Ember Born

First Blood

The monster stood right in front of Kael, its giant golden eyes locked onto his face.

"Kaelen," the beast rasped again, its voice sounding like hot stones grinding together in a deep pit.

The creature lunged forward, snapping its giant jaw.

The rest of the hunting party scattered into the dark forest, screaming in absolute terror. They dropped their spears and torches in the mud, running for their lives. Only Kael stood his ground. He could not run. His legs were locked in place, and something deep inside his chest refused to let him turn away.

The monster raised its long arm, swinging three sharp claws down at Kael's neck.

Kael reached under his heavy leather coat. He grabbed the handle of the old sword he had repaired in the blacksmith shop earlier that day. He had shoved the blade into a leather wrap on his back before leaving town, just in case he ran into trouble on the road.

The second his fingers wrapped around the handle, the weapon changed.

The sword grew warm again in his grip. It did not burn his hand. It pulsed with a gentle, steady heat, vibrating like a living heart.

The monster’s claws came slashing down through the foggy air.

Kael did not know how to fight. He was just a boy who carried water buckets and swept dirty shop floors. But as the heat from the handle spread up his arm, his body moved on its own.

The sword was guiding his grip.

His feet shifted quickly in the mud. He ducked under the swinging claws just in time. The sharp wind from the attack whipped past his ear, cutting through his shirt.

Kael raised the sword high with both hands. The dark blue steel began to hum with a clear, ringing note.

The monster let out a loud screech and turned its body fast, swinging its heavy tail straight at Kael’s chest.

Again, the warm magic inside the handle pulled Kael’s body into action. The weapon guided his movements perfectly. He leaped backward over a thick tree root, landing lightly on his feet in the shallow creek water.

CLANG!

The beast’s tail slammed into a thick oak tree, snapping the trunk into splinters.

"What are you?" Kael gasped, his chest heaving up and down.

The monster did not answer with human words this time. It opened its wide mouth and hissed, a wave of hot air hitting Kael’s face. The dark red scales covering its chest began to glow brighter, turning a fierce, fiery orange.

It crouched low in the creek bed, its long hind legs tensing like metal springs. Then, it leaped straight through the air at Kael.

Kael held his breath. He stopped trying to control his own arms. He let the warm sword guide his hands.

He stepped forward, driving his weight into his left foot.

He sidestepped the flying beast. As the monster shot past him, Kael swung the dark blue sword in a fast, upward arc.

SLASH!

The sword cut straight through the crimson scales on the monster’s side. A burst of bright orange sparks exploded into the dark air.

The beast let out a painful screech and crashed into the muddy bank, black blood dripping from the long cut on its side.

The creature spun around, its golden eyes full of rage. It slapped its long claws against the water, sending a wave of freezing creek water straight at Kael’s face.

Kael wiped his eyes with his sleeve. When he looked up, the monster was already right in front of him, opening its jaws wide to bite his head off.

Kael didn't panic. The sword in his hand pulsed warmer and warmer, filling his veins with a sudden rush of strength and heat.

The weapon pushed his arms forward.

Kael thrust the sword straight ahead with all his power.

THUNK!

The sharp steel blade drove deep into the monster’s throat, plunging all the way up to the bronze dragon wings on the hilt.

The beast froze. Its giant golden eyes widened in shock.

Kael landed the killing blow.

He held tightly onto the handle as the monster stood trembling above him in the dark creek bed. The dark red scales on the creature’s body began to crack, turning gray like dying coals.

The beast reached up with one weak claw, touching the blue steel sticking out of its throat.

Then, its body began to crumble.

The hard scales turned into black powder. The long limbs fell apart into dust. Right before Kael’s eyes, the entire creature dissolved into thick, black ash, washing away into the rushing waters of Miller's Creek.

As the final piece of the monster’s face turned into dust, a faint, raspy whisper floated out from the black ash, blowing past Kael’s ear in the wind.

"Not yet..."

The ash scattered into the dark night air, leaving Kael standing completely alone in the silent creek.