Heart of Ashes

Wolf Blood

Caine got a crystal pendant on a chain out of one of his draws. He dipped it in the rosemary and sage tea he'd brewed then recited a basic dream ward. He found himself feeling a little disappointed at how easy it had been, it wasn't blood magic but it would serve its purpose. He took Tara out of her cage and held the pendant out to her.

"Take this to Evelyn," he instructed as the bird took it in her beak, "and it had better get there or you will be punished, little raven."

She gave him an evil glare and flew off out his study. He'd left the bookcase door ajar so, if anyone needed him, they knew where he was. He then got his other books out and began searching for a different kind of spell, or at least a way to invent it. He smiled as the pieces came together in his head.

"Amaranth," he mumbled as he wrote it down, "a blood binding, and a carrier."

He nodded, pleased at what he'd put on the page. It was a semi-new notebook - he'd never written in it - and he always enjoyed writing in a new notebook because, to him, it was the start of a great discovery that would soon develop into something intricate and beautiful. He'd always considered blood magic somewhat of a fine art. It could be taught to any gifted person willing to learn, he'd made that mistake. Blood magic, despite its beauty, was not something for mortals.

He reached under the desk and felt around for a key he'd stuck there a while back. He unlocked the bottom, left drawer in his desk and put a wooden box and the book, with the new incantation, in it and locked it again. Once the key was back in its place under the desk, he reclined in his chair and stared at the ceiling. It had been far too long since he'd experimented with magic and he was enjoying getting back into it. He began considering what it would take to enable Evelyn to restore life, then he began to wonder whether she'd ever really be able to do it. He shrugged and sighed, content in his study surrounded by his books.

A knock on the bookshelf tore him from his thoughts and he was forced to speak, "Enter."

Anthony came to stand in front of his desk, "I'm back."

Caine sighed, "I told you to come back tonight. What do you want?"

Confusion seemed to flicker on Anthony's face, "Umm... it's ten thirty."

Caine's eyes widened, "Ten thirty!" he exclaimed, "Well we'd better get started then. Follow me."

Caine picked up one of his magic books, two bowls and a sprig of fresh wolfsbane and put them in a satchel. Slinging it over his shoulder, he hurried out of the study. He told Anthony to shut the bookcase behind himself and led him down to the kitchen. He took him out into the servant's courtyard and made his way to the watch tower.

"Stay behind me," he instructed.

"Why?" Anthony asked.

"Because you don't want to get torn apart by wolves."

There were six wolves in the watch tower, they'd made it their den and they rarely bothered anyone so Caine saw no reason to get rid of them. The wolves, normally docile creatures, instantly started growling when they saw Anthony. For some reason, they didn't like humans. Caine raised his hands.

"Stand down," he ordered as if the wolves were soldiers, "he is our guest."

The wolves backed away and Caine saw some of the tension leave Anthony's body. He called to one of the wolves, patting his thigh to get it to come to him. She was a beaitiful, white wolf with bright yellow eyes. She'd always been his favourite. She was feisty and strong, she wouldn't stand for any nonsense and she'd defend her pack with her life, for some reason the others had accepted her as alpha which was odd, considering there was a more than eligible male. She was perfect for what Anthony needed.

He crouched in front of her and stroked her fur, it was soft and warm. He scratched her behind the ears and on her forehead until he'd managed to drain her energy and she fell asleep. He set his satchel down on the ground to get the various items he'd brought with out. He put the two wooden bowls side by side and put the wolfsbane into one of them. He took a mortar and pestle out and used them to crush the plant. Using his nails, he slashed at his hand and squeezed his blood into a bowl. He then cut the wolf and mixed her blood with his own. He cleaned and bound the wound then went work with the spell, ignoring the look of disgust on Anthony's face.

He used his finger to draw a transmutation symbol and placed the bowl in the middle. Without warning, he grabbed Anthony's arm and slashed it, allowing his blood to fall into the bowl. He added the wolfsbane last then started his incantation. The symbol began to glow and the poisoned blood began to bubble. When it stopped he picked the bowl up and handed it to Anthony.

Anthony looked horrified, "You can't really be expecting me to drink that?"

Caine nodded, "It's not as horrible as it looks. You might like it."

Anthony hesitantly took the bowl from Caine and raised it to his lips, "Well, cheers."

Caine stopped him with a hand on his wrist, "Oh, Anthony, this is going to hurt."

Anthony sighed and gulped it down. His disgusted grimace didn't last too long because he dropped to his knees, letting the bowl clatter on the ground. He gasped and grabbed at his throat. Caine ignored his gasping and, quickly, carved the transmutation symbol into the palms of Anthony's hands with a silver blade he'd brought along. After that was done, Anthony's rigid muscles relaxed and he collapsed on the ground.

"What," he said, "the hell was that?"

Caine smiled, "Congratulations, Anthony, you are now a werewolf."