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Stories / Stories / Robyn Wren / Text 2 of 2 / Shadow of the Wolf- Prologue

"Shadow of the Wolf- Prologue" by Robyn Wren

SF&F Picture 2 out of 2 by Robyn Wren

The prologue to my first novel Shadow of the Wolf. Book one in the Darkness Unleashed series. This is full of magick, demons, shape shifters and all things unknown.

One year ago

The sun moved across the sky, its rays cascading down like ribbons of orange-gold, spreading a cocoon across the land. Its warmth eased the tension from the raven’s back; his absolute stillness on the tree branch barely noticeable by human eyes. Sharp eyes ever watchful, Raithe’s gaze roamed the hillside, always mindful of the concealed cave and the abomination held within. For the last few centuries his family had been given the task of keeping watch over the cave and the danger it held; to alert the elders should anything change its present state. The evil hidden inside was so powerful; no human was allowed to know of its existence, for fear of it being released.

Shaking his feathered head, Raithe thought back on the stories handed down from one generation to another, growing in length, as each father parted his knowledge on to his son. There were only a few families who’d been selected, allowed to know the truth of the danger held hidden deep inside the cave. From the time he’d hit his twentieth summer it had been made clear he was next. His was a task that left the watcher alone for the rest of his life, a quest so important, the watcher was denied a family of his own. It was for this reason that the families shared the duty, alternating the burden of the watch. Looking across the grassland, the wind seemed to increase in velocity, the field of green swayed with the tempo it produced. There was an almost mesmerizing quality to it, so that at first, the shadowy figure might have gone unseen; until a small crack of a twig alerted Raithe to the presence of another.

Turning his midnight black head toward the sound, the raven’s gaze took in the small form of a female moving quickly through the brush, her feet barely making tracks upon the ground. Surprise coursed through the raven’s body at the sight of the woman moving through the field, her presence a complete mystery to him. How had she gotten here?

The raven was confident that the cave was unknown to the human world; it had been deliberately removed from their history. Could she be lost? Questions drummed chaotically through his mind. So erratic were his thoughts, that he barely caught her slight figure move toward the entrance of the cave, her eyes darting around to see if any others were near. Could she have sensed his presence or worse could the man hidden inside have called out to her? Raithe knew he’d shrouded his body from those not of his kind but he couldn’t be sure of the strength of the man inside.

Before he could attempt to shift and call out, the woman’s figure slipped quickly into the cave, her footsteps still ringing on the wind. Frantic to know what she’d found, Raithe took to flight, his feathers taking on an iridescent shine in the sunlight. Circling high above the hole at the top of the deep cavern below, Raithe listened with his acute hearing; yet all that he could discern was the woman walking through the hallways and her voice calling out into the darkness. Could it have brought her here? The mere possibility caused his heart to race hard, the force so strong he felt that it would surely burst through his chest.

Down below in the deep darkness a chanting began; low and melodious, filling the air until it felt thick enough to cut. Fear coursed through his veins. Raithe turned and flew away from the opening. He wanted to leave the area but a sound from behind caused him to pause. Turning his head he caught movement above the hole. His vision adjusted just in time to see hundreds of bats burst through the opening and out into the daylight sky. Something horrible must be occurring for the bats to have left their dark refuge too early and risk the pain of sunlight. Turning his gaze back to the tree, Raithe returned to his perch. He wanted to venture closer but knew it wasn’t safe. For now he hoped that what was unfolding was not as he feared.

Evening crept in as the sunlight descended back behind the mountains. Shadows drew back the remaining orange hues from view, beckoning on the night. Above him the full moon began to cast silver strands of light across the field. Raithe paced back and forth on his perch, praying to the gods that all was well. He knew if the moment came and the evil was released, he would have to fly quickly to his village and warn the elders of the situation. The sounds had not lessened over the hours, gaining instead by each breath, in tempo and tone. He wanted to ignore the sounds but found he could not. His mind felt numb with each syllable. Raithe stretched his wings ready to take flight when silence fell across the land. The thickness in the air increased with each breath; invading the surrounding area near the cave, choking the life out of anything and everyone close by.

Unsure of what to do, Raithe knew he had to get back to his people, to warn them of the coming danger. He found his body wouldn’t budge. Looking down his blood froze in his veins. His feet had turned to stone, anchoring him to the tree limb. Looking up, he saw a black mist begin to form from the hole at the top of the cave, swirling and growing with every moment. Fear began to pool in the pit of his stomach, he knew if this continued, he would not be able to get to the village and warn the others of the danger coming. Staring down at his feet he willed his body to break free of the spell that had begun to weave around his body. His heart lurched in his chest full of fear the same moment as a high pitched scream emanated from within the cave. The force shook the tree limbs with its intensity. Clarity of the situation found its way into his mind. He needed to get away but yet there was no way to move. A tingling feeling crept along his legs and up into his wings. He looked back down at his feet and watched in horror as the stone covering them began to move up his body inch by inch. He had no way to move the foreign substance slowly encasing the rest of his form. He knew he was lost, his soul forever sealed in this dark magic.

Moments before the stone covered the raven’s onyx eyes; he caught one last glimpse of the cave and the evil being released. The swirling black mist moves quickly across the field and directly toward him, his eyes widening with shock. Nothing could be seen inside the mist, or so he thought. Moments before the darkness covers his body he finds red eyes staring back at him from within the darkness. It was loose and he’d failed. Laughter from within the mist wraps around his mind as the last of his body is encased within the stone, silencing his screams.

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Date	Name	Comment
3 Jul 2009	Emily beebe	Loading... i can’t believe this hasn’t been commented yet! this is incredible! Robyn Wren replies: "Emily, thank you so much for your wonderful comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the prologue. "