EXCERPT<\/h4>\n
\u201cAbigail, I hear you have met an Omera before. Even tamed one. Come, share with the class.\u201d He beckoned her forward.<\/p>\n
Abigail stood, knowing if she didn\u2019t, he would simply force her feet to move. On her way to the front, she passed Endera, who trembled with rage.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell the class what you know about these magnificent creatures.\u201d Vertulious had a calculating look in his eyes. He was up to something, but she couldn\u2019t decipher what it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not all bad,\u201d she ventured. \u201cI met some that were kind of nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vertulious laughed. \u201cNice? An Omera can rip a man to shreds with just its talons. Did you know the Omera were created centuries ago by a Volgrim witch to fight at our side? It has been eons since this coven had the power to control them. It is time we showed them who they work for.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re wild animals, not pets,\u201d Abigail said. \u201cWe can\u2019t control them or own them.\u201d The very thought was appalling.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Omera have forgotten who they belong to,\u201d Vertulious replied icily. \u201cWe created them. We rule over them. We just need to remind them of that and bring them to heel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abigail stared at the cruelty in his eyes, thinking of Big Mama and her little babes. They weren\u2019t meant to be tamed, but before she could argue, he clamped a hand on her shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome, let\u2019s do the metamorphis spell together, shall we?\u201d<\/p>\n
A sudden suspicion made the hair on the back of her neck rise. He was pulling strings like a puppeteer, getting her in front of the class like this\u2014but why? Then the answer was obvious. He must not be able to do it by himself, or he would have done so<\/em>. Abigail shrugged free and took a step back. \u201cNo. I\u2019m not going to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n His eyes hardened into steel points. \u201cThis class is an important part of your placement here at the Tarkana Witch Academy. I would hate for you to be expelled.\u201d<\/p>\n Abigail gasped. He would nev`er .\u00a0.\u00a0. but she read the coldness in his stare. He didn\u2019t really care. Right now, he needed her to help him with this metamorphis spell, and nothing else mattered.<\/p>\n Vertulious unscrewed the lid on a jar. Abigail recognized the ingredient, gallillium, the same one Portia had mentioned.<\/p>\n He opened the cage door\u2014ignoring the spitting, hissing shreek\u2014and snapped his fingers. The shreek froze on its perch. He pried open its beak, sprinkling some of the gallillium powder down its throat.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, class, the gallillium will make the shreek bigger, but to create metamorphis, we need something from an Omera to spark the change.\u201d He reached into his robes and pulled out a pointed tooth. \u201cLike this fang I found walking in the swamps one day.\u201d He waved his left hand, causing the air in front of the shreek to swirl. The creature\u2019s eyes moved wildly from side to side as a hole in its chest grew larger.<\/p>\n Was that its tiny heart beating away?<\/em><\/p>\n Vertulious slipped the fang into its chest and then waggled his finger.<\/p>\n The hole sealed up, and the shreek shook itself, hissing at them.<\/p>\n \u201cNow say the words with me,\u201d Vertulious said. \u201cCabela<\/em> ello morpheus<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Abigail remained mute. This was wrong. If she was expelled, so be it.<\/p>\n The alchemist leaned in and spoke in her ear. \u201cDo it now, or your little Balfin friend might have a terrible accident.\u201d<\/p>\n Abigail\u2019s heart clenched.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be shy,\u201d Vertulious said loudly. \u201cEveryone is waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n The whole class had gone silent. Even Endera raised her eyes to see what would happen next.<\/p>\n Abigail took a deep breath, hating herself but knowing she didn\u2019t have a choice. \u201cCabela<\/em> ello morpheus<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow a source of power.\u201d Vertulious raised his hand and unleashed a blaze of green witchfire that circled the cage and made the shreek freeze. \u201cJoin me,\u201d he commanded.<\/p>\n Reluctantly, she raised her hands and released her own blast of witchfire. Oddly, he didn\u2019t ask her to remove her sea emerald, so her witchfire was as green as his.<\/p>\n The class oohed as their twin blasts of witchfire joined, turning the cage into a glowing orb that lifted off the table, then simply disappeared. The shreek remained trapped in the center of the ball of light.<\/p>\n \u201cRepeat the words again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Abigail wanted to resist, but Hugo\u2019s face flashed in front of her.<\/p>\n \u201cCabela<\/em> ello morpheus<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n The shreek began to spin in the air, twirling faster and faster until it was a blur. A ball of mist grew larger and larger around it, shrouding it from sight.<\/p>\n Finally, Vertulious held a hand up, and Abigail dropped her hands, gasping with fatigue.<\/p>\n The mist cleared, unveiling a hulking black winged creature perched on the table. The shreek continued to grow, swelling and expanding as a spiked tail emerged and its snout lengthened, adding a row of sharp pointed teeth. One leg extended toward the floor; the other kicked the table away, sending it crashing into the wall.<\/p>\n The creature opened one eye, revealing a red stare that was pure evil.<\/p>\n Vertulious stepped closer and reached out a tentative hand to touch the snout. Abigail half hoped the shreek-Omera would leap on the alchemist and do away with him, but it simply butted its snout against his hand. Vertulious smiled, then turned to face the class. \u201cJob well done, Abigail.\u201d He clapped, and the class joined in\u2014all except for Endera, who just glared at her.<\/p>\n Cold dread penetrated her bones.<\/p>\n What had she done?<\/em><\/p>\n Welcome back to another month of The Iron Jaw, a monthly column on writing tips and finding inspiration. This month we are talking about writing series. As the author of four different children\u2019s series, I can attest to my fondness for writing multiple installments of a story! Some of my all-time favorite books were part […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-iron-jaw"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/stage.myliquis.co\/alane-adams-studios\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/abigail.jpg\")
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