Some stories come to me almost fully formed, others are a flash of a scene. These flashes are in full colour, like watching a moment out of a movie. Dragon Blood was like that, a flash of a scene that had me asking all sorts of questions and wondering what was going on. The following is the scene that triggered the five book series Dragon Blood.

Leaning on the balcony rail, Amber wished she was back in her own room. It had only been six days, but it felt like so much longer. She just wanted to go home. The only benefit of being here was that when she looked at the stars, they seemed closer. If she were into astronomy she’d have been happy to move. But she wasn’t. She had a life. One she liked very much. And it wasn’t here. She’d lost count of the amount of times she’d told her mother those words. It had made no difference. Nothing had.

Amber stared up at the stars, her mouth dropping open. Silhouetted in moonlight were two large… birds. At least she guessed that’s what they were. They were a blur of rapid motion as they attacked each other. She turned to hurry inside and grab her phone to take a picture. A crash against the roof of the house made her spin back. She looked up in time to see a man slide over the edge and land in a heap at her feet.

Amber stumbled backwards into her room, opening her mouth to scream. The man lurched to his feet and lunged for her, covering her mouth with his hand. Meeting his gaze, she recognised him. It was a boy she’d caught staring at her in class today. One she hadn’t minded staring back at. Her fear eased slightly, only to increase again as she noticed the blood streaking his left arm. Four long, deep gashes ran down his flesh.