Spirit: The Familiar
Chapter One
She stood loomed over a medium-size cauldron, long brown locks loosely tied back at the nape of her neck and they fell down her back in waves. Her bright green eyes bore down into the cauldron's depths, intent so strong within them they almost seemed to glow. There was a faint rumble within her chest, a quiet hum as she worked on her brew.
Carina was a gifted student. Well, she had been one until she had dropped out of her classes. It was an unspoken law she had broken by doing so, but she couldn't bare to be at that academy any longer. The esteemed Academy of the Capitol...
The place had been a nice place to study for some time. She had been attending since she was ten years old, but that was seven years ago. When she had turned fifteen, they had brought in a new magic study- as they had discovered those with unnatural talents.
There were only supposed to be natural talents in the world: the gifts you were born with. Carina had been born with nature magic. There were those born with pure elemental magics, or with nature magic. Nature magic was slightly different to elemental earth magic. Those born with nature magic could do more than just manipulate the earth, they could raise and nurture nature- bring plants into bloom, grow them.
But those were natural talents, as stated before. And the only talents that witches were born with. There were those who weren't satisfied with such talents, and sought to create and learn new ones. The new experimental magic they had brought into study... was necromancy. And it birthed the unnatural talent of bringing back things from the dead.
It upset the natural balance of the world. They had only had it as a class for all of two months, but Carina had still left. And she couldn't bring herself to go back and ask for forgiveness. Even if it meant never seeing the Grand Elder again, to ask for guidance.
The Grand Elder had been Carina's only family for a time. They had taken her in when she was only seven, after her parents had died. Carina never understood why, as being the Grand Elder had tremendous responsibility- there was no time to raise a child, yet they had still managed. She was glad for the Grand Elder's kindness. What relation did she have to them? They must have known her parents personally. Carina had never found the right time to ask, with the Grand Elder being busy most days and Carina's classes.
Just then through her open windows she could hear a strong wind pick up, stirring the leaves in the trees. It brought with it an uneasy feeling that settled heavily in Carina's chest. She looked up from her cauldron, and with her broken concentration came a poof of smoke in her face. After a long coughing fit she finally cleared the smoke and frowned down into her potion.
"Damn it," she whispered.
She sighed and put out the fire below, and then lifted the cauldron up from its perch by its handle. With little effort she carried it out the open door of her kitchen, into the clearing surrounding her cabin. The uneasy feeling grew stronger out there, and she paused in her motion to dump out the pot.
There were dark clouds rolling in overhead. They looked heavy and fat with rain, and she could feel an ill omen within them. She let out a breath and sank to her knees in the dirt with her cauldron.
"What is this feeling?" she whispered to herself, clutching the fabric of her shirt over her chest.
She heard a rustle at her side, out in the trees. When she turned her head to look her gaze was met by the piercing green and blue eyes of a large, black cat. They sat calmly several feet away from her, staring at her. After watching her for a few moments the cat dashed back into the trees. Carina blinked at its absence.
She made up her mind then. She needed to see the Grand Elder about the feeling, even if it meant returning to the place she had turned her back on.
She stood and ran back into her cabin, pulling open her closet door open. She grabbed out her broom and her staff. After making sure all of the windows in her cabin were secured shut, she stepped back outside and locked the door.
"I hope you'll allow my return, Grand Elder," she muttered to herself.
She tied her staff at her back, and then held her broom horizontal with the ground. When she let go of it, it fell an inch before floating back up and hovering there. She hopped up onto it, her legs hanging off of one side. She sighed and gave a push mentally, and the broom took higher to the air until she was above the treetops of her forest.
It was time to go back home, she thought as the uneasy feeling continued to rest within her.
Carina was a gifted student. Well, she had been one until she had dropped out of her classes. It was an unspoken law she had broken by doing so, but she couldn't bare to be at that academy any longer. The esteemed Academy of the Capitol...
The place had been a nice place to study for some time. She had been attending since she was ten years old, but that was seven years ago. When she had turned fifteen, they had brought in a new magic study- as they had discovered those with unnatural talents.
There were only supposed to be natural talents in the world: the gifts you were born with. Carina had been born with nature magic. There were those born with pure elemental magics, or with nature magic. Nature magic was slightly different to elemental earth magic. Those born with nature magic could do more than just manipulate the earth, they could raise and nurture nature- bring plants into bloom, grow them.
But those were natural talents, as stated before. And the only talents that witches were born with. There were those who weren't satisfied with such talents, and sought to create and learn new ones. The new experimental magic they had brought into study... was necromancy. And it birthed the unnatural talent of bringing back things from the dead.
It upset the natural balance of the world. They had only had it as a class for all of two months, but Carina had still left. And she couldn't bring herself to go back and ask for forgiveness. Even if it meant never seeing the Grand Elder again, to ask for guidance.
The Grand Elder had been Carina's only family for a time. They had taken her in when she was only seven, after her parents had died. Carina never understood why, as being the Grand Elder had tremendous responsibility- there was no time to raise a child, yet they had still managed. She was glad for the Grand Elder's kindness. What relation did she have to them? They must have known her parents personally. Carina had never found the right time to ask, with the Grand Elder being busy most days and Carina's classes.
Just then through her open windows she could hear a strong wind pick up, stirring the leaves in the trees. It brought with it an uneasy feeling that settled heavily in Carina's chest. She looked up from her cauldron, and with her broken concentration came a poof of smoke in her face. After a long coughing fit she finally cleared the smoke and frowned down into her potion.
"Damn it," she whispered.
She sighed and put out the fire below, and then lifted the cauldron up from its perch by its handle. With little effort she carried it out the open door of her kitchen, into the clearing surrounding her cabin. The uneasy feeling grew stronger out there, and she paused in her motion to dump out the pot.
There were dark clouds rolling in overhead. They looked heavy and fat with rain, and she could feel an ill omen within them. She let out a breath and sank to her knees in the dirt with her cauldron.
"What is this feeling?" she whispered to herself, clutching the fabric of her shirt over her chest.
She heard a rustle at her side, out in the trees. When she turned her head to look her gaze was met by the piercing green and blue eyes of a large, black cat. They sat calmly several feet away from her, staring at her. After watching her for a few moments the cat dashed back into the trees. Carina blinked at its absence.
She made up her mind then. She needed to see the Grand Elder about the feeling, even if it meant returning to the place she had turned her back on.
She stood and ran back into her cabin, pulling open her closet door open. She grabbed out her broom and her staff. After making sure all of the windows in her cabin were secured shut, she stepped back outside and locked the door.
"I hope you'll allow my return, Grand Elder," she muttered to herself.
She tied her staff at her back, and then held her broom horizontal with the ground. When she let go of it, it fell an inch before floating back up and hovering there. She hopped up onto it, her legs hanging off of one side. She sighed and gave a push mentally, and the broom took higher to the air until she was above the treetops of her forest.
It was time to go back home, she thought as the uneasy feeling continued to rest within her.