He
kept gazing every five seconds in his rearview mirror with huge eyes. Beads of
sweat rolled from his hairline down to the side of his temple. He was
terrified, something that conflicted with his personality. I’d never seen
Dad look that scared in my entire life.
“Dad!”
“Did
you see where it went?” he asked, attempting to inject calm into his voice, but
I could hear the fear lacing each syllable.
“See
where what went? Dad what was that!”
“You
wouldn't believe me if I told you.”
“For
once in your life, just tell me!” I screamed. Sixteen years of frustration
exploded from my lungs. I couldn't take the unknown anymore.
“Fine.”
He mumbled something else that I didn't catch. “Do you remember the stories I
used to tell you?”
“Stories?
What stories?”
“The
ones about Paegeia, Elena.” He looked in his rearview mirror again with huge,
unblinking eyes.
Vaguely,
but I didn't tell him that. “What does that have to do with this?”
“They're
real.”
I
froze and stared at him.
“All
of it, it’s real. The dragons, the magic, the wall, everything is real.”
“Dad,
dragons...” I took a deep breath. Dragons didn't exist, but then the image of
the huge thing that had flown past me a couple of seconds ago sprang into my
head. “You mean that thing was a dragon?”
He
nodded, and looked over his shoulder.
A
figure with huge paws and talons flew in front of the truck. Tires screeched at
the same time I shrieked. The truck spun around on the turf a couple of times
and came to a standstill on the dark stretch of road. My heart jumped at a
great speed inside my chest. My throat and lips became dry.
Pushing
my face against the cool glass of the passenger window, I searched the horizon
for any sign of life. Apart from the pickup’s headlights, there wasn’t a single
light peeking through the blanketed darkness, and the rain crushing down made
me see figures I didn’t know were real or imagined. Dragons don’t exist.
“You
okay?” my father yelled.
“I'm
fine.” I tore my eyes away from the window.
“Elena,
I need to get out─”
“No,
no, please don't leave me here!” I could feel the fear beginning to rise
up again and my vision became blurry. Why am I afraid? Dragons aren’t real.
He
cupped my face and made me look at him, his hands trembling. “Listen to me,
Elena. Listen!”
I
tried to swallow my tears, but it was no use. They were caught in the back
of my throat, silencing me as he said his goodbye.
He
hugged me tight and kissed me on my forehead. I could feel the love he had for
me behind that kiss.
“You
drive like hell, you hear me? Don't slow down for anybody. There's a motel on
Interstate 40. Just stay on this road, you can't miss it. Someone named Matt
will meet you there.”
“For
the love of blueberries Dad, it's pouring dogs and horses outside. I can't
leave you here with whatever...” We can rationally sort this out.
Dad
cringed and looked down for a minute. When he looked at me again, that set to
his jaw was back. I knew my words hadn’t made an impact on him whatsoever. He
had already made up his mind for the both of us.
My
strength returned as I slowly came to terms with what I had to do.
A
man appeared in the middle of the road. The rain made it hard for me to see
him, but the headlights of the truck outlined his figure. I squinted to see him
clearer. He was tall with long black hair; wet strands clung to his face. He
wore a pair of pants, no T-shirt, and it looked like no shoes either. He stared
at the pickup for a couple of minutes, and it made my heart pound faster. He
began to walk slowly toward us.
“Daaaaad?”
I slapped his shoulder, trying to expel the fear from my body.
“Elena.”
He grabbed my wrist. “I'll be fine. You need to go. Now. And, Bear, I'm so
sorry. Whatever happens, don't stop for anything.”
“Dad?”
My lower lip quivered like mad. He kissed me one more time on my forehead and
wiped away my tears gently with his thumbs.
“I'll
meet you there.” He climbed out of the truck and slammed the door in my
face. My gaze switched back at the macho loon making his way toward Dad, who
stood right next to the pickup. I quickly moved into the driver’s seat, took a
deep breath, and buckled up.
With
my hands trembling on the steering wheel, I took another deep breath.
You
can do this, the voice in my
head rambled a couple of times. The key sat lazily in the ignition, and I
jerked it to the right. The pickup sputtered and died. The guy disappeared into
the darkness, and a new set of fear pumped through my veins.
“No,
no, no, no! Please don't die on me now,” I mumbled as I tried to restart the
engine. The man appeared again by the faint glow of the headlights. He was
getting closer.
“Start
you stupid piece of crap!” I yelled over the roar of the blood pumping in
my ears.
The
engine came to life and I screamed as the man's figure leaped toward the
pickup. Dad jumped from the asphalt and tackled him in mid-air. “Go, Elena!” he
shouted over the pounding rain.
I
floored the gas pedal and the pickup's tires screeched as I drove past Dad,
who'd wrestled the guy onto the road. Tears blurred my sight.
I
can't just leave him back there. I
struggled to come to terms with what the hell was going on.
My
father and the other man quickly disappeared into the horizon of my rearview
mirror. I wiped away my tears with the back of my hand and lowered the mirror
so that I could see Dad, but they had vanished into the night.
Don't
stop for anything, Dad's voice
replayed inside my head.
My
hands trembled on the shift as I found the third gear. A strong force hit the
pickup on the passenger’s side. The impact of the blow jolted through my body
as the truck rolled a couple of times, and came to a halt on its roof, leaving
me suspended in the air. My head and body throbbed with pain, and warm blood
ran down my skull. I began to slip into darkness.
Lightning struck, and the road was instantly engulfed in flames, leaving me wide-awake. Something to the left grabbed my attention as the fire slowly began to creep toward the overturned truck. The aching inside my head blurred my vision and I couldn't see the figure properly, but when it lifted up the truck, righting it on the asphalt once again, a shrill sound left my lips.
Lightning struck, and the road was instantly engulfed in flames, leaving me wide-awake. Something to the left grabbed my attention as the fire slowly began to creep toward the overturned truck. The aching inside my head blurred my vision and I couldn't see the figure properly, but when it lifted up the truck, righting it on the asphalt once again, a shrill sound left my lips.
About The Book
Title: Firebolt
Author: Adrienne
Woods
Genre: YA
Fantasy
For
the love of blueberries, Elena Watkins was destined for greatness, even though
she didn’t know it. Before entering Paegeia Elena was not special, she wasn’t
even average until the night her father was killed by a creature she thought
only existed in fairy tales – a dragon. With her father’s death leaving her
orphaned, Elena is whisked away to her true birthplace, Paegeia. Arriving at
Dragonia Academy, the premier school for young Dragonians; a school she was
never meant to attend because her father was a dragon. Unbeknownst to Elena
danger is lurking behind the enchanted vines concealing the once thriving
capital of Paegeia – Etan. Goran, the darkest sorcerer in the realm, has lain
dormant for over a century behind the crumbling city. There, in the shadowy
ruins he plots his revenge to destroy the only weapon that can kill him – the
King of Lion Sword. When the sword is stolen without a trace Elena doesn’t
think twice about seeking it; knowing deep down that it is her destiny to save
her new home.
Author Bio
Adrienne
Woods lives in South Africa with her husband and two little girls. She writes
full time and also in different genre's. She has different pen names, one for
every genre.
Melony/Kristen
Ping For NA, sub genres could be anything. From paranormal to Mythology.
Isabella
White for Woman's fiction/Erotica
Adrienne
Woods for YA. When she's not writing, she's reading books or help other authors
to get their work notice through her blog ADRIENNE WOODS BOOKS AND REVIEWS.
You
can reach Adrienne Woods at the following links
Twitter: erichb3
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