SciFi and Fantasy Stories: Drafain Saga Bk1 prologue

The Drafain Saga

Book one: Kay-Ree

By: Gardner Williams

Prologue:

            The night was dark, this was good, the night was moonless, also good, the night was cloudy, very good, and his father and mother were out on a trip to the southern area of the realm with their entourage of guards leaving only token defenders on the walls. This was going to be too easy. Jameal slipped out of his bedroom with a satchel of food, clothing, and money slung over his back. Wearing padded night shoes he slipped into the armory and grabbed a knife, a staff, and three metallic spheres that seemed to writhe on their inside like things alive, One about twice the size of a full grown dragon born’s hand, one slightly smaller, and one smaller still, also he grabbed a handful of smaller spheres from a box, these about the size of large marbles. And pouches for everything but the staff. He crept out and up a flight of stairs to a door with an ornately carved handle and opened it to reveal a large bedchamber.

            Syra awoke slowly; aware someone else was in her room. There, by the door a small crouching figure with a staff and a satchel slung across its back. Slowly it crept forward until about halfway to the bed where the figure stopped and she heard it whisper.

            “G’dbye sis.” And the figure left, just as Syra sprang up and quickly tied a belt around her nightgown to follow. Quickly she went down the stairs to the ground floor, taking the steps three at a time she rushed down and saw the figure creeping toward the door she cried.

“JAAAMMMIIEEE, get back here you can’t leave.”

At his sisters cry he sprang for the door and was knocked aside as a guard rushed in. Quickly regaining balance he rushed toward the kitchen for the larder entrance, or for his purposes, exit. He ran and swerved around a corner with one of the house guards who had figured out what was going on yelling after him.

 “Young master Jameal get back here, stop, your father will be very angry at this!” as he sprinted after the young boy.

As he went around another corner he ran full tilt into a cook, and his assistant heading back after finishing the cleaning of the kitchen. They collided in a large mass but Jameal quickly sprang to his feet and rushed down the hall opened the kitchen door, through the larder entrance and out the back door, his older sister close on his heels with the guard temporarily delayed at the scene of the collision.

He looked back and saw his sister gaining; he regretted going to tell her good bye but couldn’t have left with out it. And then he put on an extra burst of speed as she almost caught him by his satchel, looking forward he realized his mistake, he would get to the side gate before his sister but she would be able to catch him as he undid the locks. Seeing no alternative he put out his hands and stopped himself on the door and started with the locks just as his sister caught him by the arm.

“What are you doing? Father would kill you if he knew you had left while he was gone.” She asked urgently.

“That’s why I don’t plan on coming back for a long time, I need to get out of here, I want to see the world not just learn about it in between politics and war lessons, I want to be a doer not a thinker or ruler, I want to live not be stuffed in a castle while things are being done, lemme go, I’m trying to undo these locks.” As she looked into his eyes she realized he was right, her little brother wasn’t born to be a ruler but a warrior, a battle mage, and quite possibly, a legend.

“Leoth.” She spoke one word quietly and the gate unlocked by magic, a magic she had only recently discovered in old books about the construction of the castle from the first inhabitant.

“What?!?” cried Jameal as she shoved him out the open side gate.

“Your right, now go before the guard gets here.” She said and turned her face to hide the tears in her eyes, her beloved younger brother was leaving.