Hour Of Darkness
Chapter Three, Ticket to Ride
The four boys ran around, whooping and yelling like they were possesed, screaming with joy at their newfound abilities. Paul's tail wagged furiously as he raced in tight circles as fast as he could, which was pretty fast even for a wolf. He started chasing his tail, the other three laughing uproarisly.
George flapped his magnificent wings, the grass rippling in the air currents he generated. His face was the picture of rapture, grinning stupidly from ear to ear. He had obviously chosen the perfect wish.
Ringo and John cartwheeled like school children, laughing uncontrollably. Ringo showed John a tiny bit of magic, learning that everyone could do a bit of magic in this strange land. John couldn't really have fun with his powers except at the expense of others, and Ringo didn't want to leave him out of the celebration, so he taught his bespectacled friend how to shoot sparklers from his fingers. Actually, he taught this to all the Beatles, finding out that each sparkler flashed in a different color for each member. John shot shimmering emerald spheres into the air, George's exploded into gold sparks. Ringo's went flying through the air in an crimson trail, Paul's bursting a brilliant azure. George and Paul figured that they could shoot theirs into the same area, creating a green glow similar to John's, but not quite as brilliant.
Eventually, the four collapsed in a heap on the ground, gasping for breath, still laughing, almost to the point of tears.Working magic was hard work, rather physically straining. At least, it was for the three not 'built' for it. Ringo seemed to have limitless magical energy, which they chalked up to being part of the wish. They lay on the ground in a square, heads into the middle so they could talk and stare at the sky. Paul flopped around on his back, his four paws waving comically in the air.
I told you, Johnny! I told you this was the chance of a lifetime! He howled at the sun, making the others laugh even harder. After a few minutes, they all calmed down, sighing and exhausted. They all lay on their backs, staring at the sky and thinking silently about their new abilities and how they could use them. Ringo was the first to speak.
"Say, lads, I've got an idea." They all turned to look at him. "Why don't we split up to test our abilities? I know that if I'm going to practice and memorize these spells, I'm going to want to be alone." The other three unanimously agreed.
"Okay, everyone has a watch, right?" Everyone nodded except Paul.
Uh, oh... Paul whimpered, standing up.
"What's he saying, John?" Ringo asked, looking to his bandmate for a translation.
"He said 'uh oh'." John concentrated on his canine friend. What's wrong, lad?
It appears my clothes have disappeared, perhaps a side effect of the change? That means my watch is gone, too. However... He scratched at his neck. Look there. You may be surprised.
What, fleas? Paul growled, not amused. John laughed quietly to himelf, confusing George and Ringo yet again. John bent over, kneeling next to Paul's neck, parting the thick fur where the wolf had scratched. He saw a tight leather collar, studded by nothing other than the globule of amber, ladybug flutterung wildly at Paul's labored breath from the racing around. John smiled. Fab. Wish mine was like that; it'd be more convenient than this long chain. John showed the collar to the others. They expressed the same sort of wish as John, but Ringo had a solution.
"It appears it's made of cowhide. I have a spell for that..."
"Great, dinner!" George joked, John elbowing him in the ribs. Ringo hummed quietly, pulling an invisible thread between his thin fingers. Suddenly, when he pulled, the thread was no longer invisible. Rather, a strip of cowhide identical to that of Paul's collar appeared, and Ringo smiled triumphantly. "I think I'm gettin' the hang of this."
"Ringo, me lad! How do you do it?!" John slapped him on the back, inspecting the cowhide. "Perfect."
Ringo used more magic to meld the amber pendant to the cowhide, then melded the tight collar around John's neck. The amber lay across his pulse vein, the scarab glowing brighter as it was nearer to his source of life.
Ringo made two other collars for himself and George.
John? John turned to the large gray wolf standing at his side. Yes, lad?
Can you ask Ringo if there's any way I can change back now? Hopefully I'll get my clothes back, along with my watch. I'll need it, if we're to split up. John laughed at the thought up Paul showing up naked as he transformed back. This confused the two who weren't in on the conversation. John turned to Ringo.
"Paul says that his clothes disappeared when he transformed. Is there any way he can transform back?"
Ringo nodded, already looking for the right page. "Yes, I've seen in here somewhere...here it is...alright, Paul, say...no, think, I guess...the same words as before. As hard as you can." He turned to George. "Remember this, you two especially. You may need it, should you encounter any locals who might find your state...disturbing. They might think you monsters; think of Frankenstien I mean, a werewolf and a gargoyle? That'd unsettle anyone." Paul and George grimaced.
Paul shivered, his fur ruffling. I should have thought of that before. It's lucky that this can be disenchanted at will! That's rather handy... Paul's ears flattened against his head, his yellow eyes closing tightly as he concentrated on the disenchantment. Jai guru deva om. JAI GURU DEVA OM!
John winced slightly at the volume of Paul's mindvoice as it ripped through his mind. He didn't know that one could think-shout; he made a mental note of that. His train of thought derailed as the wolf stood up on his hind legs, claws lengthening into fingers, muzzle shortening into Paul's cute little upturned nose. No one noticed it, but one interesting feature remained: Paul's eyes were no longer the cocolate brown as before. They glowed yellow, not returning to their original color even though he had transformed. "Hey, lads!" he spoke normally. "It worked!"
He adjusted his suit, then checked his watch. "Ok, everyone set their watch to nine o'clock ...now." Four simultaneous beeps echoed as the Beatles synchronized their watches.
"Meet back here at...say...tomorrow at the same time? Is that alright? Everyone can find a place for the night?" Ringo questioned; the others nodded.
"Right. I'm heading to the woods to test my hunting abilities." Paul figured he should be able to run faster, smell more and farther, work better on instincts. He turned on his heel, walking to the forest a few hundred feet off. After he was about fifty feet away, he hunched over, disappearing into the grass. A large wolf appeared, bounding off towards the forest. George smiled.
"I'm going out to the center of the field to test me wings. I'll need plenty of open space to work on these monsters," he said, motioning to his wings. "Hopefully, I'll be flying back!" He bounded off in the opposite direction as Paul, wings folded on his back as he ran.
John scanned the horizon, his veiw settling on what appeared to be a small city in the distance. He pointed it out to Ringo. "I best be going there. I'll need people to mess with." He grinned evily, making Ringo laugh.
"Alright, lad. I'll just stay here, I suppose. There's enough room to practice my magic." John hesitated.
"Something wrong, luv?"
John looked at the horizon, his brow furrowing. "It seems an awful far distance to be walking..." Ringo snapped his fingers.
"I think I have a solution."
Again, Ringo searched his repitiore of spells, looking for the one that would help his friend in his transportation to the city. "Ah!" He cried truimphantly. "Here we are..."
Creature Summons
Note: no specification of animal is necessary. The spell should create whatever creature the caster so desires. Ringo looked at John inquisitively. John shrugged. "A horse, I suppose..." Ringo nodded, returning to his reading.
A ring from the future owner's hand is necessary, as this binds the animal to its owner for life. If a ring is used from a different person, the creature is strictly obedient to whoever owned the ring. Otherwise, anyone else attempting to order the animal will not be obeyed and often will be harmed by the animal.
John slipped the blue and white ring from his left thumb, once again praising his luck for having it. He handed it to Ringo, who gave it a cursory inspection, then continued to read.
Join hands with the future owner of the creature, saying these words:
The two joined hands and chanted the printed words.
Lastly, toss the ring into the air. *Important!* Be careful how high the ring is tossed. The higer it is thrown, the larger the animal. When the spell is cast successfully, the animal desired will apprear, the ring imbedded in its forehead.
John looked at Ringo. "Here goes nothing..."
He gave thie ring a gentle toss, arching the throw at about seven feet, about normal height for a horse. Instantly, a cloud of emerald mist appeared, identical in hue to that of the sparklers John had learned before. John supposed that this meant that the horse was to be his.
Under the ring appeared a large, flat brow, dusted with ebony forelock hairs. Two sharply pointed ears appeared above that, a strong, thick nose below. Two gleaming, green eyes took shape, a thick neck streatching behind to form a sturdy body, covered in short fur of the darkest black. Huge hooves appeared, stomping the ground impatiently. Lastly, a long tail unfolded, dropping to the ground in thick ebony waves. The huge black stallion snorted, emerald eyes ablaze as if on fire. John stared at it in astonishment, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. A strong leather bridle graced its large head, the ring imbedded in the horse's head a few inches below the brow band.
John inched up timidly, just in case the horse wasn't loyal to him for some reason, and patted it lightly on the nose. He braced himself for the impact of those huge hooves...
...and the horse licked his hand. John laughed, the anxiety draining from his body, color returning to his pale cheeks. Ringo laughed with him, stepping up to admire the equine goliath. He reached out to pet the horse's sturdy neck, but the animal whirled at him, snorting loudly, stomping the ground. Ringo backpedaled, practically falling over on his back. John laughed again. Ringo was not amused. "The spellbook wasn't kidding. He's one helluva hostile horse to me, but it licks your hand like it wouldn't hurt a fly! That's interesting..."
John just laughed as the horse pushed him with its muzzle gently. He looked thoughtful. "I wonder if I can talk to it."
Horse?
The horse looked at him with its bright green eyes.
Yes? John grinned from ear to ear, hearingthe horse's response.
You can talk?!? he asked excitedly.
Evidently.
John gave himself a mental kick for asking such a stupid question. Obviously, this horse was more intelligent than most. Unfortunately, John had read far too many books about super intelligent animals not obeying their masters. However, as if on cue, the horse bowed humbly.
I am at your service, Master. John beamed at Ringo.
"See you at nine tomorrow, Ring!" He carefully mounted the horse, not having ridden very often before. He gripped the reins tightly, saying, Ok, we're headed to that city over there. He pointed.
As you wish, Master.
John waved as he trotted off through the grass. Ringo sighed, laying down in the grass to read and memorize the spells written in his book.
On to Chapter Four!
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