| LIKE WATER FLOWING INTO LUNGS.
She senses his presence, and his magic, before she turns her gaze upon him. She could feel the earth part - surrendering the corpse that shot into the sky. When she did turn to face him, her gaze was pensive. The reanimated creature shrieked, voicing its displeasure at being pulled, so abruptly, from the grave. Amusement flickers in her eyes, just a flash, as the bird soars once more. It is not graceful as it circles her once, falling nearer to the water with every beat of near-rotten wings.
The shadows in the water grow more animated as the decaying bird stutters. Without pulling her gaze from the boy, the shadows swirl together to form a large serpent. The shadow serpent streaks across the clear water before striking out, catching the bird in its shadowy jaws.
The shadow serpent drags the bird to the edge of the river, where shadowy wings sprout from the serpent’s back. A set of legs appear as the shadow morphs into a small wyvern, still clutching the bird in its jaws. The shadowy creature takes flight, swooping towards the boy before landing at his feet, placing the bird on the ground before him. The shadows then melted back into the surroundings, leaving no evidence they had been there at all.
The shadowmare had stepped from the river and moved nearer to the boy. The cold woman was curious. She saw potential in children she felt like many overlooked. She wondered, idly, how many people would be quick to right off his talent as morbid or creepy. But Anaxarete could see the beauty in such a gift. Necromancy was difficult to master, and this boy was already quite adept.
“Well, well,” she said, turning her icy gaze upon the boy. The hint of a smile crawls upon her dark lips. “That’s quite a gift you have,” she said, with a gesture to the bird - lying motionless before them. Anaxarete again sent her shadows towards the bird - snaking across the ground before enveloping it entirely. When they receded, the broken and missing feathers had been mended, though it was still - irrevocably - deceased. It was an invitation to try again - to see how high he could make the creature soar.
“Tell me, what is your name?” she asked, curious about this strange, wonderful boy.
A N A X A R E T E
been there, done that |
