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2

Apart from for food, I had never seen Rusk run as fast as he did. He almost flew up the ladder to the attic, barely giving me time to catch up. I sprang up the ladder three steps at a time bounding with ease into the attic. As I got into the attic I saw what had caused the ear piercing screech. A Rhuogin. A monstrous wolf-like beast with spikes across it's back and 3 razer-sharp tails that could cut through anything.

I took a quick glance at Wrathe and Rusk I could make out their fearful expressions to say, "What. The. Fuck." The Rhuogin looked as if it was about to charge, I had to do something. I steadied my shakey body, legs shoulder width apart, arms raised halfway up my torso. A Warlocks fighting stance. Without thinking or knowing what I was doing, I whispered an incantation under my breath. "Hieru Nokue Ruop." My right hand began to glow and tingle, shivers played tennis along my back. I saw Rusk and Wrathe looking at me but not at my hand, at my eyes. A green circle appeared in front of my right hand with many circles inside, all full of symbols and runes, the discs began to spin and, one after another from the outside it started to lock into place. Whilst it felt like I was taking forever it must have only been a few seconds as the beast had only just begun to move. The final disc locked into place and, with one last tremendous shiver down my spine, a beam of light burst from my hand end past straight through the Rhuogin at first it appeared to do nothing, in fact, the beast seemed to laugh, but after a few terrifying seconds I felt another surge of power and the beast shattered into what looked like millions of pieces of glass. The beam dissipated and the circle shrunk until it had vanished. I looked at my friends as my legs buckled and my vision went black.

I awoke later to find I was laid out on the kitchen table surrounded by my friends, mum and dad. "what happened?" I asked, not remembering anything since the light blast. my head hurt as if I had been hit by a mallet and vision was still a little blurry.

My dad looked down at me with a stern look, I think this was the first time I had seen him out of his study all week, and said, "you used a powerful illusion spell. One of the strongest I've ever felt." I have always known my father was a warlock meaning I had a large potential to be one myself but the only spell I've ever cast was a simple rock spell where I made a stone float for about 5 seconds. His look got harder, "Suzie, I think it's time." my mum's face dropped as she realised what he meant.

"I suppose you're right," she said, her face a look of pure fear and worry. "I just wish we had more time." I could tell from my dad's face he thought the same. I looked on the over the side of me both Wrathe and Rusk looked utterly confused. They both knew I was a warlock but, like me, didn't know what my parents were talking about at all.

"Lia, Rusk, Wrathe. Come to my office. It's time you saw something." And with that, he left. I slid off the table and a rush of nausea hit me like a ten-ton truck, somehow I held off the need to vomit all over the tiled floor of my kitchen. Rusk grabbed me and forced me onto a chair whilst Wrathe got me some water and my mum went to get some aspirin.

It took me thirty minutes before I felt ready to go to my dad's study, a place I had never been in the fifteen years of living here. With one person either side of me and my mum behind we clambered up the stairs and knocked on the study door, "come in!" and so we did. 

The study was a large circular room with a winding staircase that went up so high it shouldn't be possible with how big our house is. All the way up the walls were lined with books with very few gaps all different colours and sizes, some with writing and some without. There were even scrolls here and there. in the middle of the circular tower sad a large wooden desk where my father sat surrounded with open books, scrolls and small living beings that seemed to go and get things for him, they looked like clay figures you would make as a child but alive. He gestured for us to come over.

"Lia, your mother and i have been dreading this day for fifteen years." wow great start to a conversation, I thought to myself. "I am no ordinary journalist, in fact, I work for the high priests at Xarik, the magic school. One of my many jobs is to find candidates for the school. Children between the ages of fifteen and sixteen that start to show magical attributes from all parts of the magic spectrum, be it elemental or time and space or either more powerful, never mind how rare. As your parents, we didn't know whether this school would be best for you with my heritage but now that you've done a spell as big as that I have no choice but to send you in. But do not fear I will be sending Wrathe and Rusk in with you." A collective gasp went around the room. "Now, I know you're wondering why I would send them and it's simple, Rusk's mother is a witch and Wrathe, whilst mortal, does know enough about magic to become a researcher or finder at least. I know this idea can sound daunting and scary but you must understand, you just nearly got attacked by a Rhuogin. They don't just attack anyone they attack people of threat."

that's when I couldn't stand being silent anymore, "but Wraths the one who went into the attic first."

he just shrugged and said, "I don't know, maybe it was luring you up or maybe it hoped that you would come up anyway and was waiting for you and got hungry." The room was silent except for the pita pata of the little clay figures running along the stone floor. This was big. Very big. I had almost forgotten about my pounding headache or the nauseous feeling. Something was replacing those feelings, something more powerful, something no one can hold back. Fear.