Death-Concures-All

Chapter 1
The beast clawed for me with its twisted fingers and crooked arm. I protect myself with a magical shield. I lift my arms up high and mutter a spell. Hot fiery flames leap out of my hands and hit the demon in the head. It swings at me as its head comes clean off its shoulders and green, demon blood floods out. It falls to the floor with a screeching howl. "well done Isa" Goll says as he strikes the last demon down. Goll is the king of our rath and has been since i first arrived here. He has medium length hair, which glistens a light oak colour, and dark green eyes which twinkle in the light. I remember my first day here at the rath. How Han could sense my magic and told everyone she would rear me to be a powerful priestess. Han is my magic teacher, she helps me train my magic and learn new spells. Shes small with short blonde hair, which is styled into a bob. Small brown eyes that blink effortlessly and shine even in the dullest of places. I use my magic to protect our rath against demons and fomorii.
All the tired soldiers studder to the main hut to eat their fill and quench their thirst after the battle. I go with them. Han is sat with me at the table, she doesn't eat alot, just a small portion each day. Me, on the otherhand, eat a bigger portion, all this magic drains me terribly. Everyone is talking about the battle and Goll is tellin us about our next plans, so were ready for the next attack.

The next day the woman get up early and start with their daily chores, while the men sleep, tired from last nights battle. Han calls me to her hut, she has a few spells ready for me to learn. She shows me how i can diguise myself so demons can't sense my presence or anyone i put the spell on, but this is more trickier toward Fomorii. Fomorii is lord of the demons, their more powerful and more knowledgeable. "This spell is the masking spell." Han says to me as i master it. "This is one of the easier spells, more complex spells will be taught to you later on in the day, when your magic has opened to magic." The next spell Han teaches me is the distraction spell. This distracts all the demons in the area, including fomorii, giving us a chance to strike them down, but i need to hold my focus hard so they stay distracted. "Focus!" Han snaps at me as i loose concentration. "You need to focus hard Isa, what if your in a battle and you loose focus aye?" I don't answer, I just look at the frown creased on Hans face. I practise again, this time Han tries to distract me with holograms of demons and screams. I loose concentration again. "We'll practise untill you get it right" Han reassures me. It came to mid-afternoon and I was closer to mastering this complicated spell. "can i rest?" I ask Han. She nods. I havn't eaten all day and this magic drains me and leaves me feeling hungry and tired. Everyone is gathered in the hut eating and drinking. Were preparing for the battle we'll have to face soon but I know I have enough time to eat, nap and then practise my spell to get it right before the demons and fomorii come. I eat and drink to my satisfaction. I'm Looking forward to a short nap. I stumble to my hut and lie down. I doze off, Han say a priestess should either be asleep or awake, never in between. I sleep into a peaceful and welcoming dream. I sometimes have dreams and they come true, Han says there visions, in which i can see into the future.

Im woken by a terrifying howl. Were under attack! I rush out of my hut and join the soldiers in battle. Demons and Fomorii are over spilling at the gates. There are too many to use simple spells on, it would take too much time and by then, they would of took over. I havn't had time to practise the new spell. There are more demons and alot more fomorii then usual and the spell could really help, but i lack concentration. We're getting overrun. Even Han and me together cant hold them back. Screams peirce the air as a woman is spat on by a fomorii, her face bubbles and sizzles and the spit burns into her flesh. Its a horrid sight. The demon rips at her stomach and the flesh peels away. Blood oozes out as the fox like demon feasts on her insides. Han shouts to me, but i cant hear her, there is to much battle cries. She shouts again, this time i hear and focus. She wants me to use the distracting spell. But I cant, I find it hard to keep concentration and now knowing that people lives depend on it builds more and more pressure. I've got to try. I focus hard, harder than ive ever focus before on any spell. I feel power flow through me, I mutter the spell under my breath, hot magic is burning deep within, ready to explode. Ive never felt as powerful as this before, i could do anything i possibly wanted to. I push the thought aside and concentrate deeper on the spell. The words are spilling from my lips. Silence. Calm. Then the clash of sword being hurled at demons and fomorii. No more screams just howls. Howls from the beasts. I've done it, i've focused hard. The fox like demon howls as Han Plunges a hot fiery flame at the deformed beast. I hear screams again. I've lost concentration. My heart is racing, I've failed. How many could of dies within the last couple of seconds? Have we struck down enough to overrun them? I calm quickly and concentrate again, having a second attempt at the spell. I focus harder this time, determined to keep the demons and fomorii distracted until the last ferocious and unwelcome beast is struck down. It seems like hours of work and my magic is draining rapidly, im losing too much energy. I can't hold much longer, a minute or two... no only 30 seconds or so. The last thing I hear is cries of victory and glory as i collapse to the floor.

I awake in a hut that ive seen once before. The medical hut. I can't remember much at first but it all comes back to me after a few minutes of consciousness. I remember the battle, the power that flowed through me, i must of collapse through the magic draining me. Han and Goll are sat beside me. Their eyes light up when i turn to them. I begin to talk, i want to know more about whats happened, but Han stops me. I've got to rest. "Glad to see you awake, 'lil' speck"Goll says. He calls me 'lil' speck because of my small brown freckle just above my left eyebrow. His deep green eyes attatch to mine "You did great last night, if it weren't for you, then th..." he stops, he doesn't want to recall last nights devastations. I gained a little bit of pride from his comforting words. "Your right to be proud." Han says to me, sensing my inner emotions i thought i'd successfully kept hidden. "You did well out there, but the magic drained you, which caused you to collapse. Your magic was drained before your blackout, but your determination on keeping the demons distracted until the last one was dead, gave you strenght no one has ever concord. When the last creature was struck, your strenght gave in and you collapsed."
"how do you know all of this?" I asked curiously. Still shocked from last night and now this.
"I looked into your mind, thoughts, strenghts and weeknesses. You will learn this when your powers have developed to a certain stage, which won't be long with the amount of magic you possess." My mind is spinning with the new information and the memories of last night. "Get some more rest" Han says. "We have alot of training to do. The next battle wont be so easy." I know what she means by this, each time the demons come back with more demons and there more powerful than they were before.

I woke later, with full strength, ready for anything that dare challenge me today. I look to the side of my bed and Han and Goll are no longer there, instead, the local smith is sat, head down. He works on weapons. Trying to make them as light and sharp as no other. " I was concerned." He says, raising his head as he fiddles with his fluffy, blonde hair. His sky blue eyes gaze into mine and my hazel brown eyes turn away. I pick up a brush from the side of the cabinet and brush my light streaked hair back into a scrunchie. My fringe drops in front of my left eye, i can see bits of brown and blonde. The smith looks at me again as i turn my attention to him. "I'm Rhett, the local smith as most know me." He speaks softly, his voice is magical.
"I'm Isa, Priestess in training, as most know me" I speak softer and more shyly to him than i do to anyone else. "why are you here?" I ask him, more firmly this time but still shy. "I was worried about you," He begins "I admire your work and your kindness and abiliy to help our rath. Your important to me and everyone else, they all admire you." I'm still shy around him and thinking i might be falling in love, but i can't, if priestess' fall in love, their power is taken from them, so legend says, which means i wouldn't be able to help the rath with their fierce battles against the demons and fomorii. Love is said to be a mindless emotion that only the most powerful can restrain, fallin in love would mean i was weak and i would loose battles to the demons and people would perish. This would be selfish, the rath needs me, and i need them. Silence falls upon the room as Rhett sits beside me still fixed on my eyes. We gaze at each other with gently eyes. A few minutes later a mans voice breaks this magical, peaceful silence. "RHETT!!" Its the voice of his boss, seb. Images flood into my mind, Seb is tall and fat, but still strong. He is almost completly bald but strands of his ginger hair poke out through his sweaty scalp. "I'm sorry Isa, but ive got to go, i need to get back to work and prepare more weapons for our next battle." The light fades from his eyes as they detach from my own. I sigh a heavy sigh. I'm alone again. I'm thinking about Rhett, how his voice was so soft and gentle and how his eyes wouldn't leave mine. I think he was in love with me! I took a good few hours thinking about him. I just couldn't get him out of my thoughts. But there broken by a heavy breathing..no panting noise. It's right next to me. I freeze still, i don't usualy get nervous about these things. I feel myself freeze even more, as though a solid cold hand has wrapped itself around my whole body. I'm scared, fear builds inside me, more fear than i've ever felt before. What is it? Is it here to harm me? I want to call for help, Goll, Han or even Rhett! But i can't, my mouth is sealed, my voice is trapped. I feel myself hurl into a trance, a hulusion, as though someone, something, is hypnotising me. It pulls me deeper and deeper, i realise this is magic, dark magic. When I realise what the force surrounding me is, magic swells inside me. Heat explodes into a force i've felt only once, the last battle with the demons and fomorii. Its the same feeling as the strong, forceful power that entered my body, that entered my soul. This is bad. The feeling grows stronger. I'm letting in more power, its as though I'm taking the magic from the force around me, that has me in its grasp. The energy that builds inside me forces the dark magic to release me from its frozen cage. I breathe slowly. Should i tell Han about the dark force and the magic i took from it? What will she say? What has it done to me? Is our rath threatend by this? These thoughts question over and over in my head, in a fiery whirl. I'm feeling alot stronger than i usualy do, more powerful, more alive!! I spring out of the medical bed and rush to where Han is practising more spells, spells i can't master until i've learnt the ways of magic. She spots me and smiles. I flash a smile back. "I see you've got complete strength back." Han says with a slight giggle. "Yes, thank you, i feel replenished and ready for training." I answer, not letting her have the last word. I seem happy in our rath but i secretly want to go off our reserve and see what i can find in the world of magic and unsolved puzzles. The very first rule a magic trainer teachers their apprentise is that magic has no limites, we may not know how to concure some spells, but it can be done, its just that no magical being has developed enough to be able to master such complications. I sometimes dream of a place, where my mother is by my side and the trees are blossoming around us. But these are just wishes, my mother is dead and thats why im in this rath. Goll says my mother was attacked by a demon after she gave birth to me. She was cradling me in her arms when she fled from the beast and got attacked right outside the rath gates. Goll was on guard and fought the demon off. He gave my mother medical attention and when she passed on, he adopted me. He wanted to throw me out, he didn't like outsiders. But luckly for me, Han pursuaded him that i was off great magic and i would be a powerful priestess. Goll tells me that just before my mother died she asked for me, she clung to me and i giggled. She kissed my head and wispered, "Isa, my beautiful baby girl Isa." She gave me my name. I still cherish her love even though i never knew her.
Han is now sitting down on a small brown cushion. I stare curiously. I don't know what she is doing. I lean forward and she waves her hand to becon me closer. Her eyes slowly open and i see they have changed colour to a deep dark blue. I stare at her as though she's some sort of animal. She recognises my expressions and says gently, " ah, u see my eyes, u wonder what they are and how they have changed colour" My exact thoughts were dropping off her lips. "Its a simple exercise on how to channel your magic and to unblock anything that is stopping the flow." She closes her eyes again but this time when she opens them they fade from blue to her natural brown. Im asonished and want to learn. " How do you...can you teach me?" I asked and theres a silent pause. "sit down" Hans says directing her eyes to another pillow a few steps to her side. "concentrate on the stars, on the beautiful night sky." This is wierd, preistess' use the natural planet materials, like wind, water, rain and fire to summon magic, this is a whole new process to me. Druids, the same as priestess' but male, use the stars and moon to withdraw their powers, making them more powerful at night, but still a threat by day. I sit silently, picturing the stars in my head, the constellations forming in my mind. I summon the magic from the dark navy sky, it enters me without warning. This magic feels strange, it feels tense and as though is has certain boundries, where as the magic i draw upon daily feels free and flowing. The magic pours itself into my body until i cannot with stand anymore. My eyelids spring open and i notice Han is now sat infront of me. She picks up a mirror that is beside her right leg and directs it at me. I see that my eyes have changed to blue too. "now do the same, but when you feel magic filling up to the point where you cannot hold it, let the image of the stars and night sky fade slowly from your mind." I close my eyes again and power buzzes through my body and soul. As i feel full and ready to burst i release the images of the night sky from my head and open my eyes again. I look in the mirror and my eyes are back to their natural colour. I feel replenished and more withdrawn to magic. I feel my own magic bubble up inside me. "now direct you magic at that" Han says, directing her finger to a tall, stuffed puppet. I flick my wrist and a forceful energy ball releases itself at the stuffed puppet and it explodes forcefully. Hans gaze sets on mine, we are both atonished at how effortlessly i have just ripped the puppet to shreds. It doesnt take alot of magic to destroy a simple thing like that but i know Han had protected it with a magic, penetrating shield. My magic ripped through her shield like it was something worthless. Hans face swaps expressions and i can now tell she is worried. Im confused, magic like this should be great and not to be worried about. "What is the matter?" I ask Han, as she slumps back onto her cushion. She shakes her head. "that was one of my most powerful shields, Isa. I thought you would have had to fight to get through it, but instead, you just tore through it with hardly any effort at all. Your too poweful for a young priestess, which worries me." Her words send my head whirling.
"Is this dangerous?" I ask, wanting an honest reply. Han stays silent. "Well is it?" I dont ask this time, I demand, I need to know the truth. Han raises her head and looks at me as though I pose a great threat to her. "I'm not sure," she answers truthfully.