The sound of thunder boomed throughout the small room, echoing off of the walls and ending with a sharp crack. A flash lit the room, and in that single flash every light in the room was extinguished, the snuffing of their light accompanied by the faintest of screams.
Dust fell from the ceiling, the a faint glow appeared above the pentagram and the floor upon which the it was drawn broke, a multitude of cracks spider webbing across its surface1.
A human, pale and slender, just like every other bloody magician that ever summoned me, stood in his own pentacle. His arms were raised, his mouth agape as he intoned the words of binding.
His raven black hair was slicked back, his cruel features and angry eyes screwed up in concentration and wrapped around his scrawny frame was a long, flowing black cloak.
The hood was down, resting against his back and his sleeves were so large that it looked like there were two black holes dangling beneath his wrists.
I stopped mid summon, my eyes bulging in disbelief as I took in the gothic looking man. My spiky mandibles stopped mid twitch and the cracks along the floor disappeared.
"Is that really the best you can do?" the magician sneered, raising his chin and revealing a youthful face "A giant bee?"2
The bee vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced by a young, sculpted man with shaggy brown hair and brilliant green eyes with slit like pupils. His chest was bare, his lower regions shrouded in a pair of baggy brown pants with matching boots.
I flexed my wings, which were bat-like and leathery and addressed my smiling master.
"Is that the best I can do?" I asked incredulously, pointing a fingerless glove towards the youth "What about you?! You look absolutely ridiculous!"
I had never met the magician before, but I thought it a good idea to give him a quick taste of what he would be dealing with before he made any rash decisions. Namely a lot of insults and some biased history lessons.
"Its a raincoat." he growled, he was obviously touchy about his appearance.
"I mean look at those sleeves," I continued, ignoring his short protest "you could fit a whole other person in that robe. And as for that hood, I don't know what convin-"
"I COMMAND YOU TO BE QUIET!" the youth bellowed, I honestly thought that he was going to stamp his foot the way he was carrying on.
I promptly shut my mouth, orders were orders. The youth removed his cloak, tossing the ball of wet fabric aside while I watched with a look of extreme boredom on my face.
I had, twice in the past, convinced my masters to release me by merely talking to them. After several minutes of conversation, during which I used the best of my witty retorts, they dismissed me. Good times. This one however, I could tell was determined.
"My name is James Strangler," I let out a small chuckle upon hearing this "named so for my tendency to apply the systematic vice to those who anger me," my chuckle stopped short "and I hereby charge you to tell me your name."
"Are we really doing this?" I asked, eager to get the whole thing over and done with "You summoned me, you know my name."
"I charge you with telling me your name," he repeated, running a hand through his slicked back hair and ruffling it "its common courtesy."
His ruffled hair fell about his face in long wet streaks, and suddenly his features didn't seem so cruel.
"Very well," I sighed, god this was going to take forever "you tell me yours and I'll tell you mine."
"You'll have to do better then that," he smirked, there was something about him that didn't quite fit "my name for the purposes of this summon is James Strangler."
Well it was worth a shot. Right then, down to business. Introductions are always important so I decided to put my all into it. Maybe I would get lucky and it would scare the man out of his pentagram or something.
"My name is Tylovec, slayer of Tutankhamen, defiler or Venus's statue3 and accomplisher of many other great deeds." I began, puffing out my chest and speaking in a deep booming voice, my muscles grew as I continued and my chest swelled until I towered over the magician "I, a Djinn of the sixth level, whose power is both awesome and feared throughout the seven planes demand to know the true nature of my full charge!"
I finished my speech and patiently awaited his response.
"Guard duty." he yawned, scratching his head.
"You what?" I started, my chest deflating "Guard duty? You summoned a sixth level Djinni for guard duty?!"
"Yes, I did." He replied "I thought spirits of your calibre were supposed to have good hearing."
"I heard what you said," I snapped, my teeth were pointed so that particular description holds true "I'm not an Imp mate, I'm a Djinni. I'm not exactly accustomed to watching over things, when people summon me its usually for something dangerous. Like breaking into castles, or poisoning kings or -"
"Breaking off statues arms?" Strangler cut in, one of his eyebrows was raised "I suppose then that this will just be one of the unusual times for which you have been summoned for something mundane."
Damn he was good. I was going to have do some serious conniving and plotting if I wanted to find a way out of the binds he set me.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked "Most magicians would have snapped by now, subjected me to the systematic vice or the shrivelling fire. Why haven't you?"
This was true, the last time I had been summoned was a few years before the spirit uprising. I was in London, where some of the cruelest magicians ever to have lived were produced, and after only one remark, I had been subjected to a three hour session with the systematic vice.
"I can't have a damaged Djinni on guard duty now can?" James answered "Besides, I prefer to save the punishments for those who fail me."
"Fair enough," I wasn't going to argue against that "so what's my charge then?"
"I, James Strangle," he began, as I rolled my eyes "charge you, Tylovec, to watch over New York's northern passage and to keep safe any and all patriots passing through it."
"Ah the Americas," I interrupted, as the chains of slavery bound themselves to me "home of the homicidally zealous and the morbidly obese."
"I furthermore charge you with the destruction of any and all redcoats or other crown forces attempting to pass through."
"Great," I sighed, fleeing my fingers as the nails grew pointed "lets get to it then, which way is north?"
My master pointed to a window on the far side of the room and released me from the pentagram.
I strolled forwards, making for the window, which was the rooms only source of light.
"Be seeing you then." I said, giving him a mock salute before jumping out the window.
The magician gave a cry of anger as I left. But hey, he was the one who left breaking glass out of the charge.
1 All of which were purely cosmetic, had the cracks been real I would have devoured my soon to be master in an instant, stopped to utter a witty remark to any passer byes, and been on my merry way.
2 Not entirely true and nowhere near as lame as it sounds. For this particular summoning I had chosen the guise of a giant bee with a praying mantis's head and human eyes. Not my most creative form I'll admit but I'd like too see you come up with something as good as that on such short notice.
3 Just the arms mind you! Nothing else, despite what certain other spirits might say.