*(Preview)* Ravenlight: Book 1- Embers of the Past

Chapter I

Act1- A Girl Named Elise

Thunder boomed, lightning flashed, winds howled, and trees had begun to crash. The Yukon, normally a place of beauty and life, now turned upside down by a relentless storm. Not a bird flapped, not an animal scurried, not a single figure moved. A blackened sky with vicious intent.

Below many a tree blew with several collapsing atop a pathway right through the forest, one being torn and sent flying along that path. Through the air and straight into the side of a mountain, exploding with splintering force the moment it hit. Rain pelted down, a landslide beginning with trees flowing down the mountain side mixed into the muddy waters. With splashes the mud blew right over several caves to seemingly seal them tight; though even as the mud blocked them the light did not fade.

CLANG

Inside the echoing cave where wind and water howled, deeper down to the sides of the tunnels were torches. Freshly lit, burning brilliantly. Further in the chatter of English speaking individuals had overtaken the sounds of the storm hounding outside. Up ahead further still the air shifted, blood scenting the air.

CLANG

The sound of metal on metal, banging together with extreme force. A large cavern with torches all around, paint and chalk drawn onto the cave floor dividing the room with a large rectangle in the middle. Steps echoed in this chamber along with the source of the blades, blurs of movement from corner to corner of the drawn shape. Rock was tossed by the skidding of feet, two individuals standing near head to head with locked blades on a final swing.

With arms and blades quivering, the two looking straight into the other's eyes. Eyes locked fierce with fire, their weapons at full force against the other. A female with long dark hair and bright eyes in a long black coat and pants holding out a dagger, while the other a male with short light hair and dark eyes holding out a sword. Both grunted, the male pushing the female back with her feet digging into the ground though only momentarily.

With no wasted movement the woman stepped left, her body turning with only a single blade blocking the sword. The male grunted, stumbling forward at the sudden shift of force. Another clang, this time metal on rock followed by a thudding slap of flesh to floor. Quickly he turned round, the female standing over him with both blades to his throat.

"D-dammit," the male grumbled.

A clapping echoed and flooded, the female stepping back to which point the male began to stumble up. Their heads turned right, a bench of stone visible where upon it sat a clapping young girl with nothing but the largest of grins on her face, "Heh heh, alright, that's game and point."

Her hair long down her back and dirty-blond, light green eyes shining off the light of the torches near her. Her shirt long sleeved and black with a few tears in the sleeves, her pants typical blue jeans with gashes around the legs, black boots half covered by the length of the jeans. In her lap a book with a red cover with patches of black, no writing on it though there was a portrait of several shadowy figures, "You guys did great that time, way way better than before."

"Ugh," the male growled stumbling up full stance, "If you say so. My performance was crap."

"Got that right," his opponent chuckled.

"Oh shut it. What the hell was that anyway Destiny? Dancing around me to let me stumble. That's not fighting, that's being a ballerina jerk!"

"Thomas Thomas Thomas, are you always such a sore loser? All is fair in love and war, haven't your parents told you that before?"

"Yeah well we also agreed to not cut each other. Look at my damn arm you grazed."

"Oh don't be such a baby, it was an accident. You're a man so act like one. You're supposed to be stronger so I went at this with more than just intent of practice, get me?"