Jungle Witch

Ebony stalked through the street like an angry griffin. With each step her rage increased until she was burning with it.

Why did she agree to help these people? She hated them. What right did they have to ask her for help? They were the ones that chased her out in the first place.

The tiger said nothing, understanding that she needed the silence. The snake, wrapped around her wrist, tightened her coils to help sooth the edge of her friend's temper. Ebony brushed gentle fingers over Venom's smooth scales in silent gratitude.

"Where are we?" Looking around, she could see that some of the buildings seemed a little familiar.

"In the southern district," Naveen growled out, irritated that she'd been the one leading when she didn't know where she was going.

She'd already figured it out by the time he answered. They were standing in front of Solon's temple which wasn't far from the Southern Manor. She spoke without realizing it. "This is the only place my father ever took me to outside the manor."

Naveen said nothing, afraid to attract her attention. Her black eyes had a strange look in them that seemed both sad and angry. Not a gaze he wanted turned his way. After a minute, he said quietly, "We should keep moving. The tiger is scaring everyone."

She nodded jerkily before walking towards the enormous stone house that used to be her home. She felt a mixture of pain and guilt. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the gates. To her surprise, they didn't creak. No one had been living here in over eight years, but it seemed to be in good shape.

"Has someone been tending to this place?" she asked curiously as she looked around at the thriving gardens.

"Of course," Naveen replied a little sullenly. He was still upset that he had to stay in this creepy house with the Jungle Witch. "The manor house is the pillar of the district." He looked away and added in a grumble, "Besides, it probably contains information about the curse."

"You humans really are morons," she grumbled. "Didn't you stop to consider that there would be magic protecting my father's private studies?"

"Yes," he snapped, tired of her calling him a moron. "That's why we sent in wizards."

"This city has only had two wizards of any caliber. One of them was murdered and the other chased out," she pointed out with ice in her voice. "You're street sweeping trash collectors are no match for Lord Bura's magic. I'm not sure who was more foolish. You for sending them or them for going."

Naveen took about two heartbeats to figure out that she was talking about Rivera's wizards who kept the city clean, then snarled, "We had wizards come from outside the city."

"Then they should have known better than to go into another wizard's study," she snapped out, tired of him trying to win something he'd already lost.

Dismissing him, she turned back to the manor. She wondered absently what creature her father's spells turned the wizards into. Well, she'd find out just as soon as she got inside.

"Is that a tiger?"

Ebony turned towards the surprised and awed voice. A man, who appeared to be a little older than her, had stopped dead in his tracks to stare excitedly at Raj. This stranger had the usual black, shaggy hair that was just below shoulder length. His brown eyes were warm and friendly. She had to look up at him because he was just as tall as Commander Abhay, but instead of being built like a bear, the stranger was more lanky.

Another human, she thought with annoyance. Couldn't they just leave her alone?

"No, it's a really big bunny rabbit," she answered in a 'you are an idiot' tone.

Raj gave her a look as incredulous as a tiger could make. "A rabbit? Did you just call me a rabbit? Tigers eat rabbits."

She waved that off, keeping her eyes on the stranger.

His eyes flicked up to her at the tone, but his grin didn't even falter. " I've never seen an orange rabbit with stripes. Where did you get it?"

Ebony could only shake her head. "Are all humans bleeding morons?"

Naveen stiffened and growled under his breath about annoying and acidic jungle witches.

"Are all darnots?" the stranger replied, still grinning. Humor danced in his eyes, as he watched the annoyance flash in hers. "After all, you're the one that said it was a rabbit."

"She can't be a darnot. Those suppress magic so they can't have any," Naveen informed the stranger he now saw as dim-witted.

Ebony was frowning at the stranger. No way this scrawny human figured that out on his own. It had to be a fluke. Unless he wasn't human. "Who are you anyway?"

"Jay Sharma, at your service," he said with an elaborate bow and his goofy grin.

Sharma wasn't the name of any powerful wizarding family. So how had he figured out something that no one else had?

While Ebony glared at him, Jay said to Naveen, "And she has to be a darnot. Her eyes are like theirs."

"How do you know that?" Ebony demanded irritably, wanting an answer.

"Well, the Mista family brought a few into town a few lunar cycles ago and I met one," Jay explained, giving her his attention again.

Deciding that it was time to end the conversation, Ebony turned towards the manor. She began making her way to the doors.

"I wouldn't go in there," Jay told them. "Rumor has it, that place is haunted by Lord Bura's ghost."

"I'll be fine," Ebony told him without looking back. Then it occurred to her that he was standing inside the grounds of her father's manor. She glanced at him with suspicion. "Why are you here?"

"I work here," he replied easily enough. "My job is to keep the place in good shape."

She turned to him again. "So you're the one who tends the gardens?"

He nodded with a big smile. "Yup. I do all the jobs around here. Just think of me as a jack of all trades."

"Who asked you to take care of this place?" she asked him curiously, though her eyes still held irritation. She wasn't softening up towards him one bit, she told herself.

"The Mista family," he replied without letting her dislike of him bring down his mood. "They have been in charge of this district since Lady Ebony disappeared into the jungle." Jay seemed to stop there for a moment. He looked at the tiger, then at Ebony, then to the house. Finally he looked at her again. "I heard that the Southern Lady got her name from her eyes because they're solid black."

He didn't recognize her, she realized. Or he hadn't until now. His interest had been entirely due to Raj's presence. That softened her annoyance...but just a little.

Jay grinned at her and held out his hand. "Nice meeting you folks."

She hesitated for only a moment before taking the offered hand. Her reply was kept simple and contained no indication that she was happy to meet him. "Hello."

With that said, she dropped his hand like a hot brick. This seemed to amuse Jay, though he didn't say so. Instead, he said, "I better get back to work. Hope to see you again."

Ebony dismissed him, saying nothing, and gave her attention back to the doors.

She had one hand frozen on the door handle and the other in a fist at her side. What right did she have to come back here after what she'd done?

"What is it?" Naveen demanded when she stopped at the door.

Shaking off the guilt, Ebony opened the door. And, damn it, Jay had done a good job in here too. There wasn't even a layer of dust. Maybe she should have had the orange bunny rabbit attack him.

The front door led into the parlor, which was designed to be a public area with comfortable couches and enormous rugs. Like most houses of the rich in their area, windows dominated the walls, allowing a breeze and light to enter. Her eyes trailed over the stone walls where a few of her mother's paintings still hung. Each of the small, square tables at the end of the couches had a candle sitting on their centers.

She had to stop to catch her breath when she saw the clay flower pots in the corners. Her heart began pounding in her ears and her body shook slightly. She'd made those brightly colored pots herself when she'd been eight years old. When she'd shown them to her father, Lord Bura planted a large, bright red flower called a flame blossom in them so that he could show off his daughter's creations. She would bet that the painting she'd made for him was still hanging in his room. Lord Bura may have been Rivera's monster, but he had been her father.

"It looks the same as the day I left," she whispered, her eyes stinging with tears.

"Are you alright?" Raj asked with worry. "You're skin just paled."

Not wanting Naveen to realize something was wrong, she merely nodded. Forcing herself to function, she turned to Naveen. "Stay in this room for right now. I need to make sure that it's safe for you to wander around."

"Maybe I'll just wait outside," he suggested with a gesture towards the front door.

"Coward."

He glowered at her and sat down on one of the couches. He didn't want to find out what happened to the wizards that came into this house the hard way.

Ebony took one last look around to make sure she was remembering the layout correctly. The bottom floor of the house was used for purely function. There were two public rooms, the parlor and the dining room. The library, kitchen, and dining room were all connected to the parlor.

"Raj, make yourself comfortable," she told the tiger. "This will take a while."

Ebony didn't wait to see what Raj did as she made her way to the double doors along the right wall, which led into the library. She did hear the clack of claws on the stairs. He must have wanted to avoid staying in the same room as Naveen. Not that she could blame him.

As expected, the doors were locked. She reached up and grabbed the key from the top of the door. Slowly, she slid it into the lock but didn't turn it. First she needed to turn off the curse that would transform anyone who entered. Once she started learning magic, one of the first things her father taught her was how to get into the library and his study safely.

Because she didn't know what was inside right now, she carefully opened the door. She wasn't surprised to see two dogs in the room. One was white with a brown spot on it's back, and the other solid black with shaggy fur.

Both dogs looked up at her in shock as they stood.

"You would be the wizards," she said conversationally. Her annoyance flickered in her eyes. "I thought any wizard would know better than to try getting in here without knowing what the protective spell was."

"We thought we could handle it," said the white dog. Her father must have made sure the spell was very thorough because the wizard spoke in the barks and growls of a dog.

"Still should have known better," she replied dryly. "Would it have been better if it had killed you?"

"Yes. We've been in here for years," said the little black dog. "I can't figure out why we haven't starved or thirsted to death yet."

"That's part of the curse," she replied, looking around the rest of the room. "Lord Bura preferred long and slow torment."

The library was a cylinder shape that was three stories high. From the center of the room, she could see straight up to the ceiling because the second and third floors were balconies. The roof was made of solid glass to let in light. The first floor had a scattering of tables and chairs. Books covered all the walls, and several were stacked onto tables.

"That's great to know now. How did you get in here?" the white and brown dog demanded irritably.

She turned her attention back to them. "Unlike you, I knew how to turn off the magic. This is my home."

"We were told no one lived here."

"I don't." She opened the door fully. "Go out into the parlor to wait, and I'll reverse the curse. But you better leave the moment I do because I'll only save you this once."

They scampered out with only minor grumbling. She hoped she could remember how to change them back or she'd have to listen to them complain until she figured it out.

First she needed to check her father's study upstairs for more transformed wizards. She closed the doors behind the dogs and felt the protective magic fall back into place automatically.

Maybe she'd remove that curse permanently later. She'd need Naveen to be able to come in here, and she didn't want to have to risk him getting even more cursed. There was no telling what the mixed curses would do to him. Then again, it was nice knowing she had a safe haven within this city.

Mulling that over, she walked over to one of the tables and blew the dust off the books. Some cleaning was in order before she could find the information she needed.

She made her way up the stairs to the second floor balcony where there was one door. She opened it without hesitation. Her father only put the protective spells on the doors leading to the rest of the house. Not the ones in here.

Inside she found one cat, probably another wizard that had been stupid enough to try and get in. With a sigh, she directed him to the parlor where she could change him back when she got the opportunity.

Her father's study, like the library, had a layer of dust over everything except for a trail of paw prints. On one of the walls hung a simple painting of a tree with a bird's nest. Her painting. Lord Bura had always encouraged her artistic streak because her mother had been an artist, though unlike her mother, she'd preferred music.

His large, dark brown desk was just as her father had left it. Everything was in its proper place and stocked for his use.

She picked up the thick, leather bound journal that was always kept on the desk. This would be where her father kept most of his notes on the magic he used around the house. Anything else would be in other journals hidden somewhere in the house.

"This one should tell me how to undo the curse he used to protect his workrooms," she said to herself, deciding to worry about the other journals later. With the journal in hand, she made her way out the door leading from the study to the second floor of the house.

This was where all the bedrooms were located. Raj was laying at the top of the stairs on a long, thick rug.

Giving him a small wave, she glanced at the room right next to the study. The master bedroom. Her father's room. Without thinking, she reached out and opened the door. The only things in this room were the bed, Lord Bura's cedar chest, her mother's last painting, and one of her own paintings that she'd made when she'd been four.

"Father always was sentimental in his own way," she whispered, staring at the two paintings hanging side by side.

Both had been made on the same day looking out the same window depicting the same portion of Rivera. Her mother's was immensely better, but that wasn't a surprise. Both of the paintings had ornate wood frames surrounding them.

She remembered her father making the frames. Well, transforming wood into them. It had been just after her mother died and Bura wanted to keep the two painting in his room together.

To her mother's frame, he'd added a small drawer. Because she couldn't resist, Ebony opened the drawer to look inside. Her mother's paintbrush was still inside, where her father had put it. She slid the drawer closed again and swallowed around the lump in her throat.

"I guess I can sleep in here," she said out loud, not sure she could. But it was a start to learning to live with what happened all those years ago. She almost didn't want to bother with that, but since she was stuck in the city anyway, she might as well get something out of it. "Better go make sure that the human isn't getting into trouble."

On her way back downstairs, she checked each room to make sure there wouldn't be any surprises for Naveen. She would hate to have to help Naveen by undoing one of her father's curses.

She returned to the parlor and found Naveen was staring at the two dogs and the cat in confusion. She shook her head at his lack of understanding. "They're the wizards that you're family foolishly sent in here."

"Oh." His eyes narrowed a little. "What happened to them?"

"The protective curse around the library and study changed them," she replied a little sharply. She thought that having been cursed, he'd learn all he could about magic. "I sent them in here to try to change them back."

"You can break a transformation curse already?" Naveen demanded, standing abruptly. "Why haven't you broken the one on my family?"

"The curses aren't the same at all so breaking them won't be the same either." She sat and opened the journal to read about the curse Bura used on the workrooms. "Now be quiet, Nabeen. I have to figure out how to undo the curse on these three fools."

"My name is Naveen, not Nabeen," he growled out, clenching both fists.

"Don't bother," she informed him while skimming the journal. "It's not worth remembering."

"Why you..." His eye twitched in irritation.

"You mean you don't already know how to undo our curse?" the black dog demanded indignantly.

"Unfortunately, Lord Bura never concerned himself with undoing this particular curse. He always believed that those who tried to get into his private rooms deserved it," she said that last part in a tone that said she agreed with her father.

Her father's handwriting was as neat and precise as always. She flipped through the journal until she found the protective curse he favored. It was a mix between an anti-aging and transformation. Their body gained nutrients by taking energy from the sun. Well, at least the wizards didn't lose any of their life to the curse.

Unsurprisingly, her father had put a note that while cursed they couldn't read. This way, even though they were trapped in the library full of her father's research, other wizards would learn nothing. This also explained why the cat hadn't already read the journal. He couldn't.

She studied her father's notes a little more before deciding she understood how her father cast it enough to undo it.

"It seems simple enough. I can break this." She looked at the three wizards. "I'm afraid I'll need to borrow some of your magical energy to do so."

"I don't care, just change me back," the back dog ordered, not at all kindly.

Ebony's eyes narrowed. "Say please."

"What?"

"I don't ask for much from anyone." She closed the journal with a snap as she stood. "All I want is some common courtesy from you because I don't have to help you. Say please, and I had better get a thank you before you leave."

She placed her hands on her hips and simply waited.

The dogs and cat shifted uncomfortably, but eventually gave in to her demand. Once that was settled, Ebony held her hands out over the three. At first, she merely took portions of their magical energy until she couldn't contain anymore. It would be more than enough to break the curse.

Actually, she had enough to begin with, but she figured she should get something out of this deal. They owed her for saving them anyway. Not only that, but if they were short on energy, they may decide not to turn nasty later.

As much as she hated to admit it, wizards were even more untrustworthy than humans. Given an opportunity, these three would steal the journal from her without any remorse.

Closing her eyes, she began releasing her powers slowly. The first thing she had to do was undo the little parts of the curse, such as the anti-aging. Once that was untangled from the rest of the curse, she turned her focus on the shape shifting portion. Compared to the transformation magic on Naveen's family, breaking this one was going to be easy.

She ignored the yips and growls of pain as the wizards' forms began to shift from an animal's to that of a human. Bones snapped into new shapes and organs shifted into new positions. Sith had told Ebony that those that are forced to shift unnaturally always experienced pain, while those who's natural power is to shift compare the feeling to melting into the new shape.

Was there a way to do this without pain? Probably not. Her father probably thought the pain was an added bonus.

The animal sounds changed to human groans. Still she kept her eyes closed. It wasn't finished yet. Just a little more. She sensed the last portion of her father's curse fade into nothing.

"Done," she murmured as she opened her eyes.

Before her stood three wizards. She watched as they stretched out muscles. They were probably very sore as their bodies adjusted to the change in form.

The two wizards that had once been dogs were much older than she was, with gray hair and thin bodies. They looked remarkably wise for people who made such a foolish mistake. Their faces held the wrinkles that came with time and power. Her father had begun to resemble them before his death, she remembered with some pain.

"I hope you aren't dumb enough to try that again," she informed them rudely, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're nothing but a child," the wizard that had once been the white dog snapped out in annoyance that she could do what he couldn't.

"Compared to you, old man, yes," she agreed easily enough. Her mouth curved into a snide smirk. "But it would seem that I'm still smarter than you despite being so young."

The two old men glared at her silently.

"Now is that any way to be?" she asked them, cocking her hip and placing a hand on it. "Where are my thanks for changing you back?"

The wizard that had been the cat was much younger than the other two. In fact, he looked to be around her age if not a little older. His hair was long and brown in a style favored by the men from Kylor. He placed the palm of his right hand over his heart and bowed slightly.

"Many thanks, my lady. I thought I would be stuck as a cat until I died."

"That wouldn't have happened," she answered as her vision went a little blurry.

She always got dizzy after using that much magic at once. If she didn't get rid of them and sit down soon, she'd faint. Showing that weakness would be an unforgivable act in front of these people. That was a lesson her father had drilled into her from birth, and the humans had cemented it when they chased her away.

"What do you mean?" the younger wizard asked looking surprised.

"Lord Bura's curse included anti-aging components. You couldn't die while in that form." She waved them towards the door. "Now will you please go away?"

The wizards all took a good look at her. By now, her face was pale and her hands were shaking. Both signs of a weakness they were going to exploit despite the fact that she drained a good portion of their power.

"But there are more questions we need answers to," the older wizard that had been the black dog said. "No wizard would leave without fully understanding the curse he'd found."

"And there is the matter of that reward the Mista family offered," the younger wizard pointed out.

They were all so distracted with their argument that they didn't see the front door open and Jay come in. He stopped in the doorway to examine the situation. The girl looked very pale to him. His eyes narrowed a little. In fact, he'd almost swear she was swaying a little.

"I'm not about to let you examine what is now mine." Ebony picked the journal up and clutched it protectively. She'd known this would happen. "Now leave."

The three wizards stood side by side and held up their hands. "Not until we learn more about the curse we were under and any other notes within that journal."

She felt them gathering their magic and glared at them. "Nadeen. I recommend you hide. Go through the door on your left and wait in the dining room."

"It's Naveen," he corrected on his way to the dining room.

A part of him felt cowardly for running and leaving her to fight for herself, but what was he supposed to do? What he found really strange was that he hoped she'd be alright. He told himself forcefully that he was only worried because she was his only hope to break his family's curse.

Holding the journal in one hand, Ebony held up the other palm out and began summoning the power inherited from her mother. A solid black sphere formed in front of her palm.

The wizard's power began to combine into a bright ball of lighting that buzzed with energy and made her hair stand on end.

Her black orb of power expanded to engulf her body as a single beam shot out to hit the wizards. To the wizards' surprise, the lighting they had formed simply vanished. When they tried to use their powers again, nothing happened.

"Give it up," Ebony told them as she braced her hands on her knees. Sweat trickled down her face. "Your magic won't work for at least another hour."

The wizard that had been the white dog looked a little surprised then smirked when she stumbled. "Looks like we win. There's three of us and only one of you."

Bracing herself on the back of a couch, she glared. "You bastards." She worked hard to stay awake, but she wasn't sure she could. "Should have left you cursed."

Jay put down the box of tools he'd been carrying. The clatter got the attention of everyone in the room. He grinned. "Now why would you want to go and steal her journal for?" Despite his words and cheer, Jay rolled to the balls of his feet and cracked his knuckles a little. "You know that would be very rude of you."

"Stay out of this," the younger wizard snapped out a little nervously.

Jay was easily the tallest man in the room and despite being lanky his muscles were well defined. The only wizard that was in any shape to challenge the handyman would have been the youngest, and he looked a little ill.

"Sure, just as soon as you leave," Jay replied easily, still ready for whatever happened.

The three wizards exchanged a nervous look. A growl on the stairs caught their attention and they saw the tiger watching them with predatory eyes. That clinched it. No way were they fighting both the man and the tiger. The three made their way towards the door as fast as possible without running. Jay stepped out of their way but kept his eyes on them. As soon as the three were gone, he shut the door behind them.

Ebony glared at him. "I didn't need help."

"Of course you did, but that's why I'm here," Raj said as he began making his way down the stairs.

She glared at him, grateful Jay couldn't understand him.

"I know," Jay agreed easily enough, still grinning. "I helped because I wanted to."

She just didn't know what to make of him. When he stepped towards her, she backed up. "Don't touch me."

"You're exhausted," he informed her, taking another step forward.

"I'll be fine." Determined to make it so, she forced herself to stand straight.

"Then please quit stumbling around," Venom pleaded from her wrist. "You're making me nauseous."

Now that the threat was over, Raj stepped off the stairs asking, "Why don't you let him help you?"

"I'll be fine," she repeated. As if to make a liar out of her, her vision blurred and began to fade. "I'll be..."

Jay rushed forward and caught her just in time. "Strong girl, isn't she?"

"Naturally. The jungle breeds strength," Raj replied.

Jay only heard growls that he hoped were some kind of agreement.

The dining room door opened slowly and Naveen stuck his head out. "Is it safe to come out yet?"

"Yes," Jay answered, lifting Ebony. Even unconscious, she clutched the journal tightly. With a smile, Jay took it and held it out to the tiger. "I don't suppose you can hold that without tearing it apart or getting it too wet?"

The tiger gingerly took the journal in his powerful jaws.

"I always knew animals could understand us," Jay said in a pleased tone. His eyes moved to Naveen. "Why didn't you help her?"

Raj growled out, "Coward." Even though the humans couldn't understand him.

"I'm just a human," Naveen pointed out. "A normal person like me shouldn't get in between magic users."

"You never leave your partner behind," Jay returned, a little annoyed with the boy. Choosing to leave it alone for now, he changed the subject. "She's exhausted, so I'm taking her upstairs."

Amazed that Jay would touch her like that without being afraid, Naveen asked, "Don't you know who she is?"

"I have a guess, but I'll let her introduce herself when she's ready." Jay went upstairs careful not to shake Ebony around. The clatter of claws told him the tiger was following him up with the journal. Jay glanced at the large feline with a grin. "She'll probably be unhappy to find out that I helped her after all, but I'm sure she'll get over it."

The tiger let out a muffled sound that seemed to be in agreement with Jay.