Ghost Rider

CHAPTER XXXX: Peace

   I sprinted through the forest, the trees an ebony color due to the moonless night. Nothing could be heard but the thumping of my heart, the sound of my labored breaths coming out of my mouth, like smoke from a chimney, the crunching of  fallen leaves under my leather boots, and the wind whistling past my ears.

 As I continued to race through the forest, other sounds could be heard. The shouting of angry men, the clinking of chains, the sounds of boots stomping on the ground, and the shrieks of threatened dragons. 

Upon hearing these new sounds, I bolted faster through this forest of terrors. The falling dew of the night wet my face and dampened my hair, which soothed the feverish heat that had taken over my body due to my increasingly rapid pace. 

Soon, there was light to be seen. Not like the warm, relaxing light from the sun, however. It  glowed red, eerie and ominous as it defied the darkness of the night. It was fire. I could see buildings now; huts, cages, eating areas, armories, and a few others that I did not recognize. Skidding to a stop, I took cover behind a large bush so that I could observe the people below. 

The sounds were much louder now that I was closer to their origin. They were almost overpowering. As I took in my surroundings, I discovered why there were screeching noises. 

The men I heard making all of the racket were dragon hunters. 

At the moment, they were attempting to capture an unusually large Deathsong. Chains were thrown from one side of the dragon to the other, where a few people would quickly grab them and pull down with all of their might. 

The Deathsong was struggling to free itself  and fly away, but to no avail. 

I gazed into the eyes of this poor innocent soul. They were blue, bright blue; almost glowing from the light of the fire from the torches. 

Realization suddenly washed over me. 

This wasn't any random Deathsong, this was my Deathsong. 

I wanted to scream out, to yell at them to stop. I felt so helpless. All I could do was watch as they tortured my dragon. 

Abruptly, Amber sopped struggling and looked me dead in the eye. She gazed at me, straight into my soul.

 Although she quit struggling, her screeching became louder and louder. The louder they became, the more I could understand what she was saying."You did this to me! YOU. DID THIS. TO ME!" 

She kept screeching, the sound seemed to fill the whole earth. Her flagrant screams shook the ground and rattled the trees. 

Then, all at once, the Dragon Hunters stopped everything they were doing and became stiff. 

They slowly turned around in a way that did not even appear to be human. 

Their bodies should not have turned like that, their necks should not be craned like that! It was as if every bone in their body was either broken, dislocated, or misplaced. 

Their faces were gray and lifeless. Some of their skin was an unearthly blue. Their eyes were completely black, as if their pupils had taken over their whole eyeball. 

Then they slowly advanced towards me, groaning, crying, moaning. 

Even though there was no one holding the chains, Amber was still pinned to the ground as though some invisible force was keeping her down. She kept screaming the same words over and over again. "YOU DID THIS TO ME!" But then the words changed.