A Dark Night (Book One of The Grandor Descendant series) by Bell Stoires Page A

pressure.
    “NO!”  Ragon roared, blurring to Kiara and hitting her hard in the face.
    Kiara’s body fell heavily to the ground and Ragon raced to Ari’s cell. He grabbed the bars, ripping the door from its hinges in an ear splitting screech of tearing met al. Matthew had just turned to confront him, but Ragon was too quick; he hit him savagely in the back with both fists, so that Matthew crashed to the ground.
    “Ragon,” whispered Ari, her voice hoarse from where Matthew had strangled her.
    Tearing his eyes away from her, Ragon reached down and hit Matthew again, pulling him up by his collar and aiming a hard blow at his head. Ari watched as Matthew’s face seemed to break, like stone under pressure, so that thin lines cracked down his normally perfect skin. At the same time Paige raced inside the cell, kneeling down beside her fallen master.
    “Leave him,” said Ari , but the girl ignored her and began shaking Matthew violently, desperate for him to wake up.
    “We have to go,” said Ragon, looking quickly back to where Kiara lay, still unconscious.
    “But…” Ari began to say, holding her bound hands out to Paige.
    Ragon looked down at the young girl and shook his head. Before Ari could argue, he had bent down, placing his head under her bound hands, so that she hung in front of him. Finally he lifted her legs and cradled her as best he could. He did not pause, or try to recover his strength, but ran.
     
    Ari watched from Ragon’s arms as Paige began clawing at her own wrist with her nails. Soon blood swelled from the scratches and Paige pressed her hand against Matthew’s lips. Two white hands pulled Paige’s closer as Matthew regained consciousness.
    “No,” screamed Ari, seeing the smile on Paige’s face falter as Matthew took both blood and life from her.
    As Ragon raced away, Ari managed one last glimpse of Paige; the girl was crumpled and lifeless on the floor, white as a sheet. Matthew’s hands bent out at odd angles and he threw Paige away. Then he stood and moved like lightning after them. Ragon had just enough time to throw the door to the main room shut and blur away, before they heard loud pounding on the other side.
    Still locked together, Ragon and Ari had barely reach ed the edge of Kiara’s property when they heard an infuriating scream come from the house.
    “How dare you!” Kiara screeched.
    Ragon didn’t stop to look back but kept running. When they reached a large brick fence lining the property, Ragon paused and then leapt over it in a single bounce. In that instant, Ari had seen Kiara standing in the entrance of her house as she shook with rage. As the pair locked eyes on one another, Kiara glared, but then looked up at the sky in frustration and recoiled back inside.
                                                                                       
    All the way home, Ragon ran, still cradling Ari in his arms. She had slowly begun to slip from his hands, though her bound wrists wrapped around his neck kept her in place. It was still dark, though the sky was beginning to lighten, and all around them were the chirps of awakening birds, as a pale orange light broadened on the horizon. As Ragon ran, he hugged the forest line of Mount Cootha, keeping them away from the prying eyes of morning joggers or any cars that might have been on the road this early. This was fortunate; Ari still only wore her underwear and the sight therefore of a man carrying a half-naked woman, bound around his neck, would have drawn unnecessary attention to them.
    S oon Ari could see Ragon’s house from the street and smiled.
    They had just reached the driveway when Ragon’s legs gave out and he fell heavily onto the gravel. Ari was thrown from him and crumpled on the harsh stones, the wind knocked out of her. She laid still then gasped for air. Looking desperately at Ragon, she frowned; he looked completely broken.
    “Get