and after, I'd go to the kitchen to get a midnight snack to calm my nerves. But this one keeps going, like all the others were only a preview.

I feel something smooth brush against my leg. Panic grips my heart, and burning grips my chest, both longing for relief from the frigid, unforgiving, and mysterious waters.

I swim, hoping the direction I'm going leads to land and air. The smooth skin glides around me again, making me swim harder and faster to get away from the possible danger this... thing... could bring.

I reach the surface. I take huge breaths, taking in as much air as I can. Then, I suddenly realize, I can see! It's not pitch black anymore. Everything is a light blue color, but I can't tell what's making the light.

I turn to the right, and I see a grey hill rising from the water. I start to swim to it, hoping I reach it before the thing underwater reaches me.

It's closer than I thought, so I get to it before the smooth skinned animal does me any harm.

I sit on the edge, away from the water and the horrors it brings.

The thing from the water rises, and I realize it's a dragon. I can't tell what color it is, but I can tell that it's colossal.

I don't think it wants to hurt me, but I could be wrong and it just wants to scare me before it tears me limb from limb and eats my intestines.

I hear slow footsteps come from behind me. I whip around, looking at the person.

They're very big, like a body builder, and they're also tall. They have a hat on, a long coat, and a scabbard on their hip. But, the scabbard is empty, an I look to their hand. A sword was supposed to be sheathed, but I have a feeling that when they saw me, they decided that this was what they needed the sword for.

An orange glow starts to build behind me, like a bonfire that was just lit. Wait, fire? I turn back around to see the body of the dragon is starting to glow orange, but I still can't see the color of it's body. It explodes from the mouth, more like a pulse of energy that a fireball.

The person behind me is thrown back, out if sight. I turn back to the dragon, just as I see another dragon jump onto the first ones back. I scream, terrified for the one that protected me. I run more inland, getting away from the fight in case I got hurt. I saw the first dragon slam the other into the ground, then I see it open it's jaws and reach for the second dragon's wings. It roars in pain as it's wings are torn. The second dragon thrashes around, trying to break free from the grip of the first dragon, but it's too strong. The first dragon opens it's mouth once more, this time reaching for the second's neck. He bites down, hard, then twists his head and tears off a piece of the second dragons throat. Blood sprays out of the wound, covering the first dragon's face, making him look like a nightmare. The second dragon stills, and the first continues to tear apart the dragon. I scream in fear, and that was the end.