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You know, I used to be a shadow vampire -- something that is feared across many worlds.  Then I became an earth shadow, a free-willed elemental that was part of a large city's hrthyga.  Sure, I used to be afraid of some things, especially since my line was weak and not dedicated to any of the evil gods that give true power to the shadow leagues and even now I need to be careful just what kind of perils I get into without letting someone know (especially since I'm still only twelve and my side-father pitches a fit, not to mention the way my godfather reacts -- he feels I need to spend more time studying and doing homework and even watching some tv so I understand the life I am in -- and his irritation is scarier than most other things I've had to face), but ...

Ok, I should have guessed.  After all, I go to real efforts to seem like a twelve year old kid.  The house where I used to live has been demolished and replaced with part of an office building, so I use a bedroom at my godparent's house (my godmother hasn't given me one of those hard looks since before the change and seems to be, err, warming up to me, so to speak) to study in.  

Anyway.  There was this coven of witches that decided they wanted to transmogrify themselves to seek more power. Most idiots like that try to become vampires of some sort, draining blood and power.  Some seek to become other things, but these wanted to become succubi.  You know, those nasty things that drain lymph and other bodily fluids (everything but blood) and dreams (they usually attack during dreams).  Yes, they can fly and cast fire or blood stars (a physical magic that draws on the blood of the caster), and they can withstand fire and light, but really.  It isn't like you can become one and go out in public or catch a movie -- I can catch a movie whenever I want (especially since my godfather is great with glamours).

Part of the magic involves human sacrifice.  Nasty stuff.  Not that I didn't think of eating someone, once, when I was really, really, really hungry.  But I didn't.  And not to make myself into some creature with bat wings.  The more inherently powerful the victim, and the younger, the better.  So they picked the baby I watch.

Now they should have had more sense.  I think they didn't really get it.  I wouldn't mess with that family, especially not the mother.  My godmother smiles, and is friendly and helps people, and she can call enough balefire to consume a city.  I have yet to do anything to make her cross.  She may have agreed to be my godmother and I might have been kind of living at the house for the past six months, but I still feel a wave of fear when I see her.  The father, he's a nice enough guy, and I'm sure he is good at whatever it is he does when he teaches, but ever since the transformation, I just feel comfortable around him.  He is near holy these days.  What is he going to do, besides be nice to me?

But really, I've sensed angels near him once or twice.  He seemed almost embarassed.  If I were a member of a demon following coven intent on becoming something foul and evil, he is just not what I would want to get close to.  Of course, it takes someone foolish enough to make those kind of choices, so ...

They got very prepared and came one day to the house while I was watching the baby.

They thought they were prepared.  Each witch had her spells active.  A witch can generally hold three to five spells active and at the ready for instant use, focused and alert.  These were mostly four and five spell witches.  A few to form a glamour over the house so no one would see anything amiss, two to power the magical nets used to bind the fu dogs into their statue forms, several with shatter spells ready to strike at anything, all of them with elemental gliding (they had scoped out that I had some earth powers and were ready to shield against that) and a deluge of other spells.

So, the came up, bound the lion dogs (the two fu dogs that watch the house), cast their glamor and knocked on the door. Of course I didn't let them in.  Idiots.  So they blasted the door.  Well, the house is warded, so the shatter spells just bounced.  So they tried to break the door down.  Imagine some middle aged ladies from church trying to break down your door.  No luck for them.

Of course they had used a shield spell on the telephone, so the autodialer didn't reach anyone, but I am of the city, and I can reach the city, which means I can reach my kin in the hrthygar, and they were coming.  As fast as shadows.

Finally one of them broke through a window with her shoulder.  It was messy and then we were face to face.  I'd have broken her in half without her elemental warding,  Instead, I just blocked the way with my presence.  She tried to shove me out of the way, but it would have taken enough strength to move the entire city to move me.  Her spell wasn't that strong.

Her friends got the bright idea and broke into the other bay window.  I couldn't stand in front of both, but I didn't have to, my family had arrived.  The witches let loose with some more spells and a couple attempted to fly overhead.  If we hadn't been who we were, they would  have beaten us at that point.

But we were, so we drank them down.  They had no defenses.  Not like you can really ward against vampire powers without wards aganst evil.  They could have warded against themselves, I guess, but they were helpless.

Much to my surprise, we gained from them.

Six of us gained shatter, kind of like the spell, but without the spell.  All of the essence of the witches that the six drained went to fuel that ability.  One of us flies now.  Two cast glamours (including me -- now I can look exactly like a pre-teen without any help).  One can tangle fu dogs (why she would want to do that, no one knows), and three, finishing off the witches, can now ward against elementals.  Makes for some fun when we play tag.

Still, it seems nothing goes as quietly as you would expect for a lazy afternoon with a little bit of homework.


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