Fire & Earth
James's warlock father is furious with Griselda BlackClawe for what he sees as an emasculation of his son & a mark on his bloodline, & thus begins a lifelong feud between witch & dark wizard.
Fire & Earth
A Heaven & Earth tale
By LonelyRider
"Griselda, caw! Griselda!" The smoky voice croaked; it was clearly avian; a crow, the young witch mused, extending a fearsome 2 foot long claw from her hand toe. Griselda stepped outside her cave, an amused smirk on her face. Today she wore the bronze jewelry Savera had offered her; she rather liked it, more than she'd surmised she would.
"You called?" She giggled, smirking showing fierce feline teeth. A huge male lesser angel stood, dressed in purple and black, his features youthful for his age, except for his pure white hair and goatee. His ragged black cloak blew in the warm wind and the bird's foot orb he carried on his staff glowed purple.
"I am Abaddon LightningSword, master of the dark arts and commander of fire. You possess something that belongs to my bloodline. I've come to reclaim it." Snarled the lesser angel, his stature brought him near to her even though she was bigger than a horse.
"Oh...this IS an interesting morning, indeed! You must be a relative of a man I've bartered with. So tell me, nephew, brother, son?"
"Don't you toy with me, you icy-hearted bitch. I know you recognize the last name. Give them to me, that's not a request." Abaddon demanded, to make a point he slammed down his gold staff, fire exploding out from it in a warning shot. Griselda curled back her lips in a deadly grin.
"Oh...well, you can always trade."
"I don't make deals with corrupt man-hating harpies, unlike the faggots you deal with." Abaddon taunted, starting to circle her. Griselda smiled but bristled; this one was different. It simultaneously thrilled and enraged her.
"Faggots...you say? Including your blood?" Her green eyes flashed.
"He'll learn! Last warning, wench. Give me my son's wings and halo, or I will pry them off your corpse."
Griselda threw back her head and laughed, flapping James' wings on her back, which on her were now batwings, brown like her great feline body.
"Amusing. Look who decided it was time to be a good father? Oh..my. A little late, though, don't you think? In fact...my crystal ball shows this entire thing was your doing, it was your dark magic that sickened his lover and brought him begging to my cave! Delightful!" Griselda cackled wildly, images in her floating magic orb showing Abaddon walking out on a wailing infant James and his mother. Abaddon's face contorted in rage, his irises going red, his fire magic coursing through him fueled by his emotions. His crow companion flew off his shoulder pad and perched on Griselda's dead tree, sensing the incoming violence.
"And you," Abaddon snarled back, gripping his staff with both hands in fury, like it was a neck he was choking, "Are nothing but a corrupt king's whore, who pukes her pathetic grudge on all men. Soon to be...a dead whore." Abaddon looked at her, his gaze determined, it was unlike her, but Griselda flexed her claws, snarling, her fur bristling. The two had gotten under each other's skin. Fire and green earth magic surrounded each one respectively, neither one knew they could do it, but both had grown so enraged by the other's taunts they started to grow, their magic surging in electric arcs, fearsome teeth sprang from their growing snouts, horns from their heads. Necks elongated and claws grew from hands, tails from spines, wings transformed. The two let out massive roars at each other, they had both transformed unexpectedly, even to them, into huge dragons, Abaddon into a huge black fire dragon and Griselda into a brown earth dragon of equal size and power. Abaddon inhaled with a mighty gasp and let loose a massive surge of dragon fire her way, she inhaled quickly and blocked it with a surge of green earth magic from her own maw, their huge teeth fearsome as they tried to obliterate each other.
"Ahhh! Fight to the death, ahhh!" Abbadon's crow cawed on his tree branch. He cowered as the dragons took flight, breathing more fire and earth at each other, they bit and clawed at one another savagely, struck each other with their tails and leapt on each other's backs. Griselda bit Abaddon hard on his neck and he howled, making the hills shudder. He planted his hand on her chest and raked his fearsome claws down it, drawing long trails of blood as he went. She scratched him hard across his muzzle, blood spraying from her hand as she raked his face, he sank his four foot long fangs into her shoulder, shaking her like a dog. They fought on and on, biting, slashing and breathing magic fire onto each other again and again. Abaddon's crow watched as finally, after what seemed like ages, sheer exhaustion won, and Abaddon and Griselda both fell to all fours, shaking in fatigue, their limbs shuddering, their power faded and each reverted to their true forms, barely able to hold themselves upright even on all fours. Abaddon spat blood, which dripped from his mouth, long claw marks across his face and neck and chest, deep bite wounds all over him; Griselda looked no better, also bleeding from the savage bites and slashes he'd rendered.
"I...will....NOT....tie...with a...little fucking....female!" Abaddon snarled, his strong muscled arms gave out and he tried to stand and fell, he held onto his staff, angry at his weak state. Griselda was every bit as weak and wounded, but she laughed, shrill and mocking; Abaddon's eyes flashed rage, but to his utter fury, he had no magic or strength left to silence her, which he longed to do.
"Such impotent male rage, how amusing, how predictable. I will say though...you put up a mighty fight, LightningSword. I guess you just weren't as big and mighty as you thought you were, now...were you?" Griselda hissed.
"Mark my words....you evil sow...this isn't over! No one insults my pride, my skill, my name," Abaddon coughed up more blood, "And lives!" Abaddon literally limped away, trailing blood behind him, falling down over and over but getting back up with an angry heave, his crow following and circling overhead, as shaking in fury, he limped off in the direction of his dark healer's cabin past the mountains, muttering and cursing in rage the entire time. Griselda laughed shrilly, pleased she'd tied with a powerful male enemy, though she'd never admit that to him, he'd actually impressed her. She licked her mighty wounds, grateful her rival would be too weak from his own injuries to attack her again until he too had healed.
She'd be waiting.