The Death Cloud of Old Karranox

The detonation cloud roared into the sky, a flattening column of hell-black smoke and unleashed dragonfire that roared like a thing alive. Dev clung to the neck of his wyvern, which clawed for every foot of altitude it could get. Wyverns were fast but not strong, and they had already been in the sky too long battling the great dragon. The death cloud — what remained of Old Karranox after Dev slung the Apocalypse Stone down its gullet — was gaining.

He looked back over his shoulder for a moment, then came to a new decision. Cinching his bracestrap more tightly and muttering a prayer to the Brothers had hadn’t said since he was a child, he pulled back hard on the reins. The bridle yanked the wyvern’s head down and it shrieked and pitched into a dive. The cloud was now dead ahead and he hoped it wasn’t nearly as wide closer to the ground. If his plan worked, he’d pull out of the dive into clean air. If not…

…well, at least he’d killed a dragon. That would be worth at least one song, wouldn’t it, he thought as his mount punched a hole in the cloud of eldritch death.

I haven’t written a proper story in forever, a failing for which I have no good excuse except to say I’ve doubted lately whether I’m really a writer at all. You can’t be a writer if you don’t write, right?

Thanks to a good friend or two, I’m learning that’s a good chunk of bunk. I’m a writer and here is some more proof: an actual story! With a character! And action! And tension! And a mushroom cloud of dragon fire and eldritch energies! You know, like you get in stories these days.

If you’ve missed me, drop in and say hello. I’m fairly sure I’m ready for the weekly habit. That may mean you’ll get a story that doesn’t quite hit the mark, but that’s okay. Ray Bradbury himself said they can’t all be gems. But he also said they won’t all be duds. Probably more gems than duds, right? That’s the plan, at least.

Before I go, though, have you written your story this week? The prompt is right there, beckoning! Surely you have a cool little tale knocking around in your head that’d go nicely with that picture. I’d love to read it.