The prologue chapter of my story

Dark stranger, danger, mystery, pursuit.

The night was dark for there were no stars nor a moon to light it up, as the oxen pulled the cart along the rocky ground. It was a cold night, and the passengers huddled together, wrapping their cloaks tight about their bodies. All but one man, who sat further apart from the other five people. If not for the small light on the end of the wagon, it would seem as though he was never even there, for the fabric of his cloak blended with the shadows of the night, and it covered him head to toe.

It was silent, all but the creaking of the cart, and that was when the man started to hum a soft, haunting tune. The other passengers turned their heads to look at him, and the humming stopped as the man looked up. His face was hidden in the shadow of his hood, and the passengers looked away from him.

‘Something wrong?’ he asked, his deep voice hinting a challenge.

‘No, sir,’ Ren said, watching the stranger.

The man stared at him a moment, then nodded, bowing his head once more as he continued to hum the tune. But Ren kept his eyes on the stranger, and the man removed his hood, turning to stare at him. The other passengers gasped at the sight of the man’s face, but Ren still showed no fear. The stranger’s face was a ruin, where his left eye should have been, there was nothing but a black pit, contrasting with the pale of his skin. A scar ran from the left corner of his mouth to his temple. Various other scars covered his face, some half-hidden by the stubble of his beard. He watched Ren carefully with his one good eye, then he sneered, pulling his hood back up.

‘What happened?’ Ren asked, moving closer to the stranger, when a hand grabbed hold of his arm pulling him back.

‘Stay away from him lad,’ a woman hissed in his ear, and Ren could smell the horrible stench of wine on her breath. ‘He’s one of them.’

‘One of what?’ Ren turned to look at her. She was a skinny woman, with a horse like face, and her blond hair hung limply about her shoulders. She made the sign of the devil at the stranger, and moved back a bit more, taking Ren with her.

‘He’s shadow bound,’ the woman said, making the word sound like a curse.

‘What’s shadow-bound?’

‘Evil magic, lad, that’s what it is.’

A murmur of agreement moved about the group, and the stranger looked in their direction once more, only, he didn’t say anything as the cart ground to a halt. Everyone sat there a moment, then the stranger stood, looking into the darkness beyond the small light. He reached inside his cloak, and there was a hiss as he drew a sword. The other passengers shrank back in fear as the stranger turned to look at them all, then he was gone, melting into the darkness.

Ren stared at the place where the stranger had vanished, then he too stood, ripping himself free of the woman’s grip and jumping from the cart to follow the stranger. He paused and turned to look at the cart, when he felt a presence behind him. He turned in time to see the glint of a blade swing toward him, and he ducked, the sword whistling overhead. Then someone gripped his arm, and he winced.

‘What do you want, boy?’ it was the man from the cart. ‘Why’d you follow me?’

‘I don’t know,’ Ren answered. ‘But you’re hurting me, sir.’

The stranger tightened his grip, then let go, pushing Ren in the direction of the cart. 'Go back, lad,' he said. 'You don't want to be here when it comes. So go.' He pushed Ren again, and he fell to the ground, staring at the darkness. There was no sight of the stranger, and now the fear finally had it's grip on him.