Wand Wars
an excerpt

“Who sent you?” She stalled for time, James had a key.
“Albrect Hieghbright.”
“Very amusing he has been dead for at least sixty years.” She gave him a withering look.
“He told me this morning to fetch the Lost Rose.”
God this was no simple thief, this was a mad man and a thief, and worse of all, one holding what looked like a thin knife.
“Fine and much good it will do you, or do you like getting electric shocks, got used to them when you were sectioned did you?”
He looked at her oddly.Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to taunt him.
There came a sound of a door openning, followed by footsteps on the stairs. Good man James, with perfect timing plus being built like a Rugby prop half, clearly handy to have around.
“The Others are coming.” A eeiry voice sloshed between them seemingly from a flower vase.
Jayne was worried, was what he had catching some how? She was hearing voices, or at least what passed for a women’s voice, and certainly it wasn’t her own.
“Problem ,the ‘Rose’ doesn’t want to go with me.” He talked to the invisable women as if Jayne was little more then a lamp stand.
“But Albrect said.”
“Some kind of force is holding it here.”He pointed the metal at Jayne. A blue line flashed out like a whip and then crackeled over the ‘Rose’ sculpture. A yellow fuzzy line felt its way slowly through the air and then blossomed and surrounded Jaynes hands. She was speachless as the feeling of invisable inscets crawling over her flesh intensified.
“A Link, she has a Link.” He said to the air.
“The Overseer won’t like it Tal.” The women answered as if they were holding a normal mobile conversation.
“He’s not here is he, with Others crawling nearer and nearer. I’ll do what I must.” He snarled and with those words he rushed forward and threw the sculpture at her just using his penicle thin knife. Instinclively as a child catching a ball Jayne opened her hands and as the smooth form nestled safely in the cages of her fingers,he muttered something under his breath and they both vanished.
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Later on in the novel:The thought drifted that she might not want to really see what it was waiting to get her in the dark.
The phrase ‘monster under the bed’ came unbidden.
“Help! Theres something in here with me. “ She shouted at full lung capasity and lifted the cube, a rock against a monster but if it’s the only rock you have then best be ready before it leaps.
There was a sound at the door. More monsters?
“Why did you lock it, no one locks their doors, the house is protected.”
“Tell that to the beast in here then.” She shouted back.
She heard him muttering.
“And if any of that is offencive towards me mister then…”
The door exploded inwards and he rushed in, ye gods even his night clothes were black.
“There’s something in here, I clearly heard it. “ She whispered loudly.
“The house is protected but there is always the faint chance that they could have come for the Rose
He held another twig, and he began slowly covering the room as if it were a gun.
“Wonderful. I am about to be killed in my bed, ok it’s someone eles bed but you get the drift, and your playing fetch the stick.”
Something moved, it edged around the end of the bed.it sounded heavy.
A loud ‘Huff’ sound shuffled into the silance of two breaths being heald.
“What have I told you about going int guest rooms, you silly old thing.” There was a sudden warmth in his voice.”Come here, come on say sorry.”
Jayne relaxed it was a pooch, the family pet more like it, she must have lock it in with her. She shook the cube and it turned into a candle again.
And looked into the eyes of a monster.
A bear like thing was the first impression and clearly this was no cuddly toy bear, more in size and shape a full grown male grizzly .Even in this poor light Jayne figured it must have been five feet from its shoulder hump to the floor, that alone would have scared her half to death but then she noticed that this one had a set of wings, furry big sweeping brown wings.
“What..what..” Jayne pointed at the monster.
“Sorry about that she’s a little spoilt, mooching around rooms for a fuss and a couple of treats.”
“What..what is it?” jayne was able to get out at last.
“A JAT had her since she was a cub, not many people have them now, haven’t the patience to train them I suspect.”
“No I can see the problem there.” The beast bumped rythmecly against the bed as it rocked back to where it had been sleeping.
“Wonderful guardians are JATS. Nothing will disterb you with her around.” He turned to leave. “On Guard Old girl, that’s it.”
A Humph answered as he left.
Too scared to leave the bed Jayne buried her head under the cover.
So it was that she failed to see the JAT yawn and and in doing so extend its already formidable fangs by at least ten inches.Nor see a full set of arched razor sharp claws emerge from the beasts plate sized paws.