Young Writers Society

Arthur Jameston

Nila helped me get up, but my waning strength wasn't enough to hold onto her. I knew Ashe was furious at the question of our father's disappearance. I shifted to a cobra and stated to Ashe, "If memory serves, I wounded our father. He could be leaving a trail of blood, thanks to me."
Ashe picked me up gently and whispered, "Then we better find him before we lose him. Where do you think he went?"
I flicked my tongue several times in different directions, then caught the scent of a cat. The scent was almost like...Suddenly I hissed. "He has my cat," I hissed. "He has Isis held captive." I slithered away and bared my fangs. If anybody is going to handle Isis, it's going to be me and Nila. Nobody touches my cat without my permission but Nila.

*When in animal form shapeshifters project their mental voice, it's not true mind reading but it does share some similarities.*

Ashe Breaker:

Arthur coiled around my neck, preserving his strength while he healed. Ashe flicked a glance at the wolves, Revna and Taiza had both taken their beast forms, both of which were noticably larger than their sisters. The four wolves spread out scenting the air for blood.

As the group moved through the corridors, searching for Greaves and their friends Ashe felt Azure dig her hands into the thick fur near his wing joint. Ashe glanced back at her and projected his voice so only she could hear it. "We'll talk later Azure. About you're misleading me and why one of the fae, technically my allies, would be hunting you."

*All I can think of. One question though, if Greaves ends up dead who becomes the bad guy?*

*Let me point out, if the bad guys don't know of your power they can't prevent it. And, they have no idea Azure is a fairy. And Azure sends her apoliges to Ashe. Just wait for what I have planned *

Azure
I had run, and knelt underneath the willow tree. Weeping trees, we call them from where I came from. Sunila appeared before me. "hell-" she began, but I interuppted.
"Go away! You've ruined what was making me happy. I don't care what you say! I WILL NOT DIE."

Sunila shrugged. "That is your opinion. The master could care less. He wants you the way you are. Vunerble. Alone. He dislikes the way you and Ashe became close. He was afraid-" She stopped, looking guilty.
"He is killing me because he is afraid?

Sunila nodded, and looking nervous, disapeared in a puff of smoke.

Arthur Jameston

I tried not to fall asleep, but I was too exuasted to stay awake. I had no choice but to rest. I needed my strength for Ashe and my beautiful Nila. As I rested, I began to dream. A bronze woman with long red hair was sitting on a boulder. I almost cried. I whispered, "Mom?"
The woman stared at me, smiled, and nodded. She said calmly, "Arthur, my son. You've become a man and a leader. I'm so proud of you, my son."
I said, "How can I stop this horror? I never knew I had a half-brother until a few days ago, and now I can hardly keep myself alive. Especially for Nila."
Mom said calmly, "You are a Topaz witch, one of the greatest of family witches. You hold the elements of Total Darkness, water, and Animal Change. Your grandfather disproved raising you and training you, but your grandmother and I had our way because we knew you had potential. You still do, my child. You must use what potential you have and prevail against the man who killed me. Be strong for your brother, your lover, and your team. They need you alive and the Goddess knows that. You must stay alive and the Goddess wills it." She patted my shoulder. "You have a brand new life waiting for you, Arthur. Go and pursue that new life, for your Nila."

Cataluna Zara
I froze in the doorway as Arthur fell asleep feeling a familiar psychic imprint. I growled between my teeth a surprisingly animal like sound. "My father is here." I snarled pissed. Nila, Azure, and Ashe looked at me confused. "He has Isis he's the one behind all of this besides Zetes." I snarled coldly. "He has Isis!" Arthur exclaimed jerking out of a sound sleep. I nodded angry beyond words. "He is a full witch like me and he wants to have me in his coven." Here I smirked "You can tell how well that worked out." I said sarcastically. "That explains why my spell didn't work." I muttered starting to pace. "What are we going to do? Arthur can't move!" Nila snapped. I turned calm despite everything. "We fight like we did just now." I replied coolly calming down now that a plan started to outline itself in my head.

Arthur Jameston
*Arthur's starting to recover his strength, but chances are he might not have enough to protect the whole gang*

I sensed Luna knew more than what I did. Although I've recovered a good chunk of strength, I couldn't feel my legs. I tried to get up, but my legs wouldn't move. Nila told me to rest more, so I could make a full recovery. I ignored her and said to Luna, "I think I might have a way to avoid your father from taking all of us down one-by-one. However, what I have in mind is a team effort."
Luna asked, "What is it, Arthur?"
I answered, "Get the others here and I'll show you. Nila, I need the Family Incantus. Azure, could you come here?"
Azure approached me nervously.
I murmured a spell to turn the collar to rust, then I ripped it apart. I coughed a little and lied down.

Cataluna Zara
I wrapped my hand around my coral pendant and reached out with my mind. 'Guys it's Cat. Can you hear me?' I called soundlessly. I felt something pluck in reply and I reached towards it. I heard Allora's familiar voice along with David's and I opened my eyes when I heard someone go "What the-?". I saw a silvery black light and I sauntered towards it cool and calm. "Hello 'Daddy'." I said the word Daddy heavy with sarcasm. "Hello Cataluna." A voice replied as the light expanded to reveal my father's familiar aristocratic face his black hair slicked back and his ice blue eyes cruel. "What do you want this time Daniel?" I snapped. "The usual your undying loyalty to my coven along with the Family Incantus." He replied smiling confidently. "No." I replied calmly. He shook his head chuckling darkly. "You may want to rethink that." He said leaning back in his chair. "Why?" I snapped. He flicked his fingers and the light expanded again to reveal Mom unconcious and bleeding and I froze. "It would be a shame to ruin such a pretty face and I have this lovely kitty cat that would make my fur collection sparkle." He said smiling cruelly as a guard held up Isis who did not look pleased. "You leave them out of this you want me they have nothing to do with this!" I snarled my voice shrill. "Ah deary but they do you see you have a half witch a ... Topaz. He has the most powerful Family Incantus besides ours and I want his loyalty along with yours." He said coldly. "You have one hour to find me or watch them die your choice." Daniel snapped then he snapped his fingers and the light disappeared. I landed on my knees feeling numb.

Arthur Jameston


The others formed a semi-circle around me as I held the Incantus on my lap. Luna's face was too pale for me to mistake as sick. She looked more like she was scared out of her wits. I pried her mind a little and went pale myself. Someone wanted me in their coven, and is holding my little Isis hostage. I decided it was time to declare war. I said, "Alright, troops. I may not be strong enough to get back on my feet, but I still hold the Topaz Family Incantus. According to this, even if the caster isn't strong enough to stand its own ground, a group as big as ours can still be protected from harm with the Inchantment of Protection. This will cost me a little bit of strength, but it'll be worth it."
Nila protested, "You haven't fully recovered your strength from Greaves's switchblade. You'll kill yourself if you cast the spell."
I smiled and said calmly, "This is a team effort, Nila. The spell will cost everyone a little bit of strength. This spell lastes until I die. That can only happen if someone found a loophole in the spell." I stuck my hands out. "Let's hold hands. I'll cast the spell." After all held hands, I recited the spell.

*Due to school work I will be forced to take a leave of abscence in a few days. But I will try to post a couple more times before them. Also I'm confused about Azure, is she with us or on her own???*

Ashe Breaker:

The wolf siblings had gone back to through the Mists to their origin realm, but Ashe knew it would be easier to summon them next time if he got in real trouble. Before Arthur began to draw on them to cast the spell Ashe had cut himself knowing his blood would enhance the spell beyond anything his brother knew.

Arthur hissed as he completed the spell shaking his hands. His body actually sparked as excess energy he couldn't contain bled away. Luna was having the same problem, patting her hair as it frizzed up. "What was that just now!? I've never felt anything like that!" Luna demanded.

Arthur nodded, his eyes wide in surprise. "Me neither!"

Baffled Ashe glanced from one witch to the other and laughed as realisation dawned on him. "Right. Of course you guys wouldn't know. It has been three hundred years after all."

"Ashe, was that you all that magic power was coming from?" Arthur looked at him in surprise.

Nodding, Ashe bandaged the cut on his palm as he answered his brother, including his newfound friends in the explanation. "Pure shapeshifters are the embodiement of change. So witches can draw massive amounts of magical power from them. They can use it to enhance spells to the nth degree, and even place Permanent Enchantments in some cases. So hundreds of years ago a coven of black witches got together and hunted down all the pure shapeshifters, sacrificing them to harvest their power, since it was magic the shifters themselves were unable to use."

Ashe chuckled morbidly and continued his explanation as his friends jaws dropped in shock. "The Were-Beasts didn't take kindly to their Royal Lines being hunted to extinction, and well let's just say they were slightly indiscriminate in their vengeance. It's also why they're so paranoid about me being around any magic users, just in case the two of you didn't notice the pack eyeing you like a steak dinner." Ashe rolled his eyes in exasperation and complained. "They live in another dimension and they're still trying to run my life."

Patiently Ashe waited while the rest of the group processed his impromptu history lesson and thought out how it could be used in their current situation.

Arthur Jameston

The mention of black witches caused the Incantus to open and flip through its pages at its own accord. I looked at the page and read it silently. Not one of the Topaz witches were involved in killing shapeshifters like Ashe, but were encouraged to mate with them so the lines would be protected and have magic. I was one of those descendants because my grandfather's ancestor was a cobra shapeshifter. Black witches were in Luna's lineage, not mine. I asked Ashe, "Did any one of the surviving shapeshifters happen to come across a coven of white witches called the Topaz clan?"

Cataluna Zara
"Three guesses where my black witch lineage came from." I muttered to myself. Arthur looked at me amused and I smiled slightly. "Well not in the last thousand years or so but a couple millenia before that they did." Ashe replied after thinking for a bit.

Arthur Jameston

I decided to do a little something I should've done the minute I met Luna. I took a deep breath and said, "Maybe you and I could forge an alliance against your father. Normally black witches and white witches don't mix, but this could be a first in our families' political history. My invisibility can't be Borrowed by anyone, but it can be Shared."
Nila asked me, "What do you mean?"
I answered, "My power can't be copied by other witches power, but I can bestow it upon others whenever I want." I sighed. "I did something like that before. I was nine years old when my grandmother asked me to partake in a ritual. Now I was still struggling to live without Gramps at that time, but I thought Nanna wanted me to witness Gramps' resurrection. Instead, she was attempting to summon an animal from another dimension. I got scared and bestowed Nanna my invisiblity by accident. After Nanna tricked the animal back to its own plane, she asked me not to bestow my power unless I have to." I sighed again. "I know I can still do it. All I need is a little push."
Luna asked, "Does this help?" She grabbed my wrist and squeezed it as hard as she could.
The pressure forced me to cast my invisiblity power onto the whole group, including Luna. I smiled and said, "Now let's show our enemies who's got the ball."

Cataluna Zara
I smiled at Arthur suddenly feeling confident I had something my father never had I had friends, and I had love, and I had the Goddess. I took off my coral pendant and it started to swing back and forth. "Follow me." I said calmly my eyes fixed on the pendant as it led us deeper into the Insititute. I felt a familiar icy power and I took a deep breath inhaling what smelled like English leather and brandy. We split and pressed against each side of the door. We looked at each other and I mouthed '5...4....3...2...1.' At one we opened the door and burst inside. My father was leaning over my mother holding her necklace in his hand and then he smiled at us. "Ah good you've decided to join me." He said straightening still holding the necklace while it was still around her neck. "Sorry Daddy. Change of plans." I said cheerfully as I drop kicked the guard and caught Isis. I handed her to Arthur and then faced my father feeling brave. He laughed coldly then tore off my mother's necklace. "NO!" I screamed lunging towards him. He disappeared leaving his voice. "Sorry honey you had your chance now say goodbye and make your next move. I'll be waiting." I snarled and swore aloud using words that made my mother gasp. "LUNA!" She said shocked which sent her into a fit of coughing. I felt my anger drain away and I dropped beside my mother grasping her hand. "Mama." I begged but she placed her forefinger gently against her lips and the familiar sign for silence soothed me even as I shut my mouth. "I'm proud of you my little flame. You've done well." She said her voice already raspy instead of soft. "It's my time anyway and I'm glad that I saw you grow up from a little toddler to a beautiful young woman full of fire and power." Here she coughed again blood coming out and I sobbed a little. "No. No tears. I am passing everything to you the Incantus and all of the family power. You'll need it to find your way and to finally control all that the Goddess has given you. You need to go to Crow's she has the Incantus for safe keeping that's all you need to know you will know what need's to be done when the time comes. Now chant for me little one send me home to Earth with your power along with the Goddess's." Mom said smiling and closing her eyes. I swallowed back a sob and started to chant the only song I could remember my mother's favorite. "Mother of darkness, mother of light, earth beneath us, soul in flight, songs of love, and love of life guide us to our hearts." I broke off a few moments later as my mother's hands relaxed in mine and she died. *Ok in simple terms the necklace she was wearing was holding off a terminal illness that was getting progressively worse despite the constant healing*

Arthur Jameston

I listened to Luna sing to her dying mother. Holding Isis to my chest, I said to Luna, "Your mother's with the Goddess now. I know how it feels to lose a loved one. I cried when Nanna told me she was dying. We both shared that loss." I felt tears run down my face, but I held my ground. "We have to be strong for the ones we lost, Luna."
Luna looked at me and said, "I have to come to Crow."
I had no doubt Luna meant her grandmother. I said calmly, "The rest of us are coming with you, Luna. You already met Nanna, so I know it's fair that I must meet Crow in return. I know Crow is the Keeper of your Family Incantus, like my Nanna before me. We're all a family now, so we have to look after each other."
Nila patted my shoulder and said, "Arthur's right, Luna."
Isis nodded in agreement, not taking any chances on talking.

Cataluna Zara *Crow's Cat's Aunt*
I pressed my lips gently to my mother's forehead and took off her necklace it was a simple charm with the crescent moon horns pointing up. I put it on and closed my mother's eyes. I felt a few tears escape but I shut them down. I stood up and turned to everyone feeling tears dry in my eyes. "Crow's only a few blocks away from here." I said quietly. "Lead the way." Arthur said gesturing. I nodded and led them out of the room and eventually out of the Institute. I looked up and saw the full moon was tinted red. I closed my eyes and walked a little faster leading them down a few streets and then we were there the slightly modernized Victorian house and I ignored everything and ran up the steps and flung open the door. Crow was standing there as I tackled her hugging her tightly. "Cat?" She asked curiously then I looked up at her. Her dark brown eyes lit up against her naturally tan skin and her silky black hair was brushed back into a bun. She saw my mother's necklace and then nodded. "Arthur close the door behind you." She said quietly as everyone else crowded in behind me. I heard the door shut as I straightened up and faced her. She smiled at me and disappeared into the back of the house. She reappeared with a red leather book with a celtic cross engraved in wood on the front cover. It was locked intricately with turquoise, amethyst, and onyx. "You all can stay here for a few days while you plan, most of the ladies should be able to fit Cat's clothes and the gentlemen should be able to fit Ike's." She said quietly.