PROLOGUE
Island of the Lost
(Book Two of The Island of the Lost trilogy)
By Jessica Gribble
p.s. You should know this was not intended to be a standalone novel, and you may be a bit confused if you start this but have yet to read the first book (The Forgotten Island). This prologue is still pretty awesome though, if you wanna read that while you are here.
PROLOGUE:
-MALAKAI-
The damp, oppressive air clung to my skin like a curse. I was surrounded by the stench of my own waste, the smell of decaying flesh a now familiar scent. I could almost taste the despair that permeated every crevice of this dungeon, mingling with the metallic tang of blood and rot. I could feel a blister erupting on my ankle, the iron circlet attached to it rubbing the puss across my aching skin. Silas, my younger brother, huddled against the stone wall. His eyes, once bright with mischief, were now dull and haunted. I had lost count of the days – or was it weeks? – since we were imprisoned in this abyss. Time blurred, distorted by the absence of sunlight. Hunger gnawed at our insides, a relentless and constant companion.
And then there was Greta, the fragile thread that held our shattered family together. At six summers old, she was the embodiment of innocence in this wretched place. Her tiny form trembled as she slept, the heavy chain around her ankle clanging with each shiver. She had been such a happy child before this. Oftentimes we would find her in the stables, playing house with the animals or sneaking treats to the hellhounds. Our parents had a talent for producing impish offspring.
In the beginning all five of my sisters had been down in the dungeon with us, but they were all taken away, one by one, to the Queen’s judgment. The guards would come at odd hours, the whisper of doom trailing their armored feet. They would grab one of the girls by the arms and drag her kicking and screaming down the dungeon’s dark stone halls. After someone took them, we never saw them again. Silas and I fought for each of them, the scars etched across our skin proof of our efforts; but they were stronger, more practiced in brutality.
Greta shivered on the cold floor next to me, the thick chain attached to her tiny ankle clanging in the dark as she whimpered softly. They had needed to make a special circlet to fit her small physique, a testament to their cruelty. Taking off the scraps of my once fine tunic, I gently draped it over her emaciated body. Shielding her from the chill. Although I couldn’t know for certain what the Queen was doing with my siblings, I knew enough that it was likely savage and ended in a slow death. The false queen had a history of brutality, and I still don’t understand why father had tried to negotiate opening trade routes with her.
Shifting uncomfortably, my tailbone scraping against the unforgiving stone -Lucifer, this existence was miserable- I wondered, what was the point of keeping us alive? Perhaps hope was the cruelest torment of them all-a flicker in the abyss, a mocking promise that refused to die. Extending a single leathery wing from my back, I pulled my sister to my side and curled it softly around her.
I spent the next few hours staring out into the dimly lit dungeon, my wing still around my sister, though it had begun to cramp a while ago. Metal bolts shifted, and armored footsteps echoed down the corridor. Were they here for us? It had been an age since we received any food and Greta would soon starve. My gaze shifted to Silas, who looked back at me with weary and rage filled eyes. He had also roused himself at the sounds and silently raised himself into a crouch. A chill ran through me as the steps came close, a feeling of dread curling in my stomach. Somewhere, the sound of water dripping began to sound like the tap tap tap of battle drums. They couldn’t possibly have come for Greta. She was too small, too fragile. Lucifer, I thought, please don’t let them come for her. The Devil spared no response to my prayers, however, as the two guards walked right up to our cell. They both sneered at us through the bars, their disdain palpable. I folded my wing back in before standing, the scraping of my chains echoing loudly in the bare stone chamber. Silas quickly moved beside me as we both positioned ourselves into a battle stance, defiance lifting our chins and pumping energy into our weary bones. “Pathetic.” Laughed one demon at our weak attempt at a defense. I stole a glance at my little sister, her big mauve eyes now open and staring at the guards in fear. Tears already pooled in the corners, a tear silently streaming from her cheek to the floor where she lay. I swept her up and behind my brother and I as far as her chains could reach. Placing a large metal key into the lock on our cell, the door hinges screeched as they entered. We would not make this easy for them. Tap, tap, tap, went the dripping water. The taller of the two guards lunged at Silas, and my brother met him with a punch, seeming to happen in slow motion. The crunch of bone gave way under his knuckles and the noise bolstered my confidence. With one last glance at one another, the melee began. The second guard swung at my brother as his partner rose from the floor with a bloody nose. He didn’t make it far before my foot made contact with his stomach, sending him flying back into the bars of our cell, his head cracking against the metal with a snap. His body fell to the floor, the neck bent at an odd angle. The remaining guard lunged at me, I dodged, wings flaring. Silas pushed the guard back into arms reach and I snarled with delight as my claws tore into his flesh. Greta’s tear-filled eyes watched, chains straining, as I grabbed his horns, using his own momentum to snap his neck. My thoughts felt clear and focused. When these two didn’t report back with Greta in tow, more guards would be sent to investigate. We didn’t have much time. Silas and I moved the bodies to a corner where they wouldn’t be in our way. Relieving them of their swords we moved back towards the door to wait. “Greta, stay behind us” I murmured, keeping my voice low.
It didn’t take long for reinforcements to arrive. Six guards charged loudly into our cell in a shuffle of claws, wings, and talons. It began and ended much the same at the first skirmish, the pile of dead or unconscious bodies making the cell almost impossible to maneuver in. Greta clung to my leg, safely tucked behind me as we waited for the next round of guards. Silas and I were both flagging in strength. We were strong and had trained for combat with our father, but starvation and atrophy had taken its toll. My chest heaved with exhaustion. Still, we had to try. Greta was all we had left of our family.
Silence crept through the dungeon until the tapping of that devils forsaken water seemed to howl as it dripped. Heels clicked on the stone down the dark hall. The subtle swish of fabric across the floor indicated the shoes owner wore a gown. Our act of defiance was done, despair raising its fist and clinging to my heart. My eyes flew in search of a way, any way at all, to save little Greta from this fate. Little Greta, who barely passed my knees when standing at her tallest, who used to giggle while chasing insects behind the stables, and had dreams of marrying a handsome prince who had ponies. The shadows ran from beneath us as the footsteps neared, their dark shapes all racing towards a singular destination. The Queen was coming for my sister, and she was death.
She swept into view in deep red skirts, a soft smile on her face as the darkness pooled around her. She was beautiful, all soft curves on a delicate yet powerful frame. Her dark hair was swept up in an elaborate style, accentuating the lines of her smooth neck. Her gown clung to her curves, her ample cleavage displayed by a deep neckline. She eyed the three of us, surrounded by bodies, with amusement. Elegantly lifting a hand to her mouth, she began to softly chuckle. The musical notes of her laughter suffocated my ears and made my skin crawl. The tone of her voice was a stark contrast to the madness in her eyes as she spoke. “My, my, children; what a mess you have made! What ever shall I do with you?” Delicately lifting her skirts, she stepped over an unconscious guard, displaying her jeweled red slippers. I extended my wings and spread out my arms, a shield covered in skin. “Leave her, Melisande.” I spoke in hoarse choked words, my brother growling low in his chest at the demon before us. Her laughter chimed again, like sinister bells in a graveyard. “Come now, I have a party to entertain, and you want to spoil all my fun.” She pouted at us as if we weren’t in a piss and shit covered dungeon, surrounded by incapacitated guards who were trying to take my little sister to her end. She spoke as if we were friends lounging in the halls above and speaking of an afternoon’s festivities.
Her chest rose and fell dramatically in a sigh, and her mouth turned down in a deeper pout when I didn’t move. Silas continued to growl like a caged animal. “I grow weary of your charade. Back away from the girl.” Darkness crept out from under her skirts at her words, a thick dark mist reaching out towards us as it became tangible. I could feel the pulse of its hunger as they took shape. Shadow limbs came to life from the misty void, creeping over the walls and ceiling to fasten around my brother and I. Our stolen swords dropped from our hands as they pulled at us from everywhere all at once with a terrifying strength. My brother and I struggled against them as they pushed us against the wall. Our claws and teeth did no damage against our incorporeal foe. My spine pressed back into the cold stone; my wings pinned by immovable darkness. Greta found her voice as Silas and I became immobilized to the walls of our cell. “Kai!” she screamed as she tried to pry away the creatures who held me, tears running down her dirt worn face as her claws went straight through the limbs. “Much better” cooed the Queen, turning around and exiting as glamorously as she came. A guard from the Queens entourage entered our cell and grabbed my sister. Greta snarled and kicked at his shins, swiping at his face with her small claws. Her onslaught made no difference as he hauled her away. As they dragged her away, she began screaming my name repeatedly. I was the eldest. I was supposed to keep her safe, keep them all safe. Something snapped inside me, and I roared with a ferocity beyond my years. The dungeon shook around us and bits of stone crumbled down from the ceiling. “Kai!” her soprano voice screamed a final time before the hilt of a sword smashed into the side of my head, and darkness took me.
