Soul Guardian

Magic, much like light, was neither wave nor particle. It mostly did its own thing, having long since decided that the laws of physics were much too boring and restrictive.

In places like hell it was harvested and divided up among the elite. But in the mortal realm it flowed freely, seeping into the world through cracks in the firmament.

Whole communities of magical creatures sprang up around these cracks. They were drawn to it, like deep sea creatures huddled around a thermal vent. And in a small northern California town, the cracks had begun to widen.

It was gradual at first. Mundane things took on a certain shine as magic became stronger. But for one young witch, the effect was much more noticeable.

Six Sharoth, adopted daughter of Bael-Sharoth and Maharet Flameheart, had begun to come into her power. Usually magic waited for its hosts to seek it out. But with nowhere else to go, it had started collecting around her like rain in a dry lake bed.

The young girl found this intensely annoying, and worse yet, silly. She couldn't go for a walk in the woods without some random creature trying to become her familiar.

“YOU WILL HAVE TO CHOOSE EVENTUALLY,” said Titan as he padded along the trail beside her. The massive hellhound had managed to keep the worst of them away, but the creatures were incredibly persistent. “A WITCH NEEDS HER FAMILIAR.”

“Says who?” asked Six as she shot a glare at an approaching squirrel. The creature had begun to nervously creep forward with an acorn in its paws. “Who says that I need a familiar? Why can't I just do my own thing?”

The hellhound gave her a long look. “ARE YOU REJECTING THEM BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE THE IDEA? OR BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE BEING TOLD WHAT TO DO?”

“Both,” replied the young girl, “Having a creature bound to me feels wrong. It's like, slavery with extra steps.”

“HMM… I SUPPOSE THAT YOU MAY HAVE A POINT,” mused Titan, “BUT IT IS AN EXPECTATION, AND A STRONG FAMILIAR WILL HELP KEEP YOU SAFE.”

“How so?”

“FAMILIARS ACT AS A CONDUIT FOR YOUR MAGIC. THEY CAN PROTECT YOU FROM HARM, IF USED CORRECTLY.” He paused for a moment. “HOW ARE YOUR CLASSES GOING?”

Six groaned. “Don't ask. I thought I would like school. But it's just so boring.”

“I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT YOU ENJOYED LEARNING.”

“Oh, I do. It’s just all the other stuff I don’t like.” The young witch eyed an approaching raven as if daring it to speak. “School would be great, if it weren’t for the students.”

Titan nodded his massive head. “I’M SURE THAT’S A SENTIMENT YOUR TEACHERS SHARE.”

Six glared at her protector. “What exactly are you implying?”

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“I’M IMPLYING NOTHING. HOWEVER I SHOULD POINT OUT THAT YOU TRIED TO TURN ONE OF YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS INTO A FROG.”

“It didn’t work. All I managed to do was give him webbed feet.” Six scowled as she remembered the inciting incident. The boy in question had decided to pull her pigtails and run away, completely unaware of the misfortune about to befall him.

Titan examined his paw. “I CANNOT BE CERTAIN THAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE YOUNG BOY’S CURRENT STATE.”

Six raised an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

“HE MAY ALREADY HAVE HAD WEBBED FEET. THAT KIND OF THING CAN RUN IN FAMILIES, YOU KNOW.”

“Huh, I hadn’t considered that.” The young witch looked up thoughtfully. “I’ll bet he’s really good at swimming. Actually, I should run some tests and see if it affects how he moves through the water. I wonder if there are any Olympic athletes in his family tree.”

“FROM WHAT I KNOW OF HIS FAMILY BACKGROUND, IT’S MORE OF A WREATH THAN AN TREE.” Titan came to a stop. “I ALSO BELIEVE YOUR FATHER FORBID YOU FROM PERFORMING EXPERIMENTS ON THE OTHER STUDENTS. HE WAS QUITE CLEAR, NO MAD SCIENCE UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL.”

“Don’t be silly,” Six said, “It’s not mad science. It’s just the regular kind.”

“WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?”

“I’ll write my methods down and take meticulous notes. Also, I imagine I’ll do a lot less monologuing.”

The hellhound scratched behind his ear. “IS THAT WHAT MAKES IT MAD SCIENCE? THE MONOLOGUING?”

“I’m pretty sure. That, and a complete lack of occupational safety.” She reached up to scratch behind Titan’s other ear. He was quite a lot bigger than her, so she had to stand on the tips of her toes to get to it. “Mad scientists are always falling into big vats of chemicals, or getting electrocuted by their own machines. If you ask me, it’s a wonder they ever get anything done.”

The young witch furrowed her brow. “Also, mad scientists are a bit silly. If I was doing science, I would want it to be serious.”

“AH, I SEE,” Titan replied, making a point not to remind Six that she was only nine years old, and silliness was acceptable, if not expected. “WE MAY HAVE GOTTEN SIDETRACKED. I BELIEVE I WAS TRYING TO CONVINCE YOU TO TAKE ON A FAMILIAR.”

“Correction. I believe you were failing to convince me to take on a familiar.” Six stuck her tongue out at him.

“PERHAPS I HAVE GONE ABOUT THINGS THE WRONG WAY,” Titan admitted as he sat down, “MAYBE YOU DON’T NEED A FAMILIAR. BUT IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT A FAMILIAR NEEDS YOU.”

“What? Like a rescue?” Six’s eyes lit up. “Are you telling me that there is a pet shelter for forgotten familiars?”

Mischief twinkled in the hellhound’s eyes. “MAYBE.”

“Well, can we go?” the young witch asked.

“I DON’T KNOW IF YOUR PARENTS WOULD APPROVE. IT COULD BE DANGEROUS.”

“Then I’m definitely going.” Six put her hands on her hips. “Point the way!”

Titan let out a low chuckle. “ASK POLITELY. MANNERS ARE IMPORTANT, EVEN FOR A YOUNG WITCH.”

“Fine,” Six agreed with a smile, “Will you please take me to the magical pet sanctuary, oh greatest of hellhounds and best of dogs?”

“DON’T FORGET INCREDIBLY INTELLIGENT, FIERCE, AND WISE,” Titan replied.

The young witch rolled her eyes. “You already tricked me into going to get a familiar, don’t press your luck.”

“AH, I’M SURPRISED YOU CAUGHT ONTO THAT.” A guilty expression crossed Titan’s face.

Now it was Six’s turn to laugh. “My dad is Bael-Sharoth, baron of hell. If he can’t pull one over on me, then there’s zero chance that you can.” She patted the hellhound on his head. “Now, come on. If we finish up at the sanctuary in time, maybe we will have enough time to play fetch after.”

“I DO ENJOY FETCH,” admitted the hellhound.

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