Wielders of Magic, Book 1: A Spell Binding Tale
Shattered

One never forgets the horrors of a massacre. Especially a king staring at the dead bodies of his people. No one was as shocked as he, and no one would ever be as damaged. A king without a people is not a king at all, and he had failed in his mission to keep them protected.

Now they were all gone . . .

"Rentham!" The words escaped Edowains lips in a helpless, distressed cry, like a child calling to its mother.

"Who the hell did this!?" Jackson shouted, dropping the stag and staring at the beaten, and bloody body of a small girl. He didn't know her, but the sight was more than enough to set his emotions on fire. "Who in the name of the Abyss DID THIS!"

"My . . . people." Rentham gasped, the air in his lungs not returning. He couldn't breath, he couldn't move, all he could do is sit helplessly on his knees, staring at the piles of dead people.

His people.

He started to breath heavily, covering his head with his arms and trying to deny the scenes before him. He couldn't stop seeing them! They kept flashing before his mind, dead woman and children! Bloody messes! Slit throats! THEY WERE ALL DEAD!

His wife quickly ran to him, her voice hurriedly talking in strangled gasps. "Rentham, please, we have to leave, we can't stay here you know what will happen if you do! You will-"

He turned up to the sky and let out such a roar that the three people backed away.

"They will burn in the Abyss! THEY WILL ALL BURN IN THE ABYSS THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!" He stood up, his dark magic swirling about him in dangerous, snapping and crackling clouds.

"Rentham come back!" Edowain shouted as he walked into the woods around them. "RENTHAM!"

"Where is Arthur?" Drusilla whimpered, her lips quivering and tears coming to her eyes.

Jackson and the blonde woman both locked gazes. With one powerful warlock angry, that brought enough trouble, but with a witch with unimaginable power as well, they couldn't control anything. More people would be harmed, and they wouldn't be able to stop anything else.

"Come honey, we have to go, we have to get you out of here. Control yourself, Drusilla, Jackson will take care of everything." Edowain quickly walked to the girl and brought her away, leaving the camp sight as Jackson wondered what he would do to all the dead people.

Slowly, he wandered around the camp, looking around for some sign of his warlock friend, Arthur. He saw no sign, and decided it was time to start gathering the bodies to burn.

Walking into one of the tents that had been inhabited by Rentham and his wife, he started to look under blankets and cushions to search for any signs of life. Maybe there was a child that could of been hiding, maybe there was at least one survivor . . .

He looked up and saw something that would haunt his dreams for an eternity.

Arthur sat, hanging from the back curtain, blood splattered all around him in savage words that read, "No rest for the Warlock, no rest for the Witch, no rest for the Wielder of Magic, who was once quite rich."

Now it was the time for Jackson to realize all the horrors. There would never be a time where he could rest, never be a time he could be free, for him or his companions, until the witch hunters were dead. They killed EVERYTHING, in their path, and nothing would stop them but death.

He would make it his business to kill them, so one day he or his decedents could be at peace. He would create a world for them to thrive in, not be hunted, and until then he would never be satisfied.

"They will burn." He whispered harshly, his teeth clamping together in anger. "Oh god they will burn."

"You didn't leave one alive, right?" Tiranous asked his partner as they walked away from the camp.

"No, I did not. But I did not see Jackson Splendor, or the Red Witch." She shrugged. "I did ketch the one man in the leather though, he wasn't very much of a struggle." She grinned, her mind flashing back to the events before.

"Oh, it is you to. How did we not remember the dogs that followed our careless bread crumbs?" Arthur smiled at her, tipping his hat as the camp around him burned. They met in the middle of the fray, both pausing to consider weather or not to kill one another.

"Maybe because you were to restful. We have come to jolt things around for you scum bags, so you do not become to comfortable with your surroundings. You are not welcome here, none of you are, and we will make sure to exterminate all of you vermin." Lilith replied, her grin as wild as his own.

"Including yourself?"

She froze, wondering why such a question had been asked. "What do you mean by that!?"

"You are burning, Lady Death, look at your armor and skin."

She looked down at herself and saw that she had set herself on fire. She gasped and stared up at him in fear.

"Well, none can deny that your hot." He chuckled a little, not taking her seriously. Her anger was building up, she was going to slay this wimp that mocked the dragon. She was going to turn him to ashes!

Oh . . . but wait. Wasn't there a better way to string this moron up, as to give a warning to his companions? Wasn't there a better way to strike fear into their hearts?

The plan was firm in her mind, and she was going to carry it out.

Or her name wasn't Lilith Spellbinder.

She still held the smile as she walked with her companion. Something was definitely going to go over in the minds of the other witches and warlocks. Their friend Arthur was not going to go unnoticed.

Nothing she ever did went unnoticed. She was a flame, a burning ember that embedded itself into the minds of others, never letting them forget, never letting them slip out of her grasp. She would never stop till she found that Jackson Splendor and the Red Witch.

"Lilith . . ." Tiranous stopped, his back still turned to her. "I have been meaning to apologize to you for insulting you about my brothers . . . bed." He turned than, real apology in his voice.

"Yes, all is forgiven." She replied quickly. He smiled a little and started to pick up the pace, leaving her behind a few steps. That was strange, he never said anything like that before . . . whats going on? She pushed it to the back of her mind, and started to walk after him, secretly hoping he hadn't over heard her conversation with the warlock.

Rey awoke in a small grove, his shirt torn to shreds as well as pants. His shoes were no where to be found and his hair was a jumbled mess. What had happened?

"I really need to stop doing this." He sighed, snapping his fingers as clouds of dark magic started to swirl around him. His clothes were repaired and his hair straightened, a new pair of boots appearing on his feet as well. "I wonder if Jackson is back from his little play date-"

There was a whistle and a hiss, his head jolting out of the way as a bolt whizzed by his head. He flicked his fingers once again and the bolt turned around, streaking back to its shooter. He heard a cry and walked gracefully through the forest to see who had shot at him.

"Rey . . . sorry, I didn't know . . ." A small voice replied, strangled and gasping. He parted the red sea of ferns and locked eyes with a dark haired woman.

Muffin.

"Oh name of the Abyss!" He shrieked and bent down, pulling the bolt from her torso and quickly healing her with his magic. She took in a breath and sat up, pushing her dark locks behind her back. "No ones at camp, all I found was this crossbow, because I thought it best not to use my magic at this point-"

"True, good girl." He nodded, finding her words strange. "What do you mean no ones at camp?"

"Its dead, like a ghost town." Muffin looked a little scared at that moment. "What if we are stranded out here by ourselves?"

"We are not stranded." He scoffed and laughed a little. "We have magic, it can take us anywhere."

"You have magic, I am not using mine until I can learn another lesson."

"Fine, I'll be your pack mule for now, alright?" He smiled a little and turned her around, pushing her back the way towards camp. "Lets go check this out, shall we?"

The two returned to the camp and listened to the ominous silence that flowed around them. Where was everyone? Where was Jackson, Drusilla, Arthur, the king and queen? Where were all the people? Did they just up and leave?

"There is no trace of them." Muffin shrugged. "None at all. I got scared and went looking for you, hoping you would be around somewhere. I . . . I don't like being by myself." She looked at the ground, a little stunned that she had just told him that. She had never told anyone that, not even Asha.

Great, now the one person that can use it against me knows. She thought, her face turning into a terrible scowl.

"You wanna . . . rewind the clock a little?" He asked, staring at her sidelong.

"What?" She looked up at him, her face puzzled.

"I can rewind time in a way, see shadows, foot prints, images, but I was wondering if you were alright with that. I kind of go into a trance that could scare you a little." He was completely serious, his face had as little expression as granite.

"Sure . . ." Her voice trailed off into a small, frightened stare, like a child would give a stranger.

Rey closed his eyes and started to wave his hands around in a graceful sort of dance, whispering the language of magic as well. The area became a dark purple, with yellow figures dancing around here and there. Muffin realized they were the children of the people, playing ball or something.

Suddenly, out of no where, came two large figures and a very giant figure that resembled a riding dragon. Such beasts you could rent or buy at any time, but if not properly trained, they could be lethal.

The two figures ran towards the children and drew their weapons, grabbing the little ones and slitting their throats. Their elegant yellow figures turned blue and dropped to the earth, eventually disappearing.

Muffin held in her gasp of horror, tears starting to well up in her eyes as she hoped it was not someone who had sided with them, the murderers who killed the innocent.

She watched silently as the two figures killed everyone, all the woman, all the children, all the men that were left in the camp. Everyone had died, and things burned and thrived with red among the purple hue.

Suddenly, the slimmer of the two figures encountered one with a wide brimmed hat. It was no doubt Arthur, she realized, and a streak of confidence filled her, hoping he had survived this madness.

The slim figure suddenly jumped forward, a blast of green hitting the warlock and making him fly back into a tent. The person than exited and proceeded to light another tent on fire.

"She has magic." Muffin gasped, assuming it was a woman.

It had to be Drusilla and Jackson, who else would be able to take down Arthur, and have magic?

The place started to speed up, the dead trees blowing strangely fast in the wind and the clouds passing quickly in the sky. She watched as four figures entered camp, one dropping to his knees, and another, who was a man, dropping a deer to the ground. He shouted something, as the third figure, a woman, ran to the one on his knees.

The man stood up and pushed her away, clouds of green swirling around him as he stormed off into the woods. That must of been Rentham, though she had never seen him loose his cool before. The woman, presumably his wife, took the other girl by the arm and lead her away as well, while Jackson started to wander through the place.

"Rey, stay here, concentrate, I have to follow Jackson." She said, looking over at him. His eyes were open now, glowing yellow like the figures around him, and green was surrounding his body. The green must of been magic, purple was surroundings, and yellow was figures. She had it down now.

Muffin ran after the yellow figure she guessed was Jackson, her hair flowing silkily behind her. She had always had nice hair, even when it was a bad hair day for her. It was one of her best physical traits, besides looking young that is.

She found Jack standing in a tent, a very large one, with rather fancy things inside of it. She guessed it was the kings, Renthams, and looked up to see what the yellow warlock was staring at.

She screamed that time.

Rey started to weaken, his arms getting tired as well as his thoughts. He couldn't hold it for much longer, everything was becoming blurry and hard to connect, like trying to stop the blood flow of a cut arm. So many loose ends!

There was a shriek and the last bit slipped from his grasp, letting him fall to the ground in exhaustion. Before he left reality, he saw his wife running towards him, her bouncing chocolate locks flowing around her shoulders as her beautiful face stared in concern.

"No, it is alright, my darling, I am just . . . exhausted." He gasped, grasping her shoulders.

"My darling?" She stared at him as if he was crazy. "Rey, its me, Muffin!" She started to shake him, her hair turning dark and straight, her elegant face replaced with the abnormally large eyed one of the cat girl, Muffin.

"Oh, it is . . . only you." He smiled widely before the last bit of his vision escaped him. He passed out, and fell in her arms.

"Rey!" Muffin shouted, shaking him more. "Rey wake up! I heard something! REY!"

There were the creaks of bow strings behind her before the sharp tip of an arrow dug into the back of her neck.

"Do not move." A voice whispered. "If you do, I will kill you."

Rentham sat down wit his knees clutched to his chest. He stared out into the destruction he had caused and his mind ran flat with no thoughts or feelings at all. He didn't feel, not usually, and he didn't quite know how to react to this latest act of emotion.

The forest was destroyed, except for a few trees around the edge. There was nothing left but some left over burning trees and ash.

Burning . . . like my people.

"Rentham, I am here!"

Oh Edowain, dear sweat Edowain. You always know where to find you terrible husband, the man who destroys worlds, the man who destroys lives and his own people. Oh dear, dear Edowain, why can you not see that he is consumed by darkness, that he is always on the verge of tipping over the edge of insanity?

Why can you not see that he can not control his emotions, and though he loves you, he can never protect you. From others yes, but not from himself. Your husband could never do that, he does not have a handle on himself.

She knows that . . . all too well.

"Stay back!" He shouted. "I will harm you and you-"

He was interrupted by two arms that wrapped around his shaking form, a face appearing before his. It was his wife, his undying wife who would never give up on him. She kissed him quickly before wrapping him in a warm embrace, letting him release his tense muscles and lean on her strong form.

"Its alright, everything will be alright. Its not your fault, none of it is. Always know that I love you." She whispered, her golden hair flowing around his face. He didn't care though, he cherished these moments. How could she trust something that was so unpredictable?

Drusilla sat against one of the surviving trees, crying slowly, silently in shock. They were all gone, all dead, and Arthur along with them.

She should of told him to come along, she should have told him she really did love him! "Arthur I'm sorry!" She shouted, her voice cracking dryly. She hadn't had anything to drink in two days, nothing to eat either, but hadn't noticed until now.

"Drusilla calm down. None of this was yours, or anyone's fault." Jackson said, walking past her quickly. He seemed irritated and angry, ignoring her cries he usually ran to to help.

"Rentham, there is no time for this. We have to go after those man slaughterers and kill them before they can do it again to someone else." The warlock said, standing over the two. "We have to move on, now, they are getting away!"

"By the gods Jackson, give him a moment of peace!" Edowain stood up, screaming at him and drilling her index finger into his chest. "He took care of those people, he nurtured them! Gave them a home when they had none! He loved them, and now there have all been killed! Anyone would be as shaken as him, and if you don't like sitting here and waiting for him to come back to the world, move on!"

"I will!" He returned, slapping her hand away. "You all can sit here and be children while I go after the murderers! Go ahead, just stay here and see how you survive when something comes after you and you are not prepared because you are too busy crying your eyes out of your scull!"

Rentham shot up with a roar and grabbed him by the throat. "I give the orders around here, underling, and in no circumstanced will you ever treat my wife like that again! If you even touch her I will chop off your head!" He stared him in the eye, violet orbs meeting deep brown ones. "In a way, you are right. We do need to stop being idle and go after them, that is true." His hand slowly came away, going into his pocket as he turned, looking for Drusilla. "Where is the Red Witch?"

"Here." She came around a tree, her eyes red and glassy.

"We need to start back at camp, see which way they went, if they did not cover their tracks." Rentham pointed back the way he had come.

"Wait . . . where did Muffin and my brother go?" Jackson asked, his face puzzled. "There is no way in the Abyss he was killed by witch hunters. He is too powerful, and if I am right, he would protect Muffin as well."

"So they could of survived?" Drusilla replied.

"Most defiantly." He nodded back at her, his eyes not meeting hers. She still found this strange, for he was usually very understanding.

"Are you alright-" She was about to ask when Rentham interrupted.

"Come now, we must ketch up to them before the sun sets!" The king gestured for his wife to go first, and she quickly bounded into the brush, him soon following after.

"Jackson, talk to me." Drusilla said, laying a hand on his arm. He didn't even turn towards her, just ran after the two. She sighed before quickly following as well, her mind confused and saddened.

The four made it back to camp and searched every inch that was part of the camp, looking for any sign, any trace of the murderers that had killed their beloved people. They would find them, and they would show no mercy to their retched souls.

"Stop shoving!" Muffin growled at the guard behind her. He paid her no regard and poked her again, a snide grin spreading across his face.

"They are magic users my lord." A rather skinny man said to the leader of the group, who was decorated with furs and metal armor. They looked like rogues, people living out on their own like savages. Probably barbarians.

"Come on Rey, wake up!" Muffin whispered to herself, seeing the warlock being carried over the shoulder of a tall man who looked as if me had meat instead of a brain. "Just . . . wake up!"

"Shut up!" She turned to see a fist meet her face, everything going black and bright flashes of white light blinking every now and than.

"What did you just do!?" An angry voice shouted.

"She wouldn't shut up!"

"So you punched her in the face!? We won't get any money on a woman with bruises all over her face you idiot!"

By than her sight had started to come back. She sat up, dazed and trying hard to remember who she was and where she was at. Her hands confused her and the wind annoyed her. What the hell was going on!?

"Do you know your own name?" Someone grabbed her by the shoulders, a fuzzy face looking at her with dark eyes. She blinked a couple of times, trying to clear her vision, but it didn't help much.

"You messed her up you bastard!" The man let her go and got back up, two figures fighting with one another while Muffin tried to figure out what was going on.

The girl shakily got to her feet, knowing that her name was indeed Muffin and that if she didn't destroy them now, she and her . . . whatever, wouldn't be able to escape . . . something.

This was not exactly a good plan, since her magic was already wild and if she used it now when her brain was all but destroyed, it could have terrible results.

Oh, what is going on . . . Rey started to awaken, his eyes fluttering open at the sound of shouting. He shakily brought his head up, seeing the barbarians in front of him and wondering what had happened last night. Muffin looked a little disoriented as well, and two men were shouting at each other.

What in the name of the Abyss is going on? Why am I being carried on this mans shoulder?

The Dark Warlock than saw something that made him realize the savages were not friendly people. One of the arguing men grabbed Muffin by the shoulder and threw her to the ground. "She's mine now that we can't sell her!"

"Are you willing to face the consequences of spoiled meat?" The other retaliated.

"As long as this beautiful pig is mine, than yes."

Rey slowly reached into his sleeve, drawing out a poisoned dagger the size of his forearm. Moving like lightning, he stabbed it into the mans spine, severing his spinal cord and sending him to the Abyss. He jumped down from the shoulder before the being could fall all the way and was soon to his feet, casting a spell that had been sleeping upon his lips.

"Kathro, mecalla, transfersion maroonisan!" He shouted, pointing to the arguing men and following down the line until the whole crowd had been solidly selected. They ran at him with their large bastard swords drawn, screaming battle cries that sounded like roars form lions and other giant beasts that dwelled beneath the earth.

But he didn't turn a blind eye.

Rey grinned, his eyes glowing a dark red as they suddenly did the same, the light starting beneath their chest and spidering along their limbs and head until they were screaming in agony. Not a few seconds later they exploded, the whole lot, sending nothing but their ashes to the wind.

"Muffin, are you alright? You do not look well." He walked lazily over to her, the blood red in his eyes eventually disappearing, his crystal blue orbs returning.

". . . Muffin . . . what . . . Rey?" She looked up at him, her own eyes changing an array of colors, only to be replaced by another. He sucked in his breath with concern as he noticed a bruise forming on the top of her scull.

"Oh no . . . name of the Abyss no, please!" He groaned as she fell forward. He caught her and slowly sunk to the earth, her small form being cradled in his arms.

"Muffin, be strong, please!" He begged, tears welling up in his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this much emotion, it had been a very long while since his wife had passed into the End World, and he had thought these kind of feelings had passed with her.

"Rey . . ." She tried to focus her eyes on his face but she couldn't. She realized that her vision was getting darker and darker and fear zipped through her. Was she dying?

Rey closed his eyes for a second and than got up, letting her drop to the earth as her last bit of consciousness slipped from her. She would not last a few hours, not to mention the night, and he couldn't bear to see her in this much agony. She was so fragile, so soft and gentle, and she had been destroyed by a touch, as she knew she would.

It would of been better for her to stay a panther. He thought. He would never of had a semi friendship with the girl, never of had memories of a good laugh with her, he would of never had anything to morn over.

Now he had to deal with the fact of grief, and the thought made him sick.

Rey looked at her one last time as the last bit of her soul snaked out of her body and leapt to the sky. She was gone . . . forever.

He turned his head up to the clouds and screamed in frustration and anger. He could do nothing to save her. Healing spells wouldn't repaired someones mind! She would be a vegetable if her brain even was repaired, even if all that scrambled spaghetti had been put back together in its perfect painting!

He was helpless to it. He had never been helpless before, not in any matter but his wife. He could never truly save his loved ones.

That was why he had turned to dark magic, so he could save those he could not before.

It said it would prove itself, it said that it would show that it could solve his problems, but so far all it had done was turn him into a nothing. He wasn't human, he wasn't anything else either, he was a nothing, and he just than realized it.

Oh, but it was a part of him now, and nothing could tare it away from him. It had settled down deep into his soul, and he wouldn't dare pull it out, not at the risk of dying as Muffin did.

Imagine, dying as a scrambled mess who didn't even know they are hurt until the end?

His hand extended and he set her ablaze, watching with familiar eyes as her delicate form burned in the fire.

That's two. He thought. My beloved wife, and my darling friend. All that is left is Jackson.

He turned away and left the scene, transforming into a black wolf that galloped through the air and into the forest. He was going to find his brother, and if he did not, so be it.

He was dying anyway.

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