Ibhans POV
I had never made a Shade before, it was something that few warlocks could do. Solidifying shadow and give sentient life to shadow we're two vastly different things. My father could do it, it was why he was so well respected in his formative years, but he never taught me and I never asked. Isamu had tried and failed multiple times, and that was all I had as guidance now.
I pulled some of the shadow from Riaz's shield and morphed it into a ball in my hands. I rummaged around in my satchel and pulled out a small vial. Wind of a whistle bird.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Riaz asked, his voice strained as he pulled another layer of shadow under the current one as the guards barrelled through.
"No," I said as I bit the cork between my teeth. Whistle birds weren't really physical beings, they were a form of spiritual energy that lingered in the air. You can only locate them by sound, when the remnants of their energy make a distinctive whistling sound in the air. They were used to make Shades, temporary spiritual energy that would be used by the shadow to come to life.
I held the ball of shadow carefully in one hand and pulled the cork off of the vial and jabbed it into the shadow, making sure to get as much of it into the shadow as possible. At the same time, I let my shadow marks surge forward pouring some energy into the ball and chanting a few short words. I didn't know if they were the right ones but it was all I had.
"Any time now would be great," Riaz yelled, stumbling a little as the guards slammed into the shield again and again. Outside I heard Feathers scream in warning.
"Somethings happening!" I said as I watched the shadow ball twist in my hands. I quickly pulled in more shadows, making the creature larger as it sprouted legs and arms and some kind of snout.
"Shit, it's actually working," Riaz said in disbelief.
"Get ready to let it come down," I said to him as a small snarl came from the creature. "I don't know how to control this thing," I admitted.
"Just treat it like a shadow," Riaz said, "direct it the way you would a normal shadow," I nodded in understanding and rolled back my shoulders. I met Riaz's gaze and he took a deep breath before letting the shield down.
Some of the guards stumbled as the sudden resistance faded and I spread my arms wide, the Shade swelling and snarling viciously at the guards. This was the danger of shadow magic, the darkness that always lingered inside of it. I swiped my arm to the side and the creature pounced towards the group of guards. Surprised by the appearance of a new enemy they leapt back from the creature and Riaz scrambled towards the door to safety.
"Ibhan, come on! We don't know how long this things gonna last!" He hissed. My head felt a little weird and heavy as I watched the shadow monster swipe and claw at the guards. They made batons and spears and tried to push him back but the sheer size of him meant it didn't make much of a difference. I was pulled out of my daze as Riaz ran back, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the scene.
"I made that," I breathed as I watched the beast growl and attack the guards.
"Fuck yeah," Riaz said, laughing as he doubled over, trying to catch his breath. Near the willow trees I spotted the rest of our group and jogged to catch up with them, Riaz close behind.
"Did you take care of them?" Eliza asked and I scratched the back of my head as I heard a distant roar.
"They'll be busy for a while," I looked down at Kyda, laying nestled in the roots of the large tree and crouched down besides her. Feathers had also taken up roosting close to her head, watching her carefully. "Is she okay? What happened to her?" I looked to Amotan, the only one here who would have answers. He sighed heavily, wiping sweat from his face.
CZYTASZ
The Wand and the Wolf
Wilkołaki**COMPLETED** "You have a weird look on your face," I said and his frown deepened. "I do not," he closed his spell book and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "Hmm," I hummed under my breath as I smoothed the crease between his brow. He grabbed my...
