[here is my first attempt at writing anything on this site, so enjoy. My own character is a world combined of the old kingdom and the one in kiesha'ra. this takes place after lirael returns to the kingdom to become the official abhorsen in the old kingdom series, so after the end of the book Abhorsen, and when Nicias is in Ahnmik, for the sake of my story, he is visiting when older in the kiesha'ra series]

My knuckles were white as I gripped my sword, and I felt droplets of sweat running down my neck and sticking to the light tunic I wore. The symbols embedded in my sword flitted around, charter swirling with patterns I was just catching in my minds eye. I jabbed forward, the shimmering tip of my long curved blade disappearing into the black that was my target. The black seemed to shrink away from the blade, then reformed once I sheathed my sword once more.

I grinned, "Good job", I said, not expecting a response, but saying it out of habit nonetheless. The mass of black that moments before loomed above me, absorbing the light, shrunk. Four spindly limbs supported the rather shapeless thin form off the ground. At the approximation of where a head should be, two holes filled with blue burning fire glowed, showing the characteristics of a being of free magic. Appearing to be veiled, but still glowing ever so slightly, charter magic signs swam in the blackness that we the body of the thing before me. I brushed my hand against it, almost feeling as if there was fur, and feeling the warmth from the magics that were combined within it.

I pulled my hand back and strode from the small clearing to the shaded area where I had my stuff piled. I peeled the sweat-soaked shirt over my head and ran my fingers through my short cropped hair. I stretched, rolling my shoulders from the exertion with the sword practice. I rubbed my hand over the back of my shoulder, feeling the bare skin, so different from what I had become used to, yet familiar at the same time.

Sighing, I walked over to the stream nearby. I slid into the icy water, feeling the shivers up my spine. Before, standing in the clearing and the surrounding area, I didn't notice it, but I had felt the heaviness of death pulling on me. Here, in the flowing water, I felt this weight lift, and I felt a sharp clarity around me. I looked out back at my stuff and saw the shadow form sitting there, guarding me and my stuff, but unable to follow me into the water for the free magic that was woven into it.

I looked down at my arms and rubbed the skin clean. Under the ice cold sensation of the water, I could still feel the warm charter magic that was part of my skin and part of me. Looking at the pale skin of my arm, I could see the faintest patterns of feathers shining through.

I stood up from the water, shivering slightly in the breeze and shook myself, sending droplets of water onto the rocks and leaves around me. I patted myself dry with a cloth, and ran my fingers through the short, pale blond hair that laid just along my cheeks and neck. I pushed that majority of it back, yet left the shimmering strips of pale blue and violet hair framing my face. Digging through my clothes. Grabbing a strip of silvery material from my clothes, I began wrapping my arms tightly, hiding the feathered texture from view. I pulled over a loose blouse made of a light gray material that seemed to have a pale glow emanating from it. The back of the shirt hung down, exposing the majority of my back to sun and wind. For a moment the air around my shivered with the charter. My back tingled, and my peregrine falcon wings began to grow out, shining white, brown and black feathers speckled with reflective blues and purples hidden in the dark parts spreading out. I felt the power and magic that was heightened by my demi form spread through my veins, strengthened further by the charter and free magic that dwelled within me.

I picked up the bandolier laying on top of my bags, besides my sword in it's sheath. The bandolier, made of black leather and polished to a dull shine, had seven pouches, ranging in size from a small pillbox to a pouch the size of a fist. Shining mahogany handles stuck out of each, the wood flowed with the symbols of both the charter and the free magic. Running my hand over the handles for a moment, I put on the set of bells, tightening the belted leather around my waist. With my wings, I could not wear the bells on a typical bandolier of a necromancer, I had to improvise, and made this for myself and my situation, so I could wear the bells yet still have the wings that my demi form granted me. I buckled in the straps of my swords sheath onto the bandolier around my hip the tip of the the sheath reaching down my thigh, almost to my knee.

Tightening the straps of my bag laying on the ground, I hefted it over one shoulder and walked over the form of black magic. Placing my hand on it, it grew in size. The proportions changed, from the size of a small dog to those of a horse. The flaming eyes stayed, the rest still pitch black with charter. Wrapping my arm around the neck of the form, I pulled myself up with my lags on either side, as I would riding a horse, and I layed my pack in front of me. My wings folded against me and I patted the side of the form, and we began to move forward smoothly into the shadow of the trees.

[please review, would love to see what people think :D gonna post the next chapter as soon as i get it done, so hopefully someone will be interested enough to read it]