When the Demon Stirs ~ An Escaflowne Fan Fic ~
By: H. Zane
In the caution of self-integrity,
I threw away our charm and graces.
In the wickedness that has overcome me,
I spit in the eye of tainted faces.
~ H. Zane
~ Chapter 03-Inquiering ~
The empty halls echoed with the sounds of woman's footsteps. Shadows danced about the long empty corridor from the flickering torches that lit the way. It was late and the young woman was obviously in a hurry to get somewhere. She decided to pick up her pace, looking back every once in a while to see if she was being followed. She wasn't. She breathes a sigh of relief and continues her quickened pace to a large, wooden door with big silver looped knobs. She took one in her delicate hand and pulled as hard, and softly, as she could. She waited and stood at the entrance for any sign of company then quickly grabbed a torch by the door and ran down the long winding steps.
It didn't take long to reach her destination. She placed the torch on a stand nearby and opened the door. She peaked in and smiled. Now bathed in the candlelight her form was visible; she was very beautiful with hair as black as pitch that fell past the small of her back, cold, blue eyes that could pierce like a knife and she wore a scarlet dress with gold trim that hung loosely on her slender frame. "Sorry I'm late, she stepped in the room and closed the door behind her, I had to wait until father was asleep." The young woman who was already in the room looked up with a displeased look on her face. "Illyanna-hime, I hope no one saw you, if they did it would mean my head!" The woman folded her arms on her chest. She was a sorceress and teacher of the Arts. She could have been categorized as a sorcerer's, sorcerer. Mastering the elements: fire, wind, water, and earth, enchantments, illusions, white magic, and even a potion here and there. Standing tall and slim with long, white hair and gray eyes, she could pass for twenty-five easy, but those who were close to her knew better.
"Oh, you worry too much Seri-Ra, no one saw me. After dinner I put a sleeping spell on all the guards in the East Wing" said Illyanna.
The older woman made a face. "Alright then, now will you please tell me why you needed to see me at such a late hour, and in secret none the less," she said impatiently.
The princess saw her impatience and decided to stall. She loved getting a rise out of her. Illyanna casually walked over to a small table in the corner and poured a glass of red wine for the both of them. She walked back to her teacher and handed her a glass.
"Well as you already know my 20th birthday is tomorrow and I will have to show my father and the court all of my acquired skills and…well I'm not sure… I'm ready…"
"Is that what your worried about Illyanna-hime, that you will not pass? Princess you've proven yourself a great sorceress."
"No it's not that, I know I'll pass." She took a sip from her wine glass. "I just really wanted to impress them so I was wondering…if…" her voice trailed off.
"Yes, speak up, you were wondering what?"
"If you could teach me from The Book of The Dead." She clasped her hands together and gave a hopeful smile.
Seri-Ra was quite irritated now. "Princess, she said sternly, you know that I cannot. Necromancy is a forbidden art and has been, with good reason, for three hundred years. Why would you even ask me such a thing?"
The Princess frowned "I just thought…"
"No you didn't think" the older woman interrupted. "Look I know you have expressed interest in the Black Arts in the past, but you have to get it out of you head. It is very unstable magic and cannot be easily controlled. Have you not read the ancient texts?" Illyanna looked away from her teacher's unyielding eyes. She new a lecture was coming and started to regret her request.
Her teacher continued. "You have heard of the great Mage clan known as the Zeckorian, yes? It is said that the Zeckorian Clan were the most powerful sorcerers' to come out of Gaea. They're power second only to the people of Atlantis. And like the Dragon Clan grew clumsy and stupid with power. The fiend, Zora, minion of G'mork the Fallen gave the book to them as a gift, and knowing too well what the future would bring. They reveled in their newfound power playing with the balance of life and death. They fell victims to the evil influence; manipulating the dead, summoning cursed demons from the underworld, taking pride in human sacrifice and innocent slaughter. Our whole island was held a prisoner; the king's armies were no match against the hell spawned..."
Illyanna interjected, "Yes teacher I am aware of the tales, but I do not want to make sacrifices or summon dark creatures for my biding. I just thought that maybe I could raise a sparrow or a rabbit for father. Something simple but something to impress him..."
"Nothing is simple when it comes to Necromancy my child, the Zeckorian Clan were the most self-controlled sorcerers in our country's history and even they succumb to the temptations of power. They grew insane with evil supremacy and soon enough could not control their evil spirits. The Underworld's bloodthirsty minions devoured them. In the end, however, it was their own sinister lust for power that destroyed them. This book will corrupt you whether you want it to or not and the outcome will never be good."
"But Seri-Ra I have heard of an underground cult who call themselves the New Zeckorian. It is rumored that they practice from the book in secret and meet frequently to summon and spell cast."
"Well then that would be the end of us all now wouldn't it," Seri-Ra chirped. She smiled at her student and gave a small chuckle. Illyanna, however, did not find that funny. She gulped down the rest of her wine with a sincere worried expression on her pretty face.
"Ha ha, Illyanna-hime your innocence does intrigue me. Do not fear your highness they have no true power, probably some youths with too much free time and too little supervision trying to make a name for themselves. They cannot summon for they do not have the true book, the book written and bound in flesh and blood. The true Book of the Dead, for it was given to the king's faithful, and beautiful sorceress to keep hidden and was never seen again." Seri-Ra gave a modest smirk and eyed her pupil. "Our secret will never be revealed. Our beloved kingdom of Gedaliah will be forever burdened by the mistakes and bloodshed of the past. And that burden will be ours to bear alone. Do I make myself clear?"
Illyanna sighed and strolled over to a large table and chairs in the middle of the room and sat. "Yes I suppose I understand. I just wanted father to notice me…" she said softly as she fought to keep the tears away. "And I thought that there was a reason behind him hiring you to tutor me in private, instead of me going to the Academy like the rest of the nobles do. I thought that maybe he wanted me to be powerful."
"You can be powerful without the Book. We are already powerful, no other country in the world possess our talents. We--you--do not need the book. It is of pure evil; the balances of nature are not to be tampered with" said Seri-Ra hoping that the conversation was coming to an end.
"Not even one teeny wimpy spell?" Illyanna squeaked hopefully.
(It wasn't)
Shaking her head disappointingly she knew what she had to do. Although she was fond of the princess she knew that the princess was vain and that this might do the trick. "I didn't want to have to show you this, but I'm not getting through to you." Seri-Ra quickly pulled up the sleeve of her robe. Taking her left hand pulled off the glove that was covering her right hand. She held it up high, even though there was only one other person in the room, it seemed only fitting. There, raised high in the air was a sickening display. What should have been a hand was a twisted mess of flesh and scars. The skin on her fingers was thin; if they were not discolored you could see right to the bone, there were no signs of fingernails either. The back and palm of her hand was black and blue and had thick and deep scars swirling almost endlessly.
Illyanna's eyes were wide with amazement and disgust at the same time. "What happened?" she asked without taking her eyes of the disfigured hand.
"I was given the book in my youth," the sorceress finally said, "I was foolish. I wanted to just play around with some spells, much like you. I accidentally called a demon and I couldn't control it. Before I was finally able to banish it, it cursed my hand with its touch. Even my magic cannot hide this; it is my shame and a constant reminder of my foolishness and weakness. But I consider myself lucky, it could have been much worse." She glanced at Illyanna and was pleased with herself when she saw the horror in her student's eyes. She put her glove back on carefully and headed for the door. Opening it she turned to the princess and said, "Play with fire and you will get burned" and she left without another word.
Illyanna sat back in her chair and pouted. "But if you make no attempt, you may never feel its warmth." She looked at the huge bookcase circling the room. A book of fire spells caught her eye. She wasn't very tired so she walked to the book and decided to read through it for a while. "This is not what I call power" she moped. She put the book down and closed it and laid her head down on crossed arms.
She sat there for a moment when she thought she heard a whisper. She swiftly looked up. Nothing. She was in the library for spell books so hearing strange noises were pretty common and she was fairly used to it. She put her head back down and sulked some more.
"s…yo…w…nt…pow…er…Ill…y…ann… a"
Like lightning she jumped to her feet. Hearing strange noises and whispers was common, hearing your name was not. Angrily she yelled, "Who is speaking? Show yourself now; I am Illyanna Li Gedal Princess of Gedaliah. I demand to know why you are hiding in the shadows from me!"
"My dear Princess," the voice spoke up, "I am not hiding from you. I merely want to talk to you."
"Then come out of the shadows to talk, but I must warn you I am a scholar of the Arts and can defend myself if need be."
"Heh heh heh do not worry princess I will not harm you. In fact, I have something to offer you."
"You have something to offer me?" She asked.
"Yes."
"And what might that be?"
"Power."
End of Chapter 03
**Disclaimer**
Escaflowne is owned by (c) Sunrise and/or their respective licensors.
No copyright infringement intended.
This fic and any original characters are owned by H. Zane
By: H. Zane
In the caution of self-integrity,
I threw away our charm and graces.
In the wickedness that has overcome me,
I spit in the eye of tainted faces.
~ H. Zane
~ Chapter 03-Inquiering ~
The empty halls echoed with the sounds of woman's footsteps. Shadows danced about the long empty corridor from the flickering torches that lit the way. It was late and the young woman was obviously in a hurry to get somewhere. She decided to pick up her pace, looking back every once in a while to see if she was being followed. She wasn't. She breathes a sigh of relief and continues her quickened pace to a large, wooden door with big silver looped knobs. She took one in her delicate hand and pulled as hard, and softly, as she could. She waited and stood at the entrance for any sign of company then quickly grabbed a torch by the door and ran down the long winding steps.
It didn't take long to reach her destination. She placed the torch on a stand nearby and opened the door. She peaked in and smiled. Now bathed in the candlelight her form was visible; she was very beautiful with hair as black as pitch that fell past the small of her back, cold, blue eyes that could pierce like a knife and she wore a scarlet dress with gold trim that hung loosely on her slender frame. "Sorry I'm late, she stepped in the room and closed the door behind her, I had to wait until father was asleep." The young woman who was already in the room looked up with a displeased look on her face. "Illyanna-hime, I hope no one saw you, if they did it would mean my head!" The woman folded her arms on her chest. She was a sorceress and teacher of the Arts. She could have been categorized as a sorcerer's, sorcerer. Mastering the elements: fire, wind, water, and earth, enchantments, illusions, white magic, and even a potion here and there. Standing tall and slim with long, white hair and gray eyes, she could pass for twenty-five easy, but those who were close to her knew better.
"Oh, you worry too much Seri-Ra, no one saw me. After dinner I put a sleeping spell on all the guards in the East Wing" said Illyanna.
The older woman made a face. "Alright then, now will you please tell me why you needed to see me at such a late hour, and in secret none the less," she said impatiently.
The princess saw her impatience and decided to stall. She loved getting a rise out of her. Illyanna casually walked over to a small table in the corner and poured a glass of red wine for the both of them. She walked back to her teacher and handed her a glass.
"Well as you already know my 20th birthday is tomorrow and I will have to show my father and the court all of my acquired skills and…well I'm not sure… I'm ready…"
"Is that what your worried about Illyanna-hime, that you will not pass? Princess you've proven yourself a great sorceress."
"No it's not that, I know I'll pass." She took a sip from her wine glass. "I just really wanted to impress them so I was wondering…if…" her voice trailed off.
"Yes, speak up, you were wondering what?"
"If you could teach me from The Book of The Dead." She clasped her hands together and gave a hopeful smile.
Seri-Ra was quite irritated now. "Princess, she said sternly, you know that I cannot. Necromancy is a forbidden art and has been, with good reason, for three hundred years. Why would you even ask me such a thing?"
The Princess frowned "I just thought…"
"No you didn't think" the older woman interrupted. "Look I know you have expressed interest in the Black Arts in the past, but you have to get it out of you head. It is very unstable magic and cannot be easily controlled. Have you not read the ancient texts?" Illyanna looked away from her teacher's unyielding eyes. She new a lecture was coming and started to regret her request.
Her teacher continued. "You have heard of the great Mage clan known as the Zeckorian, yes? It is said that the Zeckorian Clan were the most powerful sorcerers' to come out of Gaea. They're power second only to the people of Atlantis. And like the Dragon Clan grew clumsy and stupid with power. The fiend, Zora, minion of G'mork the Fallen gave the book to them as a gift, and knowing too well what the future would bring. They reveled in their newfound power playing with the balance of life and death. They fell victims to the evil influence; manipulating the dead, summoning cursed demons from the underworld, taking pride in human sacrifice and innocent slaughter. Our whole island was held a prisoner; the king's armies were no match against the hell spawned..."
Illyanna interjected, "Yes teacher I am aware of the tales, but I do not want to make sacrifices or summon dark creatures for my biding. I just thought that maybe I could raise a sparrow or a rabbit for father. Something simple but something to impress him..."
"Nothing is simple when it comes to Necromancy my child, the Zeckorian Clan were the most self-controlled sorcerers in our country's history and even they succumb to the temptations of power. They grew insane with evil supremacy and soon enough could not control their evil spirits. The Underworld's bloodthirsty minions devoured them. In the end, however, it was their own sinister lust for power that destroyed them. This book will corrupt you whether you want it to or not and the outcome will never be good."
"But Seri-Ra I have heard of an underground cult who call themselves the New Zeckorian. It is rumored that they practice from the book in secret and meet frequently to summon and spell cast."
"Well then that would be the end of us all now wouldn't it," Seri-Ra chirped. She smiled at her student and gave a small chuckle. Illyanna, however, did not find that funny. She gulped down the rest of her wine with a sincere worried expression on her pretty face.
"Ha ha, Illyanna-hime your innocence does intrigue me. Do not fear your highness they have no true power, probably some youths with too much free time and too little supervision trying to make a name for themselves. They cannot summon for they do not have the true book, the book written and bound in flesh and blood. The true Book of the Dead, for it was given to the king's faithful, and beautiful sorceress to keep hidden and was never seen again." Seri-Ra gave a modest smirk and eyed her pupil. "Our secret will never be revealed. Our beloved kingdom of Gedaliah will be forever burdened by the mistakes and bloodshed of the past. And that burden will be ours to bear alone. Do I make myself clear?"
Illyanna sighed and strolled over to a large table and chairs in the middle of the room and sat. "Yes I suppose I understand. I just wanted father to notice me…" she said softly as she fought to keep the tears away. "And I thought that there was a reason behind him hiring you to tutor me in private, instead of me going to the Academy like the rest of the nobles do. I thought that maybe he wanted me to be powerful."
"You can be powerful without the Book. We are already powerful, no other country in the world possess our talents. We--you--do not need the book. It is of pure evil; the balances of nature are not to be tampered with" said Seri-Ra hoping that the conversation was coming to an end.
"Not even one teeny wimpy spell?" Illyanna squeaked hopefully.
(It wasn't)
Shaking her head disappointingly she knew what she had to do. Although she was fond of the princess she knew that the princess was vain and that this might do the trick. "I didn't want to have to show you this, but I'm not getting through to you." Seri-Ra quickly pulled up the sleeve of her robe. Taking her left hand pulled off the glove that was covering her right hand. She held it up high, even though there was only one other person in the room, it seemed only fitting. There, raised high in the air was a sickening display. What should have been a hand was a twisted mess of flesh and scars. The skin on her fingers was thin; if they were not discolored you could see right to the bone, there were no signs of fingernails either. The back and palm of her hand was black and blue and had thick and deep scars swirling almost endlessly.
Illyanna's eyes were wide with amazement and disgust at the same time. "What happened?" she asked without taking her eyes of the disfigured hand.
"I was given the book in my youth," the sorceress finally said, "I was foolish. I wanted to just play around with some spells, much like you. I accidentally called a demon and I couldn't control it. Before I was finally able to banish it, it cursed my hand with its touch. Even my magic cannot hide this; it is my shame and a constant reminder of my foolishness and weakness. But I consider myself lucky, it could have been much worse." She glanced at Illyanna and was pleased with herself when she saw the horror in her student's eyes. She put her glove back on carefully and headed for the door. Opening it she turned to the princess and said, "Play with fire and you will get burned" and she left without another word.
Illyanna sat back in her chair and pouted. "But if you make no attempt, you may never feel its warmth." She looked at the huge bookcase circling the room. A book of fire spells caught her eye. She wasn't very tired so she walked to the book and decided to read through it for a while. "This is not what I call power" she moped. She put the book down and closed it and laid her head down on crossed arms.
She sat there for a moment when she thought she heard a whisper. She swiftly looked up. Nothing. She was in the library for spell books so hearing strange noises were pretty common and she was fairly used to it. She put her head back down and sulked some more.
"s…yo…w…nt…pow…er…Ill…y…ann… a"
Like lightning she jumped to her feet. Hearing strange noises and whispers was common, hearing your name was not. Angrily she yelled, "Who is speaking? Show yourself now; I am Illyanna Li Gedal Princess of Gedaliah. I demand to know why you are hiding in the shadows from me!"
"My dear Princess," the voice spoke up, "I am not hiding from you. I merely want to talk to you."
"Then come out of the shadows to talk, but I must warn you I am a scholar of the Arts and can defend myself if need be."
"Heh heh heh do not worry princess I will not harm you. In fact, I have something to offer you."
"You have something to offer me?" She asked.
"Yes."
"And what might that be?"
"Power."
End of Chapter 03
**Disclaimer**
Escaflowne is owned by (c) Sunrise and/or their respective licensors.
No copyright infringement intended.
This fic and any original characters are owned by H. Zane