Who am I?

Niam

It’s not very often I hear my brother so serious. I’ve just received a call from my eldest brother, Xavier, telling me I was needed in his office at that exact moment. Not very easy when I’m stood in my room naked after showering.

As I draw closer to the dark oak door I hear paper, probably from Xavier’s desk, splash against the floor. Opening the door just a smidgen, I see him standing from his chair, facing the window, with his hands in his chestnut brown hair looking more frustrated than the time the twins - Zion and Zen - ruined his perfectly planned birthday party for mum.

Finally taking the plunge, I stepped into his office and waited quietly for him to notice me... but I don’t have much patience.

“Hey, you said you needed me?” Xavier sighs heavily, and falls back onto his spiny chair behind him, and slowly turned to face me. “You have a suicide mission” he looks at me with sadness in his pure blue eyes. “What is it? It can’t be that bad, surely.” I shrug and sit in the plush leather chair opposite his desk from him. He leans forwards and grabs his computer, repositioning himself onto the end of the chair, and turns the computer to face me.

“Woah. That’s gruesome.” The screen shows a human article and in the picture is an unrecognisable body sprawled across the forest floor that has massive gashes in the torso with the words GO AWAY written in blood on the nearest tree. “Look at the crest on the jacket he’s wearing.” Looking closer I can see the crest that is half torn away but I could recognise it anywhere “that’s our divisions crest.” He nodded.

Xavier is the leader of the tracking division that’s owned by the council and I am his second in command. The twins also lead their own divisions, Zion leads the Stealth division and Zen leads the Recon division.

“I need you to track down Ravyn” Xavier looked back to the screen with regret swirling in his eyes. “But I thought you said it was too dangerous to go after her. She put the entire of our best team in the infirmary and used one of them to paint the forest trees!” I exclaim dramatically gesturing at the screen with my hand and my blue-green eyes widen. “I’m sorry Niam, if it was my way I wouldn’t send anyone after her anymore, she can escape for all I care, and after this casualty too... she’s never gone so far as to kidnap one of us and murder them as a public display.

But I don’t have a choice the council members are really pushing this.” He leans his head back on the head rest of his chair and sighs. “I can only trust you to go on your own and still come back alive, as much as I hate to put you in this situation your the only one capable.”

“Wait a minute. Go on my own?!” I point at myself and sit forwards, leaning over the edge of his desk, unable to believe I heard him right. “Yes, on your own. So far we’ve always sent groups but she always finds them first and after trying so many different stealth tactics it can only be the noise that alerts her. And your the only one skilled enough to find her on your own. The last team we sent took over a month to even find her location let alone track her down.” By now Xavier has his head in his hands.

I sit back in my chair and cast my eyes down to the suddenly very interesting carpet. Accepting this mission could cause me some real damage? I could get killed by this girl. I’d never see my family or friends again, and if I was to die Xavier would probably drown himself in what if, which will not help his stress levels, I don’t want that. He works too much to begin with. And mum, she’d be distraught.

But at the same time. This is putting a lot of tension on Xavier, he has never failed a mission before, and the council are really pressuring him to get this done. Why do they want her so much? Is she that dangerous? I’ve also noticed that the pressure on mum and dad has caused a few arguments more than normal and I can see it saddens both of them that the tension makes them clash unlike ever before.

I’ve decided.

“I’ll do it” I look up to meet my brothers eyes as he press’ his lips together and stares at me. “If you do this... you better be really careful.” Xavier stared into my soul making sure I knew that unless I promised to come back alive he wouldn’t let me go. “I promise you I will stay alive, and I will find Ravyn and bring her back here.” I sat on the very edge of my seat with my elbows leaning on my knees. “I don’t even care if you bring Ravyn back just stay in one piece, please.”

He got up from his chair, walked around his desk and hugs me slightly as I stood up. Standing eye to eye with him, he put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed, “I’ll go inform the council and mum and dad. You go pack what you’ll need. And please stay safe.” He lets go of my shoulder after I nodded confidently, and lightly smiled at me before walking out of the office and towards the council room.

Having reached my room, I immediately pull out my backpack from under my bed and drag it to the centre of the room. Unzipping it, I leave it there as I collect things that I’ll need for the journey. A small torch, pocket knife, lighter, string, etc. After organising the stuff into the outside pocket, I move onto the inside pocket, grabbing underwear and a spare pair of jeans from my draws; I put them in the bigger pocket.

Wondering into the bathroom, I pick up my toothbrush and toothpaste, a comb and some of the smaller things in the first aid kit from under the sink. Will I need the gauze, she’s not that violent is she? She did just kill a man.

Looking up, I can see worry in my own blue, green eyes staring back at me from the mirror. My wavy dark brown hair, that’s longer on the top than the sides, is styled back ; which as usual has one piece falling back over my forehead on the left side and stopping just above my dark eyebrow.

My wide shoulders don’t fit into the normal sized mirror, but I don’t need the mirror to know that my biceps are hard, and bulging from the folded cuffs of the black sleeves of my button-up shirt, that’s been rolled past my elbow. My trim waist, that gives me more of a figure than most guys, makes me look lean and could fool anyone into thinking I’m not as strong as I am.

Quickly returning to my backpack, I put all the stuff in the back pocket of the backpack and zip it up. Throwing the bag by the door, I begin to change into more suitable clothing, throwing my shirt onto the foot of the bed I pull out a forest green henley, leaving the three buttons undone, and pulled it on, ruffling my hair.

Undoing my belt, I hung it on a hook on the inside door of my wardrobe where I keep my suits. Letting my black trousers fall and pool around my feet, I step one foot out and use the other to flick them towards my bed where they landed on the sheets before falling on the floor.

I pull out black leather jeans with padding on the knees and side of the thighs that loosely cling to my legs, allowing enough room to comfortably move and still providing some protection. Opening the door to the corridor, I grab my backpack and walk out on sock-clad feet.

Ravyn

Standing next to the door of my cabin, I pull my hood over my head in order to hide my features. Looking into the small mirror by the door to make sure my hoods in the right place, I stare into my own dark blue eyes. Most think my eyes are black and only on closer inspection can one tell they’re actually blue, the inner ring is a collection of dark and slightly lighter blue streaks. My dark eyes stand out against my creamy skin.

Stepping out of the cabin, I’m once again slightly unsettled by the stillness of the air inside the illusion barrier. The illusion barrier that’s surrounds the area around my small wooden cabin is considered neutral magic as it doesn’t cause harm or disorder but illusion magic is actually a curse.

The barrier I’ve created is high level, so anyone that’s uninvited can walk into one side and appear on the other side, by teleportation, without even realising. However, I know that I’m not completely a dark witch as I am able to preform low level charms, and I think it’s the reason the light council is after me.

22 years ago there was a war between the light and dark council over control of the magic sectors that lasted for 6 years. I’ve always suspected that that’s where my parents met, though I don’t have a clue who my father is, I do know of my mother even though I have no memory of her.

I was raised in Mrs Hollows Home for Lost Children, along with many other children that had been orphaned or abandoned in the war. Mrs Hollow is a sweet old lady with an iron fist, and she certainly isn’t afraid to rule with it, I remember the numerous times I’ve had to face one of her very creative punishments.

It was at the home that I met my best friend Jay, who’s a year older than me. I don’t remember us being anything but friends, we were both taken in by Mrs Hollow as babies so in our memories we’ve always known each other. I could always trust him to have my back.

As I walk along the worn grass, crunching twigs beneath my weight, I see the town come into sight. I take my blonde crystal, that’s the size of a two pound coin, and clutch it in my hand in preparation for a mask spell.

The spell allows my to change any one of my physical features shape or colour. Having the crystal means I don’t have to concentrate on the colour I want.

As I pass through a small clearing, I realise it’s the same place that just last week I created a mirage with the help of a hostage from the last team sent by the light council. Which reminds me, I should probably erase his memory and send him home soon.

Before I can think anymore, I hear someone shout my name from the left. Looking over I see Jay jogging towards me. His curly, short blonde hair bounces lightly as his hazel eyes look on with the same mirth as shown by the up-turned corners of his thin lips. His trimmed five o’clock shadow does nothing to hide his sharp cheekbones and jaw that lead to a slightly crooked nose, from being broken too many times, and a pointed chin.

“Hey Ravyn” Jay joins me as we continue walking into town. I activate the mask, turning my black hair ,including my dark purple streaks on either side of my middle parting, a bleach blonde.

“Hey Jay, shouldn’t you be at work in some basement?” I tease him.

“Not all black market operations are in basements you know. And if anyone didn’t know I was a weapons enchanter they’d think you meant something a lot more sexual.” He winks as he stuffs his hands in the pockets of his worn, dark jeans.

“Well, your smiles not denying it so how am I to be sure.”

Jay chuckles but says nothing as we walk along the pavement and into a book store. We walk up to the counter on the left side, I lean my elbows on the cheap wood and look at the scrawny boy behind the computer.

“We’re here to collect” nodding in understanding the guy behind the counter stands up and walks towards the door in the back and we follow him.

At the top of the stairs we enter a room where a table is set out with different plants tied together in groups by string.

“Let yourself out when your done” the boy called out as he turned, leaving, shutting them in with a click.