The following is the beginning of my new story entitled "Alurax." Enjoy
Prologue
An unnatural darkness smothered the fledgling village, bringing with it the knowledge that the enemy fire that had brought down nearly half the empire was now coming their way. Tendrils of smoke drifted down the very few streets that adorned the shore-side town.
Chaos ruled.
Burdened with the knowledge that none had ever escaped this doom, the villagers responded in hopelessness. Some doused themselves in the ocean; many burdened the bridge that led to the great city known as Alurax. It was their only hope. Some believed in the legends of ancient magic in the city that would protect it from harm, some hoped that the fire would not be able to withstand the long journey across the water. All rightfully realized that the city was their last hope.
In the midst of all the panic, one young man pushed against the crowd. He was clearly a native of the water-city; he walked like one who had rarely touched earth.
“Avuran!”
He shouted the name desperately, knowing full well that even if his voice reached the child above the panicked roar of the general population she would be unable to respond—she was, after all, hardly old enough to walk.
But he wasn’t about to give up. He was already furious with himself for allowing her to wander off in the first place; he would never forgive himself if she died.
“It’s no use.” A woman came up behind him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “If we don’t leave now, we’ll be too late.”
“But…Avuran…”
“She’s gone.”
“No. Avuran, she—she’ll—” he struggled for the words. “I’m not going to let her die!”
The buildings on the edge of the village were consumed by the devouring flame.
“It’s too late. Our only hope is to go to Alurax.
“But—” It was the voice of a defeated man.
“This is our last chance, and we can’t let you die.”
He lifted his head in defiance and shouted in an unintelligible tongue. That was it. He followed the woman across the bridge as if he knew it would kill him.
As he joined the pressing throng, a wave of flame overwhelmed the village. It consumed the humble town. Hungrily, the fire searched for its next meal; it found the bridge and the promise of another meal on the other end.
The chaos grew ever more intense when the bridge caught fire. People began diving off into the sea, believing that it was their only chance at survival. The young man, now resigned to the fact that the child was gone, continued to the city, racing against the deadly flames.
This story will be updated weekly. Due to the nature of the updates, I request that you do not comment in this thread, but post all comments in the seperate thread provided here: comments Prizes will be given to random commenters, so I do hope that you can find the time to at least drop me a quick note. If you would like to recieve a pm announcing updates, please pm me. I hope you enjoyed the beginning and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions. I will see you next week--hopefully with a slightly longer portion.
Prologue
An unnatural darkness smothered the fledgling village, bringing with it the knowledge that the enemy fire that had brought down nearly half the empire was now coming their way. Tendrils of smoke drifted down the very few streets that adorned the shore-side town.
Chaos ruled.
Burdened with the knowledge that none had ever escaped this doom, the villagers responded in hopelessness. Some doused themselves in the ocean; many burdened the bridge that led to the great city known as Alurax. It was their only hope. Some believed in the legends of ancient magic in the city that would protect it from harm, some hoped that the fire would not be able to withstand the long journey across the water. All rightfully realized that the city was their last hope.
In the midst of all the panic, one young man pushed against the crowd. He was clearly a native of the water-city; he walked like one who had rarely touched earth.
“Avuran!”
He shouted the name desperately, knowing full well that even if his voice reached the child above the panicked roar of the general population she would be unable to respond—she was, after all, hardly old enough to walk.
But he wasn’t about to give up. He was already furious with himself for allowing her to wander off in the first place; he would never forgive himself if she died.
“It’s no use.” A woman came up behind him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “If we don’t leave now, we’ll be too late.”
“But…Avuran…”
“She’s gone.”
“No. Avuran, she—she’ll—” he struggled for the words. “I’m not going to let her die!”
The buildings on the edge of the village were consumed by the devouring flame.
“It’s too late. Our only hope is to go to Alurax.
“But—” It was the voice of a defeated man.
“This is our last chance, and we can’t let you die.”
He lifted his head in defiance and shouted in an unintelligible tongue. That was it. He followed the woman across the bridge as if he knew it would kill him.
As he joined the pressing throng, a wave of flame overwhelmed the village. It consumed the humble town. Hungrily, the fire searched for its next meal; it found the bridge and the promise of another meal on the other end.
The chaos grew ever more intense when the bridge caught fire. People began diving off into the sea, believing that it was their only chance at survival. The young man, now resigned to the fact that the child was gone, continued to the city, racing against the deadly flames.
This story will be updated weekly. Due to the nature of the updates, I request that you do not comment in this thread, but post all comments in the seperate thread provided here: comments Prizes will be given to random commenters, so I do hope that you can find the time to at least drop me a quick note. If you would like to recieve a pm announcing updates, please pm me. I hope you enjoyed the beginning and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions. I will see you next week--hopefully with a slightly longer portion.
