Plant Magic (working title)

So heres another story I have only the first part for but its kinda cool how I got the idea for the magic system which spawned some intesting ideas. Anyway, enjoy this little bit of writing which could be the basis for a story.

 

 

Aithne reached down to pluck a twig from the fire-bush at her feet. It broke with a soft snap as she lifted the leaf from the rest of the small bush. She ran her fingers along the side along the leaves, once, twice. She plucked the small stiff leaves off in a pattern she had been taught more than a decade ago. It was one of the ten patterns she had been forbidden to ever make in fire-bush, combined with a few modifications her mentor would have been terrified to see.

 

Aithne lifted the small twig in front of her face and blew lightly down its length, over the pattern she had plucked concentrating. Small flickers of pale blue fire emerged from the other side of the leaf pattern. Only then did she move her gaze from the fire-bush twig and onto the large group of men advancing on her village from down the slope of the hillside she was standing on. It was hard to make much out in the darkness beyond the glint of metal weapons and the reflected light of the moon and stars in their yes as they stared at her. She lifted the twig high then brought it down diagonally across the front of her body, crying out loudly as she did.

 

“Fire of the heavens, light my way through the dark.”

 

The twig in her hands burst into pale blue fire that did not burn her hand but lit up the hillside in a blue light as from a bonfire. Every man advancing up the slope froze. Aithne spoke again, her voice ringing out as she lifted the twig high over her head as if offering it to the night sky.

 

 

“Fire of the heavens, descend in glory.”

 

Silence stretched out after she called out. The one of the men cried out in pain as a droplet of blue fire fell from the sky onto his exposed arm. Then the twig in Aithne’s hand went nearly dark and the hillside, along with the revealed war band creeping between tree’s and rocks went dark as the blue light faltered. Aithne crouched down and clutched the nearly extinguished fire-bush twig in her hands and whispered, in fear and desperation.

 

“Fire of the heavens, be as a river to drown my foes.”

 

The twig in her hand erupted once more into pure blue fire, being utterly consumed. Aithne cried out but did not unclench her hand from the now pure blue fire. If she released it she would lose control and her purpose would not be achieved. She did not feel any pain from the fire even as it engulfed her hand. It was cool and soothing on her skin.

 

That was the point it began to rain fire. First small droplets of flame like the one that had just burnt one of the men on the hillside. They trickled down from the clear sky sizzling as they touched the men on the hillside. Those closest to Aithne started to charge towards her. The fire from the sky became a torrential downpour of flame falling from the sky and the entire hillside, including the men on it caught ablaze, blue fire causing natural fire and setting clothing and hair alight. Aithne just stared fixedly as the men screamed briefly before the flames choked their lungs. None of the men charging at her lived long enough to remotely threaten her.

 

The fire continued to fall in a rain from the sky. Even after the entire hillside was ablaze and all the men upon it were utterly consumed. Aithne’s hand did not unclench from the brilliant blue flame in her hand. Her gaze fixed somewhere far in the distance as her mind shut down at what she had just done. She had killed several dozen men in an instant. She had broken all the laws of the druids in an instant. She had saved her village.

 

As she stared at the flames now rapidly spreading over the surround landscape she didn’t move. A hand made of blue flame closed her her hand that was clenched tightly.

 

“That is enough child. Your foes are slain. Close the link.” A voice with the crackle of a furnace spoke.

 

Aithne turned to see the speaker and her hand spasmed open and shut again, as she saw a humanoid shape of blue fire looking at her, releasing the flame in her hand. It winked out of existence, but the figure of flame stayed where it was in front of her. It pulled its arm back and then spoke once more.

 

“You have discovered your inner flame.” It reached out an arm again and a finger of flame caressed her cheek, cool and soothing as the flame that had engulfed her hand. “Your fire will burn bright in the years to come.” There was a short pause with nothing but the crackling of electric blue fire from the figure. Then the voice issued again, sounding satisfied. “I name you flame-warden.” The hand grasped hers and a cold burn engulfed her entire arm.

 

Aithne screamed as the cold burn raced up her shoulder and covered her entire body. Then her hand was released and she fell to her hands and knee’s, gasping in pain as her body burned coldly. She stared up in pain and bewilderment at the figure of fire.

 

“My fire is yours to guard. Use it well.” The figure turned to go and Aithne tried to speak but collapsed in agony, her vision darkening until she passed into unconsciousness and dreams of flame.

Mild Corruption Part VII

Up to Part 7 for Mild Corruptiion, woop. Still in stuff I wrote when Iw as 16/17 I’m afraid haha, don’t despair I’m trying to get a new part done before I’ve posted all the other ones up

Part VII, Dreams again…….no, Training

Nicolayuth slept poorly that night. There were many possible reasons for this; Discomfort, lice, rats. The real reason was because of the underlying threat which Spider had had in his voice when he had spoken to the boy.

No one had ever managed to frighten Nicolayuth as much as Spider had. Now this was something that Nicolayuth was unused to, he was hard to frighten and now even as he tossed and turned for half the night he tried to conquer that fear. He fell asleep still trying to conquer it.

His sleep was troubled by strange dreams where he was crawling in the dark, through tunnels and through knee deep slime, with the mocking voice of Spider all around him.

“Failure! Disgrace to humanity!” The voice called out. “So this is the great Nicolayuth?” Continued the voice mockingly.

Nicolayuth yelled his anger at the walls of the tunnel around him. Then he felt a sharp pain in his back and staggered around to see Spider stepping back holding a stiletto, blood dripping off it. Nicolayuth’s eyes went dim and he fell to the ground.

Then the dream changed, he was on top of a tall spire and looking down he saw undead warriors shuffling along, at their back a Vampire cried out arcane words to the wind, bending reality to it’s will. Spider appeared beside him and pushed him off, declaring.

“Useless rubbish. I don’t know why I took you in.”

Nicolayuth fell screaming and before he hit the dream changed again and he was in an alley, blood making his grip slippery on the knife. He looked up and saw Spider wielding a bloody sword.

“Failure again, Nicolayuth. You will never be good enough to beat me.”

Once more Nicolayuth felt his eyes dim and his grip grow weak. With a hoarse “No!” he tried to leap at Spider but he stumbled and fell. His lifeblood seeping out of him onto the flagstones. His last view of Spider was of him laughing and wiping his sword clean on his body.

Nicolayuth awoke, scrambling at the rags which covered him, his heart beating wildly. Then he saw a dark silhouette rise from the floor on the far side then leap an amazing leap to latch onto the far wall before leaping again to land at the head of Nicolayuth’s sleeping pallet. Then a candle was lit and Nicolayuth found himself looking at Spider’s grinning face.

Nicolayuth noticed that Spider’s incisors where slightly pointed, and in the light of the candle Spider’s face was mostly in shadow so at a distance he could indeed look something akin to the spider he was named after, minus four extra limbs. Spider then spoke, in a soft hiss.

“Time to get up my beautiful apprentice.” Nicolayuth made as if to protest but Spider silenced him with a hard look before continuing. “I get up before dawn to fine hone my skills, if I am up, you are up. I will not take any arguments in this matter.” That was enough to cow Nicolayuth this time round.

Spider walked off, muttering something about early morning breakfasts.

Once he started to walk off Nicolayuth rolled out onto the floor with a plonk, landing on his feet and stumbling around for his boots and socks. After a while of useless searching he shrugged and began casting around for a candle. That was easier. The next thing was to find a match. That was slightly harder but it was eventually done. Lighting the candle made finding the socks and boots a whole lot easier, funnily enough.

So it was about five minutes later that Nicolayuth was wolfing down a breakfast of half stale bread and cool water in a jug along with Spider. After this was finished Spider got up and beckoned for Nicolayuth to follow. They went up a ladder to the rooftop of Spider’s lair.

The rooftop was surprisingly relatively clean to the streets below and not much dust was on it. Spider walked slowly out to the middle of the rooftop, Nicolayuth following him.

Spider suddenly spun around and with a growl he said.

“Your training begins now.”

He suddenly directed a punch at Nicolayuth, who, taken by surprise and caught unprepared was sorely winded by the punch for a few minutes.

“All right.” Stated Spider. “Now I’m going to teach you how to block and counter punch that, and overall, you are going to learn to not be unprepared or caught off guard. Attend.”

So it was that Nicolayuth began his learning of how to defend himself with nothing but his body. After an hour of this Spider turned to knife fighting. To do this he got out two knife length and shaped pieces of wood, so as not to damage Nicolayuth too much by using real knives.

They continued doing weapons practice for 2 hours. At the end of it Nicolayuth felt like one big bruise. Spider however was completely unmarked, and he hadn’t even broken a sweat in defending himself from Nicolayuth.

“So tell me boy, did you receive any close combat training from that fool Arthur?” Demanded Spider suddenly as he watched Nicolayuth limp off to get a drink.

Nicolayuth drew himself up, trying to keep some vestige of pride around him. “Yes. I got full body training from him every day!”

Spider curled his lip and snorted in contempt of what the boy called full body training.

“It would appear boy that either he was a poor teacher or you are a poor learner. Which is it?”

Nicolayuth said nothing but finished his drink and returned to the centre of the rooftop. Spider, smiling disarmingly then called to him.

“Attend.”

Illusia Chapter 7 (Part 1)

Chapter 7 – Dream and Illusion

Andrew ran halfway to home before he slowed down and realised how pointless running was. It had appeared from nowhere, why did he think home would be any safer? The thought sent his heart racing again in raw fear. He forced himself to a more normal pace, walking quickly the rest of the way home. His thoughts blurred and confused him as his brain tried to piece together and understand everything that had just happened, buzzing with fear at the same time. That thing had hurt Elizabeth, had made her vanish. Was she ok? The thought gnawed at him. If only he had not been such a coward. If only he had been special like Elizabeth was convinced he was.

Finally he reached home and walked inside, still feeling useless and cowardly. His parents weren’t home yet so he didn’t have to explain why he looked so depressed. He grabbed a chocolate bar from the fridge and trudged to his room before sitting down heavily on his bed, ripping the wrapper off and taking a large bite. He chewed slowly as his mind began to calm down and he tried to review what had happened rationally. Listing things off in his mind.

“Large monster made of shadow and smoke. Check. Hates people like Elizabeth, dreamers? Check. Elizabeth yelled something about fighting Nightmare. Then she got smacked down by it.” He took a deep breath. “Check.” In his minds eye he saw it glaring at him and heard its vicious voice as it told him it was disappoint and that it had friends waiting for him when he took down the dream wall. Whatever that meant. “This is crazy…”

Andrew finished the chocolate bar and decided he didn’t want to think about it any more. So he headed to the lounge room and flicked on the T.V. to drive out what little thought he had pushing around in his head. He managed a good two hours of brainless watching before he had to help his parents with chores after they returned from work. After which he had dinner with them and then did his homework, or most of it and went back to his room to listen to music and mess around on his computer a little, chatting to friends, seeing what movies were on this week and a number of other meaningless teenage computer uses.

When he went to bed he had managed to forget most of the terrifying afternoon. As he drifted off to sleep he heard Elizabeth’s shrill scream of pain and fear as she was smashed across the park by a tendril of shadow. It was an unpleasant thought to fall asleep to.

 

 

 

Andrew heard the rustle of wind through leaves and opened his eyes. Strewn at his feet were shades of autumn, carpeting the forest floor. Sunlight filled the forest with streams of amber and orange light, magnifying the colours of the trees and leaves. Old wood and the musky smell of decaying leaves filled his nostrils. He had a strange sense of deja vu as he began to walk slowly, leaves crunching at his steps as he went, disturbing the perfect untouched forest, walking through the corridors of tree trunks that stared down at him in sombre silence as he passed, leaves gently falling from their outstretched limbs in a soft rain. A haunting song filled the silent forest, sorrow and regret filling the melody of strange words that washed over his mind. Female, he thought. How could anyone sing a song that sad and not be crying? He listened as he explored.

The entire scene flickered, and there along with the forest of golden autumn were ruined walls. Andrew hurried towards them, and they vanished back to dense forest as he reached them. He touched the trunk of the tree’s where the ruined wall had been and felt nothing but tough wood and moss beneath his fingers. He had had this dream before. It did not feel like a dream at all. There was an eerie reality to the sounds and he did not remember any of his dreams having such a vivid sense of touch.

“Why am I here?” He said out loud.

The song stopped, mid-note.

Andrew looked a bit perplexed at the surrounding tree’s and said, louder. “Is there any one there?”

Silence but for the soft sighing of wind brushing leaves and branches was all that replied.

“Well ok then. Guess I will keep dreaming then and just explore.” He pushed into the deeper forest, still not sure what was happening with the flickering ruins that had appeared and vanished. After a few minutes he stopped and sat down with his back to a tree, looking around at the forest and leaves, the sky he could see through the branches overhead was the brilliant golden orange of sunset still. The surrounding forest flickered, and he was surrounded by crumbling, stone buildings and he was leaning against a mostly fallen down wall. Beneat his feet were cobblestones, overgrown with moss and weeds but very easy to make out.

Andrew leapt to his feet and headed for the nearest ruined doorway he could see, determined to have a peek inside before the ruins flickered away again. He got inside and found himself in a room a few metres across and about twice that lengthways. His shoes kicked small stones and ground them against the stoney floor. In the wall opposite the door a small half ruined structure jutted out a half a metre. Andrew crouched down and looked inside and smelled the faintest smell of ashes caked into the interior of what he supposed must have been a fireplace for this building. Andrew looked around and found nothing else of note, if there was anything else in the building it must have long decayed away to dust or was disguised as rubble from the roof which was open to the sky.

He was still poking around in a pile of rubble with a foot when the air around him suddenly became heavy and stifling, like a great weight had just fallen on him, he stumbled and nearly fell, leaning on the wall for support. The pressure on him increased and he fell to his knee’s, the pressure wasn’t purely physical, it was on his mind, trying to smother it. Andrew yelled in fear and pain, trying to fight it off without knowing how or what was happening. The pressure built to a point where he was sure he was about to fall over and black out when there was a sound like a crack, he wasn’t sure if he heard it with his ears or his mind alone. But the pressure was suddenly gone, completely.

That was when the voice that had been singing earlier screamed in despair and anguish.

Mild Corruption Part VI

Part VI, old home new home

When Fron and Spider reached the healers house they were met by a happy Piers who told them that with a month or two of rest the boy would be right as rain once again.

So that night Fron and Spider agreed to do a bit of a trial period. The boy could not return to the thief lord’s haunt. It would be more than doubly likely he would be killed as he learned there. So they had Fron had decided to trust, well not really trust, but to have a little faith in Spider and give him the boy to look after and train.

Spider gave Piers some coins and asked him to keep the boy until he could walk, run, hide and generally move around well enough with his arm. Piers nodded and told Spider that he would. Spider turned to leave and Piers called out after him.

“But how will I contact you to tell you that the boy is well enough again?”

Spider smiled.

“You don’t need to contact me. I will be checking every week, although you may not see me.”With that Spider walked out into the darkness that is the streets of Altdorf at night.

Piers never saw him again, although he was usually watching the boy progress as the weeks went by.

Nicolayuth tried to run away from Piers and resume his thieving several times and finally after a month and a half he succeeded.

Nicolayuth had been eating his supper when he saw his chance. Piers had left the shuttering on a window open. Nicolayuth quickly glanced around to see what Piers was doing. He was nowhere in sight. Grinning madly the boy ran upstairs and bundled together what he would take. One change of clothes, all his money and a few pastries.

Once he had gathered all this he ran back downstairs and saw that the shutter was still open. With a whoop Nicolayuth gathered himself and scrambled up the wall to reach the high window, reaching it quickly he deposited his bundle out the window and wriggled through after it, landing with a thump outside.

He quickly jumped to his feet and grabbing his bundle he ran for the nearest sewer entrance.

He munched on a pastry as he ran, having only one misgiving about leaving Piers house, the food which he wouldn’t be able to eat anymore because when one tried to steal it one was usually to caught up in the food to notice the watch. So thieves rarely tried to grab nice food.

Nicolayuth neared the sewer’s when a shape dropped from a wall in front of him. The shape stepped in front of him and called out.

“Going somewhere are you boy?”

Nicolayuth thought the voice was familiar. He stopped and looked at the shape warily.

“Who are you…”

The shape leaped forward and pinned him quickly. This particular shape knew how quick the boy was with the groin kicks so it took no chances.

“Well boy, I am the person who is going to train you not to be taken so easily as what I just did. Now, why aren’t you at Piers house?”

“I ran away.” The boy replied flatly.

The shape, Spider, grinned.

“So you didn’t like it there and so you ran away?” The boy said nothing. “Thought so.” stated Spider.

With that Spider grunted and hefted the boy over his shoulder. By Spiders standards his arm was now well enough so he could start to learn.

Nicolayuth blinked as he was hefted up like a sack of grain. Then he started to hit and kick Spider. After a while Spider dropped him to the ground and without a word he tied the boy up with some string. When Nicolayuth made to cry out Spider gagged him.

When the boy was fully tied up like a beast to the slaughter Spider leaned down and said to him in a cold voice.

“Behave yourself. the reason I didn’t have any apprentices before you is because I despise children. You can’t think quick enough. I have made an exception for you because you were able to surprise me the first time I met you. Don’t make me make you regret my decision.”

Such was the coldness of Spider’s voice Nicolayuth shivered involuntarily. Spider laughed coldly and hefted the boy his shoulder once more and walked towards his dwelling.

Spiders dwelling was a old abandoned attic on top of a tall building. All around the attic there is nothing but dust except in a few rare places where Spider walks. For the most part he climbed around his attic, for all around the attic were box’s, crates and rubbish heaps. When Spider wanted to get from one end of the room to another he climbed up walls, leaped onto the crates and piles of rubbish and jumped across to the other crates.

All this Nicolayuth couldn’t see because it was pitch black when Spider dumped him down onto a pile of rags to use as a bed.

With out a word Spider undid his bonds and walked off. Nicolayuth got the idea that any escape attempt would be dealt with harshly after his treatment getting here.

With a small cry, the part of him that was a boy of twelve years of age overpowered him and he whimpered in fear, wondering what was going to happen to him next. With a low sob he pulled the rags close to him and tried to go to sleep.

Mild Corruption Part V

Fairly short part but I’m clearing out the Mild Corruption backlog, we’re still in stuff I wrote 7+ years ago.

 

Part V, The healing

The healer, who’s name was Piers, looked more than slightly startled to see a figure dressed in black and Fron, whom he knew from various dealings before, carry in the limp body of a boy. Fron laid the boy down gently on a table in the middle of the room.

“Take a look at him can you Piers, I think we have little time.”

Piers came over to take a look without asking any silly questions about how it happened. Those could come later.

Piers winced when he saw the angle that the boy’s arm was at. He would have to set that as soon as possible. He glanced over at Fron and the figure in black.

“You’d best wait out side, I can deal with this I think. At the moment you’re just underfoot.”

Fron nodded and left with the figure in black. Talking to him quietly as they exited the door.

Piers turned back to the limp body of the boy in front of him and grimly sets about his task. To try and save this boys life, and to make sure that his broken arm can work as normal once it has healed.

Outside Fron suggested to the figure in black that they go to a tavern to discuss.

“What is your name, if you don’t mind me asking?”

The figure in black smiled briefly.

“My real name is of no concern to you, however I am known to most as Spider. I was given the name by the people I stole from because of the walls I had to climb to get to their valuables.”

Fron chuckled and led the way to a tavern tap room that was nearby. They walk inside and find a table, ordering two ales. Fron turned to Spider. “So what plans do you have for Nicolayuth?”

Back in the healers home Piers wipes sweat off his brow as he finishes setting the broken bone in the boys arm. He started to examine the boy for any more apparent injuries besides concussion and bruises.

“So, you want to make Nicolayuth into what you are? A man without any moral principles, not even those of a thief. You want to train him to kill mercilessly and get paid for it.”

“Yes” Spider answered quietly.

Fron shook his head in amazement. The man in front of him had admitted, over the last few hours as they drank ale, to be the most corrupt man Fron had ever met of, or heard for that matter.

“Well at least he’ll live longer with you, won’t he?”

“If he pays attention he will.”

“Lets go see how Piers is doing then shall we?”

Spider nodded, got up and walked out to return to the healers home, closely followed by Fron.

Mild Corruption Part IV

Part IV, Why not to talk to a drunken thief lord

Nicolayuth chortled as he looked through the contents of the shadowy figures money pouch. The pouch was nearly overflowing with gold and silver crowns. The figure must have indeed been high up in the watch if he could have so much money.

Nimbly stepping aside as a large rat scurried past to investigate the latest pile of dung the boy continued along. Nicolayuth waved to members of the thief lords band of cut throats as he went along, nearing the rogues chambers shortly, walking straight in.

Walking in to he found Arthur, who looked up quickly when Nicolayuth walked in, relaxing in a torn and extremely filthy armchair. “What’s with you boy, found a crown to wear?” asked Arthur suspiciously.

“No, I’ve only just done the task you set me.”

“Liar.” Stated the Thief Lord. Nicolayuth handed over the money pouch with all the gold in it. Arthur opened it up and looked through it for a long while before turning back to Nicolayuth.

“You just asked Fron to hand this over to you didn’t you. Or you just got someone else to do it. Didn’t you! ”Arthur finished in a roar, reaching out to grab Nicolayuth.

Too late Nicolayuth realised that Arthur was drunk. Making a break for the door and the relative safety beyond it he was grabbed roughly by the arm. Arthur dragged him back, eyes very bright, Nicolayuth smelt the cheap wine on his breath as the fist raised. Nicolayuth tried to squirm out of the way but it was useless, Arthur was older than him by a few decades. A fist crashed into the boys side causing him to cry out in pain.

Again and again he struck Nicolayuth, making him yell out every time. He clipped the boy on the head and the boy saw stars, falling down to the ground. Arthur started to kick his limp body then picked him up and threw him against a wall. The snap of breaking bones was audible.

There was a scurry of feet outside the door then Fron came running in. He took the situation in one glance, he ran over and stopped Arthur from hurting the boy any more. When he was sure Arthur had calmed down he picked up the limp and broken body of the boy and went to carry it off to a healer.

Fron cursed under his breath as he carried the body of the boy out of the sewers in search of a healer. This always happened. The boy got good and showed the rogue but the rogue was drunk every time. The rogue had killed his last ten apprentices in drunken rage. This was the first one that Fron had been able to perhaps save. Fron looked down at the boy in his arms. Maybe not even this boy would survive, he had such potential. Why was Arthur blind to that Fron wondered not the first time and not the last time either. Fron was approaching the closest healers house when a shadowy figure detached itself from under a wall and moved towards Fron as he walked. The old thief stopped stock still and called out.

“Who are you, what do you want. If your a thief then know that I’m the rogues under lord. Any attempt to rob me will be met with brutal decisiveness.”

The shadowy figure chuckled.

“Strong words for a middle aged man carrying the limp body of a boy to a healer.” He raised his hands as Fron opened his mouth. “I’m not going to hurt you, In fact I just wondered if you know of a boy that is a pickpocket and lives around here.” The figure paused. “Is that the boy in your hands?”

“What do you mean ‘boy’?”

“I mean a boy that I started to have a little chat with this afternoon, blue eyes, black hair, short. Like that boy in your arms your carrying to a healer in fact.”

The man stepped up to look at Nicolayuth. He gasped when he saw the twisted angle the boys arm was at.

“How did the boy get hurt? When he left me this afternoon after kicking me in the groin and stealing my money pouch he was fine. This is the boy, isn’t it?”

“Why do you care?”

“I care because I was wanting to take this boy here under my wing and teach him how to become an assassin and or thief.”

Fron still looked suspicious. The man clenched his teeth.

“Look, will you just let me help for the moment, if you find out later that I’m up to no good you can try and kill me.” He laid no emphasis on the word try.

Fron nodded his agreement.

“Good then, lets get to the healers and we can talk about this boys career path.”

They hurried of to the healers to save the life of a boy who was dying.

Illusia Tidbit – Chant of the Dreamer

Chant of the Dreamer:

Illusion and Reality as one,

Hope abundant, Nightmare everpresent,

Vision clear, Delusion a cloud.

Dreams for the forgotten, Dreams for the remembered.

Hope trapped in Nightmare, Vision Deluded.

This the Dreamer becomes.

Hope triumphant, Delusion destroyed.

This the Dreamer Achieves.

Maker of Hope, Granter of Visions.

To this the Dreamer is bound.

The Dream pulled from Illusion and made into Reality.

This the Dreamers charge.

Humilty and Honour for the Dreamer.

Scorn and Praise with the same breath.

This the Dreamers reward.

Illusia Chapter 6 – Rough Awakening

Chapter 6 – Rough Awakening

 

Elizabeth started awake with a small scream then looked around wildly to find herself back in her room at the academy. The echo of her small scream faded away and she heard a voice say from across the room from the other bed.

 

“By the Dreamer, Elizabeth! You scared me!”

 

Elizabeth took a deep breath or two before she replied, “Sorry Tanith, I just…” She paused and shifted her gaze from the blanket covering her legs over to her room-mate across the darkened room. Tanith, as always looked slightly nervous and worried about something, her grey eyes were focused on Elizabeth for now, her pale face partially hidden in shadow. “I encountered a Nightmare.”

 

Her eyes dropped from Tanith and went over her bed on the other side of the medium sized room. It had enough space for the two single beds and a pair of desks for them to do their study at and between them was a large rug that covered the stone floor of the room. There was an intricate design of spirals in muted colours around the edges and the center of it was taken up by a design of tall blue-grey tower with a silver eye with long lashes on its front. Elizabeth raised her eyes from the rug with a jerk, she didn’t need to be reminded of that emblem just now.

 

Tanith gave a small gasp and immediately began chewing on the ends of her honey-blonde hair. “Are..are you sure it wasn’t just a bad dream?”

 

Elizabeth resisted the urge to snap at her, barely. “No Tanith I didn’t just have a bad dream. I was Dreaming and talking to that boy I told you about yesterday, Andrew.” Thinking about him left with the nightmare made her stomach lurch a little but there was nothing she could do. It had treated her with scorn and she wasn’t going to be able to sleep for hours now. Not knowing there were still Nightmares out there. Elizabeth realised she was still in the dark and hurriedly reached out to light the lamp resting on the desk besides her bed.

 

Tanith reacted as Elizabeth should have known she would. She immediatly brightened and got a mischivious look on her face. “So you met with that boy again did you? I think someone has a crush…” She drew the last word out, teasingly. Elizabeth glared at her as she finished lighting the lamp. It filled the room with a soft yellowing glow which highlighted Elizabeths glaring face.

 

“I do NOT have a crush on him Tanith. You’re missing the important part again anyway. How can you so easily forget I just encountered a Nightmare!” Tanith immediatly blanched again and looked incredibly worried.

 

“Why did you have to say it again…I was happily distracted by thinking of how bad your crush on this Andrew is.” She shivered. “Should…Should we go see master Theron? He would know what to do, and he should know if you really did encounter an Nightmare.”

 

“I…” Elizabeth thought about it, Tanith had a good point. As much as she didn’t want her instructor to know about her intereactions with Andrew that were going far beyond the rules of observation and study. He should be told that there was a Nightmare still walking the dream. With a sigh she got out of bed and began to dress. Tanith joined her after a worried moment of consideration.

 

“What do you think master Theron will say Elizabeth? Do you think he will punish you for interacting with your dream subject? Does this mean the Nightmares are going to break down the dreamwall?” She asked many questions that Elizabeth had no answer for and didn’t want to think about. Especially the last one.

 

The Dreamwall had protected the city of Illusia for centuries. It couldn’t be under threat by nightmares now. It had withstood them in their thousands when it had first gone up. It couldn’t be failing now. It just wasn’t possible. She shook her head to clear her mind of such dark thoughts and spoke to Tanith a little sharper than she intended. “Shush, Tanith. I don’t know that is why we are going to talk to Master Theron.”

 

Tanith immediatly silenced herself and in silence they both finished dressing. Elizabeth pushed open the door to their room and was hit by a blast of chill air from the hallway. The girls dormitory was meant to be warmer than the boys but Elizabeth didn’t believe it. They boys dormitory could not possibly be colder than this hallway. Her breath came out in little puffs of mist as she entered the hall, followed by Tanith. She turned right and began to head down the hallway, heading towards the exit for the dormitory. Master Theron would be either asleep or in the library reading at this hour. She would check the library first, it meant not sneaking into the section where the instructors had rooms. Many of them slept very lightly.

 

So Elizabeth guided her roomate and herself towards the Library, out of the Dormitory exit and into one of the wide, tall hallways that made up the interior of the Dreaming Academy. The hallway was lined with the occasional tapestry and large painting of imposing figures that stared down at you. Elizabeth had heard many students had been indimidated by the vast weight of history that bore down on you where ever you went in the dreaming academy. It didn’t affect her, she was used to even heavier history surrounding her as she grew up. She remembered so many long corridors devoid of life except for the occasional servant dusting a painting or tapestry.

 

They turned down several more corridors before coming before the large wooden double doors that were the entrance to the Library. Elizabeth was glad they had not encountered anyone, the instructors had some sort of roster for themselves where they patrolled the corridors of the Academy to make sure students were not wandering around at night. She did not care to try and explain herself more than one more time tonight. Given Tanith’s reaction was likely to be the most believing of anyone she cared to tell. She wasn’t even sure about Master Theron’s reaction, for all that he was her friend and mentor.

 

Elizabeth turned the handle for one of the doors and pushed it open slowly. It opened with a slight creak, like the rest of the Academy the Library and the doors that led into it were ancient. It showed. She pushed a little more forcefully when the door got stuck and it opened with the loud squeal of hinges that needed some oil. Tanith winced and looked even more nervous, if that was possible.

 

“What if someone besides master Theron hears and comes to look? We’ll be in so much trouble!”Tanith spoke in a loud whisper fraught with nerves.

 

Elizabeth made a hushing gesture to her. She didn’t want anyone to come investigate either but Tanith’s whisper that could be heard across a courtyard was hardly going to help them not be heard. She followed the door into the library and after Tanith was in as well she closed it once more. Thankfully it only gave a softer squeak this time as she closed it. Once that was done she looked around the dark interior of the Library, when it was night all the lights in here were put out. No one wanted to burn the collection of books that contained all the history and knowledge they possessed. As far as Elizabeth knew there had not been a new book brought into the library for at least a decade and that book had been falling apart from age and from having resided inside a cellar of a tailor for generations. The shadows of the night covered everything in the Library yet they could still faintly see from the moonlight that came in through the high windows on the far side of the room.

 

It was then she noticed the yellowed colour of a lamp or candle faintly emerging from one of the rows of shelves. It looked like Master Theron was here and reading as Elizabeth had hoped he would be. She caught Tanith’s gaze and gestured with her head to the light coming from between the shelves and Tanith relaxed ever so slightly.

 

With that Elizabeth began to walk over to the source of the light, hoping Master Theron was feeling in a genrous mood and would believe her. More importantly she hoped he could help and shed some light and the matter of there being a Nightmare still in the dreamscape. If he couldn’t she didn’t know what to think besides the question that was haunting her. Were they about to enter a new age of Nightmares?

Illusia Chapter 5!

Chapter 5 – Nightmares

Andrew headed home from school after the argument with Robert and Jessica about his grounding and subsequently his not going with them to the mall. He thought they were both so stubborn sometimes and often when it was least convenient for him. They had relented after he had told them flatly he wasn’t going to break the grounding and therefore get himself another week of being grounded. The best and fastest way for him to hang out with them after school again would be to just take the punishment. They could come over if they wanted to anyway, it wasn’t like he was isolated.

As expected they made faces and told him his room was tiny, they might come over after they went out to the mall for a bit. Jessica wanted to get some new shoes. Andrew grinned widely as he remembered the resigned look on Roberts face when she said she’d have made Andrew help her pick but if he wasn’t coming Robert would have to.

His shoes made their usual soft little clacks as he walked along the cement pavement down the street. It always amazed him how fast the weather could change. In less than a day it had gone from being gloomy and raining hard to this. The sun was shining and there were only a few wisps of clouds in the blue sky overhead. It was actually pleasant and not cold either, which was strange for a day in late May. It was usually getting cold most days now. He wasn’t about to complain however. The walk in the rain yesterday was enough cold and wet for him for weeks. His silent reverie was interuppted by a soft touch on his shoulder. Andrew nearly jumped out of his uniform with fright.

“Gah!” He spun around to find himself looking into those blue eyes once more. “Elizabeth.” His visibly collected himself. “Would you stop doing that? You scared me half to death!”

The eyes blinked and Elizabeth’s cool voice replied, sounding regretful. “Oh, I am sorry Andrew. I did not know you were so full of nerves. I should have known from your past actions. Truly, forgive me.” She inclined her head to him slightly and Andrew just stared. He had just managed to get what sounded like a real apology from the girl who sounded like a princess. His face flushed slightly. It wasn’t exactly the response he had been expecting. He had thought she would just glare at him or tell him to not be such a baby.

“I, thanks.” He thought a second then added quickly, “Apology accepted. What can I do for you?”

He turned and started walking again, looking over to make sure she was following. She did after only a small pause. She was in the same dress she had been wearing earlier in the day when she had been hiding next to the garbage bin at recess. He could see it, and her clearer now. It seemed she wasn’t looking like a ghost at present. She walked quickly after him and caught up, her long black hair was loose and flowed along her neck and shoulders as she walked. She spoke as they walked.

“I was fully intending on speaking harsh words to you after you dismissed and ignored me so suddenly today during your short meal time.” She continued after giving him a heated glance. “I was so angry the dream broke and I woke up.”

They continued walking and Andrew winced inwardly. It had been rude of him true, but he had been fairly desperate. He did not want anyone from school to think he was talking to imaginary friends. He still wasn’t convinced that she was real and he wasn’t crazy. He wasn’t, however about to be rude to her just because she wasn’t real. He turned off the pavement to a small park that was on the way to home and empty of anyone for now. He didn’t want to risk anyone from school seeing him talking to a random girl.

“Sorry about that. Jess had noticed I was just standing near the trash, looking like an idiot. We should be grateful she didn’t see I was talking to someone. How did you do that anyway?” Elizabeth gave him a puzzled look for the fraction of a second then her face changed into a impish smile.

“How did I talk to you? Well I am not an expert on the subject but I believe it has to do with the way my lips move and sound comes from out of them.”

Andrew stared at her, she had just made a joke. He recovered gallantly. “Right. Smarty pants.”

Elizabeth looked truly bewildered then. “I am not wearing pants…”

Andrew decided to ignore that and took a seat on a bench beneath a tree with bushes all around. “I meant how were you nearly see through earlier.”

Elizabeth’s face brightened. “Oh that is your question. Why did you simply not ask?” Andrew kept giving her a level look until she took a seat next to him, elegantly sitting next to him. Traces of the impish grin she had had earlier still on her face. “It is something else I can do when in the dream, it is a bit of a tricky thing. I must make myself only just asleep and nearly waking so I fade in the dream. It is useful as you saw but as Master Theron says it comes with a drawback. While I am making use of it I’m that much easier to disrupt from dreaming. A sharp shock would send me out of the dream and to being awake in Illusia.” She sighed. “I wish I could just use it without the drawback.”

Andrew’s brows drew together briefly as he took in the explanation she had just offered. He wasn’t sure it made much sense but he was not the one doing the dreaming, or becoming see through.

“Ok. I guess I can accept that.” He spoke slowly, still turning it over in his mind. Then he remember what else he wanted to ask her. “Oh!” Elizabeth looked at him questioningly, one eyebrow slightly raised. Andrew paused a moment and ordered his thoughts before he continued. “I had a strange feeling someone was watching me just before you spoke to me. Was that you?”

“I spoke to you nearly the moment I had appeared and had settled myself into only just being asleep…I was not watching you.”

Andrew took this in and didn’t like what it could mean. “Do you suppose there is another ‘Dreamer’ like you watching me? You know, actually following the rules and not talking to me?”

Elizabeth laughed. “I have never heard of anyone being followed by a single dreamer let alone two! Do you really think you are that special now? After denying to me several times of being someone of importance.”

Andrew scowled at her. “I’m not someone important, I’m just me. I just thought I’d ask.” He muttered the last part, a little sulkily.

Elizabeth didn’t reply but just looked around the park they were sitting in with its grass, bushes and assorted trees. “This is a very pretty world you live in. I have never seen so much space used for just plants.”

“Really? This isn’t a very big park. There is a much bigger park over near Roberts place, its got a fountain and everything, also a big set of play-equipment.” He smiled faintly, “Everyone loves monkey bars.”

Elizabeth didn’t say anything but just kept looking around the park with a faint look of wonder and enjoyment on her face. Andrew had to wonder what Illusia was like if such a small and somewhat bedraggled park made her look so happy. He was about to ask her just that when he felt he was being watched again.

He whipped his head around to try and find the source of the uneasy feeling. He was able to find it easily enough, it wasn’t trying to hide this time. The, creature, stood maybe ten metres away from the bench they were sitting on. I was off to one side to Elizabeth had yet to spot it when Andrews head whipped around to it. She followed suit and then gasped in shock and horror.

It was a hulking beast made of shadow and gloom, Andrew wasn’t sure what to make of it besides the fact that it gave him the willies. That was until he saw that it had eyes that glowed a pale red and heard it speak. Red light flooded from where its mouth opened. “Leave Illusian. I have no interest in you.”

That was when Elizabeth did something Andrew never would have expected from her. She leapt to her feet and faced the thing, her face hard and determined. “Begone beast of Nightmare! I do not fear you.” Her voice gave away the fact that she did in fact fear it a bit but she pressed on anyway. “Nightmare will be fought wherever it is found.” Her voice was shaky but determined.

The creature laughed, with terrible amusement then dashed forward over the ground between itself and Elizabeth. The girl screamed “Run!” at Andrew before it reached out and lifted her from the ground with shadowy limbs and that crimson mouth opened again to snarl.

“Dreamer of dreams you have no power. You waste my time.”

It threw Elizabeth into the air then a tendril of shadow lashed out to strike her with a loud thud of impact. The girl went sailing through the air with a scream of pain and vanished before she hit the ground.

“Always such cowards, Dreamers.”

Andrew just stared, frozen in place with terror at what he had just witnessed. He tried to force his limbs to move as the creature turned to regard him with its blazing eyes. Its gaze found his eyes and he whimpered a little. All he saw in the gaze was pain, fear, anger, all the negative emotions he could imagine.

“You, frightened rabbit. I was expecting more. Hoping for more.” It made a sound of rage, shadows swirling around it darker for a moment. “Illusia hides as always, will you keep hiding or face us.” It moved closer and its eyes came within centimetres of Andrews face. “Remember this fear, when you unlock the dream wall. My brethren wait for you.”

Andrew closed his eyes tight and the thing laughed again, like the depths of an abyss. After a few seconds it stopped. Andrew took several deep breaths and opened his eyes. It was gone, he was alone in the park. He didn’t understand nearly any of what had just happened, but hoped Elizabeth wasn’t hurt.

He looked around the park one last time before he shivered and hurried home.

Illusia Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Friends and Acquaintances

Andrew stifled a yawn as he walked along the footpath towards the school. As with most teenagers he believed getting up before Nine in the morning was a sin that school forced him to endure.

 

He trudged along the footpath with a bit of resignation. Today was a maths test, and he hadn’t ended up cramming anything last night. It had been taken out of his head by Elizabeth’s appearance and wandering around his house.

 

He soon got to the school and wandered into the courtyard, his bag slung over one shoulder. It was a bit cold as it was winter. Most of the students, himself included were wrapped up in jumpers and school parkas. He smiled at the sight of so many teens clumping together rubbing their hands.

 

“What are you smiling about? Its fricken cold and as I recall you got your ass beat yesterday…” The somewhat belligerent voice cut into Andrews reverie. He turned and looked at the tall rawboned boy that had spoken. The words were biting but he had a half smile on his face. Andrew grinned at him.

 

“Just because you’re cold-blooded from your lizard ancestors doesn’t mean us mammals can’t make do.”

 

Robert Kingsley, one of his few long-time friends gave him a sniff in reply with his hooked nose and fell in beside him. They continued walking along the courtyard, headed for their usual hangout near their roll-call room. Robert spoke again as they went.

 

“I may be near cold blooded sometimes but thats no reason to be so mean about it. Or did the other comment sting, you did get your ass handed to you by William.” Andrew made as if to smack him upside the head and Robert laughed. “Ok ok, you’ve made your point. No more comments about it.”

 

Andrew smiled and lowered his hand. “So wheres Jess? She’s usually here before any of…” He looked over to their bench and laughed, shaking his head. “Well, I guess I spoke to soon.”

 

Jessica Littum, third member of their dangerous trio was waiting on the bench, arms crossed, watching the pair of them approach with a bit of a scowl on her pretty, tanned face.

 

“You two are nearly late again!” Her green eyes flashed. “Come on you two, it is three minutes to the bell.”

 

“Morning to you as well Jess. Me? Oh I’m going well, you? Good to hear.” Robert continued his mimicry of a jovial morning conversation until Jessica jabbed a finger into his chest.

 

“Don’t you smart mouth me Rob. What would you do if you failed by late attendance?” Andrew started to grin but then she rounded on him, “Don’t you grin. You got in a fight and God only knows how you’re going to pass your end of year maths exam.”

 

Andrew made a placating gesture at her. “Easy Jess, easy. Its to early to be lectured about being nearly late. We wern’t late so its ok, right?”

 

Jessica’s mouth worked a moment or two then she sighed. “You two are terrible. I think if I wasn’t berating you all the time you’d never have been on time this year. Come on, lets head to roll call.” She grabbed both their arms and started walking. The pair of boys had to follow or risk being pulled over. They followed, doing their best to make it look more like Jessica was just being friendly and guiding them.

 

School was its usual dreary and also fairy dull affair until recess for Andrew and his two friends. They had roll-call together which they were not late for partly thanks to Jess. Then after that there was science and then maths. Jessica of course paid rapt attention to everything the teacher said, as she always did. She was like that.

 

Andrew and Robert tuned in and out, half making notes as their teachers spoke, wrote on the whiteboard and even used overhead projectors to show a few things. The last ten minutes before recess Andrew and Robert ended up doodling stupid pictures on Andrews notebook page. The one with Mr. Horner, the maths teacher being chased by numbers with eyes and knives was fairly amusing.

 

Recess finally arrived and Andrew exited the room stretching as he gave voice to his joy of the first break for the day. “Freedom!” He paused. “For twenty minutes.”

 

Robert prodded him in the back. “Yeah yeah, get out of the doorway drama queen.” He chuckled as Andrew did so, making a ‘harrumph’ noise.

 

“If you got half as excited about class as you do about recess and lunch you’d be beating my marks easily, ‘drew.” Jessica said this with the air of someone long suffering. “Anyway, lets go.”

 

All three of them quickly stuffed their books into their bags and then picked them up, heading for their group of friends usually sitting spot for lunch. It was sitting on a pair of benches around a large tree on the grass beside the English block. The branches spread out high over head, its leaves providing a nice shade against both light rain and sunshine.

 

They ate their food mostly in silence after giving greeting to the group of friends they hung out with during break times. The group talked occasionally amongst itself, about assignments and rumours, plans for the afternoon and weekend. Andrew finished his musli-bar and the rest of his recess within five minutes. He always ate his recess more like he was inhaling it than chewing.

 

He rose and started for the trash can on the corner of the building. The school had a dim view of rubbish being strewn around its grounds, he had no desire to spend an hour after school picking up rubbish, or looking for it with a magnifying glass. As he headed over and deposited the rubbish he got a strange feeling on his shoulder blades. They itched and he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. It was a creepy sensation. One he hadn’t ever felt before.

 

He slowly looked around him, trying to see if there was anyone watching him or anything strange and out of place. His gaze only showed him the grass around the English building, the courtyard between buildings and students sitting, walking and eating their recess, laughing, talking. A few running around for some reason. A shift in the shadows on the ceiling of the over hanging cover besides the English building, nearly on the corner and out of sight of him. He focused and then there was a another rapid quick movement and whatever it was flashed around the corner of the building, on the shadows of the ceiling and the feeling vanished.

 

Andrew swallowed and stared at the place the movement had been. That was very creepy. He shook his head and turned to go back to his friends sitting on the ground. Before he had taken two steps a voice whispered sharply to him “Psst. Andrew.” He froze and looked around for the voice. It was familiar.

 

Pressed against the wall of the building and nearly completely see through was Elizabeth, she was wearing a different dress this time, but it was still blue, darker than her previous one and the ratty fingerless gloves were on her hands. She looked like a ghost and she smiled faintly.

 

“Hello again.” Her eyes sparkled in excitement.

 

Andrew looked around sharply at his friends then at Elizabeth then then around the courtyard and everyone else wandering around eating and chattering. It seemed no-one had seen the ghostly girl yet.

 

“How are you…” He began then stopped, looking troubled. “No I don’t want to know. Why are you here?”

 

“I do not have the faintest idea. I am very intrigued as to why as well. Why are you important enough for me to follow you? Three times even!” She was whispering in a conspiratorial tone, looking around at the school grounds and all the students. “Is this an academy for important people?”

 

“What? No, its just a school for all us normal people. Don’t you have schools in, what’s-its-name?”

 

“Illusia?” She asked with a faint smile.

 

“That’s it. Don’t you have schools in Illusia?”

 

I can only assume school means the something similar to what the Dreaming Academy is. In that case then, yes there is one. Only one, the Dreaming Academy. Where myself and the other Dreamers are trained.”

Andrew resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Elizabeth’s lecturing tone. She seemed to slip into it without noticing. She sounded like his English teacher Mrs Reen.  He was about to keep talking to her when he was interupted by Jessica calling out to him from the group. She’d finally noticed him looking at the trash can and not moving.

“Andrew? You alive over there, or did you drop your lunch into the bin?”

“I, uh, no.” He turned back around and whispered to Elizabeth from the corner of his mouth as he did, “Later.”

The see through girl made a sound of displeasure that was at odds with her dress sense and whispered back sulkily, “Fine then.”

Andrew wandered back over to Jessica and his friends, feeling very strange still. He didn’t want anyone to know he was talking to nearly invisible girls that vanished and reappeared without warning. He was probably going to be called insane. He already half felt it with shadows watching him and giving him creepy feelings.

The rest of the day went past quickly. Andrew left his final class and met up with Jessica and Robert out the front of the school gates. Robert gave him a grin and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Alright then, lets head over to my place, I still need to get my revenge on you Andrew in street fighter.”