Darkmancer Chapter 6

I woke up early in the morning before the first golden rays of light had snuck up form behind the horizon, I woke to find myself wrapped in my lovers arms, with no way to creep out without waking him up I had to do the next best thing. I transformed into a shrew, as I shrunk down, his arms collapsed onto the bed, he rolled over, fortunately for me in the other direction. I crept down the bed and onto the floor, rapidly reforming into my human shape; I opened the door and was off running full out down the hall, instead of descending down the stairs I turned into a spider and shot a rope of silk and descended, as I neared the floor I dropped from the cord and turned into a cheetah. 

I pushed the door out of the way and ran across the fields at full speed, by the time I neared on of the doors to the main hall, I was panting heavily trying to catch my breath. I opened the doors to the main hall and walked in, it was nearly pitch black, and i could barely see what I was doing, to better improve my sight I reformed my eyes into that of a cats, the slits widening to absorb as much light that was in the room as possible. I walked over to the statue that had been repositioned after the party, in its full splendour, bathed in the eternal lavender glow of the Quartzite crystal if the enchanted dome and crystal colour. I looked on at it in wonder; it was a statue of Flarnedarla, the first Mage in the world, he stood with his legs spread apart and his head arched back, arms straight out at his sides. There was time later for looking at statues, I had a job to do, and if I planned on doing it, I would have to do it now or risk having to wait for another week.

Summoning all the Darkmancy in my body, while considerable in terms of a High Mage, its flow completed over night, filling me with power, I could now summon five Dark Filaments from my right hand and make them as thick as a pencil, however, compared to the spell I had prepared for this moment, that was like a drop of water in the ocean, infinitesimally small in comparison to the power I would soon wield. I flew up into the air, this time without shape shifting at all and floated above the statue, mimicking its stance I began to chant out the spell.

“Powers bound in oldest stone,
Forever hid from the truth of bone,
Come now to me and call me home,
Leave the stone and in these corridors roam.
Travel to me my darkest light,
Come to me on my words of plight,
Fill me with the Darkmancers might,
Fill my soul in this dark night
And these words do not fight.
Come to me who calls you near, 
Come to me and settle here
From the stone break apart
And settle in this willing heart.” 

With the last words spoken there was a slight rumble, I could feel the nodes opening and the power looking for a place to settle into, I opened my hands, a single filament rushed down from each hand travelling down a different corridor, then another two shot from my feet, travelling down another 2 corridors, and finally form the middle of my forehead another filament escaped and shot down the final of the 5 corridors, suddenly I understood, they were going to connect with the hidden well of Darkmancy in each of the nodes and pull it down the connection and bring it to me. I felt them connect simultaneously filling me with the their power, I felt the power and saw as the filaments dragged the power form the nodes and pushed it up towards my body, the filament swelled till they where the thickness of redwood trunks, within moments the power was coursing through me, filling every fibre of my being with its pure power, my spirits High Magick flame was fused with the black flame of Darkmancy, it swelled within me, my mind began to rapidly fetter the powers to my body giving me control of the vast powers that I now held, while every cell in my body was filled with Darkmancy. Still the power coursed on, soon I was covered by a shroud of Darkmancy, as it tried to sink into my body, I sent my senses down the connections and realised I was barely half way to draining the wells, still I allowed it to continue, revelling in the power, that was still coming, soon almost half an hour had passed, and I still needed another 10 to complete the transformation. When the connections had dried the stone wells empty they retracted into the mass of Darkmancy that flowed like a shroud around me, it was then to my horror I realised there was a mage looking at me, in a panic I changed my form, I hoped he could not see me through the shroud of Darkmancy. I sprouted a pair of wings, feathered with white plumes the size of an arm form my shoulders. My feat turned into talons, my face changed, my eyes still like a cats, my skin turning white almost to the point where they were the same colour as my wings plumes. My lips turned a deep red, a striking difference form the paleness of my skin, my usually golden locks straightened and lengthened down past my waist and turned platinum.

The shroud shrank into my as I finished the transformation, the mage looked at me in horror. Then seeing my wings and my looks the horror sank from his face. He was a boy no older then nine or ten.
“Mister are you an angel?”
His face so innocent and sweet filled with the naivety of childhood. Pity this time would not last much longer, soon he would age and the innocence would be lost.
“Yes” I replied
His face beamed
“Wow, so the lead singer of the band is an angel”

My face went stark what little colour was in my face drained away, he had seen me, and he knew who I was. I had to stop him from telling anybody what he had seen this night, with an ease of mind that was pleasurable, I raised my hand opened my palm and pointed the centre of the palm at the boy. From my palm lightening as black as pitched arched to him, I touched him with the lightening and it sunk into him, connecting his mind, spirit and body together. Then I sent the true power down, Darkmantic energy shot down the connections, his shrieks of pain filled the hall, as his mind was destroyed, his soul ripped form his body and captured by me while his body was destroyed, leaving nothing but a charred husk.

I could hear voices coming down one of the corridors; someone must have heard that dam child. Even in death he tried to have me caught, using my abilities I transformed into a small beetle and flew up to the ceiling, I waited until the doors to the outside field was opened that I flew down form the ceiling turning into a flea landing on one of the teachers jacket, I hopped of from his cloak and turned into a Raven flying high to blend in with the dark sky, I raced towards the housing block and landed on the balcony turning into a millipede I slinked across the floor and under the crack at the bottom of the door, as soon as I was out I turned into a mouse and ran up onto the bed, returning to my human form. I layer their wide awake waiting, minutes later there was a loud rapping at the door, Tom woke with a start and I acted along as well. He looked at me, horror in his eyes.

“What do we do, they going to see the bed?”
“Don’t worry I have a solution”
I grabbed a crystal from my desk and threw it on the bed, there was a wave of magick and suddenly the room was different. Like it was after I had settled in, a nice ordinary room, the crystal which had been white was black. I grabbed it and opened a flap in my arm, placing the crystal between the two bones in the lower arms; my flesh flowed and covered it. Tom stood in shock, eyes wide.
“It’s a solid illusion, now get dressed”
From behind the door, there was a shout
“Get out here in 1 minute or I break down the door.”
I shifted and wore a covering of long thick tiger hair, Tom pushed over his robe and I opened the door, to se Mr Thatchit looking at us, a glare on his face.
“What took you both so long?”
“Sorry sir I had to get dressed”
Thatchit looked a me and said
“What the hell are you wearing Sam?”
“It’s a coat of fur; I sleep in fur rather then in clothes, it’s a Metamorph thing, ask any of animal shifters, they tell you we morphs as a breed hate been in one form for to long. Most I think will sleep in animal form”
“Well hurry up and get to the main hall, the headmaster needs a word it’s urgent”
Tom looked at me then asked Mr Thatchit
“What’s happened sir”
“Well one of the younger mages was killed in the hall moments ago, now lock your rooms and get to the hall, oh and don’t be concerned with the body it fell to dust within seconds of us finding it, so there’s nothing to worry about, you wont be seeing any dead bodies.”
We ran down the halls in silence, I shifted into a full tiger, nuzzling Tom; I shifted my vocal cords into a humans. With a bestial growl I told Tom
“Hop on my back, I can get us there faster”

Tom jumped onto my back and grabbed a hold of a hand full of fur in each hand and clamped his legs to my side, I flew down the stairs leaping from wall to wall, down pushing the doors open with my face, out on the fields I ran full speed down the fields towards the main hall, when I got the doors I slowed down. Tom jumped of my back and onto the floor, I shifted back into a human form, keeping the fur and the tail, I hid the claws but had them there in case. I grew the fangs but hid them behind my lips. We walked in to find nearly all the residents in the school in the hall, in one sate of dress or another, I could clearly see one mage wearing a pair of boxers only, there were also several different animals, undoubtedly Animalmorphs still in whatever form they where sleeping in. On the platform the headmaster was dressed in his robes sombre looking, as the last few pupils and teachers entered the hall, the headmaster Quickrell cleared his throat and tapped the mic three times.

“Pupils and staff alike, I have some very disturbing new to report, roughly half an hour ago we found a pupil dead. He appeared to have been burnt, he was found close to the statue, and we believe that he was intending on burning down the statue, His name was Théoden Liegemen, he was a young gifted Pyrokinetic, it was no surprise that he failed as the Heartstone reflects all powers back at whoever cast it, he was incinerated with his own powers. While this is devastating it is also a symbol, that the power of Flarnedarla cannot be used in acts of maliciousness and self-centred ways without severe and dire consequences. While I hate to say this Théoden was not fitting into this school, he hated all we teach, but we could do nothing as he refused to have his powers stripped or bound. We feared that he might turn against another pupil, but in his act of vandalism he realised an important lesson, power is not given to be used as you wish, it is their for the helping of others. You are all dismissed, you may return to your rooms. Goodnight”

He strode of from the stage and the crowd dispersed, many of the Animalmorphs shifted into birds and flew off. While telekinetic’s with enough power floated off, others walked and several teleporters disappeared in a puff of smoke. Tom and I walked back, I was giddy with pure joy, they didn’t think it was a malicious attack at all, the fools. When we got back to the room tom looked at it, then at me.

“What do we to make the illusion wear off?”
I grabbed the crystal out of the pocket I had created in my arm and uttered
“Expelimus”

The room went hazy as the illusion faded and the real room returned I allowed my fur dissolve and got back into bed; Tom took of his robe and got in with me. He fell asleep rapidly, followed by me, where I dreamt of power and being a king. There was no worry about the child, I could bring him back, I still held his soul within me, and all I had to do was place his spirit in a new body. And he would live again bound to my will, a servant. I looked forward to more use of my new found powers.