Prologue 

Cry of the Deathbird

Ten minutes until midnight. In ten minutes, someone's life could change forever. All it takes, is ten minutes. The latenight visitor tore down the dark street, lit only by a dull streetlight. His long black cloak rustled noisily behind him, his boots echoing eerily in the silent nieghborhood. He shouldn't be here, it wasn't safe. Not even the most complicated spell could help him now. Not with the Council on his heels. The man put on a burst of speed, clearing a fallen tree branch and hurtling into an abandoned alley. Straight into the Council's trap.

They were all there. All twelve members, hoods pulled up and cloaks brushing the ground. Six men and six women, highest of the high, the lawmakers. It was the council's job to keep the world of Magick hidden from prying eyes. And it was their job to punish the lawbreakers. Twelve wands were pulled from pockets hidden deep in the black cloaks, twelve swords of various sizes glinted in the dim light.

The Headmaster sent a signal to the rest of the Council, one that the man could not see. Then they pounced.  Twelve pairs of glittering eyes, unnaturally glowing with a fierce light. Bone-white teeth bared in slight snarls. The man fought valiantly, but in the end, could not stand against the twelve members of the Council.

Somewhere over the horizon, a lone bird called out, announcing another defeat for the Outcasts, another victory for the Council. The twelve gathered the man's mangled remains, carefully, painstakingly disposing them somewhere the Mundaens wouldn't be able to find. When the twelve finally emerged from the shadows, they were covered from head to toe in blood, sweat and a sickly green slime. One by one, they peeled back their hoods, revealing sharp cheekbones, neon eyes and wolfish features.

As the sun made it's way over the horizon, the neon eyes lost their glow, teeth shrunk, and ears shrivelled. This was the life of the twelve members of Council. Witches and wizards by day, werewolves by night. Silent killers forced to pretend they were normal. Wizards and witches fearing the discovery of their wolf counterparts, forced to hide their true selves from their neighbours, friends and sometimes even family.

Twelve lives subcumbed to the heavy burden. Twelve lives destroyed once every century. Twelve people forced into the Council, six witches and six wizards turned into murderers. This was, and still is, the way of the Council.

Chapter 1

Cassius

"Uncle, Uncle! Look what I can do!"

Cassius Adderson looked up from his thick spell book. With his shoulder-lenth black hair tucked behind his ears, he almost looked like a Mundaen. Almost. His dark eyes were a little too dark, almost black and his teeth slightly too sharp. He frowned too much, smiled too little and generally looked like a cornered cat, ready to spring and claw your eyes out. If the lighting was bad, or if you happened to stumble across him when it was dark, he looked more wolf than human. Cassius often spoke in a low voice, barely above a whisper, but it was laced with bitter anger and resentment.

Now, as he turned his attention to his young niece, his heart skipped a beat and the spell book fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"What, may I ask are you doing up there, Annie?"

Cassius's dark eyes were fixed on the tiny girl, balancing on the railing of the house's spiraling staircase.

"Get down before you fall! You'll be starting witch school next year, and I don't want to have to teach a ghost!"

"It's only summer, Uncle!" Annie laughed, oblivious to the fact that behind her, a dark figure was moving steadily closer, and closer. "I've done all my homework, and I promise I won't -"  She slipped off the banister, screaming.

Cassius jumped up, tripping on his long cloak and pointed his 12 inch oak wand at Annie. "Asette!"

The young girl hit the ground with a dull thud, her fall slowed by Cassius' hurried spell. The dark figure had pushed Annie off the banister, hopeing she would smash her head open. He cursed angrily, then stepped into the light; there was no point in hiding, now that Cassius had spotted him. 

Cassius looked up at the intruder, his face twisted into an angry snarl. They stared each other, two wildcats unwilling to make the first move.

"You will not touch her. I don't care who you are, where you come from, but you will not take Annie!" Cassius snarled in deadly voice.

The stranger laughed. "Cassius, Cassius. What a fool. You thought you could keep her away from me, from Lord Lorethan? You may be her uncle, but I am her father! And she will come with me! Do not think you will stop me, fool."

"Ignitius!"

Silver-blue light came from the tip of Cassius' wand, flying through the air, aiming for Lorethan's head. The stream of magick hit him squarely, catching fire to his robes. In an instant, Lorethan's robs had become a pile of ash at his feet. Lorethan's pale face twisted into a cruel smile. His cherry red lips parted as he laughed.

"Is that all you can do, Cassius? Light fire to a man's cloak? Waes Mobiliae!"

The immobilizing spell missed Cassius' head by an inch, rebounding of the mirror and hitting Lorethan in the chest. Lorethan gasped and sputtered, but couldn't move.

"A taste of your own medicine, Lorethan! Who's the pathectic one now? Expllemus!" Cassius roared, eyes narrowed in fury. The blast of energy from Cassius' wand threw Lorethan against the opposite wall, leaving a faint dent. Cassius turned to Annie, now sitting upright, her eyes wide in horror.

"He...he...dad?!" she stuttered, staring at Lorethan's still form. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Cassius sneered. "You wanted to find out that you're dad's the most feared wizard in the world and he's after you? I would've told you, but I thought that you'd be better off without that kind of information haunting -" Cassius broke off in shock. Annie's giant brown eyes were turning a dangerous shade of green. "You're eyes! You..you can't be! No! I didn't take care of you for six years for this."

"Uncle, what are you talking about?"

"It's the full moon, Annie! Do you know what that means?" Cassius continued, ignoring the girl's frightened look. "It means that you're a werewolf! And you know what that means? You'll be forced to join the Council, forced to be a cold-blooded murderer!"

"Well it's not my fault, is it?" Annie spat testily. "It's not my fault my Uncle's werewolf-ness was passes down to me, is it? The Council can't tell me what to do. Anyway, I'm going to Arborwynde School of Magick. They can't make me join if I'm at school...right?" She turned her hopeful, now emerald green eyes to Cassius.

Posting to subscribe,

also I've changed alot of the story

Since I can't edit...

Chapter 1

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Cassius

"Uncle, Uncle! Look what I can do!"

Cassius Slaughter looked up from his thick spell book. With his shoulder-lenth black hair tucked behind his ears, he almost looked like a Mundaen. Almost. His dark eyes were a little too dark, almost black and his teeth slightly too sharp. He frowned too much, smiled too little and generally looked like a cornered cat, ready to spring and claw your eyes out. If the lighting was bad, or if you happened to stumble across him when it was dark, he looked more wolf than human. Cassius often spoke in a low voice, barely above a whisper, but it was laced with bitter anger and resentment.

Now, as he turned his attention to his young niece, his heart skipped a beat and the spell book fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"What, may I ask are you doing up there, Kaitlynn?"

Cassius's dark eyes were fixed on the tiny girl, balancing on the railing of the house's spiraling staircase.

"Get down before you fall! You'll be starting magic school next year, and I don't want to have to teach a ghost!"

"It's only summer, Uncle!" Kaitlynn laughed, oblivious to the fact that behind her, a dark figure was moving steadily closer, and closer. "I've done all my homework, and I promise I won't -" She suddenly pitched forward, off the banister, screaming.

Cassius jumped up, tripping on his long cloak and pointed his 28 centimeter oak wand at Kaitlynn. "Asette!"

The young girl hit the ground with a dull thud, her fall slowed by Cassius' hurried spell. The dark figure had pushed Anali off the banister, hoping she would smash her head open. He cursed angrily, then stepped into the light; there was no point in hiding, now that Cassius had spotted him. 

Cassius looked up at the intruder, his face twisted into an angry snarl. They stared each other, two wildcats unwilling to make the first move.

"You will not touch her. I don't care who you are, where you come from, but you will not take Kaitlynn!" Cassius snarled in deadly voice.

The stranger laughed. "Cassius, Cassius. What a fool. You thought you could keep her away from me, from Lord Lorethan? You may be her uncle, but I am her father! And she will come with me! Do not think you will stop me, fool."

"Ignitius!"

Silver-blue light came from the tip of Cassius' wand, flying through the air, aiming for Lorethan's head. The stream of magick hit him squarely, catching fire to his robes. In an instant, Lorethan's robs had become a pile of ash at his feet. Lorethan's pale face twisted into a cruel smile. His cherry red lips parted as he laughed. "Is that all you can do, Cassius? Light fire to a man's cloak? Waes Mobiliae!"

The immobilizing spell missed Cassius' head by an inch, rebounding of the mirror and hitting Lorethan in the chest. Lorethan gasped and sputtered, but couldn't move.

"A taste of your own medicine Lorethan! Who's the pathetic one now? Expllemus!" Cassius roared, eyes narrowed in fury. The blast of energy from Cassius' wand threw Lorethan against the opposite wall, leaving a faint dent. Cassius turned to Kaitlynn, now sitting upright, her eyes wide in horror.

"He...he...dad?!" she stuttered, staring at Lorethan's still form. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Cassius sneered. "You wanted to find out that you're dad's the most feared wizard in the world and he's after you? I would've told you, but I thought that you'd be better off without that kind of information haunting -" Cassius broke off in suddenly. Lorethan had gained consciousness and was looking furious.

Turning to the stunned wizard and girl, he smiled a toothy grin and howled, “I’ll be back, Cassius. Watch your back, because one day when you’re not careful, I’ll put a dagger through your heart!” Lorethan swung his leg over the broom and kicked off from the window, maneuvering into the broomstick into the thick gray clouds. The echoes of his parting words hung heavily in the air, a dark sense of doom falling on the girl and the man.

Cassius and Kaitlynn jumped as something heavy slammed into the window. The thing latched itself onto a nearby branch and tapped the glass in an annoyed manner. Cassius opened the window with a flick of his wand, and the thing tumbled into the room. An angry looking falcon swooped onto Cassius’s arm, a thick scroll clamped in its beak. The falcon turned his beady eyes expectantly on Cassius, waiting for his reply.

“Thank you Zaxias. I assume it’s from Vincent?” Cassius murmured. Zaxias bobbed his regal head and clambered onto Kaitlynn’s shoulder, evidently looking for a reward. Kaitlynn smiled gently and stroked the falcon’s wings and Zaxias nipped her earlobe affectionately.

“Here, this one’s for you, Kaitlynn,” Cassius said, handing Kaitlynn