Raven eyes

Part 8 –

{Alice}

I was running. I didn’t know where or why specifically but I knew that I had to flee. And yet my steps were unsure and my breathing came ragged; more gasps than anything else. Stones and thorns ripped into my feet. My body was sluggish, it felt wrong... almost more like a suit of false skin that I had squeezed myself into, than my own flesh and blood.

The worst was that my pursuers were always right there, just on my heels, never closing in, never relenting. I could hear their cries on the wind. Their laughter continuously mocked me. They mocked my weakness, my lacking endurance, my faulty looks, even my sorry excuse for a soul. It seemed that every part of me irked them in some way.

I couldn’t lose them, couldn’t escape their words in this pathetic body of mine. They knew it, they knew my pain, my fear and my failures. If only I could be as they were. If only I could be strong and resilient... if only my soul and beauty could shine equally bright.

But they knew just like I did that I would never grow to be like them. Since birth I had been the runt of the clutch. I was the ugly little bird that couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t do anything. I stumbled when I ran and I fell when I wanted to fly. Never had I grown strong, beautiful and terrifying like my sisters had. Even those born after me... even they were better of than me. I was only the ugly little chick, damned eternally to crawl along the ground living of scraps and refuse.

I could hear the sound of wind and wings behind me. The shrill screams of my sisters. Almost their claws were upon me. This time they would get me, this time they would rip me apart for the sole purpose of their amusement. ‘No! I can not fail here! I will not fail!’

Suddenly, power washed over me. It rippled the air like waves do an angry ocean. The sweet scent of death and carrion, of treachery and betrayal, the cold bitter truth that everything will die and we will be there to feast on the remains. A sick toothy smile crept across my face, my sisters weren’t hunting me. They were chasing me, pushing me to something I could rip apart, something that I could easily devour piece by piece.

Finally my feet found proper grip. No longer were the rocks digging into my soft flesh, instead my claws used every crevice, every out cropping to push me higher into the air. My wings beat against the air, finding purchase on even the smallest of currents. I could already see my pray before me. A little blue thing. It was pathetic and weak but it would nourish me. My claws stretched towards it, soon... not long anymore and I would feast on entrails, flesh and bones and pure delicious power.

Then all of a sudden, a face large as the night sky. It was terrible but beautiful. Blood red eyes and a golden halo... it was as if a fight went on inside this being but despite it all, her voice was powerful and strong. She looked at me with an expression some where between pity and fondness.

“Alice.”

I knew that name, it... it was my name!

“Alice! Stop, this isn’t you!”

‘No! Yes! I am more than this! I am not just a part of the flock! I am my own I am strong and beautiful! Ithelyn!’

When I finally woke my entire body hurt. A soft breeze on my skin told me that I was naked but worse than that was that I had no idea of what had happened. I couldn’t move, my body was restricted by chains that weren’t chains. It was dark but I could see the bars of a cage around me. A dark cloth was thrown over it and from outside muffled voices reached my ears.

“... she is dangerous! We can’t have somebody as liable as her in our school!”

“Oh shut your trap, Mc Dorsal. If it was up to you only the nobles would visit this school.”

“While I don’t necessarily agree with Miss Sagan but she is right. Letting her remain untrained and alone in the world would be far worse than having her at our school.”

“Exactly! We already know that she is a conduit, she shouldn’t be held liable for being the outlet for ancient magic! Instead we should at least make the effort to teach her control! And if she is as powerful as it seems, she will make a good asset.”

“Sir Haster! You’re not insinuating to use a girl as a weapon are you!?”

“Professor, I would never. I am simply saying that there is a lot of wasted potential in the girl. Even now I can feel her eat away at my bindings. Ha! Will you look at that she is finally awake.”

When the tarp was ripped away, I had to shield my eyes from the sudden brightness, though with the chains binding me I could barely even manage that. Before me were four people, two men in their forties and two women. One looked to be barely thirty while the other seemed to have already long passed her prime. I was more than thankful to my frequent streaking escapades or else the looks upon my naked body would have been very embarrassing.

“Haster... you have two seconds to stop staring or else I will have my familiar rip of a finger or two.” The younger woman stepped before me in an obviously protective gesture.

“Fine Teril, fine, not that I was going to say anything. Just throw the girl a shirt already!”

An oversized school shirt later, I was sheepishly standing in the creepy basement, no longer chained but still in the ominous cage. Before I could even ask what was going on a sudden commotion in front of the door drew all our attention.

“Step. ASIDE!”

“Miss Dawnstar, please! Your friend is unharmed and only being kept for her own safety! Please calm down!”

“I will not repeat it again! Step aside or I will kick that fucking door in!”

I was already about to lift a finger and try and tell the other teachers to intervene when all of them took a step away from the door.

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“Miss Dawnstar! I beg of you! Ahhhhh!”

A single loud crash was all the warning we got before the locked door was kicked in and slammed with full force against the adjacent brick wall. In the opening stood no other than a very pissed off and surprisingly roughed up Ithelyn.

“Now! Where is-” With a loud creak the door slowly bend out of its hinges and fell to the ground in a nasty dust cloud. For a good minute or so nobody said anything but we only watched as Lyn coughed out her lungs. Then as if nothing had happened she brushed away her stray hair and stepped into the room.

“My friend please. Now.”

Surprisingly the first to speak up was the old woman from before.

“You have grown Ithelyn, perhaps not in wisdom but certainly in temper and in power.” For a second she just looked at Lyn before continuing. “Did you try the meditation exercises I taught you?”

“Professor Delaney.” This time one of the two men spoke up, he was arguably the better looking of the two. “Would you please focus on the situation at hand? You will have enough time to chat with your old ward later.”

“Ah! Certainly Sir Haster, right... right! If you would wait just a second Lyn sweetie. So, Miss Dutrar... huh an old name. Are you in full possession of your mental faculties and or do you no longer feel the desire to attack other witches or their familiars?”

“I... think so?” I was more confused than ever before. Sure, I had done some idiotic stuff before, while sleep walking but it had never gotten me into a guarded cell before.

“Good!” The woman I suspected to be Teril called out. “Then we can finally get it over with this stupid farce! I want to go back to the opening ceremony and we already have a summoning teacher who can get her a familiar.” Without another word she snapped her fingers and the cage opened up.

Under the awkward stare of everyone involved I gingerly stepped out of the thing and over to Ithelyn. Who in turn only glared at the assembled mages in spite. The people were lucky she still wore her sunglasses or else one would have to fear for her gaze to be pure poison. Thankfully the weird stand off between the five seemed over now and one by one they filed out of the room. Which gave me a chance to turn around to my girlfriend.

“What was all of that just now?”

“So you do not remember anything?”

“I mean... no? I fell asleep on the train and next thing I know I am in this creepy basement.”

“Huh... do you often just fall asleep?”

“It was an eight hour ride! How could I be awake for that long!?”

“Let’s walk, Alice. I will explain everything.”

Outside, right next to the entrance and now door-less door an entertaining sight caught my eye. Hugin had made himself comfortable on the head of an unconscious security guard. Sadly my mirth was only of short duration, as all of a sudden Ithelyn seized me by the arm and walked me off into a darkened hallway.

“What is going on?” I couldn’t help but be concerned.

“You truly don’t know what happened? You don’t remember what you did?”

“N- No?” What was she talking about?

“Alice... you well... I didn’t tell any of the teachers but gods and hells be damned you tried to eat a familiar!”

“What?” ‘No, that couldn’t be. I would remember if I had done something so... hare brained. Who in their right mind would ever try eating a spirit... no... that...’

“Alice! Listen to me!”

“I AM! It just doesn’t make any sense! Just tell me what happened!”

“It's alright, Alice. Nobody but the girls in our cabin know. The teacher only know that your magic went wild.” She tried to sooth me but I couldn’t get my head around it.

“No! Tell me what happened! I have a right to know! It’s still my body!”

“I... I know Alice. I’m sorry it’s just... you won’t like the truth.” Her eyes pitied me, oh how I despite people’s pitty.

“I can handle it, Ithelyn. Tell me!”

“Fudge... where do I even start. Okay, so. You fell asleep on the train which you still remember but after an hour or two you began twitching and shaking. We tried waking you but nothing we did worked! Then all of a sudden a ripple went over your body. Your skin was like water, never before have I seen it. And you just shrank... one moment you were you and in the next there was this terrifying raven creature. I knew it had to be you but the thing looked more demon than animal! And suddenly it, or well you, opened your eyes. There were three of them... then all hell broke loose. You launched your self at Patty’s familiar in a swirl of claws and feathers.”

“I... I didn’t kill her did I... the spirit I mean?”

“No. Thankfully I managed to grab onto you and hold you close. Gotta say you put up one hell of a fight.” With a nervous grin she pointed at her own injuries.

“How did I end up in the cage? And what happens now? Sorry Lyn... I’m just this never happened before. I knew spirits didn’t like me... but to attack them.”

“As I said... the teacher don’t know, they just caught you after the commotion had attracted attention and well... I might have make the other two swear a blood oath....”

“You did what!?” I could barely believe my own ears, blood magic was strictly forbidden in school grounds!

“Well, we were technically still on the train and all three of us swore the pact. It actually was Freya's idea too. I just ran with it as I already knew a spell. But uhm, yeah they want to talk with you later too.”

“And... what happens now?” I still couldn’t believe it, a blood oath... that was already dangerously close to the practices of the Circle of Hecate. Those had not been witches that society had looked upon fondly. But before I could lose my self in thought about what this might mean in the long run, Lyn said something I could believe even less.

“Well now... the teachers want you to bind yourself to a familiar, in the hope that it might stabilise your magic.”

“They want to do what!?”