inspire-indiana Chapter 527 Crows
Chapter 527 Crows
"Hey, Ian, come and help!" Lucas surrounded a gray horse with a spotted butt, and was panickedly led by the horse around in circles.
After the new school year began, the guardians began to learn horse riding. The noble students who had always been suppressed by the commoners in the past could finally hold their heads high. They sat leisurely on their horses, watching their classmates make all kinds of jokes with a smile.
Teacher Wolf knew that they had been suppressed for too long, so he did not intervene and allowed them to regain their dignity. As a result, there was constant laughter on the training ground early in the morning.
Lucas's performance on weekdays was okay, but riding was a pastime for the rich for him. Apart from occasionally riding in a carriage, he had never really ridden a horse, so he had to ask Ian for help.
"What the hell is this guy trying to do? Save me, Dragon Rider." Lucas wailed. As soon as he tried to step on the stirrup, the guy dodged and then bared his teeth to watch him make his next attempt.
Ian immediately turned his head and glanced at Lucas without any expression: "You are also yelling like them."
Because he followed the teachers to find Lilith who was captured by a dragon, Ian was given this nickname by his classmates, regardless of his explanation that he didn't even see the shadow of the dragon.
But when Lucas opened his mouth to ask for help, Ian still kicked the horse's belly and walked over to Lucas. "Horses are extremely sensitive to human emotions. They can sense your fear. The more afraid you are, the more they dare to bully you."
"You mean it did it on purpose?" Lucas widened his eyes, watching the gray horse wag its tail triumphantly, as if mocking him.
"You can play tricks on people, and of course it can play tricks on people too." Ian sat and watched Lucas spinning in circles.
"Are you thinking that I'll have a chance to go to the infirmary after I break my leg? I've already told you that Lilith is as strong as a bull. There's nothing to worry about. She might be alive and kicking right now." Lucas carefully dodged the horse's head, which wanted to taste his blue hair.
"That's a good idea..." Ian slowly took out half a crumpled piece of bread from his pocket.
"In its eyes, you are inferior. Since you can't suppress it, you might as well curry favor with it." He handed the bread to Lucas.
The gray horse smelled the food and finally stopped wrestling with Lucas. It took a few steps towards the two of them, obviously very interested in the food.
"This guy is more realistic than me..." Although Ian's method worked, Lucas was obviously very dissatisfied with the status difference between himself and Ma, and muttered angrily.
"Are you still feeding those noisy crows? The last time I saw one on the lawn by the lake, it was almost as big as a puppy! Hannah said that they used to just steal some luminous stones, but now they can almost carry the crucible." Lucas took advantage of the situation and started to complain about his friends' behavior of feeding the birds carelessly all day long.
Ian started to be selectively deaf again and turned his head towards the castle.
"Hey, you guy—" Ian always looked half dead except in front of Lilith. Lucas looked up and was about to ridicule him, but he closed his mouth when he looked up.
"Give it back to you." Lucas stuffed the remaining bread back into Ian's hand with a pale face, and was met with a puzzled look from his companions.
"Ian, your friends aren't that stingy, are they?" Lucas asked softly, looking up at the sky.
Ian then looked up following Lucas's gaze.
In the sky, a dense flock of crows circled over the training ground like a rolling dark cloud. The flapping of their wings merged into one, like some ancient and mysterious secret language. Some brave ones even swooped down and circled above Ian's head, making short "cackle" sounds, as if greeting this old acquaintance.
When Lucas was afraid that the crows would take revenge on him for stealing their snack, the crows quickly left, and the direction they left was exactly the direction of the castle. Only then did everyone in the training ground realize that behind the castle, the sky was full of red light.
The crows were attracted by the red light and slowly circled in the air. More and more crows gathered, and from a distance the sky looked like black spots.
"What have those magicians done again..." A guardian rode up to the two of them and sighed while looking at the sky.
…………
"Mother!!"
Catherine had already arrived at the secret place behind the castle and was knocking hard on the old gate. The door carved with twined branches made a clanging sound, but no one responded from inside.
When she left, this place was still a quiet lost land, but now, an ominous red mist was rising from the whole secret place, and crows were cawed in the sky, as if waiting for a grand performance.
Catherine's uneasiness grew. She could feel the vigorous wind element moving around her. It was a power unique to the Storm Witch. Her mother was clearly there but she didn't respond.
Catherine pounded harder on the closed door.
And inside the gate is the very center of the secret place.
Phoebe looked at Cynthia's back as she knelt under the tree. The morning light cast a soft outline on the two of them, as if this was just an ordinary early morning meeting, not a life-and-death transaction.
"Don't waste your time, Phoebe."
Cynthia had heard the shouting outside, but there was no hesitation in her eyes. She used blood as ink, and complex runes flickered and took shape at her fingertips. The ground around Kanyon was almost covered with it. With the help of the energy of the small sacred tree, the runes were lit up almost as they landed on the ground. The red mist around her became thicker and thicker, and was gradually evaporating upwards.
Phoebe looked down at the ground. The runes were so precise that it was terrifying. Cynthia was indeed still the genius witch. If she had not chosen the most difficult path, what kind of achievements would she have made now? There was regret in Phoebe's eyes.
"If Colin knew I was doing this for you..." Phoebe wiped her face, "Damn it, give me the potion."
Cynthia immediately sent the potion out, fearing that Phoebe would hesitate again.
"I need to adjust the formula. The mermaid's potion is too mild." As she spoke, she quickly poured several kinds of powder into it and used a spell to guide them to merge with Blue Rose.
A violent reaction occurred during the mixing process. The blue liquid turned into a dazzling purple-red, and tiny bubbles kept popping up until Phoebe finished chanting a string of gray spells. The potion gradually stabilized and eventually took on a dark blue color like the deep sea, with star-like light spots flowing inside.
"You only have one chance, Cynthia." Phoebe said seriously, "Hold his head up."
Cynthia had already drawn the ritual circle and lifted up Canion's neck as instructed. The boy's skin felt completely cold to the touch. She carefully pried open Canion's mouth and let Phoebe slowly pour the potion into his mouth.
As soon as the potion was finished, Phoebe immediately folded her hands over her chest and began to chant the ancient spell. Her voice rose and fell, and the red mist in the air began to produce visible ripples with the tone of her voice.
Kanyon's eyelids trembled violently. The golden veins beneath his skin began to glow, flickering like a beacon in a storm. Suddenly, his eyes fluttered open—they were no longer human. Their pupils took on the veins of leaves, gleaming with a metallic sheen.
"Mom?" The voice was as dry as the friction of bark.
Cynthia's tears finally fell.
"I'm here."
Cynthia cupped her son's face and placed her forehead against his. "Listen, honey. I need you to stay awake and complete a ritual with me."