Darkness

        Darkness descended on the crowded city, pooling in her narrow alleys and along the thick boundary walls. Few people scurried down the once busy streets, their auras tinged with sickly yellow fear as they raced to beat the rapidly setting sun. Above the high city walls the delicate lacework of the boundary spells flickered, fragile as a newly sparked flame, a silent promise of protection against the creatures hunting the cold nights.
          A broken promise, I frowned, spotting a dark shape slipping over the wall nearby. Tarnished silver laced through its inky purple aura, marking it as a shadow soul, a vicious night shade that sucked the life energy from its prey, leaving behind the empty husk. I held my breath as it oozed by searching for the perfect prey, watching as it headed for the Goddess Shrine.
          "Iliana's Fire!" I cursed. It just had to be the shrine, and not just any shrine, but the Abriele's Shrine, the one goddess that decimated my kind. Tucking a strand of wine red hair behind my ear, I leapt from my perch on an ornate roof, hitting the ground running. My right hand grasped the hilt of my best silver athame, while I fumbled with my hunters' mark with my left. The first cries of alarm were drifting on the cool night breeze when I reached the Shrine Gates. Ignoring the commands of the guards I rammed my way through the thick iron gates, barely feeling the burn of the iron as it hit my exposed skin.
          Smoky tendrils of black haze crept around the back of the temple, snaking out from the low buildings housing the temple acolytes. Fear colored the damp night air, shot through with silver, enveloping the smallest building in the back. I sprinted towards the building, dodging the young acolytes that were gathered in panicked groups, stopping just outside the heavy door. Inside I could hear muffled prayers, faint lances of golden light that didn't brighten the inky purple despair leaking through the cracks in the door. Precious seconds ticked by as I attempted to kick the door in, the powerful spell dying on my lips as I took in the terrifying scene.
          Five priestesses were gathered around a small figure huddled in the center of the room, brilliant blue magic fading as it mixed with the silvery shadow soul. The priestesses were whispering ancient prayers, but they sounded off, the prayers twisted and dark. The shadow soul itself was feeding from the mage at the center, a long tendril doubling back towards a large ebony stone. Rage at the creature and the priestesses poured through my veins, and a death spell spilled from my lips, forbidden powerful magic. My silver athame sliced towards the ebony stone, pure reflex, fluidly severing the link between creature and stone seconds before the spell hit. The shadow soul shrieked, its aura swirling and twisting in agony as it spun to face me. Silver tendrils lashed out, flashes of bone deep pain as it tried to fight off the curse, finally giving an ear piercing scream before disappearing into nothing.