Spyrit Magic

The cloaked figure ran swiftly along the city’s darkened cobbled streets, the shadows passing over his dark clothing as if they could not see him in the black night. He stumbled over the crumbling path and cursed quietly under his breath. He hated being back here. The memories, the way everything seemed as familiar as if it were a part of him. It was never in his plan to come back, but he forced himself on, his resolve growing stronger.There was only one thing on his mind- the mission. It had to be completed no matter what the cost. He would be rewarded extravagantly for his efforts if he were to succeed…No! He thought, When, I succeed. He knew only too well where failure would lead, and it wouldn’t be pleasant.His mind faltered a moment at the thought, sending a shiver down along his spine. The horror that would follow failure was far too much for him to even bear the thought of.He stopped when he heard the soft tap of approaching footsteps. Quickly, he stepped into the shadows th

I awoke to the smell of something potent. It was strong and burnt my nose in a good and weird kind of way. I sniffed a little more, keeping my eyes closed in case I was in the cells again. I didn’t need more reminders of that painful time.Suddenly all the memories rushed back to me, and my eyes popped open. I sat up so quickly that my head spun, and with a small sound my mouth was stifled.The scream that built in my chest was now choked off by the large hand smothering my lips.My breathing was rapid through my nose, but I calmed down quickly when I looked around and saw that it was the man I had kicked. Even without the shadows covering his face, I could tell it was him. He had the same air around him and even as I thought this, I trembled with confusion. It was the best way I could explain how I knew it was him, but even to my own mind, it sounded crazy.I had no idea where I was, but it was definitely not the cells. The room was large and open, wide windows letting sunlight come s

“Darius, my old friend,” Gareth greeted with a wide smile, and got up to welcome the new man with a warm hug and a shake of his hand. Even with his smile in place, I knew it was all too wrong. I could sense the subtle anger flowing from Gareth.Darius kept his eyes on me but returned the warm hug to Gareth and said a quick hello to Blake, his analysing gaze finally leaving me.“Ha… You have grown up my dear boy,” Darius said with a wide smile, his blue eyes sparkling happily at Blake. “And out,” he continued, indicating Blake’s muscled arms and shoulders. He clapped his hands on the side of Blake’s arms, giving Blake a grin.Blake’s face had changed entirely and instead of the smooth, hard features, his face was softer and gentler as he smiled, taking away many years from his face. Too bad his smile couldn’t change the cold nature of his personality, I thought to myself.After the cheerful

I was jerked awake when I heard a soft shuffling behind my door, my eyes open and my mind attentive in moments. One of the things I had learnt from living on the streets, you wake up – straight away. If you didn’t, many bad things could happen, like being taken in by the city guards or being attacked by any of the other orphans who had managed to live past the first year on the streets.You had to learn to be quick on your feet and alert at the slightest sound. That’s why I always stayed dressed – not that I exactly had a whole wardrobe to choose between.My eyes narrowed and focussed on the sound behind my door. It was a soft thudding, barely audible, but my ears were attuned to hearing soft sounds.Sliding out of bed as quietly as I could, I moved to grab the heaviest looking thing I could find, a delicate and intricately painted vase that rested on the cupboard beside my bed.I picked it up, feeling the weight of it in my hands

“Blake, where are we going?” He didn’t even pause, continuing in his horse’s canter, as he rode further and further ahead of Midnight who was being as careful as possible. I held on for dear life, letting the movement of the horse influence my own, but it was still a very uncomfortable ride. I had never sat on a horse before, let alone ridden one while it was moving at speed. To say I was terrified was an understatement. Branches from the trees surrounding us loomed so close. I even had to duck to avoid a few. Soon enough the forest began to clear and we rode out onto an open plain. Nothing could be seen for miles around us apart from a few trees scattered here and there. A smile appeared on my lips - freedom. For so long I had been trapped within a city that did not seem to care much for me. I had never before ventured this far from Verdana, preferring to stay close to what I knew and close to the meagre food that I could scavenge. It was by far the most bea