by Peter Saenz
Anger flashes across Malik’s face. I tap into the natural world around me, ask it to attack my enemies. Dirt and dust from the warehouse floors and walls takes shape and flies around Malik and his acolytes. I’ve only a moment so I quickly ask the earth to fill my enemies’ lungs. All four intruders fall to the floor, gasping for air. It only takes seconds for Malik to will the dirt and soot to reverse its flow. A second later Tobias is able to do the same. As Luke mastered darkness, so Tobias tamed the earth. After forming such a bond, it’s no surprise to see him recover from my attack so quickly. Zack and Kevin are not so skilled in the counter spell and have to be helped by Malik and Tobias. Once Zack is able to breathe again he looks at me with the coldest eyes and mutters, “You’re dead.”
Malik gives the others a nod and the four of them surround my circle, at each of the compass points. They chant and an icy chill goes up my spine. Their life force energies glow around them and merge with that of the person to their left and right. Soon a second circle forms around mine and attempts to overtake it. I concentrate all my energy to maintaining the circle. Sweat forms on my brow and chest. A water droplet falls onto my face, down my neck, zigzagging its way down my chest and stomach. I know I can hold my own for a few more minutes but ultimately the others will overtake me.
An inner voice instinctively calls to the earth mother Gaea, begging for assistance. My will to keep the Protection Circle whole holds, but I also see strange images in my head. A throne made of earth, rock and wood. It has a high back and at its base an intricate series of roots support the majestic chair, reaching down into the earth itself. Sitting ghost-like on that throne is a magnificent woman, old, wise and kind. Looking at her I am overcome with the feeling of safety and security. A long white cloak covers her head all the way down to her ankles. Her eyes shine through me with love. Around her throne is a forest of trees, as old as she, and as regal. I realize that the cloak isn’t a cloak at all. It’s life itself. She smiles at me and outstretches her hand. “Don’t be afraid young one. You are safe. You are home. You are loved. You are with me.”
Tears begin to form from my eyes as I listen to her melodic words. The words engulf me and I am aware of just how tired I am. Suddenly the world has no meaning. My trivial dreams, desires, fears...they slip away from me. In my lady’s eyes I know none of that matters anymore. I feel my spirit self move out of my body towards Gaea. In bliss I look down and see my physical body sitting within the circle as my four enemies continue their attempt to destroy all that I am. They are unaware of what is happening and I turn my head back to the goddess and outstretch my arms. Euphoric, I continue to move forward to her smiling face. When I finally reach her and succumb to her embrace I am overwhelmed with joy. My tears flow now as I am wrapped in her love. I close my spirit eyes and allow the feeling to permeate all of me, as the world around disappears. I know that with Gaea I am a child again, cared for by the most loving of beings. I never want to let go of that feeling. I am drunk with ecstasy as I realize that the lady Gaea is no longer there but instead is now somehow a part of me, ever present, ever living. I’m now holding myself, a being of light and spirit. My spirit self drifts backward into my physical body content in that knowledge.
Feeling whole again, I open my eyes and look around. Malik and the others are close to breaking through my protective wall but it is of no consequence. All that matters is that I’m a new person with a whole new outlook. I turn to face the moon, shining through the window. It is beautiful. I weep. The moon is slowly falling into her highest station. In those last seconds of transition I am energized with primal magic. I rise off the ground. My arms drift upward as my body hovers and spins clockwise. My remaining clothing loosens and falls to the ground. A gentle breeze surrounds my bare form, as the moon’s strength shines over all of me.
“What’s he doing?”
“Look at his pendant! It’s changing!”
“Look at his eyes! They’re yellow!”
“Kevin! Wake and unbind Luke and Cole! NOW!”
I look around and am amazed. Where once I saw an abandoned warehouse I now see beneath it a living earth. I feel the plant life around me reaching deep into the ground beneath it and stretching as high into the air as possible. I hear small animal life scurrying to and fro, searching for food and caring for young. I smell the wind outside carrying the scent of the sea. Miles across the water I sense a light storm brewing, gathering its strength.
“He’s growing!”
“Look! He’s changing!”
“Gods! He’s not human!”
I look across and see that my arms are morphing into something different. Where I usually had bare skin on my hands and arms, fur is growing. Where I once had human fingernails, claws are appearing. My bare chest is now a pelt of black and white fur. A strength I’ve never known courses through my body. As I gently touch ground again I realize that I am no longer standing on my normal feet and legs, but upright on furry padded canine legs and feet. I turn to the moon again and bellow out a long and joyful howl of gratitude.
Its then that I feel my once protective circle give way and I’m blasted with a powerful bolt. The force knocks me against the wall beneath the moon’s window, but this time the pain is bearable. I turn and see the full coven standing before me. Malik’s eyes are wild, darting
to different points of my body in shock. Zack looks on in disgust and takes a defensive stance. Luke and Cole look physically sluggish from their previous experience but are at full attention now with the others. Despite the odds, I know this is an even fight.
Malik’s face boils with rage. “What did you do?”
I try to laugh but hear a coarse sputtering growl. Tobias steps forward and says, “He’s one of nature’s children now. I can sense Earth Magic all around him.”
This was true. I’ve known magic before but never on this level. Now not only do I have access to my own inner magic, but I feel as if the Earth itself is opening up its secrets and power to me. I feel one with every living thing around me.
Zack steps forward. “We need to kill it before it gets stronger!” Before Malik can protest, Zack lunges his arms forward and shoots out an electric bolt. Watching the energy come towards me, it feels as if time has slowed down to a still pitch. I see the energy differently now. Not something of destruction, but a tool I can use. I put my wrists together and open my claws, almost like a catcher’s mitt. Once the energy reaches my hands I roll it around as if in a bowl, adding my own special energy to it as well. Once it gains enough counter momentum I release it back out toward Zack. The force hits him like a sledgehammer. He’s knocked backward, slamming into a series of crates. Most of his bones break before hitting the ground. Zack screams out in agony.
Initially shocked at what had happened, the remaining coven let go their own fury and release their own trademark attacks at me. Malik, helpless to stop them, can only shout his protests in vain. Cole shoots another green bolt at me, but ultimately was wasted as Tobias causes the earth below me to shoot upwards in a pillar. The bolt hits the pillar instead as I somersault off of it, landing on all fours. Kevin throws a series of fireballs at me, which I easily dodge via a series of rolls and tumbles. Luke disappears into darkness again and reappears on my back, ready to pierce me with his cane. I reach back, grab him by his shirt and fling him forward. He hits the ground and rolls to a stop, unconscious.
“Enough!” Malik throws up his hands and everything in the room stops in place. I can feel what he is doing and wave off his magics from affecting me. He moves in front of the others but keeps his eyes on me at all times. “You’re all acting like a bunch of amateurs! I’ve taught you that a coven acts as one, so start acting like it!”
Once his words end, the room takes movement again. Taking his place in the middle of Tobias, Cole and Kevin, Malik chants. The others follow suit. Soon every crate in the warehouse lifts off of the ground and hurls toward me at a breakneck speed. I jump from crate to crate, knocking some aside and dodging ot
hers, creating a blinding cloud of dust. The chanting continues and soon the dust swirls around me. They want to give me a taste of my own medicine by having the dust fill my lungs as it did theirs. I use the others limited vision to my advantage and will the dust to continue to swirl in one place as I quietly move to a hiding spot among the rubble. Once most of the dust settles they stop chanting and are angered to see the swirling funnel surrounding only open air.
Feeling their tension, I leap through the swirling dust and land on top of Malik, knocking him to the ground. Moving like quicksilver I use my arms and legs to knock Tobias, Cole and Kevin down as well. They tumble in different directions around me. I can sense Malik is about to reach up and strike me with a curse as I sit on top of him. I twist upward into the air, out of arm’s reach. I spring open my claws and ready them to slice through Malik on my way downward. His eyes widen. He disappears before I can do so, causing my claws to grasp only open air. I land on all fours, looking around the room in anticipation.
With my new eyes I can see Malik’s heat signature behind stacked boxes on an upper ledge of the building. I let him be for the moment and call forth enough magic to envelop Tobias, Cole and Kevin before they can get to their feet. The energy grabs them like a vise. Unable to move their limbs or speak, I will them to rise into the air and slowly drift towards me. I look around the room and see Luke still unconscious from his earlier tumble and Zack at the other end of the warehouse floor resembling a broken doll. Knowing they’re both out of the fight, I turn back to the three I am holding. Looks of frozen terror appear on the faces of Cole and Kevin. In Tobias’ case, however, I feel something different. His emotions flood into me as I stare into his haunting eyes. Instead of fear I sense sorrow and remorse. This confuses me for a moment but I’m quickly brought back to reality once I hear Malik rustling above me. Like a set of pawns I will the three floating bodies to hover behind me as I stand to face Malik in his hiding place.
“You think your becoming a monster will change anything? Do you honestly think you’re a match for me?”
“Come out of the shadows and find out.”
The sound of my voice startles me. The words sound savage, coarse like sandpaper. I know Malik will begin his onslaught at any moment so I cause the energy surrounding Kevin and Cole to accelerate. My magic drains their life energy, leaving them unconscious. Then I release them and they fall to the floor. I look at Tobias. I somehow know I don’t need to worry about him anymore. I still hold him in his energy straightjacket but will him to be held to a far wall, out of harm’s way.
The shock of my change gave me an advantage against Malik. Now he’s had time to gather his thoughts he’s a lot more dangerous to me. The hairs on my back stand on end in anticipation of the attack. I don’t have to wait long as I feel Malik’s energy shimmer and swarm in the air around me. Ghostly apparitions of Malik appear and disappear within his energy in an attempt to confuse me. Fragments of his spirit self but not the real thing. I close my eyes and focus my second sight. Flashes of the real Malik quickly wraith back and forth around me. I wait until he moves close enough to me then dart my hand at his essence, pulling it in front of me. He appears and I see I’ve got him by his neck. From behind him Malik pulls out two ceremonial daggers - athames - and slices into my hand. The pain causes me to drop him as he backs away and disappears again. A moment later he appears behind me and strikes again before disappearing. Then again on my right leg.
My wounds are mostly surface scratches and are already healing. I concentrate on working out where he will appear next. My left, I think. And there he is. I swing my arm and strike him down. With my other hand I bind him from being able to teleport. Binding a witch of his level requires an exceptionally powerful amount of magic. I feel my own strength being sapped from the effort. Furious, Malik fires a black bolt at me. I dodge it before it could strike but it singes my fur. He fires more and more bolts at me but I’m able to dodge each one, though barely. Malik then sends a telekinetic wall at me which does manage to knock me back. I stumble to my feet and will eldritch power to fill my right claw. I slash at the next wall Malik sends my way and it rips in two. The same thing happens with the next few walls as I continue to come at him.
Just as I’m about to close in, Malik poisons the air around me and I begin to choke. Binding Malik and breaking through his walls has left me more vulnerable than I realize. I release my binding on him and focus my will to clear the air around me. Malik takes advantage of the situation and slams his palm into my midsection. I can feel the full power of his pendant surging through his hand and attacking my internal organs. I double up in pain as his curse takes hold. Unable to block out the searing sensation, I fall to the ground and give voice to my agony. My body begins to spasm as I lose control of my limbs and lay on the ground helpless.
Malik walks over to me and kicks me several times in the stomach. He then grabs my face and turns it toward his.
“I gave you everything. A life, a home, a purpose...and what do you do? You betray me repeatedly.”
I struggle to form words of my own. “Not...my...life. Yours...”
“You were supposed to be part of my life! When I found you, you were a common whore selling your body for money. I took you away from all that! You were going to be my heir. You were supposed to be at my side in our new kingdom! Now look at you.”
Malik pushes my face away and takes a step back.
“You’re a mongrel beast and a traitor. You must pay for your crimes against me and the coven.”
Malik takes an athame and drives it into my chest. I howl. I can still see the glow of life all around me with my newfound eyes but my vision blurs as my life essence begins to fade. I take one last look at Malik as he stands over me with a look of triumph. I think of my family, my true family. I’ll never be able to make amends with my mother. I’ll never be able to find my father. I’ll never be able to let them know how sorry I am for not being a better son. I send out a prayer of love and hope that they can forgive me.
I force my body to roll onto my side and bury my face into the floor. The pain is intense but I try my best to move my hand towards the weapon still buried in my chest. The curse within me intensifies and I fall to my back again. Malik laughs.
“You’re dead to me now in every way. I curse your soul to live on, restless in the afterlife. You’ll never find peace, in this world or the next. In the end you got what was coming to you.”
Suddenly I hear Malik gasp and as I turn my head back in his direction I see something that surprises me. Malik’s smug features have vanished and are replaced with shock and wonder. His wide eyes slowly look down to his chest and I see a long spear protruding out of it. Malik drops to his knees revealing Tobias standing behind him, the other end of the weapon in his hands. When he lets go, Malik rolls his eyes upward and falls forward. Tobias looks down at Malik and says, “So did you.”
“NNNOOOO!! I’ll kill you! Traitor! I’ll kill you!” I recognize Zack’s venom dipped voice cursing Tobias’ actions. For all his bravado, though, I know he is just as weak and broken on the ground as I am.
“Hushhh...” escapes Tobias’ lips and Zack’s voice gently goes silent. Tobias rushes over to my side and inspects my wounds. He lays his hands over the athame and whispers in Latin. In a few moments my chest goes numb and he pulls the dagger from me. I wince.
“I’m gonna need your help with this next one. Malik’s magic is very strong. I need you to focus on the words needed for the purification spell. Can you do that?”
I nod. Tobias lays one hand on my chest and the other on my leg. I hear him uttering the same words I think in my mind. We repeat the lines over and over again. I want to succumb to unconsciousness but I force myself to stay awake as best I can. Soon my mind goes blank and I’m no longer focused on my body’s intense pain. Instead I’m fixated on the words both Tobias and I utter. After a while the mantra takes on a life of its own. I can feel my body healing and the curse reversing its spread. The wo
rds move from my thoughts and flood out of my mouth. I can feel my connection to the earth re-strengthen. Soon I can feel the wind and trees outside joining my voice in a whisper. Then the rest of nature around me. I’m flooded once again with all that life is. The excitement overtakes me and before I know what I’m doing I find myself standing upright with my back arched, howling in triumph.
“Devin.”
I look down and see Tobias still on his knees, looking at me. Beside him lays Malik. Though he’s still unconscious I can see a spark of life still burning within him. I growl in anger and lift my claw into the air.
“Devin, no! You mustn’t take a life! You know the code. Once you kill another living being your soul will be damned as well.”
“Malik deserves death.”
“Maybe so, but not at your hand. His fate is already sealed. Don’t let him set your fate as well.”
The words sink in and I lower my hand. I look into Tobias’ eyes and know his concern is real.
“Why did you do it?”
“Because I couldn’t stand on the sidelines anymore. I gave my oath to support the coven with my life but every day I’d see what Malik was doing to it and I’d die a little inside. I never wanted to see you hurt. You were my brother and the closest thing our coven had to a living heart.”
“So earlier when you caused Cole’s magics to hit your earth pillar...”
“To stop it from hitting you.”
There it is. In Tobias’ eyes I finally see what I never noticed before. Love. I feel dizzy and ease onto my knees. I close my eyes and rest my hands onto the ground before me. I can feel my newfound strength somehow shift to my side. I look beside myself and see part of my life force energy swirl and take shape. A wolf made of pure energy forms, then becomes flesh and blood.
Tobias looks on in wonder. “Gaea!”
The wolf’s coat has black and white markings, similar to a Siberian Husky but slightly larger. He has the yellowiest eyes I’ve ever seen. He looks at me and in my mind I know he is another blessing from the earth mother herself. I instinctively feel for my necklace but realize it’s gone. In doing so, I touch my chest and feel flesh. I look at my hands and body and realize that I’m back in my human form. Somehow I know my pendant is no longer necessary. The realization that the beautiful creature beside me is my pendant and life force made flesh sweeps through me. I mentally tell the wolf hello. I sense a greeting back. I wonder what his name is. In response I mentally hear the name Fenrus. I smile.
