The Uncommon Rider, now on pre-sale!
Here is the first snippet in the exciting upcoming series, The Exceptional S. Beaufont! You get to follow Liv’s little sister and see what she’s been up to in the background. Well, she’s really not so little anymore.
The Uncommon Rider Snippet #1 is HERE!!!
Chapter One
Nothing in the last eight-hundred years had prepared Adam Rivalry for this.
Atop and aside his dragon, Kay-Rye, he’d defeated leagues of armies, taken down lines of trebuchets and sent murderous monsters into extinction. And yet, he’d never faced a beast like the one trailing them presently.
Icy winds raced through his long hair and beard, sending them flying over his shoulder as Kay-Rye swerved to avoid the strange projectiles the thunderous monster fired at them. It was a magic that Adam had never seen before.
The beast didn’t move with the wind, like the dragons, but rather cut through it—making a noise like a thousand vibrating drums. And the monster left behind a chemical smell that burned Adam’s nose.
Daring to look over his shoulder as they passed through a dense cloud, Adam tried to make out the form of the enemy. As far as he could tell, it was covered in a strange armor. Not a dragon. And not a bird. Its wings didn’t fold and expand like Kay-Rye’s.
Instead they stayed stick-straight.
Its attacks didn’t come from its mouth or from its rider, who was locked inside a clear compartment on the top. They shot from under the wings, large metal capsules that had many times whistled by Adam’s head or scraped Kay-Rye’s wings, injuring him little by little. There was also a weapon on the top of the creature that fired rapid attacks which were harder to avoid since they were smaller.
The dragon was okay though.
They’d make it to the Barrier of the Gullington soon. Then no matter how close the beast was to them, they’d disappear into the mists—safe once more.
Adam and his dragon would return once they’d rested. He knew the monster was guarding something that it had harmed. The dragon rider may not know much about his new enemy, but he knew that it deserved no mercy.
It was Adam’s job to protect. He and Kay-Rye had taken an oath to uphold justice. And even if they hadn’t been able to do that properly for several hundred years, there was little stopping them from returning to that mission now.
The sun had just set on the other side of the Pond. Night belonged to the black dragon, giving it speed and increased agility. Adam lowered himself, his chin barely grazing the neck of the dragon he’d known for most of his life.
We’ll be through the Barrier soon, Adam thought, feeling the dragon slow. Only in battle did they choose the more draining method of telepathy to communicate with one another.
We won’t make it in time, Kay-Rye insisted. He nearly halted in mid-air, the lights from the modest village below blurring as they began to free-fall as the dragon folded his wings into its body.
Wind whistled by Adam’s ears as they plummeted. Pushing against the force of the fall, he peered up, to find that the monster had a sudden burst of speed. It shot forward, quickly covering the distance where they had been. The beast turned into a nose dive as soon as it caught the change in their direction.
How did you know that was going to happen? Adam asked.
Instinct, Kay-Rye simply answered, unfolding his wings and regaining height.
The cottages on the eastern hills were all turning on their lights for the night. Adam watched them with affection, remembering when that area was unsettled.
He’d spent most of his life in this area of Scotland, and he wasn’t going to allow this monster to ruin it. As a dragon rider, he wouldn’t stand for anyone to bully, especially not in what had become his homeland over these centuries.
Kay-Rye’s wings flapped furiously, in perfect rhythm with the wind. They were headed back for the Barrier. As fast as Kay-Rye was at night, he couldn’t outpace the beast. It made up the space between them in seconds, sending multiple attacks.
Adam tried his best to shield, but the assaults were unrelenting, exploding through his spells and continuing undeterred.
He sent two attacks off course as Kay-Rye sped through the clouds, spiraling to the side, his massive wings soaring through the darkness, perfectly camouflaged by the night. Although, wherever they flew, no matter how much the dark masked the black dragon, the monster’s attacks seemed to find him.
Almost like it was using a homing spell of sorts.
We must make it to the Barrier, Adam insisted, feeling Kay-Rye’s exhaustion like it was his own. This chase had gone on for what seemed like hours, the strange creature behind them never slowing. It wasn’t natural. It almost didn’t seem to be alive at all—but rather a machine.
Adam had never heard of a contraption the size of a dragon that attacked like this one did. However, there were many things he didn’t know about the modern world he realized.
If granted more time, he’d learn. He’d adapt. He’d figure out how to outmaneuver and overpower the thing gaining on Kay-Rye’s tail, flying several yards behind the dragon.
Even with the increased power of the night, Kay-Rye was no match for the many attacks that whizzed by, one of them tearing straight through his wing, sending it back at a weird angle.
Adam held on for dear life as his dragon toppled to the side, his wing flying uncontrollably in the wind like a flag, knocking into him.
The dragon’s screams unleashed a pain inside of Adam so deep that he felt his heart might pound out of his chest. They had to land. Kay-Rye was too injured to continue much farther. But the monster would pursue. It was out to kill. And the Barrier was too far to reach.
Adam had one only option left.
Don’t, Kay-Rye urged, a soft pain in the one word as he tried to make his broken wing work.
I have to, Adam stated, feeling the adrenaline shoot through him as he stood up on the back of his dragon, twisting around to face the strangest enemy he’d ever seen. He pooled his and Kay-Rye’s collective energy, not unleashing it until it nearly made his chest explode.
With a guttural scream Adam shot the attack at the monster barreling through the night’s sky. The use of that much magic depleted them both severely, leaving them with few options should they need more power. However, Adam’s attack hit the front of the beast with a punishing blow, knocking it to the side, tearing off one of its wings.
Adam was about to rejoice, feeling the first bit of hope in hours. Smoke flew up from the center of the creature as it spiraled to the dense mountain range below, crashing with a fiery blow. Thankfully they were past the village and over the unchartered territory that surrounded the Gullington.
Yes! Adam whipped around, ready to guide his injured dragon home when he froze, his eyes wide as his mouth sucked in what would most assuredly be one of his last breaths. Racing towards them, faster than they could avoid, uninjured or otherwise, was another of those strange weapons the monster shot. This one must have been sent prior to Adam’s attack. It sped forward, turning around and coming back in their direction.
Kay-Rye, worked to hold his injured wing straight, gliding for the hills below. They might be able to make it. Out maneuver the attack. Get to the safety of the grass and caves.
Both held onto this hope, feeling the doom in the other’s hearts as they made their final descent. The projectile zoomed at their back, closing in like a hungry dog on a hunt.
Adam gripped the reigns tighter. Held closer to the creature that was more a part of him than his own skin and bones. He didn’t close his eyes when the blast met its target, hitting Kay-Rye straight in the backside, exploding fire over Adam as well.
The dragon rider didn’t let go of hope even as Kay-Rye stopped flying, spiraling into a free fall, his wings like broken kites, tangling in the wind.
Adam didn’t let go even as they tumbled onto the stony earth, the dragon rolling onto his already broken body, smashing it even more. He did close his eyes when he felt Kay-Rye’s breaths slow to almost non-existent quickly after impact.
Whatever the monster was they’d angered that night, it was a force they weren’t prepared to defeat or survive. The oldest living dragon rider hoped with everything that he had left that his brothers would be in a better position to fight this enemy if they should ever come in contact with another like it. And he hoped they did—because it was evil, and what it guarded needed their help. He knew that much, without knowing why.
Kay-Rye pulled his head around, awkwardly gazing back at Adam, lying half under him. There was no point in moving the dragon. They both knew it was over.
“It’s been a good reign, my friend,” Adam said, coughing up blood, feeling something sharp cutting into his chest.
“It has,” Kay-Rye replied, his breaths too far apart, eyes drifting closed.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“The pleasure has always been mine, Adam.”
And with that, the dragon and its rider took their last breaths together, closing out the end of an era.
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I swear I don’t have tears in my eyes, only chills going down my spine, honest! Ok, I’m totally ready for this new series! Who’s joining me?
You can pre-order book 1 now and get it auto-delivered to your eReader the second it goes live!
