The Legend of Emily DragonGem
"Emily, it has come to my attention that you are now a grand-master. Please report to my office at once!" Merle Ambrose told me over the "Wiz-tech", the new phone they created that let you talk to anyone in any world, with an erjent tone in his voice. So I hurried down to Wizard City and headed to his tower. "Was is tower or office?" I thought to myself, as I thought about it, Merle opened the door and said, "I need you to bring this to the Grizzleheim king, we need all of the help we can get with Mallistare out and about." I tried to explain that I had defeated Mallistare with Christopher Dragongem and Zachary Lifeheart months ago, but no one listens to the pyromancers. As he and gamma left to take care of some business, I took a look around and saw a strange crystal. I, being curious, touched it and fell unconscious.
Once I gained consciousness, I was dazed. I was surrounded by many tribal looking people. One of them looked at me and said, "Did you come from the coming times? Burning tree get the book of the prophecies. Welcome newcomer, I am Fire that burns meadow also known as Fire." They explained the tribes past saying, "Here there are three tribes, Fire tribe, Storm tribe, and Ice tribe. Right now you are in Fire tribe. We are fighting with the other tribes, but they will not listen to reason. We know of three lanterns that if lit will summon the six warriors. We have tried to light them, but we only have one of the great raven's feathers and we need three. The other tribes have them and we need to send a strong warrior to receive them." Accepting the quest they gave me, I set off to get the feathers.
The hardest feather to receive was the storm one, they kept zapping me and I had to use Fire dragon over and over, but the reward was grand. I got an awesome new lv. 50 storm staff and a tribal hat. Next was the Ice tribe, they where easy with their weak spells and fizzles, but they had a ton of health. Once I got the feathers, I got an ice staff with the same stats as the storm one. One they read the legend of the feathers and the warriors. I could easily recall hearing the names before. Firoh, Zaius, Icili, Mycan, Dominic, and Lilian. The servants of Ammagecon the destroyer. I asked them for the reason for the summoning and she replied simply saying, "The other tribes are being controlled and we must destroy the servants to fix them."
I don't know how I get sucked into these situations, but I ended up with the quest to defeat the six warriors. The first being Firoh, I had troubble with it. You go through seven prisms very quickly in my terms. In and hour I defeated him with no bad wounds to myself. Next was Zaius, the storm guy. He was easy if you don't count the healing spells I had to use. Six pixie and four Fairy Treasure cards worth of cource. The last boss of the day was Icili, the ice dude, was just as hard as the villagers of the ice tribe, but was the easiest of the three.
The next day, I fought the other three. Mycan first, Dominic second, and Lilian last. Mycan mastered myth, a new magic to the tribal people. During that battle, I saw a boy about five years of age. I finnished the battle quickly to speak to him, but by the time I defeated Mycan, he disappeared. When I fought Dominic, he used death spells to attack. He kept healing and attacking again and again. Last was Lilian, she weilded life magic, she let her master's plan slip when I defeated her. She said, "You fool! My master has taken control of two of the tribes already, the fall of the tribes is at hand!"
The last battle was with Ammagecon, the portal opened and me and Fire went together. The young boy snuck in and helped us fight him. At the end of the battle I asked him what his name was, and he said, "My name is Ambrose! What's your's?" I told the young Merle that he will meet me again in the future. When I was about to leave, Ambrose told me, "I'll make this plase into a city that will teach the magics." and right before I left I told him, "Yes, yes you will."
When I got back, I raced of to Grizzleheim, to start my next adventure.
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Taken
It was a sad, dark, and lonely day in Dragonspyre. It was always that way here, but it would only be a few more hours until he had everything that Ambrose and all his little wizards had protected.
He had a whole plan ready. When the wizards woke up, they’d all be too busy, because he would be sending all his monsters to Ravenwood, where they would all wait till the wizards woke up. Well they did that, he would be attacking Ambrose. No one would be able to stop him…
I woke up. I wouldn’t usually be up this early, but something felt wrong. The only times I’ve ever felt like this when there was a lot of evil magic in one area in one area, all squished into one area.
I sat up and went to the window of my tiny dorm room. There were monsters as far as the eye could see. There was only one explanation for this. Malistaire. I looked out again. There was only one area that I saw that a small person could slip through without being seen.
I ran outside. They didn’t see me, so I kept running. They were all too busy growling at each other to notice a small wizard like me.
The Commons were strangely empty. It was scary, not having the safety of the other wizards around me. I had to keep going though. I couldn’t take the chance of waking up her friends and asking them to come help her. I walked into Ambrose’s office.
Malistaire and Ambrose were fighting. Ambrose was almost dead.
Malistaire was drawing the death symbol. I quickly drew the life symbol, but it was too late. Malistaire tapped the completed symbol, and a scarecrow appeared. It pulled the last threads of life out of Ambrose. I tapped my symbol right after Ambrose disappeared forever. A green light hit Malistaire in the back of the head. He turned around…
I woke up from the nightmare. It was strange, having nightmares about something that’s never happened. It was also strange how Malistaire happened to have taken over the spiral the day before I started to have the nightmare. He’s changed everything since he took over the spiral. He destroyed all the schools except for death and fire, he forces everyone to only wear black and red, and he made Mooshu the prison, all because the people wouldn’t give up life magic.
“No one can be worse than Malistaire, can they?” I whispered.
She watched the girl from the world she lived on. It was a strange world. A world that didn’t have time or space. She called it the silent world, because she was the only one who has ever lived there.
“No one could be worse than Malistaire, can they?” the girl whispered.
Malistaire? She decided to pay a visit to this “Malistaire”. She used a spell, and a shadow lifted her into the air.
“Wizard City.” She said to the shadow. It started flying slowly to the world that they called Wizard City.
“Yes, little girl, there is one person worse than Malistaire, and that is me.” She whispered as if the girl could actually hear her…
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The Son of Death
I am Talon DeathBlade, A new student to Ravenwood. I am from a poor financially troubled family. My parents had barely enough crowns to send me here. It was very kind of them to do so. Two of my uncles are teachers at Ravenwood wizardry school. Uncle Cyrus Drake, the Myth school teacher and Uncle Malistare Drake the, Death school teacher are both my favorite uncles. When I enroll into Ravenwood I will be sure to major in Death classes.
Teleporting makes me feel awesome! It kind of feels like you are flying! But anyway back to the present. I had just gotten to wizard city and I rode my broom straight to Uncle Malistare’s classroom. Once I reached the doors I snapped my fingers and my broom disappeared. I pushed on the double doors with pictures of Ghouls, dark sprites, vampires, banshees, scarecrows, and the infamous Lord Nightshade standing next to Malistare imprinted into it. Uncle Malistare wasn’t teaching a class so he looked up from his desk and his bored face turned into a delighted face. He ran over to me and hugged me so hard that I couldn’t breathe. “Grayson what are you doing here?”He asked me.”I am here to become a wizard!”I replied happily.”I am going to take the Myth and Death classes!””That’s great Talon” He said.”My classes start tomorrow ok.””Alright I said.”Have a good day Uncle Malistare!””You too Talon and take this card with you.””I know how much you like them!”He handed me a card with a Black border with a picture of a Scarecrow.”Thank you so much Uncle Malistare!”I exclaimed as I gave him a hug.”You’re welcome Talon, Now practice using that spell with Death blade and trap to make it more powerful!”He instructed me.”I will!” I yelled back as I rushed out the door.
I heard Mr. Lincoln Call out dorm room partners. I hoped he put me with my friend Vaden TritonFist. “Talon DeathBlade and Vaden TritonFist Please report to the fourth floor dorm number 416.” Yes I thought. We had been sending letters to each other when I was at home in DragonSpyre. The only reason I have a house there is because of my kind Uncle Malistare paid for it and told the dragons to not collect taxes crowns from us. Well anyway we both met at the dorm room and slapped hands and punched fists. We have a secret handshake. “I got into storm class AP!”Vaden told me.”Good job man!”I congratulated him.” My Uncle Malistare gave me the Scarecrow spell card!”WHAT?!” Vaden exclaimed. “That’s a GrandMaster Necromancer spell!””What do you mean master Necromancer?” I asked.”Let me put it as you are level one ok” He said slowly. “And the Scarecrow spell is for people level Forty Eight and ABOVE!””Wow.” I said surprised. “Am I lucky!” There aren’t really levels in wizardry, but I think he was trying to simplify it for me. We started to unpack our bags and put it into our bank.” Vaden I’ll see you tonight, I’m going to go see prospector Zeke for some special items and then I will be at the shopping district for the rest of the day “I explained “ alright I’ll be chilling with my girlfriend Vanessa HeartCharmer at unicorn way” He replied.” Show off!” I said as I rolled my eyes at him. I left quickly and bought a pet Danger Hound from Zeke. Then I went to the shopping district and bought a brand new Wraith pet for Uncle Malistare. I also bought some power rings for Death students only. I came back somewhere around 10:00. I was in my night robe when the door opened and Vaden gave a goodnight kiss to his girlfriend. “Goodnight he said softly as he closed the door. He turned around and was startled to see me staring at him from my bed.”What?” He asked me. I just sighed and went to bed shaking my head sarcastically. The last thing I remembered before I fell into a deep sleep was thinking of what my first class would be like tomorrow…
“Wake up Talon Wake up!”Vaden shouted frantically. “What now?”I asked annoyed.”You are almost late for class!”Vaden exclaimed.”Lord Nightshade! I am almost late!”I yelled as I jumped out of bed and went straight to the bank. I took out my clothes and my athame that I bought just for Uncle Malistare. I put on my robes snapped my fingers and my broom reappeared. I grabbed my Spell book, my deck, and my wand, jumped on the broom and sped off down the hall. Luckily I was the first one at the classroom. I went inside and gave the Wraith to Malistare. He was very pleased. Then I took my seat at the front of the classroom. Everyone else eventually came into the classroom. Uncle Malistare was telling everyone to grab a partner and get ready to duel each other. I was paired up with a guy named Jarek DawnFinder. He was a Magus Sorcerer or Balance school student. We started off first and the circle picked me to go first. I drew a death symbol and casted Death Blade. The Black and Silver shield with a blade on it circled around my head, Jarek then casted balance blade on himself. I casted Death trap on him, preparing my special attack on him, and He then casted weakness on me which would lower the damage of my next attack. He had fallen for it. I then drew a storm symbol and summoned a storm shark. A small lake formed in the middle. All of a sudden the shark with lightning coming from its tail bit Jarek on the shoulder. He barely flinched I was surprised. Later on in the battle I planned to surprise everybody. “I have six pips!” I thought to myself. Now I drew a Death symbol over my head and summoned my favorite creature… The Scarecrow! A crop field grew out of the ground and a scarecrow was in the middle of it blankly staring at Jarek. It breathed in a huge life force wave from Jarek. Then it turned around and spit out the life force on me and I felt renewed. He went down to his knees but he was not defeated. Jarek drew a balance symbol over his head and then summoned Judgment. A beautiful lady came out of nowhere. She had a sword in one hand and a scale in the other. She lifted up the scale and then it glowed very bright when all that light slammed into me. It was too much for me so I dropped. The circle disappeared and Jarek helped me up. ”That was a Great duel boys!”Malistare told us. “You both get an A+!”Everybody gasped. I think we were the first ones to get an A for a long time. We both left and went to the castle shop keeper. Jarek lent me some crowns so I could buy the Death styled house. It was cool because it was designed after one of those really old Haunted Mansions. There was even a furnace in the basement that was alive. It was almost always laughing. I even told jokes and fooled around with him. He can be very helpful with homework It was very kind of Jarek to lend me the Crowns to buy this house! Maybe he will become one of my friends.
Later in the evening Vaden again came back late at night from the date with his girlfriend. I was sitting on my bed writing a letter to my parents. I told them that I was going to give them most of the money I made from finishing quests and performing volunteer work. I also sent them a pet firecat. It would cheer them up so that they wouldn’t be as lonely anymore with me being gone and all. I started to practice my spells. While drawing a death symbol over my head I thought maybe the Banshee could deliver my letter. So I summoned the banshee and told it to deliver this to DragonSpyre Realm 416 The GreatSpyre fourth floor. It seemed to understand me so it grabbed the letter and flew off into the distance.”What was that letter for?”Vaden asked.”A letter to my parents,” I responded. I laid down into my bed once again thinking of what adventures laid ahead of me tomorrow…
I woke up early, relieved to know it was a Saturday morning. I got dressed and went straight to the Sunken City. I went to have my weekly training with Grubb. I never told anyone because they all thought he was a myth. “Good morning Talon,” Said a cackled voice. “Hi Grubb what am I going to fight this time?” I wondered. “You are going to fight two Yellow Ghosts today.” He replied. “Ok, let’s get started!” I said eagerly. The magic circle formed and we got started. I drew a death symbol and started up with buffing up my spell, skeletal pirate. Both of the ghosts used death traps on me. I got a power pip and used a skeletal pirate spell. I took out one of the ghosts very quickly. “Very good Talon keep it up!” Grubb encouraged. I ended up ending the battle with using my secondary class myth. I had used humongofrog. “Talon you have shown great strategy and courage. Go and tell Malistare the words: The Great Wyrm Lives!” Grubb instructed. I went and told Malistare and he gave me a new spell called Invisible Wielder. It is a pretty good card, but I prefer banshee. I met up with Jarek he told me our dorm partners have been changed because they made mistakes with who they put closest to the girls dorm room. We were now roommates and I was still in room 416. Vaden was now one of the guys closest to the girl’s dorms. Won’t he be happy to hear this news! When Jarek moved in we talked about going to help out with the battle of Mooshu When all of a sudden through the loud speaker Mr. Lincoln shouted,” The following students please report to the headmaster’s House!”” Talon DeathBlade, Jarek DawnFinder, Vaden TritonFist, and Vanessa HeartCharmer please report to Headmaster Ambrose! As soon as we got to his house he told us why we were called to him. “DragonSpyre is under attack” He said gravely. My heart froze. I was scared out of my mind did they hurt my parents? Whoever would even attempt to attack DragonSpyre? “We are sending you to the GreatSpyre and you will fight off this Evil! My parents better be okay, or someone will PAY! I thought to myself. No one was going to hurt my parents and get away with it. My fighting spirit was eager to fight off this evil force. We were ready to go, set with the best equipment we could get our hands on we went through the world gate. Next thing I knew we were surrounded by the familiar sights of the Basilica only it was on fire just like the rest of the city of DragonSpyre. Everywhere I went I could hear the sounds of draconian yelling orders at each other. Swords clashed shields splintered they were all over the place. The dead draconian were everywhere, it was a horrible sight most of the dead draconian were people I had known since I was very little. I just hoped that my best friend Black Fang was alright. I sped off on my broom through the streets and portals until I finally got to the GreatSpyre. I didn’t stop riding until I got to the fourth floor at room 416. I opened the door. The only that was wrong with the picture I was seeing was… My Parents were gone! I sat there kneeling on the ground my eyes started to blur. I started to cry. Right after I started carrying Uncle Malistare came in. He had a horrified look on his face. The whole section of the GreatSpyre that my parents lived in was in ruins. Desks cracked, beds wrecked, windows smashed. This place used to be the most elaborate place I have seen besides the throne room. It was now trashed with lots of little footprints everywhere and a couple of giant footprints. They looked like grendels but that is impossible. It was horrible. It seemed it couldn’t get worse when I looked onto the ground. I could not believe it. My parents were… DEAD. This can’t be happening I thought to myself. I just stared blankly at the limp bodies of my parents, frozen in the position of embracing each other before their deaths came upon them. “Someone will pay!” I whispered infuriated to myself. I got up and stormed out of the room with a trail of Black dust following me as if my very existence was drifting away. Malistare just watched me leave with the very first tear falling from his eye for the first time in a long time.
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A Balance Story
Deirdre, running down the streets of Wizard City, being chased by the Fire Elves wasn’t really so bad. Well it was bad, I really didn’t do anything but entered their territory I was only trying to help them. Trying not to run into anyone, only running into a few students, but some of them joined the Fire Elves. I was in deep trouble.
As I ran in through the Ravenwood entrance, running into my instructor Arthur Wethersfield talking to Professor Falmea and Professor Balestrom. As the Fire Elves and students got closer they all noticed the professors glaring at all of them including me.
“If you all have time to dally around you should have time to do your jobs!” Professor Falmea yelled. As soon as all of them saw the flame in her eyes they all ran off.
“I believe this is one of your students Arthur,” She said.
“Yes, and we shall have some talk about this toward the Head Master,” he instructed.
As the professors finished their conversation, Falmea and Balestrom went back to their classes to teach at their own school. As you can see I was in so much trouble, I didn’t do anything I was only trying to help the Fire Elves. He scolded me as he usually would against a troubled student. Like any trouble-making student was sent to the Head Master and told to do extra questing.
The next morning was another day to do our jobs that we accepted to do. Jumping out of bed, getting ready to start and hopefully end the day as quick as possible. Running out the door heading toward Bartleby, where inside the world tree was. This was the gate to all the worlds in the spiral. My first trip was to Grizzleheim, where I had to defeat some Grenadels. Then I was to head for Krokatopia, where I was to help Wul’ Yahm craft some daggers and rings. My final destination was back to Wizard City to help guide the Novice wizards with a Grandmaster. As an Adept I felt so weak when I was helping, cause compared to a Grandmaster what are the chances of having more experience.
After I finished my day I was told to report to the Professor Wethersfield for the progress of the day. Instead he reported me to go to the Head Master. As I knocked on the door to the Head Masters office, I felt a chill down my spine like something bad was going to happen. “Come in Deirdre,” he called.
“Professor Wethersfield told me to come to you for my report of the day,” I said.
“Yes, yes, come and have a seat if you like,” he responded.
As I sat down in the chair in front of his desk, a loud bang came from outside. We both look out the window, it was a storm. The wind was blowing so hard to birds could not fly back to their nests, even the powerful sounds of the thunder knocked some people heading back to their dorms over. But what was worse was the sky, it was almost pitched black. “Hmm, quiet odd don’t you think? Professor Balestrom would seem to know what is happening. But this is not a normal storm, it seems as if the storm is controlled by a powerful source of magic,” Head Master Ambrose said.
He was right about it being controlled but, don’t the Storm Lords control the weather. No this wasn’t an average storm the clouds were to dark colored, could it be this storm is controlled by a Death wizard with help from a Storm wizard. Or is it possible that Malistaire has come back once again. Crack-pop-BOOM! The lightning sounded like it was really close. “Um, Head Master all my quests went well. Since you haven’t asked yet,” I said trying to make a conversation.
“It would seem they have, all the people you helped reported back with a very kind reply,” he said with a smile.
I smiled back at him. Suddenly a crack of lightning came through the roof. The small explosion pushed the Head Master and I against a wall. As soon as the smoke disappeared a human figure stood there, wearing a dark long robe, holding a tall staff, skin as pale as the moon, and a fire furry in yellow eyes. It was Malistaire, and then smaller other figures came about the same height as me. I noticed the smaller figures were other wizard’s dark wizards, wearing all black, eyes the color of purple fire, as if they were controlled. I helped Head Master Ambrose to his feet. “Malistaire,” He said with an anger look on his face.
“Why are you here? You know you are forbidden from Wizard City,” he continued.
“I’m here for your students, so they will take down Wizard City and help me control the Spiral,” Malistaire said with a smirk on his face.
I didn’t know what to do. Should I fight him, or let Head Master handle this so I can go get more help? As Head Master Ambrose started to take a step toward him I stopped in front of him. I looked at him; I think he knew what I was trying to do. “Head Master Ambrose, all the students are here to protect Wizard City, the Spiral, everyone, including you. We need you to teach us how to take Malistaire down. I WILL NOT FAIL YOU!” I said with tears running down my face.
He nodded, and allowed me to face Malistaire. The Dark Students standing behind Malistaire moved forward to protect their leader. Only two approached the others vanished. Malistaire moved back to give us room to fight. The battle began; Head Master said he will help me if needed. I started with shields in the first couple rounds. As for the students they started attacking me, all throughout the battle I was attacked. Right in the middle of the battle, time had stopped I was the only one who could move. Before I knew it I was in front of the Balance Guardian, Lady Judgment. I got on my knees in respect of her. She raised her left hand which hand the scale of balance, magic came out of both the energy coming towards me, my heart almost skipped a beat. The energy surrounded me like an orb. I saw images of the balance history, and previous wizards of the Balance magic. I knew what to do, now. I thanked Lady Judgment. As soon as I knew it time had started again. I threw all I had at the Dark Students, right when they had no health left. Malistaire stopped the battle, the students vanished. With a sneer on Malistaire’s face he said, “This one is very strong, but soon I will take control of Wizard City and the Spiral.”
As soon as he said that he vanished as well, the sky returned to a sunset of the end of the day. “Very good young wizard, I expect great things from you and the other wizard students,” Head Master said.
In a blink of an eye he returned his office back to normal. I said good-bye then left. Once I got where I always liked to be, behind Storm Drain tower sitting along the cliff drawing in a book I had full of drawings. When I was at the end of the picture I drew. Lady Judgment appeared. She had a smile on her face, and said “Thank you, Deirdre”
She vanished; I smiled then look back at the drawing. Looking at the drawing of Lady Judgment, I knew the Spiral had hope, for now.
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The End of Everything
“I did so much to help you Sylvia.”
Those were his last words as my two best friends, Evan Stormhammer a level 50 Diviner and Wolf Fireshade a level 50 Pyromancer, and I watched Malistaire fade away. By the way my name is Samuel Battlestrider a level 50 Thaumaturge.
“I can’t believe I finally beat him!” I exclaimed
“Hey don’t forget about us.” said Evan
“Yea I guess you guys helped a little now let’s go see Headmaster Ambrose.”
“But you’re the one who needs to see him so me and wolf will wait for you outside his office.”
We thought it was over little did I know that this was just the beginning of Malistaire’s evil. Just as we ported out to the wizard city commons a dark spirit arose from the spot of Malistaire’s demise. It then took flight towards wizard city. It knew what it had to do.
“Excellent job young wizard!” exclaimed Merle “You have the whole Spiral’s gra-gra gra-gra.”
“Is something wrong Headmaster Ambrose.” I asked.
Just then Merle fell to the floor. He clenched his chest and let out a scream of sheer pain. His eyes went black and I could see some sort of evil aura flowing around him. He stood up. I asked him what just happened; he just ignored me and ported away. I went outside to tell Evan and Wolf what just happened. I saw them lying on the floor. I ran up to them to see if they were alive. But before I could reach them a fire ball flew right passed me. I checked to see who used it and could not believe what I saw.
“Why hello young wizard!” giggled Professor Greyrose.
She was standing next to professor Balestrom and Flamea. They all looked the same but I could sense something evil around them.
“Why did you attack me Professors?”
“You see Samuel your presence is interfering with Malistaire’s plans so were going to need you to die.” giggled Professor Greyrose.
“But I killed Malistaire.”
“Yes you did, but”
“You’ve already said too much Lydia, prepare to die Samuel.” interrupted Professor Flamea
Then all three professors summoned a Colossus, Helephant, and Stormzilla. I tried to counter by summoning a Colossus, and Helephant of my own, but the three’s combined power was too much for my spells to handle. After their spells defeated my Helephant and Colossus they told them to finish me. The Colussus and Stormzilla boosted the Helephants blade with their Ice and Storm magic. The Helephant was about to swing its blade at me when a giant white bird flew over me and knocked the Helephant down.
“We didn’t plan on him coming let’s retreat for now.” said Flamea The professors then withdrew their creatures, and ported out. The bird went over to Evan and Wolf and picked them up.
It started to head towards me, and then everything went black.
When I awoke everything was blurry. I saw a small white bird on my chest staring at me.
“Why hello young wizard are you awake?”
“Who are you?”
“Oh please sir you need more rest please try not to speak.”
I then realized what had happened.
“Oh please I beg you young wizard please don’t try to-”
“Wolf and Evan, where are they!”
“Why sir they are laying right next to you.”
My vision was finally starting to clear up. I saw Wolf and Evan passed out next to me.
Then I saw who the little bird that I’ve been speaking to me, and saw it was Gamma Headmaster Ambrose’s bird.
“Where are we Gamma?”
“We’re in Ravenwood inside of Bartleby.”
“I have one question Gamma when I was fighting the professors a huge white bird who saved me.”
“It was I young wizard.”
“You Gamma! But that’s impossible you’re so small and the bird who saved me was so huge.”
“Have patience young wizards if you want answers its best to get them from Kelvin the ice tree I will watch over your friends for you.”
So I went outside of Bartleby to see Kelvin. As I was walking I turned around to see Bartleby. He looked like all of his energy had been drained so I thought it was best not to disturb him. When I reached Kelvin I noticed that the school of ice wasn’t next to him, now that I looked around a little more I noticed that none of the schools were there.
“Kelvin what happened?”
“Dark times have fallen upon the spiral young wizard.”
“What else is new?”
“Now is not the time for Jokes young wizard. After you killed Malistaire the darkness in his heart survived the darkness has infected all of the professors and creatures in the spiral.”
“That explains why the professors attacked me. But if the darkness is affecting everything in the spiral why aren’t you guys affected?”
“You’ve seen Bartleby I trust?”
“Yea but he looked kind of drained for some reason.”
“Just as the darkness tried to infect the rest of the creatures in Ravenwood Bartleby cast a magic proof force field around Ravenwood. Though it was too late for the Professors.”
“So what do you want me to do about it.”
“Young Wizard the worlds of the spiral are no longer what you once knew them as. The world of Grizzleheim is now the ice world Tundra, the world of Dragonspyre is now the fire world Inferno, The world if Krokotopia is now the storm world Gale, The world of Marleybone is now the death world Demise, The world of Mooshu is now the life world Vivacity, and the new world that has appeared in the center of the spiral Celestia. It is called now Equos it is where the source of the darkness now resides.”
“But what about Wizard city what happened here.”
“Alas our once proud and beautiful city is now the myth world Mythos.”
“But you still didn’t tell me what I have to do.”
“You must go to Equos and defeat the darkness.”
“Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”
“Young wizard do not be so rash. Before you can get into Equos you must collect the six keys of the spiral in each of the new worlds.”
“And how do I get these keys.”
“You can only get the keys by defeating each of the professors in their own worlds, then you must drain their magical power.
“Many difficult trials are awaiting you young wizard. So in order for you to survive those trials I am removing your level cap. You can now exceed the level of Grandmaster.”
“Wow that’s awesome.”
“You will also need this young wizard.”
Just then energy started to gather in front of Kelvin. A flash of light appeared, and then a card came out of it.
“Take this young wizard this is the very same spell Gamma used to save you. It will give you even greater power than you can imagine, but be careful young wizard this spell will almost completely drain your power.”
“Wow thanks Kelvin”
“You are welcome young wizard and good luck on your journey.”
As I walked back to Bartleby I couldn’t help but think about what I have just been told. “First Malistaire now this. How am I supposed to defeat all of the professors, I mean their power is almost limitless.”
Just as I was about to reach Bartleby I saw a black streak dash behind me.
“Who’s there?” I exclaimed
Then out of the shadows stepped out wizard. By the looks of it he was a storm wizard. He looked strong so I checked out his stats. He was a level 58. I looked at his hand and saw a now dead Gamma in his grip.
“You should have better protection for your friends.” Said the wizard
“Who are you and why did you kill Gamma?!”
“You don’t need to know who I am Just know I’m here to kill you.”
He sent a wild bolt flying right at me; I barely managed to dodge it.
“Are you going to run away this whole fight?”I quickly summoned a Helephant and sent it at him. The Helephant swung his flame blade at him but the storm wizard jumped on the Helephant’s blade ran up its arm, jumped off its shoulder, and hit it with a wild bolt. The Helephant then turned into ashes.
I couldn’t believe how strong this guy was. I had no other choice. I climbed up Bartleby, and hid behind his branches.
“Where’d you go, if you’re not going to come out I’ll just have to find you.”
The wizard started summoning thunder snakes. There were about ten of them. I wanted to send out some snow serpents to counter. But the light from the spell would give away my location. As I was thinking about my next move I didn’t notice the thunder snake slithering behind me. I turned around Just in time to see it. I Jumped off the tree, and flung my ice wand attacks at the snake and defeated it.
“Oh so there you are.” said the wizard. He sent the rest of his snakes and a Kraken after me. The snakes wrapped themselves around me before I could use a spell with my wand.
“Well looks like its over.” said the storm wizard, as his kraken began to charge its lightning bolt.
I had no other choice. I took out celestial bond, and put some magic in it to activate it. A giant burst of light came out of me and all the snakes that were on me disappeared, and the Kraken was lying on the ground.
“H- How did you do that!” exclaimed the wizard
Just then ice started to cover my body. I busted out of it and my body was covered in ice armor, and I had a handful of cards I’ve never seen before in my left hand, and a ice hammer in my right.
“What is that? What you think that you’re so strong that you don’t have to answer me! Then you can just die!” exclaimed the storm wizard
The wizard summoned a Stormlord who looked like he was ready to kill. I looked at the cards that just appeared in my hand I used a card called ice pillar; it froze the Stormlord in a pillar of ice. I used the ice hammer that had appeared in my right hand to shatter the pillar. The stormlord was defeated. I then used another card that appeared in my hand it was called hail. It looked just like blizzard only something was different. One Ice ball hit him, but that wasn’t all, two then flew at him, then four, eight , sixteen…Pretty soon the wizard was trapped in a glacier of ice. I was about to shatter the glacier and defeat the wizard when the armor suddenly dissipated. The glacier then broke apart freeing the storm wizard.
“I don’t know how you did that but you won’t get a chance to do it again.” Said the storm wizard
He summoned a Triton. The Triton hit me with its lightning wave the blast blew me into Bartleby. I struggled to stand up
“Still alive I see well I’ll fix that.”
The storm wizard summoned another Kraken. The Kraken then charged up its lightning and got ready to strike.
“Am I going to die?”
|
Olympus in the Spiral
My name is Devin Dragonthief.
One day, when I woke up in my Dorm Room, and I felt something had changed.
I got out of bed and looked out my window.
Lightning flashed from a gray thunderstorm that churned above.
Thunder roared in the distance.
Suddenly, I was thrown off my feet as the whole world beneath me rumbled.
Soot fell from the ceiling and from in between bricks as my whole Dorm Room shook.
My floorboards shook violently, and some even snapped, revealing the stone underneath them.
My desk fell on its side, books and papers scattering across the floor.
Suddenly, my whole window filled with a blinding light as a bolt of lightning exploded and started a fire nearby the Dorms, where Simeon was usually standing.
I slowly got up off the floor, and decided to go outside to see what was causing all the commotion.
As I stepped onto the cobblestone road, I felt something different.
Something cold.
I looked down.
Of course!
Water lapped at my ankles, soaking through my boots and into my socks.
As I looked around me, I noticed that the whole school was flooded!
Where the broken gap in the land where the Death School used to be was water, a whole entire ocean stretching as far as I could see.
Students stared around them in awe.
Most of the students had climbed up Bartleby’s roots, avoiding the water that now filled the school.
Suddenly a huge tsunami came crashing down from the mini-sea where the Death School used to be.
It crashed down beside me as I was running to Bartleby to take cover, leaving me soaking wet.
I was so soaking I thought I should use some Fire magic to dry me.
I went over to Bernie, the Fire Tree, and the Fire magic that radiated of his blazing boughs dried me instantly.
After thanking him, I asked him if he knew what was going on.
“No,” he said, unfortunately, I don’t know what’s going on.
“I was just listening to the morning birds chirping, and suddenly, a thunderstorm started, these earthquakes started, and all this water rose up to Ravenwood and started flooding the whole school!”
“I can’t imagine what’s happening in the lower parts of Wizard City, maybe it’s flooded to the sky; you should check it out, but be prepared to hold your breath!” said Bernie.
I said goodbye to him and rushed off towards the tunnel that lead to the Commons, but before I could even get past the Storm School, I was thrown off of my feet by another earthquake.
The earth and buildings shook once more and the cobblestone road cracked.
I rose, and quickly darted through the tunnel to the Commons.
I found that the Commons wasn’t flooded entirely, but the water was up to my knees.
All the teachers and Headmaster Ambrose were pointing their wands at the sky, their faces contorted with concentration.
A huge glowing yellow magical wall stretched from the below the Library and the rest of Wizard City to Ravenwood, and I noticed it was enchantment to keep the water out.
But every now and then, the wall vanished for a second, letting more and more water seep into the Commons, but it reappeared once more after that.
“Young wizard,” said the Headmaster, turning to me, “I’m glad you showed up, we need an extra hand with this spell to keep the water out, please help us.”
“Ok,” I said, drawing my wand, “What’s the spell?”
“It is a Myth spell, said Ambrose, “and the words you must speak to cast it are Waterus Shieldus.”
“And don’t worry if you feel overwhelmed by the spell, it is very strong and hard to concentrate on…see, even the teachers are having troubles with it.”
He gestured toward the constantly vanishing yellow wall.
Before I drew the Myth symbol in the air and said “Waterus Shieldus”, I asked the Headmaster, “Sir, do you know what’s going on with the water, the thunder and lightning, and the earthquakes?”
“I believe I do, young wizard,” said the Headmaster.
“Are you familiar with the Greek Gods?” he asked me.
I nodded.
I loved Greek Mythology so much and enjoyed reading about it and learning more about the Greek monsters and gods.
“Well,” said Ambrose, “I believe Hades is the cause of the earthquakes, for he controls the ground and underground, and Zeus must be responsible for the thunder and lightning, for he controls the sky, and Poseidon must be causing these floods, for he controls the sea”
“Therefore,” said the Headmaster, with a grim expression, “I believe this is a war between the Big Three gods.”
|
Average Life of a Son of Malistaire (part 3)
My brother, Sean Drake, and I, Devin Drake had explored Icar, and tried to defeat Malistaire, but he’d disappeared before our eyes.
Adding up numerous clues to Malistaire’s whereabouts, we’d found ourselves in Celestia.
I looked around me and noticed Celestia looked much like Triton Avenue, except it was a city with no monsters.
Sean and I wandered around, examining the shops and houses.
Outside, blacksmiths worked on jewelry and other trinkets on an anvil with a hammer.
Lightning bats swooped down from the sky, squeaking to each other as lightning shot off their bodies.
We walked on, and noticed statues of crabs and Tritons in between buildings.
Suddenly, a dark cloud rolled over the city, the bellow of a thunderclap signaling a heavy rain.
We pulled on our hoods and ran through the city, passing pedestrians that looked at us like we were from a different world, which I suppose, we were.
We ran and ran, and finally took cover inside a shop.
On the walls hung pictures of Tritons, storm sharks, and Storm banners, the purple hue on the pictures so bright and strong, it almost gave off a light of its own.
I then became aware of a woman behind a desk towards th back of the shop, taking in our features.
The woman behind the desk was thin, with pointed ears, purple hair and a dark blue dress.
She held a wand that rippled with electricity and wore a necklace of gold.
“Are you two from a different world?” she asked. “Forgive me, but you two look so different.”
“We are from a different world,” I replied. “We’re from Wizard City.”
“Oh,” she said, studying our faces. “I’ve heard of that world once before, but I’ve never been there.”
“So, why are you two here?” she asked.
“We’re looking for an evil wizard whose teleported somewhere secret, and the clues we’ve gathered together told us he’s hiding here.” Sean said.
“He’s pale white, wears dark robes, has shoulder-length black hair, and carries a black staff with a golden dragon on the top.” I told her.
“He’s also probably with a girl…have you seen them?” I asked.
“Hmmm…I believe I did see a man like the one you described, and he was traveling with a girl.”
“Do you know where he went?” Sean asked.
“Yes, he went down a tunnel, which leads to the sea.”
“If you travel north a bit, there’s a tunnel to the west that has two Triton statues by it; that is the tunnel I saw him go through.”
We thanked her, going out the door, heading north, then east, and finally approaching the tunnel.
We headed through it, and soon found ourselves on a small road that led to the beach.
We ran into the sand, observing the ocean before us.
The thick and heavy sand slowed us down, but we kept running.
The woman at the shop had said she’d seen Malisatire go through this tunnel, and the only place that anybody could’ve went was the sea.
Before we got to the sea, an eight-foot tall purple Triton with a golden trident shot out of the water.
In a gurgly underwater-sounding voice he said, “Welcome to Celestia, realm of the seas and Storm Magic, why have you come here today?”
Over the numerous thunderclaps and lightning strikes, I shouted, “We’re here in pursuit of an evil wizard from another world of the Spiral who’s hiding here. And since a woman told us she saw him walking through the tunnel that leads here, and the sea seems the only thing that is here, so we assume he’s somewhere in the sea.”
“Ah,” said the Triton, “You seek Thundarus, the underwater city?”
“Um…if that’s the only place where Malistaire could’ve hidden underwater, I guess so.” I said.
“Alright,” said the Triton, “Climb on my back, and get ready an underwater journey, and don’t worry, the water is enchanted so you don’t have to hold your breath.”
So I climbed onto the Triton’s back after Sean, and together, we all plunged into the sea.
The freshwater surrounding us was cold, and goosebumps immediately popped up on our arms and legs.
The Triton, of course didn’t have any goosebumps, actually, he acted like this was warm weather; I assume he must’ve been adapted to colder waters than this, though it was hard to believe water could be colder than this.
I looked around on the sea floor and saw houses built out of HUGE conch shells, snail shells, clam shells, and pearl shells.
Tritons swam in and out of these, some small, which I assumed were children, and the ones shorter than the men that had a slightly darker purple hue than the males and didn’t carry tridents I assumed were the females.
The Tritons gurgled to each other underwater in some strange language.
Every now and then, a storm shark emerged from the deeper see, smiling as its yellow eyes crackled with electricity.
One time I glimpsed a kraken, its huge purple hands gripping a yellow lightning bolt that buzzed with lightning.
Finally, I saw what Thundarus must be.
It was a huge palace, decorated with gemstones and sand dollars.
On the very top of the highest tower on the palace, I saw something strange.
On the top of the highest tower, lightning struck a platform that swallowed the lightning through a hole.
It must be the power source for something in the palace I guessed
The palace was made of flat, multicolored, sparkling slabs of abalone shells, somehow stuck together.
Two statues of Tritons stood like guards on either side of the sparkling abalone doors, hands grasping stone tridents.
There were five real Tritons guards standing in front of the door, carrying real, golden tridents.
The Triton we were riding gurgled something to the guards, and they moved aside, the abalone doors swinging outward to reveal the inside of the palace.
The Triton dropped us off in front of the doors, and we jumped of his back, thanking him for the ride.
In his underwater gurgly voice, he said, “I shall wait here, and take you back when you wish.”
We nodded and headed through the doors.
We rushed inside the palace, and noticed it was made of slabs of flat white shells.
On the white walls were carvings of Tritons swimming through the water, carrying tridents.
Stairs led everywhere; we didn’t know where to go.
There were Tritons swimming through the water inside, and I asked some if they’d seen Malistaire.
One Triton claimed he had seen a man that met my descriptions, and he’d gone down the second downstairs passageway on the right.
We went down the corridor, but strangely, there were not any doors.
We kept going down the passageway, down, down, down.
Then I saw the one door.
It lay at the very end of the corridor, with a firm lock on the door.
As Sean and I drew closer, we started to hear voices.
“…together we shall rule the Spiral, me and you make an unstoppable team.”
It was sure it was my father, Malistaire, and anger flashed across my face.
I shot a banshee at the door, who shattered the door into tiny pieces of wood with her scream.
I then saw Malistaire standing with Destiny and…Cyrus Drake!
“Uncle Cyrus!” I yelled, “You joined your brother!?!”
“Yes child,” Cyrus said, “For the good of the Spiral.”
For the good of the Spiral! Was he out of his mind?
“Dispose if them, Cyrus,” Malistaire said, gesturing at us as if we were we were helpless globs of mush, “They are trying to stop the plan, so please, Cyrus, be a good brother and destroy them.”
“With ease, brother,” said Cyrus, drawing his wand.
I drew my wand, too, but before I could cast anything, Cyrus cast a Minotaur on me, and by luck I dodged the blade of its axe.
While Sean cast a wraith, I cast a skeletal pirate, together wiping out a fourth of the Myth Professor’s health.
Cyrus then cast an earthquake, and we fell off our feet as cracks formed in the floor and the ground shook violently.
After getting up, Sean and I both cast wraiths at Cyrus, but he blocked them with a shield.
We cast powerful spells at him, but Cyrus kept deflecting them with shields.
This time, I shot Death Essence at Cyrus, and the trail of darkness wrapped around him, tying his arms to his body.
Cyrus struggled against the Death Essence, but finally broke free from it.
We fought for a long time, until Sean cast a group of skeletal pirates at Cyrus, slashing at him with their swords.
This time, Cyrus cast Orthrus at us.
The huge two headed dog howled and bit at us, and one head ripped the sleeve of my shirt and left a cut on my forearm.
I almost keeled over from exhaustion, but somehow I kept going, casting another wraith at Cyrus while Sean did the same.
Cyrus was now almost defeated, and as Sean cast a skeletal pirate and I cast a vampire at our uncle, he fell to the ground.
“No!” Cyrus yelled, as he disappeared, “No!”
Soon Cyrus was no more, and Sean and I faced our father.
I cast a skeletal pirate at him, but he reflected it with a shield.
“The next time you see me I shall be ruling the Spiral, and you shall be defeated.”
With that he disappeared with Destiny in a shower of Death symbols.
“He vanished again!” Sean said. “We’re going to be chasing him all around the spiral!”
“I hope not,” I said.
We ran up the passageway, out into the sea on the back of a Triton, and back to the city.
It wasn’t raining anymore, but the cobblestone pavement was slippery.
We got back to where we’d come from originally, a hole ten feet deep into the water,
We swam into the opening, and before we knew it, where back in Wizard City.
We headed to the Headmaster’s office, and told him of our adventure in Celestia.
“Malisatire escaped again?” said the Headmaster.
“Well, I have a strange feeling we will be meeting him again.”
When we told him Cyrus had joined Malistaire, he said that when we’d been in Celestia, Cyrus had blown away the Myth School like how Malistaire did with the Death school.”
“Also, the people of Dragonspyre have noticed the Dragon Titan resides no longer on the volcano.”
“Yeah,” I said, “Malistaire was able to release it.”
“Well, the Dragon Titan is moving fast across the Spiral; just last night the Dragon Titan destroyed Marleybone and MooShu and Grizzleheim has been destroyed, too.
About an hour ago I heard reports of the Dragon Titan terrorizing Krokotopia; it is now on its way to Wizard City.”
“I want you to warn all the wizards of Wizard City that the Dragon Titan shall be arriving sometime tonight and that all of us, students, teachers, and all citizens of Wizard City will stand together and fight.”
“I want you to tell everyone to be ready for an attack by seven o’clock; tell all of them to meet at six o’clock in the commons.”
This new news startled me, Wizard City against the HUGE Dragon Titan; I’d even forgotten it’d been released until the headmaster told us now.
I checked my watch.
It was 4:30 in the afternoon, about two hours until the Dragon Titan would arrive in Wizard City.
|
Average Life of a Son of Malistaire (part 2)
I, Devin Drake, and my brother, Sean Drake had explored the world Icar.
It was a new, unexplored world, that we’d gotten medals for exploring.
Sean and I were both sons of Malistaire, and now we faced the hardest dilemma in our lives, killing our Father for the good of the Spiral, or joining him and being part of the darkness that now filled the Spiral.
We headed into Malistaire’s Lair, defeated all of the monsters, and finally got to where Malistaire was.
Malisatire raised his hands and chanted things I couldn’t understand.
It looked as if he was performing some ritual, for he floated over a strange green essence coming from a narrow chasm.
“Father!” I shouted.
He didn’t seem to hear me, so I ran forward, Sean running alongside me, but before I knew it, four black-cloaked ghost men had engaged us in battle.
We defeated them, then advanced toward Malistaire.
“Father!” Sean yelled.
Malistaire turned his head toward us and stopped his ritual.
“Sons, I am completing my ritual, I am glad you found me.” Malistaire said, studying us.
“Join me, my sons, and we shall complete the ritual.
We can bring back your mother, we shall rule the Spiral, and we can be the most powerful wizards in the Spiral!”
I suddenly noticed a girl standing next to Malistaire; she had black hair, a pale face, and black and white clothes.
Why did she look familiar?
I know I’d seen her somewhere…
Of course! It was Destiny Drake, our sister!
Destiny, how could she?
In the short time I’d known her, I’d recognized her as a nice, cheerful girl that would never join someone like Malistaire, even if he was our father.
Sean seemed to notice her too, for his eyes were fixed on her.
“How-how could you, Father, how could you fill the Spiral with such darkness?” I yelled.
Malistaire did not answer; he only started chanting the words he had before over the green essence that hung above the chasm.
I had a feeling something bad, something really bad was going to happen if he completed this ritual, so, instinctively, I cast a wraith at Malistaire.
My wraith shot a silvery light at Malisatire, knocking him off the platform on which he floated, and onto the floor.
But right before the silver light had reached him, he’d completed his ritual.
The whole room started to rumble.
Cracks formed in the walls.
Soot and small pieces of stone fell from the walls and the ceiling.
Chunks of stone fell from the eyelids of a HUGE eye that I could see through a gigantic hole in the wall.
The chunks of stone crashed to the floor, and the eyelids flipped open, revealing a gigantic eyeball that stared at us with a piercing gaze.
“The Dragon Titan has risen, muahahahaha!” Malistaire laughed.
“Father, you did this!” Sean yelled, charging toward Malistaire with his sword drawn.
Sean stabbed our Father in the arm, and our father yelled, but he fought back, shooting a fireball at Sean, who blasted backward into the rubble.
I too drew my sword and stabbed Malisatire in the leg, and he cried out once more.
From his staff, came a group of wraiths, all of which slashed at me with their scythes.
Only one managed to hit me, and I was thrown back with a bad cut on my calf.
Then, the group of wraiths shot silvery essences at me from their hands and I was thrown at least twenty feet up in the air, smacking back down against the floor.
I groaned and rubbed my head, which was covered with new bruises.
Sean was getting out of the rubble, and I got up, and we charged Malisatire at the same time.
He shot a black essence at us from his staff, but we managed to jump over it, and came down on top of Malisatire.
Just as my sword was about to stab through his heart, Malistaire vanished in a shower of black essence and death symbols, and my sword and Sean’s scraped against the floor.
Then I saw Destiny and I glimpsed her eyes for a second, and noticed they were black, pure black.
Then, she said in a dark, evil voice which would not have come from the Destiny Drake I knew, “Goodbye, my brothers, may the seas await you.”
With that, she disappeared in a shower of death symbols.
May the seas await you? I thought.
What does she mean?
I then remembered her black eyes, her evil voice, and thought, she must be poisoned, she’d never do this.
Poisoned by Malistaire, that would explain the black eyes, the evil voice so unlike Destiny’s.
The real, unpoisened Destiny must be trying to get through the poison and tell us something.
The seas, the seas, may the seas await you.
I told my suspicions to Sean and he agreed, deciding we should consult the Headmaster about it.
So we went to Ambrose’s office and told him about Malistaire disappearing, Destiny poisoned, and what she’d told us.
“Hmmm, the seas await you,” the Headmaster pondered.
“So far, there are no seas in any world of the Spiral that we know of, so…I am not sure what Destiny meant; has Malisatire teleported to an unknown world?”
He was deep in thought, apparently no answers coming to him, but then noticed that we were still there, waiting for his answer, and he dismissed us, and we headed to the door.
When we opened the door, the sky was black and stars glinted here and there.
The leaves on the trees rustled from the breeze, some detaching from their trees and floating away.
We headed to our dorm rooms and flopped down on our beds, tired from the day’s adventure.
I fell asleep quickly, and had some weird dreams.
Destiny kept saying “The seas await you, the seas await you, the seas await you…”
The scene changed, but Destiny was still chanting “The seas await you”
I flashed back to when I’d been in Firecat Alley, when I’d found a ring on one of the haunted minions and returned it to Shelus Gruffheart.
With Destiny still chanting in the background, Shelus said, “Ah, this belonged to a young lady in Celestia; I shall return it to her immediately.”
While Shelus Gruffheart said “a young lady in Celestia”, Destiny chanted “The seas await you”
Finally, I flashed back to when I’d found a golden watch In Marylebone for Mr. Rowley, and he said it’d came from Celestia
I remembered when Headmaster Ambrose had told us the World Celestia had come in third place for something.
I remembered getting the news of that on paper in front of the door to my Dorm room, and seeing Celestia being represented by a crab.
One word was in common for most of the chanting that now filled my head:
Celestia.
Celestia, crabs, seas…
It suddenly all fit together
Celestia was represented by a crab, that lived in the sea, and Destiny had said the “seas await you.”
It all made sense, Malistaire must be hiding in Celestia.
But how would we get there?
Suddenly a new voice filled my head, “Storm Essence, and the gold circle that tells time, water in the lake by Merle.”
I woke up, expecting it to be midnight or something, but it was daytime, light shining through the window.
I quickly slipped on a T-shirt and some jeans, and then hurried out into the hall of the Dorm rooms, thinking about my dreams.
I was in room 119, and Sean was at 123.
I ran down the hall and knocked on Sean’s door.
He opened the door, and I told him about Celestia.
“Oh, yeah,” Sean said, recalling the events I’d just described, “I remembered those people mentioning Celestia…”
“So how do we get there?” he asked.
“Someone in my dream told me,” I said.
So first, I went to Torrence, for some Storm Essence, which he let me have, and then I went to Mr. Rowley to get that golden watch of his, the golden circle that tells time, and he happily traded it in exchange for 2,000 gold pieces.
I then went to the lake in the commons. Obviously it must be the lake by Merle.
We stood waist deep in the lake, the cold water on our legs.
“Hold this,” I told Sean, thrusting the golden watch at him.
I held the bucket of Storm essence, but before I could dip it in the water, and tell Sean to do the same, something wondrous happened.
The gold watch shot out of Sean’s hand, and the bucket of Storm Essence shot out of my hands, and immediately they slammed against each other, and they stuck together like two magnets attracted to each other.
They then started spinning around us, fast as a cheetah, lightning shooting from them as it spun around us.
Some force pushed Sean and I into the deeper water, and we were forced to hold our breath as he were pushed under the water.
The Storm Essence and the watch whirled around us underwater, and we were thrust deeper into the water, and into a small dark opening, where we started to fall into.
It was a narrow, long, vertical tunnel.
My eyes filled with amazing colors, purple, yellow, blue, green, swirling everywhere, and Sean falling alongside me.
Lightning flashed, and suddenly, I felt my body hit solid ground.
I looked up, and found myself staring at a blue sky.
Was I back in Wizard City?
No, I thought, as I took in the unfamiliar surroundings.
I was in Celestia.
|
Sylvia Drake
Sylvia GreenLeaf was a good student. She came from a long line of Life Professors, and she hoped to become one when she grew up. She studied harder than any student in the Life school. She could cast the most powerful Nature’s Wrath that Professor Redwand (the life professor at the time) had ever seen, including her own. Noticing Sylvia’s talent, Professor Redwand decided that she would have to show Headmaster RavenWand (The Headmaster at the time) Sylvia’s extreme talent at spell casting.
When Headmaster RavenWand was shown Sylvia’s adept spell casting, he was greatly impressed. He immediately began to teach her himself. This was an honor only professional dualists and professors had been granted.
Sylvia accepted the challenges the Headmaster gave her with relish. She completed them impressively quick. Sylvia was showing true potential. The chances were great that she would become the next Life professor.
One day(a few years later) Sylvia decided that she would go to her class with the Headmaster early. As she approached the door leading to her classroom, Sylvia heard voices talking inside. “ So Headmaster, how was my spell today?” asked a new voice, one that Sylvia hadn’t heard before. “It was quite good. You’re improving excellently” answered Headmaster RavenWand.
Sylvia couldn’t stand not knowing who it was. She went to open the door, but as she was, she heard the unknown voice say
“See you tomorrow Headmaster.” The door opened quickly and sent Sylvia flying into the floor. “So sorry. I didn’t know you were on the other side of the door.” said the voice. Sylvia looked up and saw a boy about her age offering his hand to help her up. “Thanks.” said Sylvia.
Headmaster RavenWand walked into the hall. “ Sylvia, this is Malistaire Drake. Malistaire, this is Sylvia GreenLeaf.” said the Headmaster. “Hello Sylvia. I really am sorry to have knocked you down, you’re not mad are you?” asked Malistaire. Sylvia embarrassedly shook her head no. “OK, well I’m glad to see that you’re not hurt. Well, bye Professor.” said Malistaire. Sylvia waved bye as Malistaire left the room. Headmaster RavenWand smiled at Sylvia mysteriously, with a twinkle in his eyes. “What!?” said Sylvia irritably. “He just apologized for knocking me over, nothing else.” The Headmaster just shook his head and kept smiling.
Over the next few months, Malistaire Drake continued to accidentally bump into Sylvia. Six months after Sylvia and Malistaire had met, Malistaire decided to ask Sylvia on a study date at the Commons Library. They were both working on a Life project, How to Raise a Satyr. Sylvia was excited. She had been hoping that Malistaire would ask her on a date. Although she insisted that she had no feelings for Malistaire, she really did.
Sylvia and Malistaire met at the Commons Library at Study Time, 8:30 p.m. . The Commons Library was packed with students of RavenWood, all anxious to get a start on their projects for their school, due in a week. Luckily, Malistaire and Sylvia were in their final year of school, and Elder students had a special room reserved for studying and such. Malistaire and Sylvia sat at a table and began their research.
An hour later, they had finished their projects. “Wow, that was easier with a partner!” said Malistaire. “Why haven’t you worked with a partner before?” asked Sylvia, smiling quizzically. “Well, being a Death student makes other students kind of afraid of me, and other Death students don’t really like to work with other students… we’re kind of solo people, you know?” answered Malistaire. Sylvia was shocked. She had no idea that Malistaire was a Death student. Her mother, father, and brother always told her to be wary of Death students, as they were often said to be unstable and prone to great rages. “YOU’RE A DEATH STUDENT?!” shouted Sylvia. Seeing the look of fear, confusion, and curiosity in her face, Malistaire said, “Wasn’t it obvious?” “NO!! You don’t go into rages, or are unstable!” said Sylvia. “I hate it when people say that. I cannot stand it when people say that Death students are raging unstable wizards!! WE ARE NOT UNSTABLE!!!” shouted Malistaire unstably. “I mean, we aren’t unstable.” said Malistaire quietly. Everyone was staring at them. “But everyone says that all you Death wizards are.” said Sylvia. “Yes they do, but like I said earlier, we are not!” said Malistaire angrily. “I see.” said Sylvia quietly. She wondered what her mother would think of Malistaire now that she would know that he was a Death student.
“ I’m sorry, but I’m not a bad person. Just because the Death people aren’t uncomfortable around creepy things, people make fun of us and make up rumors that we’re unstable and evil. Then, we here about it and get angry. We go after the idiots that made up the rumors and unleash an undead army on them, and that makes people think that we really are unstable and evil.” said Malistaire. “ But you’re not.” said Sylvia with a smile. “EXACTLY!!” said Malistaire triumphantly. Thinking that she understood, Sylvia felt more comfortable with asking Malistaire what she had planned on asking. “Malistaire, I was thinking, since in a week we both finish school for good, and our 21st birthdays are in about a month, will you marry me?”
The wedding was held three months later. Malistaire and Sylvia were married by Headmaster RavenWand in Unicorn Park. Malistaire invited his brother (Cyrus), his old tutor Dworgyn (except he’s not as old as he is now), Grub (the Ghoul who lives at the end of Sunken City, except in this time, Sunken City is where NightSide is now), and Gorm, Malistaire’s personal, all-time Wraith minion and friend. Sylvia invited her mother, father, brother, Moolinda Woo (her close friend), and Sally, her personal, all-time female Centaur minion friend. All of the teachers were also invited, since Sylvia and Malistaire were appointed Death and Life teachers a month previous. The fire teacher had set up a series of fire magic fireworks that would go off when Headmaster RavenWand says “You may now kiss the bride.” The storm teacher had built a really cool wedding present from pure water that was taken from the tree of storm. He had built a chariot out of the water, and the chariot was pulled by friendly storm sharks and krakens that had water flowing beneath them, allowing them to move. The ice teacher had made a never melting, moving ice sculpture of Sylvia and Malistaire. The Balance teacher made a really, really cool wedding present. A pet chameleon made out of sand was the wedding gift from the school of Balance. The Myth teacher had caught and tamed a young dragon to be their pet and help transport them around. When RavenWand said “You may now kiss the bride,” the fireworks,” went off, the band played beautifully, the invitees sobbed happily, and the wedding gifts roared and breathed fire happily. Sylvia and Malistaire went riding off in their water chariot, with their pets running beside them, and their ice sculptures running behind them.
This is the beautiful end to a wonderful story and a beautiful end to an equally beautiful wedding. Sylvia and Malistaire went off happily and lived happily in their DragonSpyre deluxe house. They later moved to a lovely little house at the end of a street that is no longer, but was in Unicorn Park, near their wedding spot. So may all your beginnings be magical, and all your endings be magically delicious… I mean, may all your endings be magically happy.
|
The Average Life of a Son of Malistaire
Ok, one thing to know about me, I’m a son of Malistaire and Sylvia Drake.
I’ve been told that I have many brothers and sisters, but I’ve only met two, Sean Drake and Destiny Drake.
Sean I’d known for one year and later, Sean had found Destiny and we took her in as our sister.
But one day she was gone, and I never saw her again.
One spring afternoon, I, Devin Drake was engaged in a fight with a draconian.
After I casted a wraith at him, he yelped and disappeared, defeated.
“Phew,” I said, wiping the line of sweat off my forehead, “That was close.”
I’d escaped with twenty health.
I was exhausted, and slowly tramped along the street to get some health wisps.
I caught some wisps and was back to full health, when my friend Sean Drake teleported to me.
“Hey,” he said, “I’ve been assigned a quest by Headmaster Ambrose to go to different world that nobody has seen before!” And he asked me to ask you to come; apparently he thinks we’re super skilled wizards.”
“Ok, cool!” I said, excited at the fact of visiting a new world, “Let’s go”
“Alright, meet me in the spiral chamber in Wizard City,”
“And also, put on some warm clothes,” he added, vanishing in a shower of Death symbols. I then teleported to my dorm room and put on a scarf, a fluffy black parka, warm gray boots, and a hood. Quickly, ran out to Ravenwood, saying “Hi” to Simeon and Arthur Wethersfield as I darted past them to Bartleby.
Sean was waiting for me by the Spiral Door, dressed in a thick black cloak, gray mittens, boots, and a hood.
Then, suddenly, Bartleby rumbled, “Ah, you are the special students the Headmaster told me were to go to the world we just uncovered, Icar, home of the Ice Titans and Ice Magic.” Proceed to the spiral door and go to Icar, but be careful, for in Icar unknown monsters reign, lurking places unknown.”
“We’ll be careful,” I said, Sean and I using the Spiral Door at the same time.
I closed my eyes as a shower of snowflakes enveloped me, and next thing I knew I was standing knee deep in snow, shivering from the cold.
I opened my eyes and saw Sean shivering next to me, scanning the icy landscape.
We needed to get out of this deep snow, and quickly.
We trudged through the deep snow together, as quickly as we could, but my legs felt as if one thousand pound weights were tied to them.
Finally, we reached an ice cave, the icy wind finally out of our faces.
The icicles hanging down on the mouth of the cave made the entrance of the cave look like a monster’s mouth.
In the ice cave it was warmer, but still cold enough that we shivered.
Suddenly, from deeper in the cave, came two Ice Colossuses, who charged us, their deafening roars echoing off the walls of the ice cave. After Sean and I used death blades and traps, a vampire and two wraiths, the ice giants fell to the floor, roaring in Agony.
“Ambrose told me to make peace with the king of Icar,” Sean said after the battle, “So let’s explore this place until we find him.”
“Ok, I said, let’s try these ice caves, maybe they lead somewhere.”
So we walked on, leaving the mouth of the cave behind us.
Luckily, burning torches lined the icy walls, giving off a faint light that kept us from tripping on fallen icicles and holes in the ice floor.
After about five minutes of proceeding through the winding tunnels, we approached two ancient-looking doors with intricate carvings on them.
The carving depicted the ancient war between the Ice Titans, the Fire Dragons, and the Storm Tritons.
There were six obelisks made of ice with carvings on them facing us, and a stand with an open book lying on it in the center of them.
Sean ran up to it and read from the book. “Creatures of the first three schools must face the representatives of their homes.”
“Hmmm,” I said, studying the drawings on the ice obelisks.
Two were pictures of water, two others flames, and the last two snowflakes.
“I get it,” I said.
“The carvings of the creatures on the doors must somehow line up with the water, flames, and snowflakes.”
“Oh…the doors,” said Sean, looking at the carvings on the doors.
“Let’s try some lights,” Sean said.
He pushed on the symbol of water, and a purple light shot from the now lit-up, purple symbol of water to a carving of a fire dragon on the door.
“No,” Sean said, “water would be with a triton, I’ll try again.”
He pushed the water symbol again and it glowed green, the light lighting up a carving of a Triton on the door.
As the green light shined on it, some sort of magic made the carving of the Triton move on the wall and throw his trident at an ice Titan.
“Cool,” I whispered.
Sean matched the other symbol of water with another Triton, who controlled the water and made it splash in the direction of the Fire Dragon base, while I matched purple light from the snowflake symbol with an Ice Titan, who stomped and caused an avalanche that pursued two Fire Dragons racing down the mountain.
We kept doing this until all the symbols matched with the correct creature on the door.
Finally, the ice-caked doors creaked outward, and we stepped into a large room, where a thirty foot tall Ice Giant sat on an ice throne with an ice crown on top of his silver hair.
He had blue eyes, a perfect pale face, and blue-silver lips.
In his white hands he held a huge deadly-looking hammer made of steel and ice.
“What are you doing in the realm of Ice?” Boomed the ice king.
His loud voice reverberated off of the walls, causing them to shake violently.
An icicle even crashed to the floor, smashing against the floor in a shower of ice shards
“We have come to represent Wizard City and make peace with you, king of Icar.” I said
The king boomed, “WIZARD CITY!”
A chunk of ice fell from the ceiling and we fell off our feet, rolling here and there to avoid the icicles that fell from the ceiling.
After we’d gotten to our feet, the ice king roared “I hate that wretched place; Lydia Greyrose stole our beloved magic!”
“She’s just teaching Ice magic to wizards so they can defend themselves against the darkness that now envelopes the Spiral.” Sean retorted.
“Oh, you are resisters of Malistaire’s plan?” the ice king said. “Soon, young wizards, you and your wizard friends shall be no more!”
“Wizard City will be crushed and Malistaire and the people of Icar shall rule the spiral!”
The ice king ended his sentence with a booming evil laugh that shook the walls and sent icicles down from the ceiling and cracks to form in the floor.
One crack that formed below them sent a huge chunk of ice smashing to the floor below.
We fell through the crack in floor to the next floor below, the ice king booming behind us, “Goodbye, little wizards, you shall make a good feast for my pets.”
My body slammed against the cold ice floor below.
I gasped and a line of white air trailed from my mouth as I exhaled.
Sean and I sat up, breathing hard from our fall from twenty feet above.
My whole body ached, but somehow I stood up and grabbed a potion from my backpack.
The magical liquid made my body feel as if it were relaxing in a hot tub, warmed my skin, healed the bruises I’d gotten from the fall, and replenished my health.
The warming, relaxing effect soon wore off, but at least I had recovered my health that I’d lost falling twenty feet onto hard floor.
Sean too drained a potion flask and replenished his health.
We looked around us and saw a group of about twenty snow serpents charging us.
We jumped back with surprised yells.
I cast a vampire at one, killing it.
The snow serpents spread around the room, attacking us all around.
I managed to defeat three before I was bitten in the arm by one.
“Ouch!” I shouted, clutching my wound.
Angry, I cast a skeletal pirate at the snow serpent that’d bitten me, and he fell to the ground.
Then I became aware of Sean.
He was engaged in a battle with four snow serpents, and he had only fifty health left.
I rushed over to him and cast a vampire at one serpent and he fell to the ground.
Sean had no potions left.
I gave my last one to him, and he drained it thankfully, now back to full health.
We battled and battled until all the snakes had been defeated.
Just then, the ice king smashed through the floor to face us.
“You defeated my pets!” he growled.
“I shall show you what happens to trespassers who resist Malistaire’s plan and kill my beloved pets!”
He swung his hammer down, and I hadn’t jumped away, I would’ve been squashed like a pancake.
Me and Sean both casted wraiths and the ice king yelled in agony as his health drained away, and ours filled up.
After setting five traps on him, and almost getting smashed with the ice king’s hammer two more times, Sean and I, each with three death blades, casted wraiths again.
They worked, and he yelled again.
He was almost defeated; a banshee or a vampire would defeat him now.
The ice king roared and this time shook the whole entire palace.
Ice chunks and icicles fell from the ceiling and cracks opened in the floor, chunks of the floor falling down to the floor below.
One crack opened under the ice king’s feet, and he fell down, down, down.
Chunks of ice and sharp icicles trailed after him, smashing at the end of their journey.
I looked down where the ice king had fallen and saw fifty feet down an ice chasm, and at the bottom an unmoving lump of ice shards and ice chunks.
“Well,” I said, “I guess Icar won’t be friends with Wizard City, but foes.”
“Yeah,” Sean agreed, looking down the chasm.
‘We’d better get out of here,” I said, looking around. “The ice king’s servants and guards will notice something weird has happened.”
We ran up a few tunnels until we came to the throne room, and exited out the huge doors.
We darted through the caves and then came to the mouth of the cave.
We trudged through the deep snow, shivering and making slow progress.
Finally, we reached the spiral door.
It was made of ice and had barely legible ancient carvings on it.
We used the spiral door, and landed inside Bartleby.
We then exited the spiral chamber and headed down to Headmaster Ambrose’s house.
“Oh, hello, if it isn’t my favorite two wizards,” said Ambrose.
“You two look quite hurt, tell me everything.”
So Sean and I told the headmaster everything we’d seen and did in Icar.
“Oh, how very unfortunate, “Ambrose said, his face dark.
“I was hoping that Icar would be a friend and help us in our time of need.” he said.
After sighing, Ambrose smiled again at us, remembering something.
“I almost forgot these,” he said, handing us badges that read Explorer of Icar.
“Well, good luck in your adventures, young wizards, I hope you succeed in saving the Spiral.” the Headmaster said.
We said our goodbyes and thank-yous and headed outside.
After putting on our badges and enjoying the late afternoon sun, Sean asked
“What’s your quest? I’ll help you, ‘cause I’ve got a rally hard quest,” Sean said.
“I have only one quest left, and it’s hard, too” I replied, “Malistaire.”
“Me too!” Sean said. “We’ll do it together.”
“Alright,” I agreed. “Let’s go.”
And together, we headed to Dragonspyre, and from there to The Dragon’s Roost, and Malistire’s Lair.
|
Tales from Celestial Bodies (part 14)
Kane Icestorm has been defeated, but his aftermath was still around.
"Merle, look at all of these people we rescued," Bob commented as they led the people they rescued into Wizard City. "They're in serious need of medical attention."
"They have suffered in his dungeon much longer than us. We will take them at once to Unicorn Way."
Bob had spirits of death carry them to Wizard City, in case you're wondering how all those wounded people got there.
As Bob and Merle entered the Commons, spectators gathered to see them. They were gone for a few weeks, and people thought they were dead. Now, their amazing return excited everyone.
"They're back!!!" said one person.
"It appears that they defeated Kane! Look at all those people they rescued!"
Another person cried out in joy, "My son! My son! They rescued my son from Kane Icestorm! Bless them forever!"
Headmaster Duncan Stormblood soon heard the commotion, and rushed outside to find a large group of people looking at the sky.
Headmaster Stormblood lifted up his head, and saw Bob, Merle, and a large group of injured and abused people riding stealthily through the air.
"Bob! Merle! Over here!" Headmaster Stormblood shouted.
Bob and Merle saw Headmaster Stormblood on the ground, and waved their hands.
"Not now, headmaster! We got to take these people to the Unicorn Way Hospital for the Injured Wizard, otherwise known as the UWHIW. Meet us there!" Merle announced.
As Bob and Merle rode through the air to the UWHIW, Headmaster Stormblood called all the teachers to come and witness the new events.
Bob and Merle reached the UWHIW, which was located next to Hedgemaze. They carefully lowered down the floating people that they freed from slavery.
Merle put two fingers in his mouth, and gave a loud whistle. The life wizards in the UWHIW heard it, and rushed outside to take the injured people into the hospital.
As soon as everyone was inside the UWHIW and were receiving the medical attention they needed, Bob and Merle turned around to find Headmaster Stormblood and the professors outside of the hospital.
"Tell us your adventure," Headmaster Stormblood commanded. "Did you succeed in defeating Kane Icestorm? How come you didn't tell us that you were leaving? Do you even know the panic that the residents of Wizard City had when you didn't return for a while?"
"Woah woah woah. One question at a time," Bob began. "Yes, we succeeded in defeating Kane Icestorm. We didn't tell you that we were leaving because we were in a rush and knew that you would say that we are too inexperienced and that we couldn't go. And whether people panicked or not, we are back, and they are relieved."
"It's easy for you to say that. Try being headmaster and coping with a city full of panicked people!" Headmaster Stormblood replied.
Professor Deathshard had something to say about this. "With all due respect, headmaster, but is it not your job to deal with the people of this city in times of distress, sorrow, agony, and panick?"
Headmaster Stormblood turned to Professor Deathshard with an annoyed look at his face. He knew that Professor Deathshard was correct.
Merle sensed the tension in the atmosphere and decided to do something about it. "As for our adventure…"
All eyes were focused on Merle as he spoke. Merle gave a detailed account of the moment they found the letter in their homes to the flight to the UWHIW.
"And so you see, Kane Icestorm was crushed and defeated by a giant golem, and the people we freed were brought to the UWHIW," Merle concluded.
Merle then let out a long breath, as it took him a while to say all of it.
"Hold your breath. You will most likely need to address the public about this," Headmaster Stormblood announced.
"As fun as that seems, our families are both in that hospital. We want to visit them right now," Bob declared.
"You may go," Headmaster Stormblood permitted.
"I believe my assistance is needed in the UWHIW," Professor Samuel Lifewater said. "I will go there and see what I can do."
Professor Lifewater, Bob, and Merle, headed into the large lobby of the UWHIW. Bob asked the clerk where his family was, and the clerk told him which room. Bob headed there immediately.
Bob pushed open the large door to the room in which his family was. The room was painted green, with pictures of leaves on the wall. The sunshine was flowing perfectly through the double-windows, and Bob felt uncomfortable in this room.
"Mom, Dad," Bob began.
His parents shifted their faces and used all their energy to look at him. Their faces then fell back on their pillow.
"I rescued you," Bob cried. He grasped their hands to comfort them and himself in these dark times.
Sierra Deathrider, Bob's mother, looked at him again.
"I know, I know. We are proud of you. Continue in that path, because we may not be here to direct you."
"No! No! Mom, Dad, please!"
But it was no use. His parents would soon die.
Where was Merle Ambrose when Bob needed him?
Bob rushed out the large door of the room into the hallway. He grabbed the collar of a life wizard and demanded to bring Merle Ambrose to heal his parents.
Bob rushed back into the room, where he waited impatiently. His tears fell onto his dark robe, and the life wizard soon came back.
"Where is Merle Ambrose?!" Bob yelled.
The life wizard was shocked from Bob's response. The life wizard only heard good tales of Bob Deathrider.
"Um um, I tried to get him, but he was busy healing his parents. He said that he needed to help his family, but he will come when he's done," the life wizard stammered.
Bob gave a loud yell. "AAH!!!! THAT DOESN'T HELP ME! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!"
The life wizard ran as if he had the Boots of the Comet on him. Bob sat down, and put his hands in his head, thinking of what he had just done.
Merle Ambrose wasn't coming. Bob knew he had to do something.
"I am the ruler of death! I will make sure my family doesn't die!" Bob announced.
Bob sensed that there were spirits or messengers of death in the room. They would soon strike his parents.
"Spirits of death!" Bob began. "Listen to me and do my bidding! Leave this room at once, and don't return anytime soon! I command you at once! Am I not Bob Deathrider, the ruler of death? LEAVE NOW!"
Bob waited for death to leave the room, but he still felt the presence of death.
Bob gave a loud shriek, and then he screamed, "MERLE AMBROSE!!!!!!!!!!!"
But Merle couldn't possibly hear Bob. They were twenty floors apart. As a matter of fact, Merle was on his way right then.
"Bob, you were the best child," his parents told him with all their strength. "Just as you made us proud, continue to make the Spiral proud. Be good."
The words of his parents seemed to linger in the air, and then Bob felt the presence of death exit the room.
He leaned over the beds his parents were in, and saw that they were dead.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Bob grieved.
Bob took his robe, and tore it apart. He gathered dust from the ground, and put it on his hat. He pulled his hat down over his face.
At that second, Merle Ambrose entered the room, and saw what happened. He ambled over to Bob, and put a hand on Bob's shoulder.
"It's ok, it's ok," Merle comforted Bob.
Bob took Merle's hand, twisted it, and then threw it off of Bob's shoulder.
"YOU!" he shouted.
"Me?" Merle asked.
"YOU! BECAUSE OF YOU, MY PARENTS ARE GONE!"
"Bob, have you gone nuts? There was nothing I could do! My family needed healing!"
But this wasn't good enough for Bob.
Bob sent a beam of darkness straight into Merle's stomach. Merle collided with the door and broke it down.
Doctors and people watched astonished at Merle Ambrose on the floor. They rushed over, and Bob disappeared through the crowd.
But on that day, Bob decided that he would have his revenge on Merle.
1 week, 3 days, 11 hours, 34 minutes, 10 milliseconds…
Bob still secretly hated Merle in his heart. But he didn't show any hatred towards Merle. Sometimes he would pull pranks on Merle, or he would grow extremely angry with Merle, but he would always cover up for it.
There was a knock at Bob's door. Bob peered through the window to find Merle Ambrose, in his green outfit as always.
"I see that you were cut by a wand on your pinky," Bob observed. "It seems as though you were scratching the finger with your wand, and the wand cut through the finger."
"Good observations Bob. You always were good at this stuff. But tell me, how exactly did you know that?" Merle asked.
"That's quite simple. You have a bandage on your pinky, and the way that your pinky is positioned can only be from a scratch through a wind."
Merle was amazed. "Interesting."
That's not the real reason Bob knew it. In truth, Bob stole Merle's wand and rigged it to cut Merle whenever he scratched his hand. Bob had been observing Merle's new habit of scratching his hand with his wand, and came up with this idea.
"Well, we got a more serious issue," Merle began. Merle entered inside, and began walking up and down the room.
"It appears that Kane Icestorm has left us more issues to deal with. You see, a person that we rescued has been released from the hospital yesterday. Her husband died in Kane's dungeon.
She was spotted in Krokotopia with a grim look on her face, and kicking the Manders. She was calling them names, and said that soon she would rule the Spiral.
Her name is Laura DarkGlen, and it appears that she bought some new clothes and a new staff yesterday when she was released. We must find out what she wants to do."
Bob listened closely to what Merle said. Perhaps he could have Merle deliberately killed in battle with Laura DarkGlen.
"Where in Krokotopia is she now?" Bob asked.
"I don't know Bob. We will have to ask the Manders. They last spotted her in the Oasis, but she is on the move."
"So what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Bob announced.
They rode through the air on spirits, and reached Krokotopia. They were greeted by a blue Mander named Zal'Kl!ak. Yes, there is an exclamation mark in his name.
"Greetings, friends. You have come to save us," Zal'K!ak said.
"Yes, we have come," Merel replied. "Where is Laura?"
Zal'K!ak pointed a shaky finger towards the Pyramid of the Sun.
"There," he announced.
Merle's and Bob's heads shifted towards the Pyramid of the Sun, where they found a woman running up the pyramid.
"She's going to fall off and get herself killed!" Merle proclaimed.
"It looks like she can handle the pyrmad," Zal'Kl!ak informed them.
"Well we better hurry. I wonder what she is planning to do," Bob stated.
They started running full speed ahead towards the pyramid. Bob would normally have them ride on spirits, but he had a special plan just for Merle.
The climb was difficult, because the pyramid was steep. But they were doing all they could to catch up to Laura.
Laura saw them running towards her, and yelled, "You will never stop me! I am Laura DarkGlen! Soon, the soul of my husband will be in my body with my soul, and we will conquer the Spiral as revenge that no one saved him before he died!"
Merle gasped loudly. "Two souls in one. That's deep and dark magic. She will be extremely powerful with two souls in her body."
"So we must stop her!" Bob announced, and ran forward. He was running faster than Merle, and was far ahead.
"Wait up Bob! I'm not as fast as you!" Merle shouted.
"Ok! I'm coming down to help you!" Bob replied.
This was all part of Bob's plan to defeat Merle Ambrose. Bob ran down the pyramid to Merle Ambrose, and stretched out his hand to help Merle Ambrose climb the pyramid.
Merle gripped Bob's hand, and Bob started dragging Merle on the pyramid.
"Oh no Merle! My hand is slipping!" Bob said.
Bob made his hand slowly slip off of Merle's, and Merle fell through the air for miles.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Merle desperately cried.
A slow smile formed on Bob's face, and Merle didn't see it. Merle was tumbling through the air, flipping all around. The ground was just a few feet below him.
But lo and behold! Merle made a thick pile of leaves form underneath him. It stretched from the ground a few feet into the air. Merle fell into the pile of leaves, and was saved.
"NOOOOOOO!" Bob shouted. Luckily, Merle didn't hear him. They were too far away.
Bob realized that his plan didn't work. But he would have his revenge one day. And not just on Merle, but on the whole Spiral.
Until this plan formed into reality, Bob had to pretend that he was good.
All of a sudden, Bob heard a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Laura DarkGlen facing him.
"Bye bye!" Laura mocked.
Bob was confused. What was she doing?
He soon found out. Laura took her staff and jabbed it into Bob's stomach, causing Bob to fall off the pyramid also.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Laura laughed.
Bob fell down miles through the air, until he landed onto the pile of leaves Merle created.
He summoned the spirits of death to bring Merle to where he was, and said, "I'm so sorry. I was losing my grip on you. I just realized that we could've used the spirits to reach Laura."
Merle dusted off some leaves from his robe. "Now you realize!"
"We must hurry and defeat Laura! She already reached the top of the pyramid," Bob announced.
They rode on the spirits and reached the top of the pyramid, where they saw an amazing sight. The sun was high in the sky, and Laura pointed her staff towards the sun. After reciting an incantation, the sun's rays shined directly onto the staff, and a gust of wind was moving through the air.
A cyclone of wind surrounded her and started to spin. When it cleared away, she announced in a deep voice, "I am Tyler DarkGlen, Laura's husband who perished in the dungeons of Kane Icestorm. No one came to save us, and when you reached Laura, I was already dead.
And so, I have come back from the dead and entered the body of my beloved Laura.
And now we will have our revenge on the Spiral! Surrender now, or suffer a terrible fate!"
All of a sudden, Bob remembered hearing something in class.
"Sometimes the soul of a spirit enters the body of the person he/she once loved," Professor Deathshard told the class. "THIS IS A KYBUKK!"
Bob knew that this was dark magic, and to remove a kybukk is extremely difficult. But Bob knew that he had to win. He wanted to kill Merle; he didn't want Laura to defeat Merle.
"Merle, did you hear her/him? I think we better surrender," said a sarcastic Bob.
"FOOLS! YOU WILL DIE!" Tyler proclaimed.
Tyler/Laura created a darkness to surround Bob and Merle. They couldn't see a thing.
Merle quickly got rid of the darkness using his own powers of life. Tyler/Laura grew upset.
"Merle, defend me!"
Bob had a plan in his mind. Merle went in front of Bob, and summoned all types of shields and barriers.
Bob was trying to have the kybukk removed. "Spirit of Tyler DarkGlen, listen to me, Bob Deathrider, ruler of death! Return to the afterlife, where you will find peace. A spirit can't function in the world of mortals!"
"NEVER! I WILL NEVER LEAVE LAURA DARKGLEN!" Tyler announced.
"But you must know that spirits aren't supposed to enter the mortal world! You can never find happiness here! And no one knew the location of Kane Icestorm to rescue you. Please listen to us!"
"FOOL! YOU WILL BE DESTROYED!"
Bob never learnt how to handle this in necromancy class. He was taught that a kybukk could be persuaded to leave. And here was a kybukk that wouldn't leave.
Not only that, but Bob had no training with kybukks! It's not like Ravenwood would have practive kybukks to practice on!
Bob had to turn away from Tyler, and ask the spirits.
"O powerful spirits! Behold, here is a spirit in the mortal world! Bring this spirit back to Celestia, the spirit world, where it will find peace and happiness. Bring this spirit to where all spirits belong! Am I not Bob Deathrider, ruler of death? Listen to my voice, and fulfill my command!"
"THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT WITH THOSE SHIELDS!" said an angry Tyler DarkGlen.
Using all of their energy combined, Tyler/Laura produced a dark energy beam that flowed from their staff and broke every single shield. Next it would hit Merle and Bob.
All of the Manders were gathered on the islands of Krokotopia and were witnessing this event. Soon, Merle and Bob would be destroyed, then Krokotopia, and then the Spiral.
But lo and behold! There was a chilly breeze in the air, and Merle, Bob, and Tyler/Laura heard voices. They couldn't hear exactly what the voices were saying; it was all mixed-up.
The wind passed Bob and Merle and headed straight towards Tyler/Laura. It went straight through them, and Tyler/Laura collapsed on the pyramid.
Merle rushed over and carried Laura's body off the pyramid. She needed healing; perhaps she will see some common sense later.
Bob followed Merle down the pyramid, where the Manders thanked them for everything they did.
They next went to Wizard City, where they put Laura in the UWHIW, and then departed to their homes.
Laura DarkGlen was unconscious as she lay in the UWHIW. But she was having a dream, in which she heard the voice of Tyler DarkGlen.
"Tyler? Is that you?" she called to the surrounding darkness.
"Laura, I may have been forced to exit your body, but I have come back to your mind. Laura, Bob was right. There was no way for me to function in the mortal world."
"No! I don't believe it!" Laura exclaimed.
"Sadly, it is true," Tyler continued. "Laura, there is no way we can be happy unless we're both mortal or we're both spirits. And there is no way to make me mortal. That is, there is no way without the Krokonomicon."
"So I'll find the Krokonomicon for you!" Laura said.
"No, no. You can't possibly search all of Krokotopia for the Krokonomicon. You would never find it."
"So what should I do?"
"Come to me in the spirit world. Let me take you there, and we can be there forever."
Laura DarkGlen let her mind fall into the hands of Tyler, and they departed to the spirit world, Celestia, together.
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Pathfinders (Story 1: Ice: Part 3)
Tara woke with a jolt from her dream, an image of Mark running towards her with a snarl on his face frozen in her head. Caitlin! she thought. Her eyes flew open, but then she closed them again due to the bright sunlight streaming in through a large glass window. Squinting, she sat up in bed, leaned sideways and yanked pale blue curtains over the crystal clear glass.
Tara yawned, rubbing her eyes. Where am I? she thought as she looked around. She got out of bed.
Tara was in a small room, no larger than 15 feet by 15 feet. There was only room for her bed, a night stand and desk in the corner. She curiously walked over to a window that was right by the door in front of her bed and peeked out. She saw a pond, waterfall, bridge, all sorts of wizards running around to do quests…
I’m in the commons! Tara realized. She walked back to her bed.
Tara rubbed her head as the memory of last night came rushing back to her. She began to panic. Mark and that other guy had gotten away. Why had she let them? They could be right outside her door!
After another bout of panic-ness, she slowly calmed down. Merle Ambrose had said she was safe, and he was no liar. He would have blocked dark magic in all the worlds at the least. I have nothing to fear, Tara thought firmly as she changed into her Marleybonian Precious Cloak. She shoved her Feline’s Icy Boots onto her feet, plopped Doctor’s Visor of Severity on her head, whistled for her pet snow serpent, Sheba, to come, grabbed Staff of the Ice Wyvern and opened the door to face the day.
Tara closed her book with a satisfied, “Uh-huh.” She reached into her backpack and brought out a HUGE journal. Next to Oddities of the Spiral: Volume 3 she put a check, then stood up from one of the small library desks and walked to the east library shelf.
“You’ve finished another one?!”
Tara smiled and let go of the book. She watched it zoom to its home shelf before she replied, “Hello, Emily,” and turned around to see her friend’s disbelieving face.
Emily haughtily crossed her arms over her chest. “I can’t believe it. I have been in the spiral two months longer then you, and yet I haven’t read half the books you have!”
Her expression softened into a strained smile. “I hoped I’d find you here. You may have already guessed, but word travels fast here.”
“Yeah. I guessed. Probably half of the spiral knows. It was scary, and to think they got away…” Tara shuddered.
“Yep. Anyways…” She frowned for a second, as if she was trying to remember what to say. “Oh yeah! Hey, guess what?! Guess guess guess!” Without waiting for a reply, Emily swept with a flourish out of her cloak (Robe of Exertion)… “A book!” A huge smile took up most of her face. “Ta-da!”
“Wow, I didn’t know you had pockets in these things!” Tara joked.
“Tara!”
“Ok, ok! Oh, Emily, thank you! You know me so well!” Tara said with honest appreciation.
Emily beamed. “I hope you haven’t read it. Especially since…” She waved a hand towards the shelves.
Tara accepted the book, titled Rare and Mysterious Beings of the Spiral, Including Types of Wizards. Tara looked up into Emily’s smiling face. She had big, slightly angled brown eyes, and a small, playful smile. Her light brown hair was tied back in a pony, with some strands framing her face. Most of the top of her head, though, was covered by a Druidic Cowl. On her feet were high-heeled Boots of the Verge. She was currently the same level of wizardry as Tara, 37, and was also in MooShu, but her subscription access pass to the worlds had run out.
Tara remembered her manners. “Oh, Emily, thank you! And no, I haven’t read it. However did you get it? The book I just finished was the last before the Advanced Section!”
Emily shifted uncomfortably. “Uh, well…” she tried. “Ok, fine. Haley and I stole it from the Advanced Section. That’s why I’ve been giving you the ‘silent treatment.` There was a curse on the gates and…ugh.” Emily explained, shuddering at the end (F.Y.I. Haley is Emily’s sister).
Tara hugged her friend, then went back to her desk to return the nine volumes she had read that morning.
“So, when did you remember my birthday?”Tara questioned oh-so-nonchalantly.
“Huh?! What are you talking about?” Underneath her friend’s surprise Tara could hear a hint of guiltiness.
Tara sighed, and let go of Thaumaturge’s Handbook- Surprise Everyone by What You Know! It flew off to its home.
Home.
“Well, my birthday is in September- maybe you’ll remember next year. Oh, and by the way, you really stink at lying.” Tara answered.
“I did not forget your birthday!”
“I never asked!”
“I still didn’t!”
“You did too!”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
“Not!”
“Too!”
“Girls!” Harold Argleston hissed.
Emily stuck out her tongue at her right as Tara let go of her book. It was heading towards the north shelf, and unfortunately, well, Emily was apparently north.
The book hit her square in the face and sent her sprawling. “TARA!” Emily jumped up and roared, then lunged towards Tara. Tara quickly dodged her, giggling. She leaped nimbly around her desk, while Emily crashed into it.
“GIRLS!” Harold roared.
Tara ran towards his desk at top speed. She jumped over it, and at the top of her jump cast a floating spell. She landed softly on the other side, while Emily… let’s just say she sent the librarian’s papers flying.
Passersby and Tara were clutching their stomachs laughing. Emily stood up and examined a treasure card as Harold rose too, looking livid. “I think this is yours.” Emily said smiling, placing the card in his hand and patting it. Then she ran over to Tara and they both ran out the door, holding hands and roaring with laughter.
“Hang on, oh hang on Tara, please, or I’m gonna pass out.” Emily gasped.
“Ok.” Tara waited as Emily caught her breath. She finally stood up straight.
“Ok, fine. I did forget your birthday. It’s already December, nearly January, and I can’t believe I forgot! But the book was also because of last night. I… I feel really bad for you.” Emily shuffled her feet.
She perked up. “Anyways, I have to go eat lunch. I may not be around for a while, because we’re going with some friends.”
No sooner had Emily finished talking when a messenger skipped up to Tara. “Tara, Tara FairyPetal? Um, Professor Ambrose wants to see you in his office, and he says it’s urgent. Really urgent. Please get there at once.” the messenger conveyed, then skipped off again.
Tara sighed. She had been expecting the message all morning, but she was still reluctant to see what Merle had to say.
Emily smiled at her nervous look. “You’ll be fine. I’ll see yah around,” she reassured, and with that she teleported away.
Tara took a deep breath. Gathering up her courage she ran through the pond and into Merle’s house. She didn’t see him in the main entrance, so she went into the spiral room.
Gamma flew from his perch to hover in front of her as soon as she walked in. “The headmaster is in his rooooom.” He jerked his head towards a door Tara had never seen before. She walked over and stood before it, straightening her robe and hat.
She knocked. “Enter,” came an old, weary voice from within. With a final deep breath, Tara entered the room where her life would change.
Forever.
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How the Headmaster Found Wizard City
It was a warm and bright summer day, and Merle Ambrose and his parents, Martha and Paul moved to a large, empty, city. Their first home was burned down by savages, so they had to find a new place to live.
Later on, Merle went exploring in a small forest close to his home. There was a large tree in the middle. Surrounding the tree, were six buildings. When he walked toward the tree, he saw a young owl! “Aww! Hi there little guy!” Merle said.
“Well young man, I may be little, but my name is Gamma. Gamma the owl. Not Little Guy.” replied the owl.
Merle gasped in shock. “ You… you can… TALK?!?”
Gamma smiled and said, “Why yes. I am a magical owl. I can do many things.”
“Like casting spells?” asked Merle.
“Yes, that is my favorite. Would you like me to teach you?” offered Gamma.
“Teach me!? Wow! I would be so happy!” exclaimed Merle.
“Well then, we can start your lessons tomorrow in the afternoon.” Gamma said with a smile.
As Gamma was flying away, Merle stood there thinking to himself, “Wow a magical owl is going to teach me magic! I can’t wait!!” Merle ran home to tell his parents. When he got home, his mother was making dinner. Merle LOVED his mother’s cooking. As he was thinking about how hungry he was, he asked, “Mother? What’s for dinner?”
“I was thinking of something new. “Chicken coated with a mayonnaise, parmesan cheese mixture.”
“That sounds delicious!” Merle said smiling.
When they started to eat, Merle told his parents about Gamma the owl. “A magical owl, huh?” said Merle’s father.
“Can you prove this to us?” asked Merle’s mother.
“Of course! Exclaimed Merle. Gamma is going to teach me some magic tomorrow afternoon!”
“Oh. I guess we can come and watch you.” agreed both parents.
As Merle was trying to sleep, he kept thinking of Gamma. When he finally fell asleep, he had a wonderful dream! It was about Gamma. He wondered what type of spells he will learn.
The next morning, Merle still kept wondering about Gamma. He couldn’t wait any longer! He ate his breakfast really, really fast. “Slow down! Slow down! Said his mother. You’ll choke!”
By the time Merle’s mother had that, he was already done. Merle walked into the living room and stared at the grandfather clock. Tick, tick, tick, went the clock, over and over again. Once the clock struck 12:00, Merle was so excited; he jumped up, called his parents, and set out to the forest.
There, he saw Gamma flying in mid air. “Hello! Gamma said to the parents. I am Gamma the owl. So you are here to watch Merle practice?”
“Why… Why yes. We are.” said Merle’s mother.
Merle practiced and practiced each day, getting better and better. And as the years went by, Merle’s parents died and he was so sad.
A few years later, he decided that with the buildings around the large tree, he should make a school! A magic school. He will call it Ravenwood. Merle hired some very powerful teachers. The schools were Myth, Life, Death, Fire, Ice, and Storm.
Soon, he opened up the school, for young children, to enroll for one class. Once they did that, they will become young wizards. Merle decided that the city he lived in should be called Wizard City, and treasure it forever!
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Saga of the Spiral: Book of the Prophecy
Prologue
It was a cold, dark night. a figure in a starry hood and robe, with a long staff and brown beard appeared out of the mist. he held a lantern that emanated a faint mana spark. he looked sadly around at all the damage the evil forces had done. the storm school had so many holes it looked like swiss cheese. the fire school had a serious case of frost bite, while the ice school had burned to the ground. the myth school's tree had been knocked over into its school. the life school had been torn off its foundation and was now settled in the branches of the grandfather tree. but worst of all was the death school. where it had once stood , tall and proud, there was now a gaping hole in the earth. it was not a crater. it was not a valley. it was as if a dragon had taken the earth beneath the school in its arms and carried it off into the outskirts of the spiral. a sad, lonely wizard wandered aimlessly among the ruins, taking it in, seeing if there were any clues as to who had done this and how to destroy them.
" What you seek is not amongst the rubble," a voice from far above whispered, "but within your heart. You knew Malistare would do this after Sylvia died. He was too unstable, Ambrose." the wizard replied, "I know, but I thought there may be a clue to overcoming him, Bartelby." "Ambrose, my dear friend, " the ancient tree said, "it is not you destine to kill him, but another." "Did you have a vision?" Ambrose said in a small voice. "while the schools were torn away, burned, and otherwise destroyed, Malistare stole my eye of the past from me. but, he did not steal my eye of the future from me. and this is what I see.........
These are dark times. But, there is a light in the darkness. This wizard will use this light, and with it, destroy the man who has caused us so much grief and pain."
"But, how will I know?" Ambrose said in a small voice, for he was not headmaster yet. "This boy," Bartelby explained, "will not be like the others. He will struggle more. He sufferings will be greater. He won't make friends as easily. He will live amongst the shadows." Ambrose said, "I see Bartelby. I will be on the lookout for this strange boy. In the meantime, how do we stop this evil?" "Ambrose," the wise tree chuckled, "surely you could gather all the wizards and drive him further out into the spiral until the boy comes?" "I will do as I must, Bartelby." Ambrose declared, and with that rushed off to tell the council of wizards.
When Ambrose told the council of wizards, they immediately sprang into action. Ambrose lead the wizard to watch and wait for Malistare to make his move. When Malistare was seen in Marleybone, all the wizards rushed to defeat him. Just before the final blow was dealt, he vanished into the far reaches of the Spiral, not to be seen again.
Chapter 1: the Past
That is the story I always hear, how some "chosen one" will come save us all from Malistare's horrible plan. Well, hi anyways. My name is Alexander O'Connor. Or, Alexander Deathwhisper, as Merle Ambrose and the rest of the spiral call me. It's my "wizard name". Well, it does represent me as a wizard. I'm a death wizard, and I'm shy and don't make a lot of friends. It's not easy for me. Well, here I am, a wizard. If you go back in time two months, and told me I'd be a wizard, I would have laughed in your face. Weird, how I got here. It was just a normal day back in a town I like to call home.
BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP! ugh. Another Thursday. The worst day of the week. I got up, got dressed, and went downstairs to see what my mom was cooking for breakfast. The second I opened up the door, cinnamon hits my nose. "What's for breakfast?" I ask my mom as I walk downstairs. "Cinnamon rolls." she replies, "And, if you don't hurry up, you're going to miss the bus. Agian." I inhaled two before sprinting out the door to catch the bus to school.
The bus was packed as usual. But packed is not bad. Loud is. I couldn't even hear myself think. There was all this talk of who got what for who for Christmas, and where people were going for the holidays. I went and sat next to my friend Tyler. We've been friends since 3rd grade. He and I have been through it all. "Why do you look so glum?" he asks me when I sit down next to him. "Glum? Where did THAT come from?" I asked. Tyler was very well read and enjoyed using big and unusual words. Translates to: headaches for me. "Glum is when you are sad." Tyler explained, "I thought you knew that." "Yea, well, I'm not a brainiac." I said as we pulled up in front of one of the ugliest buildings in town. They call it "Barker Junior High School".
I'm in the 8th grade. Next year I get to go to the pretty new school they just built, because the old one burnt down. I get to get away from all these kids, because they have to go to a different high school on the other side of town. When the boundary lines for the schools were made, they weren't drawn out evenly. So, I got to go to a different middle school than every other kid at my elementary school except Tyler and a few other people. That's why we became best friends. Next year I get to see all my old friends and I can't wait. But for now I am stuck with these boring kids. Or as Tyler put it so nicely one day, " Shallow, self absorbed, sorry excuses for humans that call themselves cool and popular even though no one likes them." Well, at least none of the sane people like them.
As I walked in the doors, the sound hits me like a tsunami. It's ALWAYS loud before homeroom. But today is louder than usual because it's almost the holidays. Tyler and I split up so that it's easier to get to our lockers. There right next to each other, but two people walking down the hallway without getting crushed is impossible right now. So, we go our separate ways. When I get there, I notice that my lock is open. I try not to run over and make a scene as I rummage through to see what's gone. Wallet: check. iPod: check. Homework: check. Textbooks: check. Scroll: check. Notebooks: check. Wait, scroll? What in the world was THAT doing here? I looked a little closer at it. It had a wax seal on it with a spiral and sparks surrounding it. Weird.
Just as I was about to open it, the bell rang. I shoved it back in my locker, got my books, and started to look for Tyler. As I was looking for Tyler, I saw a bird sitting on top of the lockers. The weird thing was, it wasn't affected by the noise. It just sat there. And stared. Straight at me. It was the weirdest bird I had ever seen. It looked like a raven, but had silver, metallic looking wings. And the oddest birthmark of a star on its chest.
"What are you staring at?" a voice from behind startles me. I spun around and came face to face with a tall, blonde-brunette girl, about my age, with clearest blue eyes I've ever seen. "Uh, nothing." I managed to stutter before turning and half running half walking away to find Tyler. I don't know why, but that girl had REALLY freaked me out. I found Tyler at homeroom, talking to Heather Creel, the most popular girl in school, and the only girl Tyler had had his eyes on since 5th grade. She was one of the few people who had gone to our elementary school. I shook my head and took my seat just as the bell rang and Ms. Prim, with the most annoyingly cheery voice ever, began to take roll.
Classes passed in a blur. One holiday party after another. We would have the parties tomorrow, but the school board decided to make it a teacher learning day, which means we don't have to go to school, only the teachers. I was one of the few people who didn't get sugar high or almost puke. I didn't think about the scroll, the bird, or the girl all day.
When school ended, I went to my locker and got my stuff. I was going to leave the scroll behind, until a faint voice from behind said, "If you don't take the scroll home and open it, you will ALWAYS wonder what it said." By the time I turned around, the voice was gone, but on the floor was a silver-blue feather. I picked up the feather and scroll and shoved it in my bag because one, the voice was right; two, this was starting to creep me out; and three, Tyler was coming down the hall and was going to ask if I didn't hide it. "Wanna walk or take the bus home?" he asked. "I wanna walk, I need the exercise after all those treats." I said. "Ok, well I need to get home fast," Tyler explained, "So I'll see you this weekend, ok?" "Ok. See yah later." I said. I would take the bus home with him normally, but I needed to think. Think about the girl, the voice, the bird, and the scroll.
The walk home was pretty long. Plenty of time to think. I turned on my iPod so no one would try to talk to me. I had walked two blocks before looking up to see who was walking ahead of me. It was a girl, my age, with long blondish-brown hair, a beat up leather messenger bag, jeans, and a green plaid jacket that looked worn. I'd never seen her before, and that was weird because I knew everyone in my grade. It started me thinking of the girl in the hall. Maybe it was her. Then I started looking around, to see if anyone else was nearby. Nope. No one else. Things were getting weirder and weirder. Suddenly I hear a sharp cry from above. I look up to see a silver, raven-like bird. Then, the girl lifted up her arm, and with that, the bird landed on her wrist. She turned around, waved and disappeared into thin air.
By now I had stopped walking. I was staring, open-mouth, at where the girl had been. The bird was hers. That made sense. But waving at me? Why me? This had to do with the scroll. I raced home to open the scroll, and see what this mystery was about, once and for all.
When I got home my mother and father were still at work and my brothers wouldn't get out of school for two hours. Good. I had the place to myself.
I ran up to my room, flung my bag by the door, and sat down on my bed with the scroll. I carefully peeled off the wax seal, not wanting to destroy it. I unrolled it, and began to read. This is what it said:
Chapter 2: the Scroll
Alexander Deathwhisper, you are cordially invited to join the ranks of heroes and become a wizard. If you choose to accept your fate, please sign your first and last name on the bottom of this scroll.
The Ravenwood schools provide a marvelous opportunity to learn magic. There is Fire, Ice, Storm, Myth, Balance, Death, and Life. The Professors are ready to help and guide you through an amazing adventure.
This offer is for one [1] semester of school, from January to June. You will board here or at your Earthly home. If you pass your tests and show promise, you will be eligible to apply for year round education.
Good luck to you in your adventures, and may I see you soon,
Merle Ambrose
Headmaster, Ravenwood School of Wizardry
So that's what this was all about. The girl was a WIZARD, that's why she disappeared. Must be Balance. And the raven must be an enchanted pet. Well, this wouldn't be too bad. I could skip the rest of the year at Barker Junior, and make it back just in time for high school. I would have to tell my parents though.
"Hey mom." I said when my mom walked in the door, "How was work?" "Good Alex. Did you finish your homework yet?" she said. "I don't have any homework. But I did get this weird scroll in my locker today." I said, and handed my mom the scroll. She read it with a calm expression on her face. I was not expecting that. "So, they want you to be a wizard too?" she asked. "To? TO? Who else is a wizard? WHO?" I said, dying to know who else in the family was a wizard. "Your grandfather on my side." she said, " He was a Balance and Ice wizard. He left when he was 21." "Well, can I be a wizard then?" I asked. At this point I was sure I could. "Well, we're going to have to fill out LOTS of paperwork, but if you really want to....." "THANK YOU" I shouted, and hugged her. I couldn't believe it, I was finally getting out of middle school.
It turned out that my brothers went to their friend Jimmy's house for dinner, so I was an only child that night. Apparently, my father knew my mother's father was a wizard, and was ok with me going, provided I was going to come home every night to have dinner. All that was left to do was sign the paper. After dinner, my parents and I sat down to sign the paper. First my dad, with his big, sharp signature. Then my mom, with a smaller, loopy signature. Then me, with a tiny, square signature. After I had put the pen down, there was a knock at the door. My mom answered it, and there stood the girl. With long, blonde-brown hair, and clear blue eyes. She was in a amazing dress instead of jeans and a plaid jacket. But there was no bird this time. No, there was a dragon curled up on her shoulder. I did the only thing I could do. I fainted.
When I came to, I was in bed. My mother told me they worked out all the details with the wizard representative. On January 5th I was to report to headmaster's house. I would be given details then. My mom gave me a wizard outfit to wear. It itched like crazy. Oh well, just going to have to deal with it
Tyler and I spent the rest of the break together. When I told him I was going to go to a private school, he was sad, but understood. He was very happy when I told him it was not a boarding school. We went to the movies to see Mummy Attack 4 and Space Quest. We played video games until 3 in the morning. We tried to be normal, or at least I did. I didn't know what being a wizard was going to do to me, and if I'm going to change, I want to be normal first.
Then January 5th came. At six o'clock my mom woke me up and told me to get dressed. I got in the uncomfortable black robe and got in the car with my mom. I then realized I had no clue how I was getting there. "Um, mom, how in the world am I getting there?" I asked."Why, the airport, how else?" she replied, as if it was nothing. "No mom, seriously." I said. "Truly," she tried to explained, "the airport."
When we got to the airport I put on a jacket over the robe so that I didn't look too weird. When we walked in, my mom lead me towards a hallway. I was waiting for someone to stop us until I realized no one would. I sat in a chair in the hallway for forever while my mom filled out forms. Pretty soon another boy was sitting beside me while his mom filled out paperwork. "What's your name?" he asked in a nice voice. "Alex." I replied. "No, your wizard name." he asked. "Um, Alexander Deathwhisper." I said. "Oh, are you going to be a death student?" he asked. "Probably" was the only thing I could say before my mom and a guy I hadn't met yet had come through the door to get me. "Now, you be good and don't get into trouble. And be on time for dinner!" my mom said before I vanished to the other side of the door.
"Alexander Deathwhisper," the boy said, "Once you pass through that door, you will enter the world known as the Spiral. In that world, the rules are different. The stakes are higher. This is not some video game where you can be killed there and still come home. No, you have to know your limits, and make friends and help each other out. The first world you will encounter is sort of a trial world, where the weak and fragile are weeded out. Then Krokotopia, more realistic, but still a trial world, where we can control some things. As you get farther into the outer reaches of the Spiral, we have less of a grip on you. Marleybone comes next, where you will first encounter big bosses, and need friends to help. Mooshu is a little harder than that, but not much. Then, if and only if you are strong, brave, loyal, and heroic, you will move on to study at Dragonspyre. This is where the best go to receive training. If you stick with it, I'm sure you'll make it." "I understand." I said, and with that, he opened the door, and I stepped through.
Chapter 3: the Trial
I found myself standing in a big room, with a desk and books flying everywhere. "Now, who is this?" a voice from behind the desk said. "Oh, Alexander Deathwhisper. You've decided to join us." Then, a man in a long, starry robe with a starry hat, and a long staff appeared from behind the desk. "Why, that robe does not fit you at all. For Bartelby's sake, that's a balance robe, not death! Well, you'll have to earn some money and get yourself a death robe as soon as possible. Otherwise we just might have to make you balance!" Ambrose exclaimed. "Death? I'm death?" I asked. "Well, you are Deathwhisper, aren't you?" he asked. "Well, yes. That does make sense." I said.
"Good." he said, and handed me a rod of cold metal that stayed cod no matter what I did. It wasn't ice cold though. It was more like nightmare had decide to crawl out from whatever corner it had been hiding in and bottle itself up in this wand. He also gave me a thick book that could vanish in one word. "Now, this is your wand. It can help you cast spells and had a spell of its own. And this book is your handbook, I guess you could say. It show you your stats, maps, quests, spells, inventory, and friends list. Your bank is in your dorm room, which is located to your right when you go through the tunnel to Ravenwood. Your first quest is to go to Unicorn Way and help the guard, because there have been reports of undead, and they are not equipped to handle that. Go right away, and when you are done, hurry back." "Ok." I said, and ran out the door and down the street to Unicorn way.
That room, it turned out to be, was the headmaster's office, where I could always find him. He ran the whole Spiral from there. Or, at least, what they could control. As I ran out into the Commons, I got to see what this place was really like. There were people, rather kids my age and older, all over. It was like a little park. And no matter what language they spoke where they came from, we could all understand one another. It was amazing. I walked over to the tunnel with the plaque that read "Unicorn Way" and asked the guard to go through.
"Non shall pass without permission from the Headmaster." he stated in a gruff voice. I showed him my certification and he opened the gate for me. When I went through the gates I saw the street for the first time. It was not like the streets on Earth. It was cobblestone, and instead of cars there was hundreds of ghosts, evil fairies, and skeleton pirates circling it. None of them went on the sidewalks, so it was safe there. I went up to the guard, and he said to clear some undead out so that his men would have a chance coming home. I watched as others tried and tried again to kill them. A few succeeded. Most didn't. I then realized this was the first stage of separation. The weak ones could not hold and sustain the magic necessary to cast simple spells.
When I decided to go ahead and try, I didn't know if I would be one of the ones who would fail or kill the undead. First turn I casted a death shield, because I didn't have much health. The ghost hit me with a minor life spell, just taking a little bit of my health. Second turn I hit the ghost with a ghoul spell. It wasn't easy calling all that magic and focusing it on what I wanted it to do. But I did it. That was the only important part.
Soon I had finished that quest. I reported back to the guard, and he gave me the rest of the quests for that street. When I finished the street, the guard was impressed. "I've never seen a kid finish Unicorn Way as fast as you have." he said. "Thanks" was the only thing I could say in reply. I ran to tell Ambrose I had finished. When I told him, he was impressed. I worked all day, finishing Unicorn Way and Cyclopes Lane. Then I had to go home for dinner. My mom was happy I was at the head of my class. My dad was surprised. He didn't expect me to do this well on my first day.
The rest of Wizard City sped by in a blur. It was one battle after another. On the street I fought by myself, because then I only had to kill one monster at a time. When it came to dungeons, there was normally someone else going in, so we'd work together. When I got to Colossus Boulevard, I started to be challenged. I had to change my fighting style because I had to fight two at a time. Sometimes people would help and sometimes they wouldn't. By the time I was halfway through the first quest there I realized I was getting a bit of a reputation. People started murmuring, "The Chosen One." when they thought I couldn't here, or, "He's the one that will kill Malistare." or, "Watch out for that guy, he's powerful." If I had felt alone before, this just made it worse.
This continued all through that street. When I was done, I went to Ambrose and he gave me the Spiral Key so that I could go to Krokotopia. There the rumors just got worse. It seemed as though everywhere I went, the worse it got. I started getting mad, and losing control of my magic. One day, when I was fighting a powerful boss, and I had just a death blow to go, a boy who had been watching me whispered to his friend, "See, he's the one from the prophecy. He's a loner and lives in the shadows. I feel sorry for Ambrose. If he doesn't control him soon, he's going to have another Malistare on his hands."
That did it. It was the last straw. I was sick and tired of people talking about me. And not only was he talking about me, but he was saying I was going to become mad with power. I decided, that in that moment, that day, I would start a silent war. Despite all the people who were betting on my failure, I was going to prove them wrong. I was going to make no friends, I didn't need them. I was going to become powerful, and fulfill this insane prophecy. I didn't care anymore that I had no friends, because that is what made me who I am. And I was going to make sure EVERYONE knew that.
I went to speak with Ambrose the next morning. When I got there , there were two cups of tea waiting on the table. "I was expecting you, Alexander." Ambrose said, "It is about the whispers, isn't it?" "Yes, it is." I replied, not knowing what else to say, "I am getting sick and tired of people saying I'm going to spiral out of control." "Are you?" Ambrose asked. "No." I said. Ambrose looked at me strangely. When I look back on that moment I see why. I said that one syllable with so much conviction, that even the most doubtful person had to believe me. "I see." he said, "And I believe you. Even if I'm one of the few people in this world who do, I believe in you." "Few? You're the only one, Ambrose." I said. "Oh, I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't one or two more people who believed." he said with a twinkle in his eye, and a slight smile, "Your dismissed, Alex. You have a lot of training to do."
I trained and trained and trained. I built up my spell deck with the most powerful spells I could. I got a lot of blades and feints so I could make my attacks more damaging and I got healing spells from life school so I didn't have to worry as much about dying. The only thing that would help more was a friend, but that was out of the question. I would never make a friend here. Sure, people came and stared at me during battles, but as soon as I look at someone, they pretend to be busy, or not paying attention. It bugged me, but I dealt with it.
It was end of April when I spoke with Ambrose. Soon I realized June was approaching, and I was either going to have to apply or go back to Earth. I then realized I was trapped. I was never going back to being a normal, average teenager. I was going to apply, and continue here.
By the time June rolled around I was finishing Krokotopia. When I came back in the fall, I would be in the real wizard world. The stakes higher, the bosses bigger, the cards even more harmful. It was going to be fun I thought as I stretched my sore muscles.
Chapter 4: Summer
When summer came, Tyler and I had to make up for lost time. We went to the movies to see the movie everyone was talking about. We played video games and explored the forest with Tyler's new dog, Oscar. We think he was a lion or a tiger or a dragon in his past life, because he was not scared when he came face to face with any of the animals. Not even a rattlesnake.
One day the new high school had an open gym day, so kids could come try it out. Tyler and I thought it would be a good idea, because I wasn't going there next year. When we got there the place was packed. There was a game of basketball and two games of knockout going, one for beginners and the other advance. Tyler joined the advance game while I watched.
I saw some of my friends from elementary school that I hadn't seen in years. "Hey Alex." They'd say as they passed. A few stayed to talk, and they were sad when I told them I wasn't going to high school with them. All of them asked how my new school was. It was hard, trying not to give away too many secrets to where I was. I just said it was an international school for very talented kids. It was true, but not completely.
Tyler came over after he had finished the game of knockout. He is an amazing basketball player, and was going to try out for the basketball team. He had been practicing forever. "I won." he said. "Nice." I said, "You know we should come practice in here sometime when it isn't so crowded." "Well, I can talk to Coach Davis, but no promises." he said, and went off to find the coach.
When Tyler got back, he told me that Coach Davis would let us practice in the gym tonight if we help out with clean up in the food room after the open gym was over. We agreed that we might as well, and went over to the food room to enjoy the food.
By the time everyone left and the food room was clean, it was dark out. My mom had said I could stay out until eight, which was in two hours. "You guys make sure to lock up behind you." Coach said. "Ok." We replied, and practiced our free throws. Soon, we were into a full on scrimmage. Of course Tyler ended up winning. I'm not that good at basketball. "I have to go get a drink of water." he said, and went off. I sat there, in the middle of the gym for a while. Suddenly, I started to feel really strange. I looked up from where I sat. It was dark, and I couldn't see that well. "Tyler, is that you?" I asked the empty air. "UH.................Ooo................................Ahhhhh...................Oh......................................" was the only reply I heard. "Uh, h-hello?" I said, my voice becoming shaky. This could be Tyler playing a joke on me. But this had that sinister feeling, like the first time I picked up my wand, or when a death spell was cast upon me.
All of a sudden, ghosts appeared out of the darkness. Following them came firecats, ghouls, fire elf's, vampires, helephants, and wraiths. "O dear. This cannot be good." I whispered, and prepared the first of many spells.
I dueled for what seemed forever. Helephants and wraiths just kept coming. After some time I was ready to give up. Then I remembered why I was becoming a wizard. It gave me new strength. I fought like there was no tomorrow. But still, I became weary fast. Soon, I collapsed. Lying there, not yet unconscious, I realized I was going to die, unless someone from the wizard world came to help me. This must have happened to another person, last time the gym burned down. Oh well, at least now Ambrose will be one step closer to seeing who is connected with Malistare.
Chapter 5: The Twins
"Oh no! We're too late to save him Kiley!" Jasmine screamed, and charged into the mass of monsters. "Oh brother. Rather sister. You know Jams, you really need to control yourself. One of these time you may die, and none of the powers in the spiral will be able to save you." Kiley said. "Oh, don't worry!" She yelled, while fighting helephants. "You'll save me. You have to! We're twins!" Ugh. Kiley thought to herself. She is always WAY to reckless. Isn't the older one suppose to look out for the younger one, not the other way around? Kiley ran into battle beside her sister. Soon they had cleared a path to the fallen boy. "Well, this doesn't look TOO serious." Kiley told her sister, "Only a boy that was overwhelmed. I'll have him better in no time at all."
Soon, Alex was surrounded by a bubble of protection. Kiley was working furiously with what dryads and satyrs she had to get him conscious. Jasmine, or as her sister called her, Jams, defended the two with ice spell after ice spell. As soon as the undead realized that it was hopeless, they began to crawl back through the portal they had come from. Jams went over to look at it. Just before it disappeared, she noticed a small, enchanted stone lying below it, with distinct fire and death markings. "Weird." she though, and went to see how her sister was doing.
Well, you may ask why these girls were here. Or why they were saving Alex. Or how they'd known what was happening. The truth is, this is a VERY special pair of sisters. They were abandoned at a Earthly orphanage, no mother or father. They grew up into very different people. Jams was loud, impulsive, strong, honest, and very impatient. She was the older one even though she didn't act like it. She had brown-green eyes and straight brown hair, with a silver streak that she got after the fire. Kiley was very shy. She was never as outgoing as Jams. Once you got to know her, she was very friendly and charming. Sometime she acted young, but that's because they never really got a chance to have a childhood. But, that is another story. She had long, curly blonde-brown hair and clear ice blue eyes. Kiley was a theurgist, and always tried to help people. She always wore the same light green dress with emerald green coat that they had been given as a birthday present from Ambrose. It was beautiful, and the coat was covered in a purple vine pattern. It was said to be from the lost realm of Celestia. Jams was a thaumaturge and wore a dress, also from Ambrose and rumored to be from Celestia. It was light blue, down past her knees, with gold and silver decoration that resembled ice shards. She had a necklace that was a blue-silver star.
These girls were the ones designated by Ambrose to guard Alex, for after the last boy who may had fulfilled this prophecy died in this very gym, the chosen ones needed protectors. And who better than the ones who almost saved the chosen one last time. Jams and Kiley had been visiting a powerful sorcerer who now lived on Earth. They were taking a walk by the school, when suddenly it began to emanate magic fire. Both girls ran into the building to save whoever was in there. It was said Jams died in the fire. But in fact, it gave her the power to transform into any animal she chose. She now traveled with Kiley, and appeared as a pet raven, snake, or dragon when Kiley was in public. Even Ambrose didn't know. These two, because of their prior experience with the dark magic, were assigned to look out for Alex, and protect him.
This brings us back to present day. Jams was walking over to her sister. "Uh, Kiley, I have bad news and more bad news." She stated, "Which do you want first?" "Well, everything seems to be bad news these days." Kiley said, "Well, go on. Tell me the news." "Well," Jams began, "It appears that we are dealing with a very powerful pyromancer and nemocratser. And, it's the same person as last time. I found another teleported stone with the same signature." "Oh my." Kiley said, "This is getting worse and worse. Well, everything except our patient. He is recovering quickly, and should be fine in a minute or two. We should go before the other boy gets back." "Fine, let's go." said Jams and they turned around.
What is going on here? Tyler asked himself as he walked back onto the basketball court. Two girls were standing over Alex talking. Not only was the fact that they were here weird, but that they were dressed very strangely. Then he realized Alex had to be unconscious. Just then, both the girls turned in his direction. Oh no, he thought, now they're going to hurt me to! "What do you want?"he yelled at the girls. "Nothing." a quiet voice came back. "Why have you hurt my friend?" he asked. "It was not our fault. We were trying to help." the same quiet voice came back.
Now Tyler was just getting mad. His friend was unconscious, and these two were helping? He saw no first aid kit, no water, no cell phone to call 9-1-1. How in the world were these girls helping? "You better leave my friend alone." he shouted. The same, quiet voice replied, "Don't tell us what to do. You are no match for us mere mortal. Just let us do our job." Tyler snarled, "What job?" and ran at them. In one swift motion, the girls joined hands and disappeared. Then, there was a tap on his back. He turned around and saw the blonde girl. "When your friend wakes up," she said, "Tell him to get plenty of rest tonight, and to see headmaster tomorrow morning." Then, she vanished.
Chapter 6: The Meeting
When Alex woke up [ a few minutes after Kiley and Jams left ,] he couldn't believe he was alive. Tyler was sitting there, head in his hands, trying to make sense of all this. He looked up when I began to stir. "Some girls came by. They scared me to death." he said. "What did they look like?" I asked. "Um, one was brown hair with brown eyes and a blue dress and a blue-silver star necklace. Oh, and she had a silver streak in her hair. The other one was blonde with amazing blue eyes, and a pretty green dress with purple design. They said to tell you to get plenty of rest and see headmaster tomorrow morning. Do you know what that means?" "Yes I do." I said. Have I mentioned those girls give me the creeps? Well, there was no choice now. Apparently those girls saved me, and I was going back to school tomorrow. "I'm sorry Tyler, but it looks like I'm going back to school tomorrow." "Oh, so headmaster is like a principal?" Tyler asked. "Yeah, that's exactly it!" I said, "But for now, I have to get home." "Ok, see yah around." Tyler said, and I walked out of the gym.
When I got home, I told my parents I had to return to school the following morning. They were disappointed, but understood. My mom made a big pot of pasta and we had garlic bread and meat balls to go with it. After dinner I watched a little TV, then went up to bed.
In the morning, I got dressed in my new Marleybone robe, shoes, and hat. When I went down for breakfast, my mom looked at me, and said, "You finally look like a wizard." I ate the eggs and toast, and my mom and I got in the car, and went to the airport.
When I got to Wizard City, I went straight to Ambrose. When I got in the office, he had two cups of tea waiting. "Good morning, Ambrose." I said, "How was your summer?" "Fine." he replied, "But, I got some unsettling news this morning. It seems as though you were attacked last night. But, I had a wizard in the area, so everything was alright. What exactly happened?" "Well, I was attacked." I started, "By helephants, wraiths, fire cats, ghosts, ghouls, and all sorts of other fire and death creatures. I fought long and hard, but got weary and collapsed. When I came to, my friend told me he saw two girls, my age, one with brown hair and brown eyes, and the other blonde with blue eyes, standing over me. They must have been the ones that saved me. But they did scare my friend pretty badly." "Well, he will just have to be told that wizards exist." Ambrose said. "Wait, I can tell him wizards exist! That would have been much simpler than lying to him. " I exclaimed. "We didn't want him to find out unless it was absolutely necessary." Ambrose said, " But now, you must go tell your friend what has happened, and come back at once.
I rushed out the door, down the tunnel to Ravenwood, into the tree we call Bartelby, through the world gate, and into Tyler's backyard. Tyler was there playing with is puppy. "What just happened?" he said, staring at me. "Tyler, I wish I could have told you this before, but the reason I go to a private school is because I'm a wizard. And those girls were wizards too. They saved me when some magical beings came and attacked me. I'm really sorry, but that's the truth." I said. Tyler just stared at me like I was insane. "Want me to prove it?" I said. I took his silence as yes.
First, I did a simple teleport spell. That convinced him I was a wizard. I did several more spells just for fun. A thunder snake, a fire cat, a snow serpent, a troll, a ghoul, and a imp. Then, I told him I was powerful, and he wanted me to prove it. So, I decided to summon a wraith. After that, Tyler didn't question my magical abilities.
We sat and talked. About my magic, what the Spiral looked like, it's history. It was a lot of material to cover, and Tyler took it all in like a history lesson at our school. But, while this was going on where I was, Ambrose was having a very different conversation.
"How could you be seen by his friend! I told you to keep it secret so Alex felt like he could look after himself! Now I had to tell him it was a coincidence. But, if more coincidences start to happen, he's going to figure it out. Be careful." Ambrose said. That was one of the few times Ambrose had lost his temper with Kiley. "I will be careful, Ambrose." she replied softly. She didn't like being yelled at, especially not from the headmaster. "But, what most disturbs me," Ambrose began, "Is that Jams was sighted at the scene of the attack. Her body was buried with proper burial rights for a hero, so her spirit should not be up and about. Is there something you're not telling me, Kiley?" "Well," Kiley began, "Oh, I can do this alone." she said, and awoke the dragon sleeping on her shoulder, and whispered something in its ear. Now you see, Ambrose was very intrigued by this, because he didn't know the dragon was Jams. What made his curiosity grow was when the dragon jumped off her shoulder, and started flying in lazy circles around their heads. As the circles became tighter and tighter, they became faster and faster. Soon, the dragon was not there. It was just a blur. Then, the blur began to glow with magic. All of a sudden, the light became a column. This, however, only lasted for a second. When the light faded, there stood Jams, in her Celestia dress, with her star necklace, and long brown hair. You could hear a pin drop in that room, at that moment. "Oh my." Ambrose whispered., "I should have seen this coming. I was always curious as to where your pet got the ability to morph from animal to animal. But now, I have my answer. So, this fire gave you the magical ability to shape shift?" "Yes, it did." Jams said, "But not only that. It also gave me the ability to communicate with animals. And, it gave Kiley the ability to become invisible, move objects with her mind, and fly." "Why, those are a fine set of powers to add to your spell deck." Ambrose said, "Now, when Alex gets back, you must return to your duties. He is now in Marleybone, and more danger than ever before. Now, you girls deserve the time off for now. Off you go. Enjoy yourselves." And with that, the girls departed to rest, that is, until Alex got back. And when he got back, he was even more of a handful than before.
Chapter 7: Marleybone
Finally, Alex thought, I've made it to Marleybone. I wonder what it's like? These were the thoughts racing through his mind as he made his way to Bartelby, and the world gate, with the key to Marleybone in his hand. When he reached Bartelby, he looked up at the wise old tree. "Hello Bartelby," he said, "How are you doing?" "Well young wizard , I am fine." the ancient tree replied, "You are the one they speak of, the one who will fulfill my prophecy?" "Yes," I said, "I believe so." "And that is an important thing, to believe," Bartelby explained, "For if you wizards didn't believe that there was magic, there wouldn't be. If you didn't believe that the spiral door could teleport you, it couldn't. And, if you don't believe, if you ever doubt yourself, even just for a second, that you can't make friends and fulfill the prophecy at the same time, then you will never have friends. Now go, young wizard, and fulfill the destiny that was yours from the beginning. Go now, and save the spiral."
After talking with Bartelby, I raced into the tree, unlocked the door, and stepped into Marleybone. The first thing I saw was a magnificent church. It turned out that the world gate was in the center of the church. I walked down the great isle, and out the door.
Marleybone looked like a older version of London. It was dark there, always night. The people were dogs, that walked on two legs and spoke English, with a British accent. There were several alleyways weaving around a central square. In the square was a fountain that looked like the fountain in Place de la Concorde. Place de la Concorde is located in Paris, and is surrounded by all of the French government buildings. All of the shops were located around this square. If you made your way through the maze of alleys, you could find Barkingham Palace, where the queen lives, the Scotland Yard, or police, Digmoore Station,221 Barker Street, and Big Ben. I was instructed to take a balloon car to Hyde Park and get a quest there. Once I was in the station, I went over to Tracy Castleton to get my ticket. She gave me my ticket and pointed out the car for me. It was like a hot air balloon on top, but a boat on the bottom. It was so weird. Once I got to Hyde Park, I realized I would be fighting on rooftops. I saw Lady Desane, and went over to receive my quest.
Fighting on the roof was a lot different that fighting on streets. But, since the bad guys didn't come to us, we went to them. So, I had to fight Hooligans and O'Leary Burglars up on the roof. After a while I got the hang of it. I kept going, through Hyde Park to Chelsea Court.
Once I got to Chelsea Court, I had to start facing tough bosses. I was going up to where Shakes O'Leary normally hung out, and just before I went in, a boy nearby said, "Would you like help with that?" I turned around and came face to face with a wizard I hadn't seen before. "Sure," I said, thinking about what Bartelby had said about making friends, "you can come if you want. So, what's your name?" "I'm Noah Owlcatcher. I'm Ice and Myth. And you are?" the boy said. "I'm Alexander Deathwhisper. I'm Death." I said, just as we disappeared into the bosses lair.
We killed O'Leary with ease. After that, Noah and I started helping each other. He got use to the fact that people would avoid him when he was with me, and was really nice to me. Then again, he was nice to everybody. One day, he told me he wouldn't be coming to school for a few weeks. "I'm going to visit my relatives in Pittsburg. My mom is making me take a few weeks of school off. I hope your ok without me." "Oh, I'll be fine. I can cope on my own." I said.
It turned out he would be gone for two weeks. I would go easy, not too fast. I did a few quests, but then ran into another boss I was suppose to kill. I waited, doing side quests, but soon I ran out. I decided to go ahead and try it. "What's the harm it could do?" I told myself, and took the teleporter stone over to the dungeon. I jumped on the launch pad, and in 10 seconds, I was in.
Chapter 8: The Mistake
Once I got into the bosses lair, I jumped into battle. I began to set up my traps and blades for skeleton pirate. The boss just kept passing. After three turns, I attacked. I got 1,234 hit point, which wasn't bad. Now the boss was mad, and came back with a kraken. I was pretty low on health, and saving my pips for the next attack. Next round we both passed. Then, the boss did lighting bat. Now I only had 509 health left. Great, I thought, just what I need. Next turn, I killed it with a banshee. Finally, it was over. I collapsed on the floor, and passed out.
When I came to, I had regained some health, but if I was pulled into battle on the way to the commons, I would die. I started to get up, then realized there was a shadowy figure standing by the window. "Um, h-hello? C-can I h-help you?" I said, scared out of my mind. "Well, actually, you can," the shadowy figure said, "You can die, NOW!" The figure raised his staff, and brought it down with such force, I was knocked onto the floor. Then, he took off his hood, and my worst fears were confirmed. I had made a VERY bad mistake not getting out of here right away. A mistake that may cost me my life.
For there, in front of me, stood the one man I had to destroy. A man we refer to , as MALISTARE!
He hit me with the most powerful death spells I had ever seen. I was expecting to see a wraith, or a scarecrow. But no. He casted a weird, fog-like mist, that started at his feet. It raced across the room, to where I had managed to stand up. It came like a blanket across the floor. When it reached me, it formed into long tentacles and began to swirl around me like a cocoon. It incased my legs, binding my hands behind my back. I was helpless. He stood in the mist, staring at me. Soon, he let out an evil chuckle. "You were NEVER a match for me, Alexander. You would have DIED just like all the others. Seriously, did you ever think you could actually BEAT me? I didn't think so." he said, as I looked at the ground, trying to see if I had actually believed I could kill someone this powerful. "Alexander." he said, "The name fits you. Too bad you will die tonight, just as all the others fell to my power. No one will EVER BE as powerful as me, Alexander, NO ONE!" He said this in rage, and then began to attack. He released the fog, and hit me with wraiths, scarecrows, and skeleton pirates. I tried to fight at first, but realized it was useless. I was going to die. I curled up on the floor, hoping that death would come fast and painless, and that no one would miss me too much.
I remained conscious for a long time. It turned out he was trying to kill me slowly, make it painful. I just laid there, hoping the end would come soon.
It had been an hour of torture. I was still there, on the floor, waiting for death to take me. It couldn't be long now, I thought, as I slipped into dreamland. I was unconscious. Malistare had won. Whoever had been protecting me had failed.
The last thought I had before sinking into a never ending sleep, was what those girls, destine to protect me, were like. Guess I'd never get to find out.
Chapter 9: Saving Grace
I will now tell the story from Kiley's perspective, since Alex is dead.
Great I thought to myself. He's going to try and do it by himself. Alex had just jumped on the launch pad and disappeared into the bosses lair. "Don't worry," Jams the Dragon whispered in my ear, "He use to fight all alone in Krokotopia. He'll be fine." "No," I said, "There's a really good chance he WON'T be fine. The bosses here are harder Jams. You know that." "Well, we'll just have to watch, wait, and see what happens next." Jams said, and curled up on my shoulder to take a nap. "Ok fine, I'LL watch while YOU sleep." I said to the sound of a dragon snoring.
I watched through my mind's eye as the battle took place. He was doing really well. He hit the boss with a skeleton pirate, which did pretty good damage. But it didn't kill the boss, and now the boss was angry. It hit him with a kraken, which did a lot of damage. He passed. Then the boss hit him with a lightning bat, and he had really low health. I was just about to run in when he casted a banshee and it was all over. I sighed with relief. He survived. That meant he was strong. My worries over, I woke Jams, and waited for him to come out. He never did.
When I looked back into the building, I realized he was passed out. I shook my head, and was about to go in and heal him, until Jams whacked me in the head with her tail. "Don't move." she said, "I sense and evil presence lurking. Not Marleybone. Oh no, this is much more powerful." We waited for three minutes. Then we saw a dark figure in a hooded cloak race into the building. I looked into my mind's eye and saw Alex stir. Then he realized there was someone there. Then the figure took off his hood. And my worst nightmare came true.
Jams and I raced to the door. We tried to get in through the door, but it was locked with dark magic. "Ugh, why does Malistare always lock the door!" Kiley said to Jams. They knew if they didn't get in there fast, Alex would be dead. That couldn't happen again.
Finally, after multiple centaurs, seraphs, and wraiths, they managed to open the door. They went quietly up the steps to where Malistare was slowly draining Alex's health.
What I saw made my blood curl. in the middle of the room was Alex's lifeless body, and above him stood a wraith, slowly draining his power and giving it to Malistare. "You try to save him, I'll get Malistare." Jams whispered into my ear. I looked at the dragon and saw the terror in her eyes that must mirror my own. I nodded, and with that, ran in with Jams to save our only hope.
Kiley ran towards Alex. The wraith had disappeared, and Malistare was readying another attack. She put a quick absorb on him, just before a skeleton pirate hit him. "What are YOU doing here?" Malistare said. "I'm saving him." Kiley replied. "Why you little-" Malistare began, but before he could finish, Kiley flicked her wrist, where Jams had been concealed as a bracelet. With that flick of the wrist, Jams uncurled herself and flew at Malistare, jaws open, growing five times in size in that short flight from Kiley's wrist to Malistare's face. His face was permanently disfigured.
Malistare was no match for the dragon. And Jams was too close to use magic. So, Malistare wrestled her. They rolled on the floor for forever. Finally Jams paused, and in that moment Malistare shoved Jams away. He then stunned her, so she wouldn't interfere.
While all this was happening, Kiley was healing Alex. She made a thick layer of absorbs around him, so it would take Malistare forever to kill him. She then used lots of dryads and regenerates to heal him. He was still unconscious when Malistare came over. He smacked her on the side of the head, and she went flying into the wall.
"You do NOT interfere with my plans. Now release the bubble, and let me kill the boy." Malistare said. Kiley remained silent. "You release the magic, NOW!" Malistare screamed while picking her up by her collar, "Why do you not respond! Answer me NOW!" Kiley replied, in a soft, quiet voice, "Not on my life." Then, Malistare completely lost his temper.
He threw her with tremendous force into the other wall. She crumpled on the floor, stood up, and with the last ounce of her strength, casted all the life left in her to Alex. Then, she fell on the floor, unconscious.
I woke up with a start. I was alive. What had happened. I didn't move, because I could tell Malistare was still there. I wanted to see if he'd leave. Then I realized how many absorbs were around me. There was so much protection he probably wouldn't be able to kill me. I lifted my head carefully. I saw a dragon as large as a mastiff lying on the ground, obviously stunned. I looked to my left and saw the wall. There was a small blood streak going down. Now I was worried. I turned my head the other way and saw an identical streak on that wall, and below the streak, a limp, lifeless body of a girl who had saved me countless times. A trickle of blood ran from her mouth, and skinned areas on her head which indicated she had been thrown against the wall at least twice. Malistare stood over her, laughing. "Why, she actually thought she could save him! And giving him all her life! Like THAT would have helped. She'll die soon anyway. Goodbye Kiley Lifehunter!" he said in a very sarcastic voice, and kicked her in the chest.
I was shocked. I was angry. I was horrified. I wasn't going to let my friend be treated like garbage. No. I would stand up for her, and help her. Because THAT is what friends do.
Bartleby was right. I could make friends if I tried. So I was going to make her my friend. I was going to help her.
Chapter 10: Only Time will Tell
Malistare turned around with a smile on his face. It faded the second he saw me, standing there, ready to battle. "Great." he said, "Why won't you just die like all the others!" "Because I'm NOT the others. And they were not me." I said, "Which is why I WILL kill you, and I WILL save the Spiral. Because it's my destiny. And you can't mess with destiny." "Oh, how heroic you sound." Malistare said with a chuckle, "You think by killing me you save the Spiral. Hah! This is MUCH bigger than you EVER could have imagined, little boy. It will blow your mind." He then blasted away half of my absorbs. He was readying another attack when the most unlikely visitor dropped by. Literally.
"NOAH?!" Alex shouted, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" "Well," Noah said, "I ported to you because I thought you might need help with a boss. I don't know if I'm going to be any help here though." "Well, this is working better than I planned," Malistare said, and stunned Noah. He collapsed on the floor in a pile of limbs. "Portolis domus." Malistare said, and Noah's body vanished, along with Malistare. "NO!" I screamed. He was my first friend. He was the first person who had ever been nice to me, besides Ambrose. Now, not only had I lost him, but Kiley as well. I bent down to see if she had a pulse. I didn't feel anything.
I went over to the dragon, who was just stirring. She looked me over once, then looked over to where Kiley laid. She stood up, and leaped into the air. She flew in lazy circles, until they became tight and fast. Then, a column of light appeared, and a girl, my age, with brown straight hair that had a silver streak in it, in a beautiful blue dress, with brown-green eyes, stood there.
She looked at me, then ran over to her sister. I was still stunned. She examined her sister with a careful eye. "She's badly hurt. But she's holding on." the girl said, " We have to get her to Moolinda. FAST." "Moolinda?" I said, "Why?" "Don't you see?" the girl said, "She's dying, just as Malistare said. If she isn't healed fast, she could die tonight." "Alright." I said, "One more thing. How do we get her there? "Oh, don't worry." the girl said, "I got that covered."
She went over to Kiley's body. You could see her chest, rising and falling, all to faintly. Then, the girl said, "Come here." I went over, not sure what she was doing. "Now listen," she said, "You're going to hold Kiley's arm. It makes it easier for the magic to hold. One more thing: don't fight it." I didn't get what she meant by fight it. She stood up, hovering over us. "Portolis spiritus ludus." Then, I felt as if I was being dragged away in a thousand different directions. Naturally my body began to fight it. But then I remembered what she had said, and let the magic take hold of me.
The light was so bright compared to Marleybone it took me a minute to see where I was. We were standing in the middle of an aisle, with desks on either side. In front of us was a desk up on a platform . Behind us was a door with a life plaque. All around the walls were decorated with Life banners and shields. The chalkboards had half a lesson on them. Moolinda Wu stood on the platform with chalk in hand.
Then I looked away from Moolinda, to all the desks that I thought were empty. They weren't. At least 15 journeyman wizards sat, staring at us, trying to figure out what we were doing there. "Well," Moolinda said, "What do we have here?" "She's almost gone Moolinda, hurry!" the girl screamed. Moolinda came over and looked at Kiley carefully. "Why, yes she is." Moolinda said, "Class, we will resume this lesson next week. Don't worry, it won't affect you. Go practice what I have shown you. Good day." The class filled out single file. Moolinda looked at me hard. "Pick her up and bring her up here." Moolinda said to me. She cleared off her desk while I carried Kiley up, and laid her on the desk. "Now, we will do our best to heal her. If it is not enough, it is not enough. She is very close to death. Alexander, go get the book of healing from that shelf. That will help."
I got the book. When I got back, Kiley's sister had some sort of crystal in her hand. Moolinda was preparing for a major healing spell. She was in some sort of trance. I brought the book over, and looked around not knowing what to do. "When she wakes up, hold the book open to the bookmarked page. Ok?' the girl said. "Ok." I said.
When Moolinda came out of her trance, she took the crystal, and started to recite words from the book. I didn't see anything happening. I shot a warning glance at Kiley's sister. She just shook her head. Then, I started to feel itchy. I looked around and saw the room starting to glow. Then the crystal shone like no other. It started to radiate sparks of green light, that fell and hit Kiley. Soon she too began to glow. In a few minutes, the whole room was glowing with little sparks of life, that made you feel whole again. Then the spell ended. The magic faded. "Will she be ok?" I asked.
"Only time will tell," Moolinda said, "Now take her to her dorm, and put her to sleep. Check on her everyday to see if she wakes." I went over and picked her up. The magic had made her light as a feather. Her sister lead the way, and I followed. When she was tucked in bed, we said good night to each other, and went to our own dorms to rest until morning came, and told all.
Chapter 11: The Rumor
The next few days were very tedious. Kiley was still in critical condition, and Moolinda said there was a good chance she wouldn't make it. Moolinda came and checked on her every morning before school started and every night after dinner. Jams wouldn't leave Kiley's room because she was scared that Malistare would try to bypass the shield around Wizard City and hurt Kiley. I wasn't much use either. I attended my classes and did my homework, but other than that all I could do was run errands for Moolinda or Jams, and sit there hoping Kiley would come back soon.
One day Jams went to go see her teacher. She had to get out of the dorm room, or she would scream. When she got back, her face told me that she was madder than a fire elf with a case of frostbite. "Why did you tell them?" She screamed, "I thought we could TRUST YOU! AH!" "What is it?" I asked, not knowing what was going on. "You started the rumor, you had to!" She screamed, "You were the only other one who knew!" "Knew what?" I asked. This was getting weirder and weirder. "JUST GET OUT!" she screamed, and with that, slammed the door in my face.
"Well," I said, "She is in a tuff. I wonder if she got a fireball thrown at her." I turned around to walk away and saw a boy, about my age, standing in the doorway. "Then what they said was true," He whispered, "She is going to die." "What are you talking about?" I said. "I heard a rumor that there was a life girl that was attacked with powerful black magic in Marleybone. They said she was going to die." "So, the rumors are out there?" I asked. "Go down to one of the schools and ask around. I'm sure you'll find your answer there." he said, and vanished down the stairwell.
I took the boy's advice. I went down to the Storm school, because they had some girls that seemed to know everything about everyone. I saw the usual bunch sitting on the pier by Torrence. The girls were giggling and laughing. It was obvious that the topic of the day was the newly made master storm boys. I rolled my eyes. They were so dramatic. One of the reasons I avoided talking with them unless it was necessary. This was necessary.
"Hey girls." I said, "Have you heard about that life girl-" "Oh, you mean the poor girl that's dying?" one of them said in a tone that made it sound like it was the end of the world. All the others sighed with sympathy. Rather, fake sympathy. "Uh, yeah." I said, "Do you know who told you about it?" "Well," one of the other girls began, " We were going to talk with Officer Anderson when a boy popped up out of nowhere. I mean, literally, nowhere! And he said something about getting something for a 'master', and he almost ran into us!" Then all the girls started to crack up. "But then," the one who had been telling the story said, suddenly becoming very serious, "He said 'No, must find the flower, so she'll never wake up.' We didn't think anything of it, until we hear that a dying girl had been brought into the life school. Well, from what we heard, more like dropped!" They all started to giggle and whisper to one another, and I realized I had gotten all the information I was going to get from these girls.
I turned around and looked at all the wizards hurrying from school to school, with packages, quests, and friends. How he envied them. They were so carefree, so careless. One careless move had almost cost me my life. Well, no use feeling sorry for yourself, I thought. you might as well do something. I decided to find the boy I had seen in the stairwell. He was my next best bet in finding out what was going on with Kiley. I had a feeling it was more than just being drained of health. There was something more sinister at work here. And I was going to find it.
I found the boy by the fire school, reading a book on fighting techniques written by one of the Dragonspyre teachers before they were killed by the Dragon Titan's army. He looked up as I approached. "Good book?" I asked him. "Your here about the rumor, aren't you?" he said. "Well, I'm sorry my friend is dying in a tower over there, and you seem to be the only person around here who actually knows what's going on!" I yelled, drawing unwanted attention from a few students around us. "I know how it is. To have someone dying right in front of you, and not being able to stop it." he said, with a sad, lonely expression in his eyes. "But, you have a chance to stop it," he said, stood up, and snapped his book closed, " And I'm going to help you the best I can." "Thank you." I said, "It's good to have someone else on my side. What's your name?" "Bradley Flame." he said, "And you?"
"Alexander Deathwhisper." I said with a smile. I had a good feeling about this guy. He was one of those people who always had your back. I was right there, but as I learned later, Bradley wasn't as I first saw him. There was a different, sinister side to him as well. The warrior in him. It was said in ancient history that each child was born with a different spirit. Some were naturals at making friend. Others were thinkers, always curious. Still others were writers, and musicians, and leaders. Occasionally there was a healer. And rarely, once in a blue moon, a warrior was born. These spirits tended to be outcasts. But, once they discovered their true potential, they could not be stopped from their destiny. This was how Bradley was. And I was very glad he was on my side.
Chapter 12: Seeking Truth
"So," I said, "Who do YOU think started the rumors?" "What rumors?" Bradley said. "You know, about the dying girl." I said. "Why would I know?" Bradley said, "I just heard what you heard." "Ok..." I said. "Why are you so interested in this girl anyway?" Bradley said, "It's probably just a rumor." "Well...." I said, "It's not exactly a rumor." "WHAT?" Bradley exclaimed. "Well, I was in Marleybone when...."
I told Bradley the entire story. Beginning to end. Including the part where Jams exploded in my face. "You've had quite an adventure." was all he could say, for he was in shock. "I need your help now to convince Jams it wasn't me." I said. "I suggest we go back to the girls who saw him. Maybe they have something else they didn't tell us."
So, with that, we went back to the girls by Torrence. They were still talking about the master storm boys, who apparently were all they could think about. "Hey girls." I said, "Remember the girl I asked you about earlier?" "Oh yes!" the over dramatic one said, "What a pity! That boy, he must be EVIL! He had that look in his eye, like Malistare!" she said. "Ok... can you tell me anything about this boy?" I asked. "Well, he was tall, a little taller than you, with a black robe on, and a black hood. He looked just right for anyone in Marleybone." "Did he happen to mention anything?" Bradley said. "Well," one of the quieter girls said, "He did say something about a flower. I think it was, 'Got to find the flower so she never wakes up.' Yeah, that was it!" "Ok, thanks!" we said, and ran to the girl's dorms.
When we got there, Kiley was still out cold. Jams wouldn't let us in. "Alex, just go away and NEVER COME BACK! EVER! You'll make our lives a lot easier!" "Jams," I said, "It's not my fault. You've got to believe me. It was those blabber mouth storm girls!" "Yeah right!" she said, "How could THEY know?" "Well," I began, "They were in Marleybone when they saw a boy who was muttering something about finding a flower so a girl would never wake up. Then, they heard about us porting into the life school, and put two and two together." Bradley and I waited, patiently, hoping she would let us in.
The door opened slowly. A girl's head popped out from behind the crack between the door and the frame. "Really?" Jams said, with honest, brown eyes. "Really." I said, trying to be as sincere as possible. The door opened to reveal the tall girl who had been protecting me. "Come in then." she said, "But wait, who's HE?" "Oh, Bradley?" I asked. "No smart one, the guy behind him!" she said in a sarcastic tone. Bradley spun in a circle. "But there's no one behind me!" he exclaimed. "This," I said, "Is Bradley Flame. He wanted to help find out who all was behind this." "Fine then, he can come in too." Jams said in a reluctant tone.
Inside it was stuffy and smelled like there had been no fresh air for a week at least. I mentally counted back the days. Wow. It had been a week since the Malistare incident. I went over to see how Kiley was doing. Still the same, lifeless, non moving body as before. Bradley came over as well. "She's knocked out cold." Bradley said, "How long has she been like this?" "A week." I said. "This IS serious." he said, and went over to look at her book collection.
"What are we going to do? Just sit here?" Jams said, "My sister is dying. DYING! And all I can do is sit here and watch her suffer! You have no idea how painful this is!" "How," I said, "Do you know she is suffering?" Jams just looked at Kiley, then back at me. "Twins," she began, " Who are wizards, sometimes are born with a rare gift of telepathy. No one knows how it occurs, and there have only been about five cases so far." "And why are you telling us this?" Bradley asked. "Because Kiley and I," Jams said in a shaky voice, "Are one of them."
I looked over to Kiley. She looked different. At first I convinced myself it was merely a trick of light. Then, Bradley said, "Does Kiley look different?" That did it. I went over to take a closer look. Suddenly, I had the strongest case of déjà vu ever. I couldn't place it though. I was racking my brain, and then all of a sudden I had an extremely strong flashback.
I was on the floor, injured, but alive. I looked to one side and saw a dragon. On one of the other walls I saw a streak of blood. Oh no, I though, I'm re-living my worst nightmare.
Chapter 13: the Awakening
"Alex? Alex! ALEX!" I heard a girl's voice screaming. I snapped back from my flashback. I knew what was wrong with her. Or rather, what was right.
"Alex, what is it?" Jams said, "You look like you know something. Do you?" I gave her a big grin and walked over to where Kiley lay. Sure enough, all too faintly, her chest was rising, up and down.
"Get Moolinda, she's coming too!" Jams screamed. Bradley ran out the door at full speed, down the stairs, over to the life school. I was standing over Kiley, hoping against all odds she'd pull through. Then I remembered a spell I had just learned the other day. "Sacrifice." I muttered, and little gold orbs hit me, stealing some of my health. I winced, and Jams looked confused. Then, a green haze appeared over Kiley, giving her some health. Jams and I held our breath. "What happened?" she whispered. "I used a small healing spell to help her become conscious." I whispered back. We waited. Soon, her breaths became stronger. In a matter of minutes, her eyes fluttered open. "What did I miss?" Kiley said, in a weak but happy voice.
"Ugh, how can you stand this?" Kiley said, "It's so stuffy in here!" Jams smiled. I could tell she was back to her old self. I went over and opened two of the big windows. At first they didn't budge, but with a little effort, they opened. I went back over to Kiley and Jams. The room already looked brighter.
We heard footsteps in the hall. Soon Moolinda appeared, along with Bradley. "Oh, Kiley, you're back!."Moolinda said. "Hi Moolinda!" Kiley said in a cheery voice. "Who's that behind you, Moolinda?" she said in a questioning voice. "Hi, I'm Bradley." he said, "I've been helping Jams and Alex." "Well," Kiley said, "I'm glad you're on our team. We're going to need all the help we can get with that nasty rumor going around." "How do you-" I began to say, when I remembered what Jams had told me about her and her sister. "Oh yeah." I said, "I forgot."
"At any rate, you have to go speak with headmaster. He's been wanting to see you. All of you." Moolinda said, "I will tell him to come visit after the afternoon classes. Until then, all of you go to your classes, except Kiley. You young lady, are on bed rest for at least a week. I will give you reading material so that you don't get behind on your studies. Now, I believe we are all done here." With that, she left.
"I guess we just have to go to our classes." I said, "You'll be alright by yourself Kiley?" "I'll be fine. You guys go to your classes. You'll be able to find out more about the rumor." "She's got a point." Bradley said, "Besides, there's nothing we can do with her on bed rest except decipher who this mystery person is." "Which," Kiley said, "Is exactly how I plan to spend this week."
Then, the bell rang. "Off to class we go." I said, and we all filed out the door after saying good-bye to Kiley and making sure she'd be ok for the next two hours. When we got to the base of the tower, Jams and Bradley went toward the elemental schools, Jams into the Ice school and Bradley to the Fire school. I went through the tunnel to the Commons, over Rainbow Bridge, behind the waterfall, to Nightside. That was where the Death school was. I walked in just as the lecture on controlling Wraiths began.
Chapter 14: The Headmaster, Noah, and a Headache
When class let out for the day, I ran back to the tower. When I got there, I saw Jams, Bradley, and Ambrose already seated around Kiley's bed. She was just finishing a book Moolinda had given her.
"Well, now that we're all here, let us begin." Ambrose said, "First, I want to know exactly what happened in that tower. Alexander? Care to elaborate?"
"Well," I said, "I was doing some quests in Marleybone, and my next quest was a boss. I had been doing these quests with a friend, but he was on vacation. I went in, and after killing the boss, fainted from exhaustion, because it had taken a lot out of me. Then, when I came too, Malistare was there. He sapped nearly all my power until Jams and Kiley saved me. Malistare almost killed Kiley, as you can see, and stunned Jams. When I came to, he had just finished Kiley, and was going to fight me when Noah ported to me. Then, Malistare kidnapped Noah, and I think you know the rest."
"That is quite a tale Alexander. But, wait a second, Noah was KIDNAPPED?" Ambrose said. "Well, yes." I said. "This is much more serious than I though." Ambrose muttered, "You have heard the rumors, right?" "Yes, we have been trying to figure them out." Bradley said. "Well, I believe that is the only way to proceed. That boy they saw is most likely linked directly to Malistare. Maybe he has an apprentice?" Ambrose said, "Whatever he is, you are responsible for finding who he is, what he's after, how he got here, and where he came from. That is all."
He got up, and began to leave, before I said, "What about Noah?" Ambrose turned around and said, "There is nothing we can do for him until we find what Malistare is after. He will use Noah as bait to lure you to his lair, and kill you. If you want Noah to live, your best bet is to steer clear of Malistare." With that, Ambrose walked out the door, and the four friends were left alone once again.
"Ambrose is right." Kiley said, "The only way is to wait and lay low. Don't worry, we'll get him back. He's a strong boy." I looked up into her big, honest eyes. I wasn't sure if Malistare would keep him alive that long. "Are you sure?" I asked her. "I'm sure." she said, "But in the meantime, we have to do something, or my head will explode!"
"Alright," Bradley said, "Let's start by making a list of everything we know about this boy." "Well," Jams said, "We know he has some form of 'master'. Maybe Malistare?" "Alright, that's good. Anything else?" Bradley said.
"He's looking for some sort of flower. A poisonous one, something that will 'make sure she never wakes up'." "Ok, got that." Bradley said.
"He was last sighted in Newgate Prison, in Marleybone. Is the flower there?" Kiley said. "Good, this is good." was all Bradley said while writing furiously.
"He's one." he said, "We should look into what types of plants grow in Marleybone that are poisonous. That would tell us what he was after. And I know just the person." All eyes turned to Kiley. "Why is it always me?" she said, "Fine, I'll do it. I have a book on plants found in Marleybone. That's what I'll do while you all are in school."
We threw around ideas until dinnertime. By that time, we all had reasonable headaches. Moolinda came up to fetch us, and check in on Kiley. She insisted that she go down to eat dinner in the dining room, and Moolinda had no choice but to let her. She had to use a wheelchair, but she didn't care. She was just happy to get out of her room.
When they walked into the dining room, all eyes were on them. Everyone knew who they were. Between the rumor and the prophecy, there was a good reason to stare. They sat at a table by themselves, and got to act like normal kids for once. They were happy, and all was peaceful.
But sadly, not everything was this peaceful. In a dungeon in Dragonspyre laid there friend, Noah. He was a prisoner of Malistare. He was currently waiting for one of Malistare's apprentice's to bring him his dinner. One of the apprentices was tall, with long black hair and a ragged scar that ran from his eyebrow down his cheek. His eyes scared Noah. They were like two black holes that had been put on his face. They always looked out onto the horizon, as if trying to figure something out. He was very impulsive, and often destroyed things when he got mad. Noah didn't know his name, but he thought he heard Malistare call him Nobody one time.
The other apprentice was Dakota Stormstaff. He had an evil glimmer in his eyes. He was always joking around with the other apprentice, but whenever Malistare was nearby, he became tense and rigid. He had deep purple eyes, and lightning like hair. He was normally kind to Noah, except when Malistare was around.
The last apprentice was a girl. Her name was Lily Thundercatcher. She was tall, but not as tall as the boys. She had red hair with streaks of gold. Her eyes were storm cloud grey. She was cruel, not only to Noah but to the other apprentices as well. She was the only one who seemed to genuinely like Malistare. She never brought Noah his food though. She was Malistare's favorite, and made sure the boys knew it.
Noah heard footsteps on the stairs. "Hey Dakota." Noah said. "Hey," Dakota said, "Listen, I thought I'd tell you that Malistare's not having a good day, and the other guy got him real mad. If you see him, don't ask. Malistare would rip your head off." "Thanks." I said while Dakota slipped a loaf of bread and water through the bars in the cell, "What's that guy's name anyways?"
"Well," Dakota said with a downcast look, "We call him Nobody. He has no family, no past, and can't remember anything. I got to go, see yah later." "Ok, see yah later." Noah said, and continued to ponder how this group of kids had wound up as Malistare's apprentices.
Chapter 15: the Realization
After the four got back from dinner, they decided to talk some more about who this mystery boy could be. Kiley said that she had a headache, and read a book instead.
"So, what should we do tomorrow? We don't have afternoon classes, so we can work on our assignment." Jams said. "How about we go down to Newgate Prison and ask around about that boy?" Bradley suggested, "It would help us figure out where he went after those girls saw him." "Ok, when we get there, we should stick together. We'll see if Dr. Watson saw anything first, then go check in with the officers." I said. "I agree," Jams said, "We need to stick together." "So, where should we meet?" Bradley said. "How about here when class ends?" I said. Then I looked at the time. "Wow, it got late fast." I said, "Bradley, we should go before they lock up." "Ok." Bradley said, and we got up to walk towards the door.
"WAIT!" Kiley screamed, "I know what the boy was after!" We all rushed over to her. "You see this?" she said, pointing to a picture of a purple flower with five pointy petals, "That's a Harebell flower. Normally its perfectly safe to eat, but when it's grown in Marleybone environments that had iron and copper in the soil like Newgate Prison, it becomes one of the most deadly plants in the Spiral. THIS has to be what our friend was after." "Good job Kiley!" I said, "We'll see if we can find any when we go tomorrow. But for now, we all have to sleep. Good night, Kiley, good night Jams."
The boys then left for their own rooms, where they got a good night's rest so that they were ready for tomorrow's adventure. Kiley and Jams kept talking for another half hour about what had happened and how they were going to keep Alex safe. Soon, Jams headed off to bed, leaving Kiley in her room by herself. She was pondering what had been happening. Surely Alex wasn't suppose to find out about how she and her sister had been protecting him. He was suppose to believe he could be powerful enough to kill Malistare. That was the only way to succeed. Because if he didn't believe, how could he possibly succeed?
She decided she needed fresh air. She went out onto the porch and looked up at the stars. "The stars are beautiful tonight, aren't they?" a low, deep, rich voice said. She looked up into the smiling face of the ancient tree.
"How have your days been treating you, Bartelby?" she said. "They have been treating me splendidly, Kiley." the wise tree said, "I have lived to see a world united, torn apart, brought back together, only to be turned against itself once again. And now, to see the one that can save it all, if he can believe." "But that is just it," she said, "If he is helped now, and believes he must rely on us, then he will not succeed, for if it comes down to him......"
"Do not worry, Kiley." he said, "While he may begin to get use to you and rely on you like a good friend, he will never lose his ability to fight. It was born in him. He will always carry his warrior spirit. If he has to, he will. You know that." "I do, it's just that....... I was beginning to doubt myself......" "Do not doubt Kiley." Bartelby said, "You know the answer to your ponderings in your heart." "Thank you," Kiley said, "Thank you very much." She then went back inside, and laid down. In a few minutes she was fast asleep.
But sadly, this joy was not shared everywhere. Of course Bradley and Alexander and Jasmine and Kiley and Ambrose and all the others in Wizard City were fine. But in Dragonspyre, in a small dungeon cell, life was about to get a lot worse for Noah.
"Hey." Noah said as Dakota came down with his food, "Is Malistare feeling any better?" He shot me a death stare. I took that as, 'Can't talk, but yes he is.' He gave me a loaf of bread and water. Just as he was about to leave, Lily came down the stairs. "Get him out. Malistare wants him." she said, and began to climb the stairs. When she got to the top, she turned around. "Well," she said, "What are you waiting for?" "I-I don't have my key." he said in a shaky voice.
"Why do I always have to do the work around here?" Lily said, and came down the steps. She took out her key, and unlocked the door. "Get up." she said. "Get up!" she said again, her voice starting to rise. "I TOLD YOU TO GET UP SO GET UP!" she screamed, came in, took my arm, and dragged me out. "Nicely done." Dakota said with a wicked grin. Lily just smiled. "Now take him upstairs. PRONTO." she said, and walked up the stairs. Dakota's evil grin vanished. It was just an act. I was relieved. "Come on." he said, "You know I have no choice." He marched me up the stairs.
Once we got to the top, I saw Malistare. He was in rage. Nobody already was bruised and battered. "One task! ONE TASK! And you FAILED! FAILED! AH!" Malistare was NOT in a good mood. "I've got the prisoner." Dakota said. "Finally. Bring him here." Malistare said. Noah shuffled over to where Malistare stood. WHAM! The first punch came fast. I didn't even bother to dodge. They came with ferocious speed. Punch. Kick. Stab. Swing. Soon I crumpled to the floor.
The apprentices just had to sit there and watch. It was torture for Nobody. Dakota winced often. Lily just enjoyed it. You must be wondering who these people are. Allow me to elaborate...........
Chapter 16: the Apprentices
Part One: Dakota
I will begin with Dakota, because he has the happiest story out of them all.
He was born into the Stormstaff family, a pureblood storm family that was very powerful. He was the third child out of four. His oldest brother, Joshua, was a warlord in the arena. His older sister, Sadie, one of the brightest students ever. His younger brother, Timothy, was a storm wizard prodigy, summoning a kraken at the age of 7. Unfortunately, Dakota was average compared to his siblings. Sure, he was at the head of his class, but that wasn't good enough for a Stormstaff child. They had to surpass their peers and become great. Because he was not exceedingly powerful or smart, he was often overlooked. This lead him to get away with more trouble than the others.
By the age of 10 he had pulled off more pranks, and gotten away with it, than you and I could imagine. He was a Magus then, and continued to climb ranks fast, but not fast enough. His father always pressured him to do better, his siblings always offering help. He never accepted their help. He wanted to be the best because he was, not because his siblings helped him.
Now, while this was who he was at home, it was the opposite at school. He was the most popular in his class, swaying girls with one or two words. His peers always asked him for help. When the class went to the arena, he was always king of the court, beating anyone who happened to be against him. But soon, even this power wasn't enough. He took the power, looks, and smarts for granted. He wanted to be like his brothers and sister. He wanted to be the best.
One night, he got into a fight with his father. But this wasn't the usual do better fight. No, his father was mad. He had caught Dakota with his grandmaster wand. Dakota was going to use it to pull a prank on the Myth students then next day. When his father learned about this, he was furious, and sent Dakota to his room for the rest of the night. But Dakota never listened to his father. No, that night he decided to run away.
"Why can't you just be like your brothers and sisters! Dakota's father shouted, "You were always a disappointment to this family, never applying yourself!" I just stood there. I knew it was no use getting into this fight again. It was a losing battle.
"Answer me! Why do you not apply yourself?" my father shouted again. I tried but failed to tune him out. "Do not ignore me son! Answer your father!" Still, I did not budge. My father was furious. He went to his oldest son and said, "Make him talk!" I looked at my brother. "Do as he asks." he said. Still no reply. My father then went to my sister and said, "Make him talk!" She looked at me. "You're just making it worse by not replying." she said in a gentle voice. I stood there, wondering what would happen.
"Well," my father said, "If you do not wish to reply, then you will go to your room, and come out when you have an answer."
I went to my room. I was use to this. Whenever my father was having a bad day, he took it out on me. It was always my fault when my youngest brother got hurt. It was always my fault when my sister's book went missing. Whenever there was a problem, it somehow was caused by me. By now I was use to spending long hours in my room. There was a store of food in case I got hungry, and if I had to leave the house I could always climb down the ivy. But this time was different. I was tired of being treated like a stranger in my own house. No. My father could no longer control my life. I always tried and failed to please him as a little kid. Now I've learned he will never appreciate me. So there was only one thing left to do. Run away.
I pulled my travelling bag out from under my bed. It was still in very good condition. I took all the food in my room and wrapped it in a cloth. Next, I found my favorite robes, and put those in my bag. Then a blanket roll to sleep in. Next my books on combat and spells. Then, last but most important, I put my wand and spell deck in the front pocket. I was all set to go when I heard a knock at the door. I froze in place. If it was my father I was doomed. "Hullo?" a little boy's voice said, "Daky? Are you in there?"
I opened the door to find my little brother. He never could get my name right, so he called me Daky for short. "Whadar you doing? Isn't that only for travelling?" he said. I closed the door. "Listen Timmy," I said, "I have to leave. Dad just expects too much of me. I can't keep it up. I need to get away." "Oh," he said, "I know exactly how you feel." I looked at his sad, violet eyes. I suddenly realized how much pressure he must be under. He was only 9, yet already training with kids who were at least 13 or 14 years old. I felt guilty that I had to leave him behind.
"Don't worry." he said, "I'm use to it now. I just gotta keep it up for a few more years and then I'm outta school." "Hey buddy," I said, "When I find a place to stay, and you're out of school, I'll come take you to live with me. How does that sound?" "Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" he said, and wrapped his skinny arms around me. I smiled. I would really miss him.
"What should I tell dad?" he asked. "Don't tell him anything. I don't want him finding out." I said. "Ok," he whispered, "But what about Sadie and Joshua? What should I tell them?" he asked. I pondered that for a minute. I did owe them some explanation as to why I was leaving. I got a piece of parchment down from the shelf and wrote a short letter. "Here," I said, handing the scroll to my younger brother, "Give this to them after I leave and dad has found out that I'm gone. Make sure dad doesn't find it."
Timmy nodded eagerly. "Don't worry, you can count on me!" he said. "I'm sure I can." I said, and hugged him tight, "Now I have to go. Be good, and don't get into too much trouble." "Ok!" Timmy said, and slipped out the door with the ease of a cat. I was going to miss that little guy.
I climbed out the window and made my way carefully down the ivy. I had been down it enough times to know it was safe and sturdy. Once I got to the bottom, I ran and ran. I went through the woods, up a rocky hill, and down the far side until I came to Triton Avenue. I then used a teleportation spell to go to Ravenwood. You may ask why I didn't do this earlier. It is because my father could tell where I went from the magical traces left where I ported. That is why I waited.
I wandered around Ravenwood for a while. Soon, the sun began to go down. Students began to go to their dorms or leave for their homes. I was going to have to sleep under the stars. I was about to go down the Ravenwood tunnel to Bartelby, when a figure appeared in front of me.
"Why aren't you in your dorm?" the tall figure said. "I-I was just going home, to Mooshu." I stammered. "No," the cloaked figure said, "You're a runaway, aren't you?" I was scared now. I didn't want to go back. "Are you going to send me home?" I asked. "Nonsense!" the figure said, "In fact, it is quite the opposite. I am looking for an apprentice. If you agree to be my apprentice, then you will study under me and do as I say, when I say. In return, I will give you food and a home. Do you agree?"
I looked around. No one else was there. This man had presented me with a very good offer. I couldn't refuse. "Ok," I said, "I'll be your apprentice." "Very good," the figure said, "Follow me."
I followed him down the tunnel, through the world gate, down a ramp into a place I didn't recognize. "Welcome to Dragonspyre." the shadowy figure said. "This is where we will live, in that tower there." he said, pointing to a tower. "We will be great together, but for now, get some rest. We have lots of things to do."
Looking back on that day, I am glad I ran away. But, I deeply regret following that hooded stranger. For he, was MALISTARE!
Part Two: Lily
Lily's story is very different from Dakota's. Dakota's heart was pure gold, only lead the wrong way. If Ambrose or Cyrus or Bartelby had found him first, this would be a much different story. But, sometimes the hero doesn't win. Sometimes, you lose. Sometimes, the dark triumphs. This was the case with an unfortunate soul named Lily Thundercatcher.
Lily Thundercatcher was an only child. She was born to Sunni and Jacob Thundercatcher. She was raised in a loving, caring home. Her life was perfect. The family was the image of the "perfect family". Everything was going perfectly until one April afternoon.
"Daddy! Daddy! You're home early!" a young Lily said as she ran out the door to hug her beloved father. "Hello, dewdrop!" her father said when he saw his daughter, "I've got a surprise for you and mommy." "What is it? What is it!" she asked, "Please tell me! Please!" "Now, wouldn't that ruin all the fun?" he said, "Go get something nice on, we're going out tonight!"
Half an hour later, Lily and her mother and father were walking down Cyclopes Lane, to where the fairgrounds were. But, they didn't see any ordinary fairgrounds. No, it had been converted into a huge fair. There were clowns, games, rides, everything a child could imagine. There was even circus performers. Lily couldn't believe her eyes. "Oh daddy, thank you!" she said, "This is the best present ever!" "I'm glad you like it." he said, "Now, let's go watch that circus act."
Her father lead the way down to the second row, where they sat. The show was just about to begin. The ringmaster came to the center of the stage. "Good evening" his voice boomed over the speakers, "Tonight, we bring you amazing performances, from all across the Spiral. Bears from Grizzleheim, Manders from Krokotopia, Cats from Marleybone, Oni from Mooshu, and, DRAGONS from Dragonspyre!" The crowd cheered wildly. It was rare to see an Oni, but a dragon! Dragons were incredibly rare. "Now," the ring master's voice boomed, "On with the show!"
With that, the curtains were drawn back, tons of clown bears came pouring out. Cats began to fly in the air. Manders balanced on one another, and did flying leaps into the air. It was breathtaking. Then, the clowns started to leave the stage. The cats stopped flying form high above. The manders disappeared. Soon, a lone spotlight shed light on a small figure. He was short, with broad shoulders and big, muscular arms. I his hand was a whip. He had a top hat on, and a long Marleybone coat. You could tell he was smiling. He cracked the whip into the air. Once. Twice. Three times. Then, you could hear the curtains open again. Not see, hear. Then, a monstrous roar was hear. It was the most amazing sight to behold. Because there, in front of them, was an enormous, gigantic, huge, war oni.
The crowd watched in awe as the oni came onto the stage. It swung its massive sword to and fro, but never hit the tent poles. It roared, again and again. The short man remained in control the entire time. He gave commands, the oni obeyed. He ran, jumped, roared, and swung his sword. But all too soon, that act was over. Then, the ringmaster came out, in a glittering, shinning suit that looked it be made from glass. "Now, for the final act," he said, "Behold, the eternal, amazing, powerful, immense, all-knowing, DRAGON!"
The crowd stood up with a roar. But it was nothing compared to the roar that came from center stage. A beautiful, strong, dark blue dragon with ice blue eyes came out onto the stage. Lily's father put her on his shoulders to get a better view. The one thing she remembered about that night was how mad that dragon looked. It had an enchanted necklace so it couldn't get too far away. It was trapped, like a bird in a cage. The dragon let out a roar. The crowd applauded. The dragon struggled to get rid of her invisible chains. The crowd cheered. Then, the dragon did something totally unexpected. She lifted up her head, and let out a terrible inferno of flames.
The crowd screamed in horror as the tent burst into flames. People surged towards the exist with no prevail. They were trapped. The dragon had managed to escape, but wouldn't get far. Lily's father and mother hugged her tight. The tent quickly became filled with smoke. The last thing she remembered was her father looking her in the eyes, and saying, "I love you."
When the fire was put out, the bodies were discovered. While sorting through the wreckage, a death student found Lily, unconscious. She was the only survivor that day. This fact drove her mad. She was consumed with grief, and in this, became the Lily I speak of in this story. We do not know how she became to be Malistare's apprentice. Some say she met him at a lecture he gave, and became a devoted pupil. Others say she ran into him as Dakota did. Still others say she was kidnapped. No one knows the truth.
That is Lily's story. It is not pretty, or sweet. But, the tale I tell next, has no comparison. It is the tale of a sorry boy, who lost everything. It is Nobody's story.
Part Three: Nobody
Told from the perspective of himself
I woke up with a terrible headache. 'Where am I?' I thought, 'What happened?' All around me was evidence of an explosion. I carefully sat up, not wanting to injure myself. I stood up, very slowly. Still, I soon succumb to a dizzy spell. I had to reach out to stop myself from falling. My hand hit metal that was cold as ice. I jerked back immediately. 'Why is this so cold? Shouldn't it be hot?' I thought to myself, 'Got to stay focused. Move now, ask questions later.'
I moved quickly through the wreckage. Once or twice I would get dizzy, but nothing bad. From the wreckage, it looked like a warehouse had exploded. I saw no human remains, just bricks and cement. I just kept moving. It was a nightmare, not knowing who I was, where I was, or how I got there. I just kept moving forward, hoping against all odds I would make it. I stumbled for what seemed like hours. Soon, I heard a voice from far away. It was calling for somebody. "Elizabeth? Elizabeth please tell me your alright? Elizabeth? Elizabeth?" The voice kept repeating that name. "Elizabeth." Who was she?
I continued to wander, towards the voice. Soon, I came to a clearing. In it I saw a man. He was tall, with black shaggy hair down to his shoulders, and dark brown eyes. Worry was all over his face. He searched franticly among the rubble. Soon, he came across a frail young woman. She was half buried under the rubble, and there was blood. Lots and lots of blood. The man raced over to her side.
"Aaron, Aaron where are you?" she called, "Oh, Aaron, come to me please." "I am here, darling." he said, "What is it that you wish? Should I fetch a life wizard? Surely you can hang on that long." "Oh, Aaron," she said, "I am on death's door. I am not coming back. You must go on without me, before someone sees us." I saw the man begin to cry, "No, Elizabeth don't leave me. You're my entire world. Please, don't leave me all alone." he wept into her open arms. I started to creep away slowly. Surely I wasn't meant to see this.
I sat among the rubble. I could hear the woman dying a few yards away. The man, who I assumed was her husband, sat with her, crying. Soon, the crying stopped, the moans faded. I crept around to where I could see. The man bowed his head, and sighed. He knew her life was over. "Oh Elizabeth," he said, "How could you leave me all alone? With the girls, and our duties as wizards? Oh, I will not be able to do this. No, I need you to help." He sighed, a deep, heavy sigh. He held his hands above her, as if they floated there. He muttered, "Seolaim baile."
Little sparks jumped off his hands, incasing the now dead Elizabeth. Soon, she was covered in light. Then, she disappeared, in a blink of an eye. I stared, wide eyed at where she had been. I was so amazed with what I had see, I didn't notice that the man Elizabeth had called Aaron was staring at me. "Well, aren't you an interesting little boy." he said. I snapped back to reality. "I-I'm sorry, were you talking to me?" I said. "Who else is around here?" he said. "Well in that case, I'm not a boy, much less little." I said. "Well then, what is your name?" he said. "I-I don't know" I said, "I can't remember." "That's a problem." he said, "Can you remember anything?" "Not a thing." I said, and began to sob.
"There, there." Aaron said, "It's ok, You are a bright young boy with your life ahead of you." I stopped sobbing. "You-you really think so?" I said. "Yes, I do." he said, "In fact, unless my foresight is incredibly off, you are a wizard." "Me?" I said, "A-a WIZARD?" "Yes. Now, come with me, we have lots to do."
We set off, Aaron and I. For the next three years, I lived in Wizard City, near Ravenwood. I studied magic, and attended school at Ravenwood, where I became a Necromancer. But, this was all too well, and like the rest of the life I knew, good things never last. And this was no exception.
One day as I was walking home, I began to get a shiver up my spin. I knew something was wrong. "Don't come home." a voice in my head said, "It is dangerous. You must turn around and never come back." It was Aaron's voice. We had figured out how to communicate with our minds. I ran faster. I had to save Aaron. He had given me a second lease on life. I owed him this at least.
When I got to the house, I felt the cold even more. I went into the house. I searched the foyer first. No sign of Aaron. Then the kitchen. Still no. Then, I went out onto the back porch. I scanned the backyard. Not a hair out of place. Then, the library. When I approached, the door was slightly ajar. I pulled out my wand. I looked inside. Aaron was on the floor, unconscious. Merle Ambrose was over him, wand out. I lost it.
I attacked first, asked questions later. Merle didn't see it coming. He wasn't prepared, so he fled. "Seolaim draiodor cathair!" he said, and vanished in a puff of purple sparks. I looked around. "He will be ok." a voice said from the corner, "Merle only knocked him unconscious." I turned around. A tall figure stood there. "Merle will be back though, he never leaves a job unfinished. Why don't you come with me. Aaron wanted me to take care of you. Yes, come with me. I am a Necromancer, I will train you. You will be powerful and great. Come with me, Nobody."
I gulped. He seemed to be telling the truth. And Merle had been standing over Aaron. Why wouldn't he be telling the truth. "All right." I said, "I'll go with you." The man smiled. He then lead me away to his house in Dragonspyre, where I live now.
Present Day
Nowadays, I wonder what would have happened to me if I hadn't gone with him. He probably would have killed me. I decided that it was the right thing to do then. But, now that I am here, I wonder why I came. I don't like it here. He makes me do things I don't want to do. He does offer shelter, but I don't like it one bit. I would run if I could, but I can't. I will wait for it. I will wait for the time to come.
Chapter 17: Search for the Key
"And that concludes our lesson on advance wraith study." Professor Dworyn said in his monotone voice, "On Monday we will work on summoning these creatures. Expect to be tired when you go home. That is all, you are dismissed." I jumped up and joined the mass of magus's trying to get out of the small death school door. There was lots of pushing and shoving, and a few toes were stepped on. "Hey, watch out!" one of the more powerful girl's said, "Or you're going to meet my wraith!"
Eventually we all got out into Nightside. Most left through the tunnel behind the waterfall. Others went to Sunken City to look for regents and collect artifacts. Still others sat down to have their lunch. I was one of the people who went through the tunnel. I ran through the commons, trying not to crash into people. Soon, I was through the Ravenwood tunnel, past the door to the Girl's Dorm, and up three flights of stairs. "You know," I said, out of breath, "They really outta get an elevator. Those stairs make me TIRED!" Kiley laughed. Bradley smirked. Jams stared at me. "What?" I said. "Well, Kiley has a balcony. You could have rode a dragon or used a teleportation spell to get up."
"Oh," I said, dumbfounded, "That's how you get up here so fast." This made Bradley begin to chuckle, and Kiley laugh harder. "Ok, ok," Jams said, "I know that was funny, but the Marleybone incident is not funny. In fact, it scares me. So can we please get a move on?" "I'm ready!" chimed Bradley. "Me too!" I said, "Can't wait to figure out who this guy is." "Me too. It's so exciting, getting to be a detective!" Kiley said. "Alright then, let's go." Jams said. I started towards the door. "Uh Alex?" Jams said, "We're taking a dragon, not the stairs." "Oh yeah," I said sheepishly, "I forgot."
When I got out on the balcony, I saw two Dragon waiting there. They was small, meant for riding just above the streets when you were doing running quests. "Wow, there beautiful." I said, "But why only two?" "I thought that we could share. They can carry two people at a time, you know." Jams said. One was a boy, with black scales that had just a hint of red on the edges. His eyes were ice blue. On his back were Jams and Bradley. The other was a girl, with deep green scales, and amber eyes. On her back was Kiley, sorting through the saddle bag to make sure everything was there.
"Wait a second." I said, "Aren't you on bed rest?" Kiley's head snapped up. "I'm no use to you there, and besides, you may need me." she said in a matter of fact tone. I eyed her suspiciously. "Did Moolinda say this was ok?" I asked. "Yes, of course she did." Kiley said, "Now get on the Dragon or we're leaving without you!" I smiled, and jumped onto the Dragon. "Let's go!" I said.
With that, the boy Dragon turned and leapt off the balcony. The girl Dragon was close behind. That first flight took my breath away. Words fail to describe how flying felt. It was like running into the wind on a stormy day. Like standing on the bow of a ship as it cuts through the water. Like jumping on a trampoline. It felt like freedom.
Soon, we landed in front of Bartelby, and rode in. Jams used her key to open the Spiral Door to Marleybone. We walked into the grand hall of the magnificent church. We could spend hours studying it, but sadly we didn't have time. We raced our dragons through the aisle and out the door.
When we got outside, the dragons took to the air. We made quick time going from the footstep of the church to the roof of Scotland Yard, where we knew Watson would be. "Good morning, Dr. Watson!" I said, jumping off my dragon, "We were wondering if you had seen any suspicious characters around here lately, particularly a wizard, a little taller than me."
"Well, now that you mention it," Dr. Watson said, "There was a boy here the other day. He seemed distracted, and almost ran into me! I thought nothing of it at the time, but he didn't look like he was up to any good, if you get what I mean. He was heading into the prison. If you have any more questions, I'd ask one of the officers stationed inside." "Thanks Watson!" I said, and we took to the skies once again.
"Ok, how are we going to find the flower?" I said to Kiley as we flew over the wall to Newgate Prison. "Well," she said, "From what I've read, I may be able to sense it's spores in the air. After all, I am Life." "Ok, is there a backup plan in case that doesn't work?" I asked her. She looked at me sheepishly. "No." "Alright, then were just going to have to rely on you." I said, just as we crossed the wall into Newgate Prison.
When we got over the wall, Jams flew her dragon near ours. "Kiley, start to scan for the spores. Bradley and I are going to talk to Officer Ness and Officer Anderson." "Ok!" Kiley shouted back. Then she turned to me and said, "We're going to fly over in a sweeping motion, and see if I pick up anything." "Ok," I said, "Do you want to start at the center and spiral out, or sweep over?" "Spiral." she said, and I guided the dragon and she began to search for the spores.
Jams and Bradley reported back. No luck with Officer Ness, they were trying Officer Anderson. Kiley and I weren't having any luck either. No matter where we went, there were no spores. Finally, we had to land on a rooftop to give the dragon a rest. "Where haven't we looked?" I said, "We checked Mugsy, Lockpick O'Leary, Gibson O'Leary, and Agony Wraith. We went by Officer Ness, Pruski, Anderson. What is left?" I don't know why I bothered to ask. I already knew the answer, and it was way too dangerous to go there. Kiley was just about to answer when Jams and Bradley teleported to us in a shower of red and blue sparks. "We had no luck with any of the Officers. You?" "No luck anywhere." Kiley said, "Although, we have one more place we CAN look." "No Kiley, it's way too dangerous." Jams said. "Come on Jams!" Kiley shouted, "It's the most likely place for it to be, and it's the only place left. We have to go." "No Kiley, it's dangerous, and you're not stable enough yet!" Jams replied, in an equally loud voice
. "Well too bad." Kiley said, "Because I'm going whether you like it or not."
With that, she ran over to the green dragon, and jumped on her back. The dragon was restless to take to the sky. "Either your coming with me or staying here. Your choice guys." She said. We were all quiet. "I'm coming." Bradley said after a few minutes of deliberation, "We have a healer, and she seems pretty stable to me. Besides, we'll stay together." He jumped on the back of the black dragon. "I'll go too." I said, and sat down behind Kiley. "Well then," Jams said, "Guess I have no choice." She jumped on the back of the black dragon, and they leapt into the air, side by side.
Chapter 18: Hidden Secrets
The dragons flew from the rooftops at full speed towards Newgate Prison. They had no plan. Just get Kiley in and see if she sensed spores. They landed on the roof, leaving the dragons for now. Bradley melted the concrete in on corner and lowered Jams down. She gave an all clear, and the three others followed down the hole, into an unknown world of villains.
"Ok, stick close together. Make sure we don't get separated." Jams said. We followed her down the passage to one of the cells. It was silent. We moved on, down the ramp, through the next cell. Still, nothing. "This doesn't feel right." Bradley whispered, "Where is everybody?" "Right behind you." a dark voice said. We all spun around, to a tall, menacing figure, in a black robe with gold edge. He was taller than me, but not taller than Bradley. His hood covered his face. When he did lift his head, the shadows still disfigured his face. But what we did see, was to blood red eyes. He smiled. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he said, circling us, "A fire wizard. A death wizard. An ice wizard. Ha. Like THAT can beat me!" He turned to the prisoners behind him. "Get them." And with that, we fought for our lives.
"Where's Kiley?" I managed to whisper into Jam's ear while the battle was going, "That wizard only named three wizards. What happened?" Jams just smiled her all-knowing smile. "You'll see." she said, and went to attack a grave digger. We fought for a long time. Grave diggers bashed their shovels against my head and arms, hoping to hit a vital organ. Lost souls summoned death creatures, from your worst nightmares. Jams and Bradley did well, able to kill quickly with a shower of meteorites, phoenix, evil snowmen, ice wyverns, and blizzards. I didn't have as much luck. I was death, and all of them were death, making them resistant to my spells.
Soon, I realized I was separated from Bradley and Jams. "Bradley, Jams where are you?" I shouted at the top of my lungs. No use. "BRADLEY! JAMS! WHERE ARE YOU!" I screamed again. All that came back was the moans and groans of undead. They just wouldn't stop. They were relentless, using whatever they had until you finally took them down. I was fighting a lost soul when I caught sight of Bradley and Jams. They were fighting, back to back. At least I didn't need to worry about them. They had things under control. On the contrary, I did not. They seemed to like me. A lot.
Soon, I was backed up against a wall. There was no escape. I had lost everyone, no clue where to find them. I was growing weary, and felt like just porting out. It was just like the fight in the gym all over again. Then, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked over to see the one person who could lift my spirits.
"Didn't we say we were going to stick together?" Kiley said. "Well, you weren't there when we ran into that boy. Where were you?" I said. "I was checking something. But right now, we need to fight not talk." Kiley said, and casted a seraph. It began to slice through the undead like a knife through butter. When that one died, two more took its place. We finally had a chance.
Unfortunately, the fact that we were killing several undead made more attack us. We tried to rejoin Jams and Bradley, but they couldn't hear us. Kiley was getting frustrated. "We have to get back to them!" she said, "We got to get out of here!" Then, I heard a voice ring through my head, "Jams, where are you?" it asked. I looked at Kiley. She was staring at me. "What just happened?" I said. "We're over by the hole in the roof. Where are you?" a voice in my head said. "We're trapped. Wait on the roof for us. We're going to have to go further in before we get out." Kiley said, telepathically, "We'll see you then."
Kiley took my hand, and with her free hand, pushed a rock that opened a small door. We crawled through, shutting the door tightly behind us. That would hold off the undead. Lost souls couldn't communicate or press the button, and grave diggers weren't smart enough. We followed the passageway to another cell, where I pulled out my wand and prepared to fight through.
"No" Kiley said, "Watch this." She pulled out a long, moss green sword, covered with a lavender vine pattern. It didn't look like it belonged in this world. There was a magic, dark touch to it. "Solas na gealai" she whispered, and the sword began to radiate a soft, milky light, that reminded me of moonlight. When we walked towards the undead, they parted a path for us to travel through. We went to the next door, that lead to a spiral path down. We followed it, into a great cave, and who know what laid beyond.
Chapter 19: The Light of Truth
The stairwell was musty and spooky. Kiley went first, holding her sword in front of her so we could see where we were going. I followed closely behind, staff ready. Our footsteps echoed off the rock walls. Rather, my footsteps echoed. Kiley barley made a sound. After a few minutes, Kiley froze. "What is it?" I whispered. "I feel them. I feel the spores." she said with a grin. We quickened our pace.
The stairs went on forever. I almost hit my head a few times on a low hanging rock. They were jagged, as if this passage had been made in a hurry. If I had gotten a better look, I probably wouldn't have gone. Fortunately, we had the light of the sword. That strange, mysterious sword.
Soon, we began to slow. I gave Kiley a questioning look. "The door is right down there. And, I don't think were alone." she said back. I stayed where I was while Kiley crept down the last few steps. I saw the light stream onto her face. I saw that look on her face. I will never forget it. I rarely see it cross her face. For it was a look of pure fear.
Kiley's Point of View: I looked up at Alex. His face showed that he knew I was terrified. I shuddered, and looked back upon the room that filled me with dread. No one was there, all though somebody had been. Or something. There were mana sparks hanging in cages around the perimeter of the room every five feet. The room had to be at least twenty feet long and thirty feet wide. There was a sidewalk around the outside that was five feet wide. Stepping stones divided the middle into four quadrants. But what scared me was not all this. It was the fact that in the middle which was open to the soil, were thousands and thousands of deadly Harebell flowers.
I took one step out onto the sidewalk. It looked safe. I beckoned Alex down. When he got to the door, he realized what had scared me. We started by walking around the perimeter, seeing if any patches were missing. We didn't find anything, so we went along the stepping stones. Still nothing. "What if he hasn't found it yet? What if we beat him to it?" Alex asked with a hopeful expression. "Oh, you didn't beat me to it. I can assure you of that." a menacing voice said, "See? I have a bunch in my hand. Enough to kill all the dogs in Marleybone." He stepped out of the second stairwell, his face still in shadows. But what I could see was his blood red eyes. Those cruel, evil eyes.
Alex's Point of View: Kiley pulled out her sword. "Get behind me." she said. I obeyed. There was nothing else for me to do. "Oh, Kiley, you're still the same. Putting your life on the line just to-" "Be quiet." she said. He shook his head, "Why Kiley? Doesn't he deserve to know-" "I SAID BE QUIET!" she shouted. "Still the same as always. Ha. I knew you'd never change." he said, and drew his sword, "Shall we?" "We shall." Kiley said. She looked at me over her shoulder. "Whatever you do, don't get in the middle of this. If things go sour, run. This fight it between him and I. Not you." She then looked back at her target, and charged.
The boy saw it coming. He easily blocked it and tried to attack, but Kiley was too nimble, and dodged. He grimaced. "I was hoping you wouldn't still be this nimble, but you and I both know you're dead. It's just a repeat of two years ago." Kiley's face remained calm and concentrated, but you could tell that remark stung. They dodged and ducked and pounced and swung, hoping to land a blow. But they were both outmatched. Kiley with speed and agility. The boy with power and strength. It continued for a while. Soon, they began to lag. I thought that somehow time had slowed down, but then I realized they were exhausted. Especially Kiley.
The boy took advantage of her weariness. He aimed a blow for her ribs, and connected. She went flying back towards me, blood pouring out of her side. She landed on the ground with a yelp. I finally got a good look at them. They had been moving so fast that I hadn't noticed that the boy's clothes were being reduced to shreds and he quit a few cuts, some rather deep. Kiley's arms had a few scraps, but she didn't have anything deep. Just a hole in her side. "You're no match for me, Lighthunter. Never have been, never will be." the boy said with a sneer. She looked up at him with a look of despise, hate, anger, and disgust. Then, she smiled. "I may not be a match for your strength, but I am far better with a sword. Look at all those wounds I managed to give you. The only wound you gave me was this," she said, lifting her hand from her side. Using her sword as a brace, she lifted herself up. I tried to help her, but she shot me a look that said, Get away. She lifted her sword up. "Besides, I never got to show you my sword, and what it can do. You should really see it." She held her sword in front of her and yelled at the top of her lungs, "Solas na gealai!"
The boy stepped back in fear. Surely he was not expecting this. The sword began to glow again. But it was not soft moonlight. No, it was bright, radiant, milk white moon that shot from her sword. When it touched her wound, it began to shimmer, and the wound started to heal. The boy staggered back. "Not possible!" he shouted, "That sword was left in the Valley of the Realta Reim Radharic! You couldn't have it!" "How do you know it's not possible! It's completely possible!" Kiley shouted. "No, you can't be that powerful! You-you just CAN'T! You CAN'T have the Sword of Shadows!" Kiley smiled, wide, like the cheshire cat. She closed her eyes, and begun to sing, "Pairc an air reidh claiomh, IONSAIGH!"
The sword began to grow brighter and brighter. Faint sparks of light purple and green began to cirlce, faster and faster. I had to close my eyes to stop me from going blind. Then, the light leapt off of the sword, right at the boy. I finally got a good look at his face. He had high cheekbones and hollow cheeks. A ragged scare ran from the edge of his left eyebrow, up over his eye, to the bridge of his nose. He looked as though he's seen a ghost. The light surged, but before it could hit it's target, expoded into a thousand different pieces, and dimmed out. The sword still glowed, but faintly. The boy was backed up against the wall, breathing heavy. Kiley motioned for me to follow her up the stairs. "This isn't over, Lighthunter." the boy said when we started to climb the stairs. Kiley looked at him with a sad, lonley expression. "It will never be over." she said, and began to climb.
Chapter 20: The Blaze
We climbed for a few minutes before Kiley stopped. "Never repeat anything you heard or saw in there to ANYONE." I looked at her curiously. She normally wasn't this secretive. "Why can't I tell-" I began. She turned around and grabbed me by the shoulders. "No. NEVER repeat what happened in there. NEVER." she said in a tone I had never heard her use. I looked at her face, and couldn't tell whether it was anger, sadness, or fear. "I won't." I said in a quiet voice. She let out a deep breath and took her hands off my shoulders. "Good" she said, and we resumed our climb.
Kiley's Point of View: Why did it have to be him? Why couldn't my past leave me alone for once? Alex was never to know my secret, or Jams secret. It was suppose to stayed buried in the past, where it belongs. Still, my past haunts me at every turn. First Alex, then the gym, then the Malistare incident, now this? How long will this go on? For once I wish I could be normal. Unfortunately, the stars decided to make me different. That boy. Why did he have to be there? Why was he there? Is he with Malistare now? It would make sense, but still...... I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Bradley's Point of View: "Where are they!" she shouted for the hundredth time. I let out a long sigh. "She'll be here soon Jams. So will Alex. They probably found a passageway and decided to check it out before coming back up." "Yeah, I would believe that, but it's been at least two hours since we came out of there. Kiley isn't dead, I can tell. Alex, I'm not so sure about." Jams said, pacing back and forth. I laughed. "What's so funny?" Jams said. "If you keep pacing," I said with a chuckle, "You're going to wear a hole in the roof. THEN we'll have a problem on our hands." She tried to stared at me with her evil eye, but it just made me laugh harder. Soon, we were both rolling all over the Newgate Prison roof, laughing our heads off. After a few minutes we sat up and stopped laughing. "So, since I can't pace and we don't have any good books, what should we do?" Jams said. "I don't know," I said, "We could tell stories." "Ok," she said, "How about you tell me about your childhood? I don't know the first thing about you!" "Are you sure?" I asked her. "Yeah." she said, and curled up by the dragon. I then told her the story I will now tell you, about how I became a wizard, and what I left behind.
Bradley Flame is my full wizard name. My human name is Bradley Douglas O'Byrne. I was born to Genevieve and Patrick O'Byrne. I was the youngest out of three boys. My older brothers were named Cabel and Joshua. When I was little, we lived in a large cabin in the mountains in Pennsylvania. There were two border collies in the family, Riley and Tristan. We loved to take them on long walks through the woods, and play in the rivers near the cabin. When winter came, we went sledding down the big hill behind the house. My brothers and I were best friends. We did everything together, from hide and go seek to scavenger hunts. I had so many happy memories there.
One day, when I was in the 7th grade, my father came home from work early, at around 4:00. "Guess what?" he said, "Daddy got a raise, and we're going to move to the city!" Mom cheered. Cabel hugged my mom, and Joshua jumped up and down. I just stared at them. How could they be happy? The only place I knew was this house. It was the best ever. The city was filled with cars and sidewalks and concrete. Out here, you could actually take a deep breath. There were few sidewalks, and many uncharted paths through the woods. That's what I loved about this house. It was outdoors.
When my mom saw that I wasn't happy, she came over to me. "What's wrong?" she asked. "I don't wanna move." I said, "I wanna stay here." "Oh, don't worry, you'll be fine in the city. It will be an adventure!" she said, and they all started to dance around again. I sat there, wondering if somehow this terrible dream could just go away.
The next day we began to pack. Mom and Dad had apparently been planning this for some time. They even had a house ready. Joshua and Cabel went fast, eagerly wanting to see the new house. I took my time, making sure everything was in place. It took over two hours. After I was done, it was time for dinner. I went down to see they had started without me. I took my place to the right of my mom, and served myself some mashed potatoes from the bowl. Dinner was lively, and included many stories about the city. I sulked through the entire evening, not enjoying one bit of it. When asked what was wrong, I simply said I was tired. When dinner was over, I went upstairs and got ready for bed. When my mom came in to check on me, I pretended to be asleep. I stared out my window, out onto the woods. I made a decision then. I wasn't going to the city.
I got up, and quietly got dressed in a warm flannel, wool sweater, and my outdoors jacket. I put on sweats, and jeans over them. It was going to be cold. I took my bag and put in a flashlight, blanket, and some food. I tip toed down the stairs, and opened the back door. The air hit me with force. It was freezing. I closed the door, and began to run down the edge of the slope. When I reached Riley and Tristan, they wagged their tails. I was going to forget about them and just keep going when Riley let out a whine. "Fine, you can come." I said, and put their leash on them.
We began our journey northwest, because I knew there was an old abandoned cabin up there. We hiked for five miles before we got there. My brothers and I had stocked it with wood and warm blankets when we were younger. I doubt they remembered now. I started a fire, and made a bed for the dogs. We would be fine, I told myself.
I ate beef jerky for dinner, and gave the dogs some kibble. I let them out to run around. They were happy, and so was I. We got a good night's rest, and were ready for what morning brought us.
When I woke up, the sun was just coming up. I ate a biscuit, and gave the dogs a treat. I took them out to explore. We walked for a mile west, away from home. At about 10, I heard the sirens.
They were police sirens, coming to look for me. I began to run. I went about thirty yards before tripping over a root. I slid and fell, a long mud smear developed on my cheek. It stopped me for but a moment, and I was up and running again. Riley and Tristan followed faithfully. Soon, after fifty yards, I had to stop and rest. I hadn't been in the greatest shape, and no match for dogs and the police. I heard their voices a few yards off. I was going to run in the other direction, but I heard barks. I then realized I was trapped. I was going home.
"Hold still" the police man said as he entered the clearing with a dog pulling on his chain, "We're not going to hurt you." I turned, slowly in a circle. I wondered why they don't just come and get me. Then I remembered Riley and Tristan. I looked down to see the dogs circling me protectively. "Call off the dogs, boy." another police officer said. I looked from the police officer to my dogs to their dogs. I stood my ground. "Alright, you've chosen the hard way." he said, and the officers began to move in.
Riley started first. He was barking, madly, and snarling. Then Tristan began to copy. I could tell some of the officers were scared, but they kept moving. 'What I gotta do' I said to myself, 'Is scare them. Bad.' "Arthraigh" I muttered under my breath. I still don't know why I did. But at that moment, both of the dog's ears pricked up. They let out a ferocious snarl, and stood still, eyes closed. Then, they began to morph. Riley was the most startling. His hair grew mahogany brown, and he grew a second head. His eyes began to glow like fire embers. His snarl grew even more menacing, and his stance emanated power. Tristan was not as radical. His fur grew tan brown with purple streaks, and his eyes were golden. His stance was twice it's normal size, and when he barked, it made my hair stand on end. I looked up at the police officer's faces, which were ghost white. All except the officer that lead them.
"Come on." he said, 'Let's get the boy and get out of here." He then walked right by the dogs, and began to grab for my wrist. I had to do something. "Ar Thine!" I shouted, holding my arms out, palms up. With that, fire orbs grew in my hands. They spread along my body like wildfire, but they did not harm me or my clothes. The officer jumped back, as to not be burned by the flames. Now the officers were spooked. They turned and ran with their dogs, out of the woods. All of them, including their leader.
I tried to stop the blaze, but I couldn't. Sparks were jumping off my body, landing in the nearby tree grove. The whole place came ablaze. I was hopeless. The dogs weren't affected by it, so they stayed by me. After a few minutes, I saw a figure appearing through the fire. It was a woman, taller than me with orange, fiery hair, and a long red dress. She held out her hand, and I took it.
The person who rescued me was in fact the Fire teacher, Dalia Falmea. She took me to Wizard City, where I have live since. That is my story, of who I have become. But what I left behind, a grieving family, a scared town, and countless stories.
The police told everyone that I had built a campfire, and when Tristan was startled by the police, he knocked more logs into the fire. This created the great blaze that destroyed acres of forest. Some didn't believe. Some said aliens. Some said spontaneous combustion. Some said that I made fire bombs and threw them at the police. But none guessed that I was a wizard. This is why I couldn't go back. People thought I was dead. And that was ok with me. I didn't like them anyways.
Chapter 21: To the Dungeon!
Nobody's Point of View: I continued to breath heavy. She had gotten better. I would have to train. I used my sword to prop myself up. The flowers had been sprawled across the floor. The beds were in ruin. I shook my head, and went to the last remaining patch of flowers. I drew my short sword, and cut them down to the stem. I stood up and heard the figure behind me.
"What do you want?" I asked. "Well, you were fighting her. I wanted to see how you'd fair." he said. "She got stronger." I said. I wasn't going to tell him about the Sword. It would complicate things too much. Besides, if I did, Malistare would send his strongest monsters after her. And I couldn't do that to her....... ah my memory fails me once again. She and I, we are connected in past and future. But how? How are we linked?
I came back to reality when Dakota began to speak again. "I can tell she got stronger!" he said, "This place is a mess!" "Yeah. But since I'm the one who fought her, you get to clean it up." I said. "No, let's just leave it. Besides. Malistare wants us back home. Fast." "Ok." I said, and Dakota started up the steps opposite the ones Kiley took. I looked back at that stairway. 'This will never be over.' What did she mean? This girl was more of a mystery than my past. She wasn't just a girl. What was she?
When we got to the top of the stairs Dakota frowned. "What's bugging you?" he said. "Nothing. Come on, we got to get home." I said, and disappeared into the portal.
On the other side was the entry hall to the Drake family home. There was a family portrait on the wall of a tall, black haired man in a long black robe with a silver pattern. The woman had on a sun gold gown and purple-blue overcoat. The two sons wore identical robes, one gold and blue, the other black and white. They were all smiling. I looked up at that picture now and wondered what happened to that happy family.
Dakota charged up the steps with me right behind him. When we entered the great hall, we saw Malistare pacing. "What took you so long?" he asked as we approached. "We had a .... err...... small incident. Won't happen again." Dakota said. "It was the Twins sir. And Him." I said, keeping my eyes on the ground. "Well, what did you do about them?" Malistare asked. "I sent the Undead to kill them. Jams escaped, and Kiley and Alex ran into the flower room. I fought her, but in the process we destroyed all of the flowers-"
"WHAT!" Malistare screamed, "Those were the last remaining batch in all of Marleybone! And you destroyed them! How dare you!" He leaned over to strike me across the face. He almost did, except that fight with the girl had made my senses sharp. I dodged at the last second, making him fall on the ground. "YOU'RE DEAD!" Malistare yelled, and then said to Dakota, "Take him down to the dungeon. No food or water for three days." I stared at him. I would object, but then he would just lengthen my punishment. Dakota came over with a sorry look on his face, and was going to lead me down the steps until I remembered.
"Wait!" I shouted, "We may have destroyed all of the flowers in the fight, but before that I grabbed some, as insurance." I ran over to him and pulled out the bundle of fresh flowers. His eye went wide, and he grabbed them out of my hands. He raised them to the light so he could inspect them. "These are a very good specimen. Thank you. Now, you only have to suffer two days." He walked out of the room leaving Dakota and I speechless.
"Sorry 'bout that." Dakota said when we got to the dungeon, "Noah here made him pretty mad while you were gone." I then looked into Noah's cell to see a limp figure huddled in the corner. He had bruises everywhere, and looked like he could use a healer. He looked up when he heard his name.
"Hey Nobody, how yah doing?" he asked in a feeble voice. "Fine, how about you?" I asked him. It looked like he could use some company. "Good. Or at least, better than an hour ago." I looked at all the bruises and could see he had gotten the painful end of Malistare's rage. "Well, Malistare got mad at me, so now I have to spend two days in here without food or water." I said. He looked at me in surprise, and said, "I won't mind sharing. Dakota brings me a lot anyways." I looked at him then more as a friend than my master's captive. Because technically, all of us apprentices were his captives too.
We spent the next few hours talking about what life was like being wizards. Noah told me about his family, and what they were like. He had been born here in Wizard City, it turned out, and grown up a normal kid. But when he met Alex, his life changed. He wasn't normal. He said it was fun, not being normal.
We talked until dinner, which was when Dakota brought Noah his food. As he said he would, he split his loaf of bread in half, and gave half to me. I thanked him, and we began to eat. I began to wonder why he did that. I spent the rest of the night on that subject. No one had ever been that nice to me. Except Aaron. Aaron had taken me in when no one else was there for me. I owed him my life for that.
After dinner we talked some more, but soon Noah got tired and fell asleep. I laid down and looked out the window at the full moon, and wondered if Aaron was still alive, and how he was fairing. I wondered why Noah was so kind to a stranger, a stranger who worked for the person who kept him captive. I wondered who that girl was, and why I remembered her name. Kiley Lifehunter, I think it was. I wonder what she mean, 'This will never be over.' What started? A war? A fight? A rivalry? Sadly, in order to answer this question, I needed my memories, which were lost back at that explosion. That cold, icy explosion.
Chapter 22: Into the Clouds
Alex's Point of View: When we got back the top, the Undead had cleared out. Kiley and I were silent as we made our way to the roof. When we got there, Jams and Bradley were furious. "Where have you been?" Jams said. "We ran into..... trouble." Alex said, picking his words carefully. "What trouble?" Jams said. Before I could find an answer, Kiley jumped in to save the day.
"The boy that sent the Undead after us was down in the tunnels. We found him in a room filled with Harebell flowers. Fortunately, he hadn't picked any. We fought, and destroyed the beds of flowers in the process." Kiley said. Jams nodded. I wondered if she knew who that boy was too. It would make sense. Something about him wasn't right.
"Well, we should get going. Ambrose will want to know what we found. Besides that, the Dragons are restless." Bradley said. "Alright, I guess there's nothing more for us to do her anyways." Jams said, "Come on. If we hurry, maybe Ambrose will have some lunch for us!"
Bradley got up into the dragon's saddle and helped Jams climb up. The dragons were big, bigger than I remembered them. They wouldn't fit through the world door anymore. "Uh, Kiley? Jams? Is it just me, or did the dragons grow while we were gone?" I said. Jams was just getting into her dragon's saddle, and looked down at the ground. "That was a harder climb than before. The man who lent me them said they were half Drake, so they wouldn't be as big as the others, and we could ride them on the streets. But, they are too big right now to fit on the streets." she frowned in confusion, "Kiley, any impute?"
"Well," Kiley stated, "They are probably young. Around 9 or 10 years old in human years. They would have stopped growing for a while so the man who lent you them though they had stopped growing all together. But, they probably have started growing again. Who lent them to you anyways?"
"Prospector Zeke said I could borrow them. They needed to get out of the barn for a while. Speaking of Zeke, he didn't expect us to be this long. We should drop them off on our way to Ambrose." Jams said. "One question." I said, "How do we get back if we can't use the world gate?"
"Well," Kiley said, "Since the Spiral is all one world, it is incased in a cloud of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other gases. This is all held together with ancient magic that Bartelby and his sister cast upon the world before it split apart. And each of the individual worlds are incased by a thin barrier that makes up the atmosphere. So, if these dragons are strong enough, they can just fly past the barrier to any world they chose." "Oh." I said, "Then I guess we should try, shouldn't we?"
I climbed up onto the saddle. Once my legs were strapped in [so I wouldn't fall out if we went upside-down.] I leaned over and grabbed Kiley's hand. She used the scales as stepping stones to get into the saddle. When she was settled, she said, "Ok Jams, time to see what these dragons can do!"
The dragons took off from the roof of Newgate Prison. They circled around, slowly going up in a spiral. Soon, we could see from Scotland Yard to Mugsy. We continued to climb into the stars. "Wow." Kiley said, looking down, You could see all of Marleybone from up here. It was amazing. As we climbed higher and higher, the ground was farther and farther away. Soon, we broke the barrier between Marleybone and the rest of the Spiral. We could see all of the worlds orbiting around Wizard City. It was amazing.
I wish I could have stayed up there forever. But, I had a job to do. We flew towards Wizard City, at the heart of the Spiral. When we approached the barrier, Jams shouted, "Slan pasaite! Muid dluthchara!" A ripple went through the bubble, and it absorbed us.
Chapter 23: Dreams, Nightmares, and Reality
Nobody's Point of View: I was having that strange dream again. There were seven men standing in a line, with the sun behind them. They were protecting something. The monsters that were attacking them were hideous. There were Dragons, Storm Lords and Frost Giants as well as Hydras and Centaurs and Scarecrows that had turned evil. They all were relentless, not giving up until you kill them, even if they only had one leg left. I was fighting too. There was a boy next to me, with brown hair and kind green eyes. On my other side was another boy, with long black hair and brown eyes. We fought together, and it was exhilarating. We took out Hydras with a Minotaur, Dragons with a Wraith, and Frost Giants with Helephants.
But soon, a corrupted magician landed a spectral blast on me. I fell to the ground, where there was soft green grass died red with the blood from the battle. I heard the moans and cries of those like me who were dying, slowly, on this soft plane. I started to drift in and out of consciousness, wondering where my friends were.
"He's over here!" a voice in the distance said. I strained to hear more, but every time it was muffled by the sounds of battle. "......are you ok? .....! Are you ok?" a soft, high, melodic voice said. It was always the same voice, the same words. The voice, it was so pretty. It sounded like spring, with the birds singing and fairies dancing, and honeybees buzzing from one flower to the next. Then another voice came in. It wasn't as high, but it wasn't low. It sounded like hail hitting the leaves, or snow as it fell to the ground. It said, "Hurry! They're coming! If you're going to do it, do it quick!" Then the high voice again, "He's too far gone, he'll never make it! We're too late-" "Impossible!" said the other voice, "If anything you will come up with something. You know we can't lose him!" I heard someone muttering under their breath, calculating something.
The sounds of battle were all around. But still, all I could hear were those two voice. They must be angels, I though, here to take me away. Soon, the first voice came back, "There is one possibility. But you know the risk is high..............." the voices and battle begin to fade, just before I get my answers. But right before I drift away, I hear this: ".....send him to Earth."
I have been having this dream, or nightmare, for a while. Ever since that fateful day when Ambrose almost killed Aaron. I always wake up in a cold sweat, and remind myself it's just a dream, and I need to get back to sleep. I close my eyes, but all I can see is those two boys, and all I hear are those voices over and over again, calling to me, begging me to come back to them. "Why? How?" I ask them. But never have I gotten my answer.
After a while, I drift back off into dreamland. This time, I have a different dream. A dream of childhood, and a happy one.
I was in a long hall. On either side were doors leading to children's rooms, with two beds and a chest of drawers for them to share. There were pictures and drawings covering the walls, making it feel like home. I ran down the hall to the big bay window that looked out onto the street. There were Christmas lights decorating every awning, and snow blanketed the ground. Down on the streets, people rushed from store to store, looking for toys and clothes for their friends and family. In front of the building I was in there was a snowman army, with twig arms and pine needle noses. A sign next to them read, "Little Valley Orphanage, New York."
I felt a tap on my left shoulder. When I looked, no one was there. "Gotcha!" a high sing-song voice came from my right. I spun around to see a girl, a little shorter than me, who must be at least eight years old, smiling. She had long blonde hair and lots of freckles. "Come on! You're gonna be late for the hide and seek game!" she cried, and ran down the hall. I chased after her, relieved to have a friend. She took the stairs two at a time and leaped across the sitting room to a group of kids standing in the middle of the room. The girl I had been following went and stood by another girl, eagerly wanting to begin the game. "All right." an older boy said, "We're gonna play hide and go seek. I'm it. The only rules are you can't go outside, you can't go in the garage, and you can't go in Aggies's room. Got it?" "Yes!" all the little kids chimed in. "Ok then," the older boy said, "1.........2...........3............4......."
We all ran off to find a hiding spot. I followed the girl I met earlier, and she went with another girl to a closet by the front door. We dove into it, burring ourselves deep in the back behind all the coats. Soon we heard, "Ready or not, here I come!"
We stayed quiet. We didn't want to be found. We heard kids scream and squeal when they were found, and lots of little feet pound down the stairs. Soon, the older boy began to call names. "Ali! Blaire! Where are you? I know you're there somewhere! Come out come out wherever you are!" Then, "Lay! I know you're out there to! Where'd you go big boy?"
We giggled. He wouldn't find us in here. The door flew open. "Ha!" the older boy said, "Oh, THERE NOT IN HERE SARA!" He moved on. We were overcome with laughter. We fell on the floor in a dog pile, rolling all over the floor. The door flew open. "I FOUND THEM SAM!" a girl, probably Sara said. "Oh there you are!" Sam said. We were pulled out of the closet into the jostle of kids we called family.
I don't know where this came from. Was my name Blaire? Ali? Lay? I don't know. All I know is that is one of the few memories I have. I guess I haven't lost my memory. Maybe it's locked away, deep inside..........now I have to wake it up.
Chapter 24: Surprise, Surprise
Apparently when we broke the barrier that protected Wizard City, Some sort of alarm went off. Our dragons began to circle, making their way towards the commons. When we got in sight of the Commons, we saw a big crowd had assembled, along with all the masters and Ambrose. They were prepared for an invasion.
Jams, we got trouble. I told you forcing open the shield wasn't a good idea. Kiley said. It was our only option. Now stop complaining and put absorbs on us. Bradley and I will keep them busy, you and Alex try to stop them. Jams replied. Ok. Kiley said, and began to put up lots of absorbs.
We circled out of range until the absorbs were ready. When they were, Kiley nodded at Jams, and Jams whispered something to Bradley. He began to grin mischievously. He whispered something back. Then Jams was grinning mischievously. We got this covered. Jams said, and drove her dragon into a very steep dive. Kiley placed her hand on the dragon's head, and using telepathy, guided it to a safe landing near Zeke.
Jam's Point of View: "We're going to head off the attacks so that Kiley can get on the ground to talk to Ambrose. It's our only chance. I was thinking make a big display of it. You got any ideas?" I whispered to Bradley. "Well," he whispered back, "We could do a nose dive, that would scare them. I'm trusting your good at controlling dragons." I grinned, wide. "That's perfect." I said, and nodded to Kiley so she knew we had a plan. I then placed my hand on the dragon's neck, so I could communicate with it. I told him what we wanted him to do, and he agreed. "Hang on." I told Bradley, and then the dragon performed what I thought was the steepest dive ever.
When I looked down upon the wizard's faces below, I knew they were scared. That was good. They probably wouldn't attack. Boy, was I wrong. First, a master storm student summoned a triton. Two of the absorbs shattered. More followed suit, and soon we were surrounded by kraken, helephants, colossus, and triton. They clawed, scratched, and bashed the absorbs to no end. The absorbs were shattering quickly, and soon one triton broke through, zapping Bradley. He went limp in the saddle. It was no use. 'Get us to higher ground.' I told the dragon. 'As you wish, master.' it replied, and took off. Before we could reach safe altitude, a triton jumped up and priced the dragon's wing. It howled in pain, the gash bleeding with purple dragon blood. I yelled as the dragon plummeted to the ground.
Kiley's Point of View: Alex and I jumped out of the saddle and ran towards the mass of wizards. There were so many, the formed a solid wall. Alex couldn't get through, and said, "You're going to have to in without me. Let me in when you can." I nodded, and slipped into the crowd. I was skinny, easily fitting through the gaps left by people. Soon, I saw Ambrose within the mass of people. I made my way over to him. When I was halfway there, I heard a shattering noise. I looked up to see the last absorb shatter, and Bradley go limp. Jams tried to fly away, but the triton priced the dragon's wing.
"NO!" I shrieked as the dragon spiraled down. I ran through the crowd until I was by the dragon. I began to check it's vital signs. He was still alive. Then, I went over to the saddle, where Jams and Bradley were still strapped in. I felt for their pulse. Bradley had a pulse, and it was growing stronger by the minute. Unfortunately, Jams was the opposite, growing weaker and weaker.
"Stand aside, young girl," a deep voice said, "We must kill the intruders before they kill us." I turned to see Blaze Silverfist. He was a Balance Master, and well respected. He was also VERY powerful. He raised his hand, preparing to summon Hydra to finish the dragon and his riders. Tears started to stream down my face. I looked around. I realized no one but me could stop him, would stop him. I stood up. "Stop." I said, breaking his concentration. "Or what?" he said, the spell beginning to take hold. "I said, STOP!" I screamed, and slapped him across the face.
Blaze's eye's snapped open. "What was that for?" he said, "I'm not doing anything wrong! I'm trying to save us all!" I stared at him. I then turned to address not only him, but the entire crowd. "You are all so BLIND! Do you see who this is? It is my twin sister, Jasmine, and her friend, Bradley. Alex and I were with them in Newgate Prison investigating the mysterious boy there. We borrowed some Drakes from Prospector Zeke so we could move faster, but they turned out to be dragons. They grew while we were there, and we couldn't fit through the World Gate. So, we went through the outside. We opened the barrier so we could land, but this is what greeted us! Not a joyous crowd eager to hear the good news, but a hostile crowd who wanted to KILL US!" I screamed, tears rolling down my cheek like a stream, "And thanks to all of you, my twin is almost DEAD!"
I turned and ran. Through the crowd, down towards the fairgrounds. I looked back once to see everyone staring after me. The path I had made still was there. Ambrose was next to Blaze, who seemed the most shocked out of them all. Ambrose put an arm out to steady him. He had almost killed her. That boy. How despicable.
Alex's Point of View: I watched her run. She was headed for Golem's Court. I could find her later. I rushed through the crowd, to where Jams, Bradley, and the magnificent Dragon laid. I leaned over to see that Bradley would come too soon. The dragon's wing could be mended easily, with the proper magic. But Jams, she was almost gone. I stood up, and realized all eyes were on me now. I turned to Ambrose and Blaze, and with a scowl said, "Bradley will be fine. So will the dragon. As for Jams, she is almost gone. She needs to be stable. Fast." I then took off towards Kiley. I could feel every eye follow me.
Blaze's Point of View: I watched him go. I couldn't believe what he'd said. Jams? Almost dead? And it was all my fault. I had been checking the barrier and noticed the disturbance. I told Ambrose. I guess we all over reacted. "Um, Ambrose?" I said as Alex ran after Kiley, "Shouldn't we help them? If what they said is true, Jams needs help."
"Right," Ambrose said, "Johnny, Ryan, Kevin. Get those two unsaddled and into the infirmary immediately. Krista, Hayley, Hanna, wall of this area so we may care for the dragon in peace. Masters, if you aren't busy, I may have a job for you. The rest of you, go back to whatever you were doing. Good day." Then, he went into his office, and wasn't seen again.
The crowd dispersed quickly. The girls in charge of the wall were quick. One side was up in a matter of minutes. They were on the second wall when another dragon, probably the one Kiley had been riding, came into the clearing and sat next to the first dragon. She rested her muzzle on his head, careful not to disturb anyone, and went to sleep.
I went over to Johnny, Ryan, and Kevin. They had gotten Bradley out, and Kevin and Ryan were caring him on a stretcher towards the infirmary, with Moolinda close behind. Johnny was trying to get Jams out of the saddle. "Let me help." I said, and unbuckled the leg harnesses. "Thanks!" he said. We lifted her onto the stretcher, and carried her to the infirmary.
Moolinda is treating Jams right now. Bradley is strong, but still unconscious. No one has touched the dragon. Moolinda was struggling to heal Jams. "I don't know how to heal her. Her magical circuits are completely different from normal wizards. I'm powerless here." Moolinda said, and went to the door. "Wait," I said, "Aren't you going to heal her?" I asked. Moolinda looked at the floor, "I can't." she said, and left.
I sat there, on the edge of her bed, wondering how to heal her, for a long time. I had almost killed her. I was the reason she was going to die. I felt so guilty. Why? Why did I have to be wrong? There had to be something I could do.
Oh, Bartleby, Lady Nightstar, help me! I don't know what to do........ I don't want her to die because of me! Why did it have to be me that attacked!
Chapter 25: A New Way of Making Friends [Do Not Try at Home]
Dakota's Point of View: I didn't like that we were keeping Nobody in the dungeon like this. It just wasn't right. Right now I was seated at the large dining room table with Lily across from me, Nobody's empty chair on my left, and Malistare's chair on my right. He was not here yet. He had been in his laboratory all day, experimenting on the flowers. Lily and I sat there, in silence, for what seemed like forever.
"So, how've you been?" I asked her. She just shot me her evil eye. "Aw, come on! You're still going to be mean to me? Why? We're on the same side!" I said. "I do not associate with beings under my level of intelligence." she said, and turned to face the grand window at the end of the hall. I couldn't help smiling. She thought she was so smart.
"Why do you assume I do not match or exceed your aptitude? How do you know I cannot keep up with your level of comprehension? I may look like I am all brawn not brains, but really, I am both. So if you think you're smarter than me, and that allows you to boss me around, I'm sorry. You can't do that." I said. I had been wanting to say that for forever. She always seemed to try to float in the clouds above us, as if Nobody and I were no match for her.
She turned back to the table. She was speechless. I grinned. "Now, are you going to apologize like a good little girl, or are we going to need to get a shovel to scoop you chin off the ground?" I said. Her mouth closed, her jaw hardening. "I will not stand to be insulted like that. YOU are the one who must apologize." she said, and turned away.
Lily's Point of View: No one had ever dared to speak to me like that before. This boy, he was different. I was curious as to why. I guess I'd play his game for a little while............what trouble could it get me into?
Dakota's Point of View: I stared at her. She was demanding an apology when she had insulted ME! Now she was starting to get on my nerves. "You know," he said, "For someone who is so bright, you miss major points. YOU are the one who insulted ME. Now, if you do not apologize, I will be forced to be mad at you. And you won't like me when I'm mad." She looked at me, as if sizing me up. "Why would I be scared?" she said, and went back to staring out the window.
That did it. She was going to be sorry she said that. I stood up, in one smooth motion, and stepped back from the table. I felt my rage mix with my magic, building and boiling and pumping and flowing. I felt it in every inch of my body. She looked over at me, clearly unaware of what I was going to do. She smirked, and went back to staring out the window. I growled, and lunged across the ornate table, with its white tablecloth and fancy china, to the chair where she sat.
She shrieked, and leapt out of the chair. I had overshot anyways, and hit the wall with my feet, like a cat. I pounced off, ready to charge again. I looked towards the direction she had ran, towards the window behind Nobody's chair. There were huge drapes covering the walls and heavy silk curtains on the windows. She could be behind any of them. I was angry, and that fed my magic, building it.
"Come out and fight like a real wizard! One who can hold her own! Because if you are too scared to fight me, then you should not have insulted me!" I yelled as I walked towards the end of the hall. The air was rigged with tension. The only sounds were of my footsteps, right, left, right, left. They stopped in the middle of the room, near the great window that looked out over Dragonspyre. You could see everything. I looked at each drape, for that tiny tell-tale bump or movement that would tell me she was there.
Soon, the anger ebbed away, the magic returning to its normal state. I couldn't stay mad like that forever. "Fine. If you will not face me like a true wizard, then there is no reason for me to fight you. For I only fight real wizards. Not shadows, not whispers. I fight face to face with my enemy, so that the winner is victorious because of skill, not stealth. You're safe for now, but I warn you. I'm watching you." I said, and went back to sit down at the table.
After a few minutes, a head popped out from behind the drape closest to the left pane of the window. It scanned the room with cat like eyes, making sure it was safe. Then, she slipped out of her hiding place, and glided over to her spot, and sat down. We both stared at our plates, wondering when dinner would come.
After some time, the cook, a seraph, appeared at the kitchen door. "Master will not be joining you for dinner. He told me to serve it to you before it got cold." Then, she placed two bowls of steaming hot Mooshu soup in front of us. We thanked her, and she left.
We ate in silence for some time. Soon, Lily's eyes lifted to meet mind. They had fear written all over them. "I'm sorry for being so snobby." she said. "It's ok." I said in a gruff tone, "But don't do it again." I had finished my soup, and was getting up to leave. "Don't go." she said, "If it isn't much of a bother, I'd really like to get to know you. It's rather lonely around here, and you don't seem too bad." I smiled, and sat back down. "What do you want to know?" I said with a wicked grin.
Lily's Point of View: I can't believe it. I actually wanted to be his friend. I think it may have been the way he said he only fought 'true wizards.' I had always liked people who had their own moral code that was similar to my own. And just for the record, the only reason I didn't fight was because I was running low on mana. Nothing else. Well, yes there was. I've never told anyone before, and I don't want anyone to find out really. But, nevertheless, I must tell somebody. The truth was I was absolutely terrified of him. And, I think that's why I want to be his friend.
Seeing the rage and anger in his eyes, just reminded me of that dragon, from the fire my parents were in. That dragon looked furious, and the result of her anger was the fire. Ever since then, whenever I see that rage in somebody's eyes, I run and hide. Anger only leads to destruction, unless you can control it, which is pretty much impossible. Emotions override all thoughts, all desires. Rage, loyalty, honor, and fear being the strongest. If you are inflicted by these, your judgment is impaired, and not reliable. This is why I fear it.
I was relieved to see that Dakota would stay. We talked, mostly about the present. Sometimes our childhoods came up, and we would say something. I think we both have something to hide. We finished our dinner, and went out on the balcony to practice the new spell Malistare had taught us. It was called Triton. We were having trouble with it. I was about to give up when I took my wand, and threw it on the ground.
"What was that for?" Dakota said. "I give up!" I said, and began to storm away. "Whoa, slow down!" Dakota said, sliding in front of the door, and grabbing me by the shoulders, "You're doing fine. Storm just fizzles a lot." I tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he was too strong. "I'm just fed up with all these spells!" I said, "They always take forever for me to learn! It's not fair! You never fizzle!" "Want me to teach you a secret?" he said. "Sure." was the only reply I could give. He let go of my shoulders, and said, "Go pick up your wand." I did as I was told. "Now come here." I went over to him. I held out my wand as if to cast a spell. He turned my hand so it faced away from us, and placed his hand over my hand.
"Now, push your magic into the wand. No, not all at once, but a little at a time." I pushed my magic into the wand, and drew the storm symbol. I activated it, and out popped a triton. I was so happy. "I DID IT!" I sung, and hugged Dakota. He stumbled back from the force. I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Chapter 26: Ripples of Life
Alex's Point of View: I ran towards Golem Court at full speed. We needed Kiley to help Moolinda heal Jams and Bradley, and try healing the Dragon's wing. And that wasn't like her, running off. I needed to know what was going on here.
When I got there, the place was deserted. I looked around. Where was she? She wouldn't have gone IN the tower, and there was nothing else here. I walked around and around the circle, wondering where she had run off to. I was about to go through the tower when I heard a muffled cry coming from the back left corner, near the rocky cliff. I went over, hoping to see Kiley.
I ran through the trees. No sign of her, or that she'd ever been here. I went back to the tunnel, and walked the base of the cliff. When I reached the back corner, I saw a cave. I ran ahead, thinking Kiley was probably in there. When I got to the mouth, I could feel the power radiating out of it. It poured out, and just standing there made me feel fresh and renewed. I took a hesitant step inside. Then, I took another. Then another, and another, and another. Soon, I had left the daylight behind for the darkness. The cave had a smooth, polished floor that looked to be made of obsidian. The walls were rougher, but not deadly. Stalactites hung from the ceiling and stalemates rose from the floor to meet them. The joined like dragon's teeth, forming rows and rows of spikes ready to rip your flesh from your bone.
After a few minutes of walking, I saw a reddish-orange light at the end of the tunnel. I began to run. When I got close, I could hear somebody crying. And something running, flowing down a drop. I kept running. I slowed down when I reached the end. In front of me were two figurines, standing tall and proud, guarding the entrance. Above read a passage in a language I couldn't understand. It said:
An halla dar data briongloid, duisigh, la, trathnona, talamh, farraige, speir, solas, dorcha, breitheamh, laoch, agus realta.
Amhain ion dar data intinn, ion dar data hairt, is ion dar data spiorad canna scoith.
The two statues were not humans. They looked like girls, about my age, but with marvelous wings, not of a seraph, but of soft dove feather, tough as raven's feather, beautiful as bird of paradises wings. The one on the right was looking up, with her hands in front of her forming a bowl. Her hair was curly and flowed down past her shoulders. On the left was another angel, but she looked different. Her hair was straight, and her hands were grasped in a pleading gesture, as if begging somebody to do something. I tried to peer into the room, but it was around the corner, so I couldn't see.
Then, I heard the sobbing grow louder. I hid behind the angel on the left, so no one could see me from inside.
"Oh, Lady Nightstar, what did I do wrong? I didn't want this to happen to Jams. It isn't fair! In all the fairytales, all the make believe stories, the good guys don't get hurt like this. They don't die. They don't turn on their friends. Why did it have to be me that saved Alex! Why did I have to be in the battle! Couldn't it have been somebody else? I wish I could be a normal girl for once! That's it! Give my job to somebody else, one of those people who always wish for something extraordinary to happen. They'll get what they're asking for!" Plunk! Something fell into water.
I felt sorry for her. I must be a big pain to look after, always getting into trouble. All she wanted was to be normal. I decided to go back and check on Jams. Kiley would come back when she was ok.
I crept out from my hiding spot, careful not to disturb her. I slid out from my hiding spot, and tipped toed down the path. Five feet from the door, I let out a sigh, and began to walk normally. Thunk........pitter patter pitter patter went a stone I accidentally kicked. I froze. "Who's there?" Kiley called. "Who's there!" she said, her voice rising, "Come out from the tunnel and show yourself!"
I let out a deep breath. I had no choice now. I turned around. Thump. Thump. Thump. Went my feet on the floor. I passed the gate, and turned the corner. She was sitting at the edge of a pool, about three feet across. The room was circular, with light blue, purple, and green mana sparks lighting the walls. Runes covered them, as well as the strange language that was written on the entrance. A giant crystal was hanging above the pool in mid air.
And in the middle of it all was Kiley. She was sitting down, looking back at the mouth of the cave. Her eyes were red from crying, and the hem of her dress was soaked with tears. Relief crossed her face when she saw who it was in the tunnel. "Oh, hi Alex." she said in a soft voice, "I wasn't expecting you to find me her."
I walked into the room, and sat down next to her. She knelt by the pool and looked into its deep, watery depths. "What are you doing down here?" I said after a few silent minutes. "This is where I come when I need to get away from it all. Not many people know about it. Just me, you, Jams, and.......some other people." she said with a look of dismay on her face. Her normally bright blue eyes were filled with sadness, and a tear rolled down her check. "Who else?" I asked. "It's ........nobody. They're not important anymore anyways. Spirits of the past, and that is where they remain."
I could see that I wasn't getting anywhere, instead I was making her cry even more. "What is this place?" I said, trying to change the subject, "The only place I've seen crystals like this is Dragonspyre." She perked up a little bit. "It was created by Lady Nightstar, you know, Bartelby's sister?" she said, "Well, she didn't want to reside in Wizard City, or any of the other worlds currently in the Spiral. So, one day she disappeared. But, before that, she left a note that lead you through a series of riddles. Only the smartest could solve it. I turned out to be pretty smart, and found this place." "Ah." I said, "But what does the archway in the tunnel say?"
"Oh, you can't read it, can you?" she said. I shook my head. "No bother, no one knows Old Tongue anymore, anyways." "What's the Old Tongue?" I said. She looked at me curiously. "You seriously don't know what the Old Tongue is?" "No........" I said. She smiled. "It was the speech first used in the Spiral, when it was whole. It helped to control your magic, and enabled you to create your own spells. It has been lost over time though. Only a few wizards still use it, and few will teach it. The reason they changed was because younger kids didn't have the patients or discipline to learn it. It took a long time, and required you to be dedicated. New Tongue is much easier to understand, and can be taught easier. The only downfall is, New Tongue isn't specific enough for you to create spells. It is not a language magic understands easily, and cannot define thought as well. Old Tongue had many more words, and magic flowed within it. It is the language of magic."
"Ok," I said, "Thank you for the history lesson, but I only asked what it SAID." She began to laugh, a high, song like laugh, that just made you want to laugh. Soon we were both laughing. We tried to stop, but if you ever have tried to stop laughing after something really funny happens, you know what I mean by it is impossible. After a few minutes, we managed to regain our sanity. "The door says, "The Hall of Dreams, Wake, Day, Night, Land, Sea, Sky, Light, Darkness, Hero, Justice, and Stars. Only pure of mind, pure of heart, and pure of spirit can enter."
"Why? Shouldn't it be all of the school?" I said. She laughed. "It is, silly!" she said, "Light and Day are Life, Night and Darkness are Death, Land is Fire, Sea is Strom, Sky is Ice, Hero is Myth, Justice is Balance, and Dreams, Wake, and Stars are symbols for magic in general." "Oh.....I get it!" I said. I didn't quite get the fire-ice-storm relationship, but I didn't want to bug her about it. There were more pressing matters. "Come on. Don't you think we should check on Jams, Bradley, and the Dragons?" I said, and stood up. She looked up at me with a face that said everything. She didn't want to go back, not at all.
I knelt down beside her. "You know, you're going to have to come out eventually." I said, "The sooner the better." Still no response. "Come on, you can't be ashamed for how you acted. I would have done the same for you or Jams." She just sat there, dull-eyed. I went over to the passageway, and picked up a shiny pebble. I went back to the pool of water. "You see this?" I said. She nodded. I tossed the pebble into the pool, right in the middle. The water ate the pebble, and ripples flowed away from it. "You see how that one pebble made the entire pool ripple? It's the same with actions. Everything you do, every pebble you throw in the pool, has a repercussion, or consequence, like the ripples."
She looked at me with kind eyes. "You know, when I was growing up, that's what my Nana would always tell me. No matter what I do, I'm going to hurt somebody, so you have to be ready for the consequences of you actions." I was taken aback. "What?" she said. "I have never heard of you or Jams talk about your past." She looked down into the pool. "It's not a particularly happy past." she said with a look of regret, "But I can't change that."
She sighed deeply. "Ready to go?" I said. "I think so." she said. I smiled, "Better now than later." and helped her up. We walked down the passage, under the arch. Once we had cleared the arch, Kiley turned back, and whispered something under her breath. I looked at her funny, and she just shook her head. "Come on, let's go." she said, and we ran down the tunnel.
We ran down the tunnel, through Golem Court, down past the Fairgrounds, into the infirmary. We saw Blaze sitting by Jams, who was unconscious. Kiley went stiff. She didn't like him, apparently. He stood up when he saw us there. " I-she uh...." was all he could say. "Why isn't Moolinda healing her?" I asked. He stared at me. "She said she can't." We stared in shock. Kiley went white. She said in a small, feeble voice, "No, Jams, no. You can't die!"
|
The Crusader's Son (Part 2)
Olivia Mandle closed her eyes slowly, folded the parchment of the weathered paper in her hand, and yelled out in frustration. That was all she could do. She pulled herself together and bit her lip. After staring at the unbelievable journal entry for what it seemed like forever, the 14-year old freshman gazed at the beach horizon and mumbled, "How is this even possible?"
She was answered with the roar of the waves chrashing on the nearby rocks on the shore. The sea-salt breeze danced with her long, golden-brown hair and sent a minor chill up her spine. Hugging her body in desperation to fight off the cold, she walked away towards her home. The paper folded in one arm, she clenched her teeth as she felt the familiar pain jolting up her thigh. It was a great punishment for her just to walk. Her right leg was crippled by an unfortunate lightning strike just a couple of months ago. Because the bones couldn't heal properly, the doctor put her on crutches before doing further more surgeries. The crutches weren't that comfortable either.
"Blake..oh Blake, what am I going to do with you," she thought in her mind as she entered her house.
The confused teenager sighed with gratitude to see her orange cat, Tigger, snoozing near the fire, as usual. Olivia bent down, as best as she could, her left arm still clasping the paper, and stroked Tigger with a trembling finger.
"Meow," whined the striped kitten sleepily.
She chuckled softly, and walked up stairs to the only destination where she knew she wouldn't be disturbed.
The attic.
Olivia swung herself towards her parent's room, into the closet, and found her mouth having a chunkful of rotting wood in the hasty process. Ignoring the familiar copper taste of blood on her lips, she grabbed out blindly and managed to locate the ladder. It took a quite amount of effort for the girl to haul herself up and open up the sideways facing door. The ladder wasn't even tall enough to reach it, so she had to hang on the dusty floor of the attic room, kick off the last ladder step, and ,hopefully, manage to bring her body up in the room. She succeeded, to her amazement. She had fallen countless times before.
Breathless, Olivia laid down on the creaking, wooden floor, gasping heavily from her great ordeal. Her leg was shaking terribly, sending small, painful quivers in her right side. She rested her right hand on the badly shakened leg in an effort to make it stop hurting. The girl stood up slowly. Her brown eyes scavenged about the mess of litter and countless old portraits of her ancestors. Olivia searched for her crutches, but groaned when she had realized that she had left them down in the closet while she was climbing up the ladder. Annoyed, she hobbled over with one foot towards her favorite chair. It was old and smelled really bad, like a newly opened sharpie marker. Patches had been torn off through its years of hardship, but it had a set of armrests and was quite comfortable to sit in.
After settling in, she reached into her jacket pocket to reveal the plastic bottle she had found the journal entry inside. It washed upon the shore, right at Olivia's feet..like it was meant for her. She put the bottle down on a nearby desk and examined it. Most of the label was lost from the constant force of the tidal waves it had embarked on. It was one of those old, French bottles of wine. Strangely enough, it was expired..since 1642.
"Is this a magic bottle or what," asked Olivia out loud to the stillness.
I must have gone mad! she thought.
Seeping herself deep into the chair, she surveyed the small room. Her eyes came to a stop at her leg, the crippled one. Giving out a loud sigh, she simply picked up the paper containing Blake's adventure so far.
"Ok, if your not pulling a joke on me Blake, I guess I should write back, no?"
Ugh! Olivia cursed softly for talking to herself again. It was a natural habit of hers that she absolutely hated. Then, for the first time, she began to feel lonely. I mean, yeah, she wasn't popular and her only friend was Blake, but she never really felt such an eerie sensation before in her heart.
Picking up a pencil, she began to write. Honestly, Olivia had NO IDEA what was happening! It seemed that something was pushing her, FORCING her to write all her worries, feelings, true emotions right into the little scrap of paper she had found. Words raced across neatly in spidery handwriting. She felt powerful, excitement began to build up inside her. Her eyes flickered wildly, and her hand began to feel heavy.
Ending with her signature, the teenager rolled up the letter and began to attempt at opening the bottle. It wouldn't budge. Frustrated, she pulled harder ,with her whole fist this time, to take off the metallic screw. It came off, but not exactly as Olivia would have planned.
It came off with a loud POP! A leaky aroma escaped out, engulfing the room.
A rather confused and scared Olivia coughed once, then twice and rasped out, "What the **** is happening?!"
She fell in a heap at the floor.
~ Two Hours Later ~
"She's waking Mom! Look!" exclaimed a high voice.
"Olivia, honey, can you hear me? Oh good Lord, please wake up!"
"Uh?" she muttered finally, her mind still foggy and her eyes closed.
"Oh thank goodness! Honey, come on, get up. What happened?" asked her mother desperately.
"Fhhhh," sputtered out Olivia.
"I think she's dead," joked her older brother, Thomas.
"Shut up!" snapped her mother angrily.
"Mom..mom, it's ok..really, I'm fine," Olivia mumbled.
She got up, ignoring her mother's hand. Resting herself on a ledge, she said that nothing was wrong.
Her mind finally cleared and realized the whole "magic bottle" incident earlier.
"Oh mom? Did you happen to see a bottle or letter in the attic?"
Her mom thought for a while and replied, "No, there was nothing sweetheart."
"Oh..ok."
"Olivia, are you SURE your ok?" her mom asked one last time.
"I'm fine!" lashed Olivia, a little annoyed with her mother's constant concerns.
She trudged outside, grabbing her crutches. Ignoring the calls of her worried mom, she swung herself to the beach.
Right now, her mom was REALLY WORRIED. Her father came home shortly after, to find his wife chewing her fingernails like there was no tomorrow.
"Geez Tanya, what's the matter with you today? You look a bit antsy," said her dad.
"It's Olivia. That girl is really starting to worry me," answered her mother.
"It's not her grades again, is it?" asked the tired father.
"No, that's not it. She passed out in the attic earlier this afternoon."
"Oh?"
Tanya nodded.
"She appeared to be somewhat..changed after her ordeal. I'm worried Robert."
Robert snorted.
"Let her be. By the way, what's for dinner?"
Not seemingly wanting an answer anyway, Robert walked past Tanya to the kitchen. Something isn't right! she thought. Everything is in a mix-up ever since that girl was struck by lightning!
She sighed heavily.
"What even bothers me more are her eyes," the mom whispered to herself.
It was indeed true. Olivia's once beautiful, dark brown eyes had turned to a faint shade of blue.
|
The Quest for Balance (part 2)
A few weeks after we met Tony, things started to fall apart. Victoria and I had our first fight. It involved something about how messy my room was, and that I made her late to school because I couldn’t find my favorite hat.
I went to hang out in the haunted cave one day, when Tori whispered to me,
“Why do you always wind up in the darkest place in Wizard City?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you’re never cheery, you’re never very organized, and you’re always making friends with dark characters. I’m just worried about you.”
“Tori, I’m a death student. Those ‘dark characters’ are my friends, and they always help when I need it. I know where I leave my things, normally, and I’m happy despite what shows on my face.”
“Well, I wish you would at least start trying to figure out what’s going on with the different schools.”
“I’m not exactly the most focused person in the spiral, okay?” I said, remembering how many different quests I was working on at the time.
“Well, while you were running around getting nothing done, I’ve been making some progress. But I guess you don’t care about that, because you have so much work to do.”
“Well, pardon me for getting a little overwhelmed in this new life!”
Before I could say anything else, she hung up. I don’t know why, but the fight had left me a little shaken. We hadn’t yelled or anything, but Victoria never got annoyed at anyone. I snapped back to the present when Tony walked over from just defeating some undead.
“What’d I miss?” he asked, noticing my face.
“Nothing, let’s just go finish our quests.” I said as I started toward another rotting fodder.
Needless to say, it was getting a little awkward when I got back to my dorm. Apparently, Tori was so mad that she moved all her stuff to the other room. We hadn’t talked in a few days, which had been the longest time ever, when I noticed her spellbook sitting on a bench outside her room. It had a few journal entries in it, saying what she was doing for extra credit.
“Just finished interviewing Life students in tower” it said, in Tori’s perfect handwriting, “Erin hasn’t helped, too busy with quests”.
The next entry went something like this, “Erin hasn’t talked much, and I’ve been sad lately.” Here, her writing got a little blurry, like a few drops of water had splashed on it. “I wish we hadn’t fought that day in the cave, and things would go back to usual. I’m just afraid that she’ll get mad at me for talking to her.”
I hadn’t realized that she wanted to make up, and I guess I had been the one yelling that day. When she got back to the dorm tower, I gave her the spellbook.
“Tori, I’m sorry for yelling a few days ago, I was just so stressed about so many different things…”
“No, I’m sorry for misunderstanding. I didn’t mean to insult you’re friends, or the Death School, and I should have realized that you were a bit busier than me.”
After things were all fixed, we went into my room and made some plans for quests. Apparently, Tori hadn’t been doing well on dueling or completing quests, so I helped her clear it up with her teachers. When we were done with that, we found Tony perched on top of a fence in front of Bartleby.
“So, you two are talking again?” He said warily as he hopped off and followed us back to the commons.
“We had some schedule issues, but it’s all gone now” Tori said before I could mention the fight in the cave.
“I think Victoria has some info about the problems with the students, though.” I said, eyeing her spellbook.
“Yeah, I was just about to talk to you guys about it.” On the way to the commons, Tony said that his mom made him change his name to Anthony RavenTalon, instead of Tony RavenClaw. It had something to do with it not being a formal name, or whatever. I’ll still call him Tony, just because it’s easier to say. When we got to the library, Victoria took us upstairs and pulled out a large book that looked older that the headmaster.
“Where did you get that thing?” Tony said as he was trying to wave the dust away.
“The librarian let me check it out for research. I said I was doing a project for Moolinda Wu, and he has a weakness for Life students. It’s called ‘The complete history of the schools’ and it has some articles about their differences. Apparently, they never got along in the first place.”
Victoria tended to get off topic when she talked about a book, so I’ll skip to the important parts. The Dragons and Giants had been fighting among themselves, and almost destroyed the spiral, along with the Tritons. When the first wizards came along, they helped Bartleby control them and teach them to get along. However, some of the wizards had taken a liking to the dragons, and some the Tritons, while the others liked the Giants. Throughout the following years, the seven magics were founded, all based on the first three magics. They got along, but deep inside, there was still a part of them that hated the other schools. There are suspicions that because there was never a proper Balance school in Wizard City, the wizards were never properly taught about Balance.
“So, deep inside, everyone hates the opposite schools?” I asked.
“Yeah, but there is one thing I don’t get.” said Victoria. “There would have to be something to provoke that behavior in a wizard, especially if it’s ALL of the wizards. And I’m not just talking about making someone late for class.”
“So, someone, or something, is causing all of this on purpose.” Tony said. “It sounds like we need to ask Ambrose about this.”
After we had talked to the headmaster, he started stroking his beard, deep in thought. Eventually, he remembered we were there, and said he had an idea.
“Normally, you would have to be a higher level to get this quest, but I think this is a special occasion.” Merle said, with a gleam in his eye. “Have you children heard of Krokatopia?”
I had heard of it only a few times, mostly from the news columns stating new quests and areas. I think it had something to do with a desert, lizards, and dogs wearing clothes. Not very weird, compared to wizards and all. Merle gave us each a large key, and told us to talk to Bartleby. When we got to Ravenwood, it was deserted.
“Uh, Bartleby? Where is everyone?” I asked trying to stay close to the others. Bartleby had a far off look in his eye, like he was dreaming, but his eyelids wouldn’t close. Just then, we heard a cracking sound coming from the Death school. When we arrived on the dead grass, I could actually feel the ground trembling.
“Victoria, Anthony, I got a bad feeling about this…” I said.
Then, it felt like someone had pulled a rug out from under my feet. I opened my eyes, despite the stinging wind rushing by, and saw my friends screaming frantically. I don’t know where my voice had gone, but I couldn’t yell. All I could do was watch as the layers of ground rushed by. With a crash, I lost consciousness.
In my dream, I was walking around, trying to find somewhere nice and dark. Everything was so bright; the sky, the ground, even my own hands were glowing a bit. I heard a laugh, and saw Tony flying around on a broom, joking around. Victoria was riding around on a white tiger, one of the new mounts. I tried to walk toward them, but my legs wouldn’t listen. I tried to lift my hand again, but instead saw the bright ground rushing up.
I woke with a THUD, and found myself lying on my face, in the middle of my room. Then I realized it wasn’t my room. It was a rectangular area, instead of my round dorm room. The walls were the same charcoal color, and all my stuff was there. It was only then that I realized my head was throbbing with pain. I stumbled across the room towards what looked like a bathroom, and found a mirror. I had a large bandage on the left side of my forehead, and I saw that my foot was in a cast. That would explain the trouble with walking. When I came out of the bathroom, I made my way down the stairs, and found an even larger room. There was a fireplace in a corner, several luxurious sofas, a few bookshelves, and much more. I saw Tony and Victoria sitting on one of the couches, and hobbled toward them. As soon as they saw me, they embraced me in a big hug.
“I’m glad you’re awake!” Tori said as she released her too-tight grip. “I wasn’t sure if you would wake up in time.”
“In time for what?” I asked.
“Merle Ambrose went missing the day we fell.” Tony said grimly. “A few students were called to his office, but when they got there, he wasn’t. The room was a mess, more than usual anyway. They did find one thing, though.”
He held out a book, with a key tied to it.
“We were going to go into his office and look around tomorrow, because they’re going to close it off the next day.” He added, handing me a newspaper. Then I saw the date in the corner.
“How long was I out?!” I asked.
“About a week” Tori said, eyeing my forehead.
“Okay, what the heck happened back there?” I found a large reading chair, and curled up in the shadows, still creeped out by the brightness of my dream.
According to Tori and Anthony, the death school had fallen into Nightside again. When they had rebuilt it, they had put a lot of spells on it to keep it from falling again. Someone had broken the defenses, put a trap on it, and stunned Bartleby so he couldn’t warn us. The school was deserted because there had been a theatre performance on Firecat Alley. Whoever put the trap on the death school had made sure we didn’t know about the performance. They knew we would be the only ones around the death school. Tori and Anthony had been injured too, but not as badly. Tori had gotten a bunch of bruises from landing on a bush, and Tony had a sprained ankle and dislocated shoulder from landing on Tori. I had landed on the hard stone of the sidewalk, and gotten a broken foot, pulled a muscle in my leg, and a bad cut on my head. My friend from the Myth school, Angela TrollSmasher, had wondered why I wasn’t sitting next to her, and whispered to me while I was falling. I didn’t hear her, but she heard Tori and Anthony screaming. She had a magic broom, so she quickly flew us out of the hole and to the life school, where Moolinda Wu had just gotten back. As for the Headmaster’s book with the key, no one knew where the key fit, or how to open the book. The mysterious book had a riddle on the back of it, though. It read:
“Those who have a curious eye,
Know where the secrets of this key lie.
Go to the center of the swirling cloud,
And find the room of messes abound.
There ye shall find the stacks so tall,
Clean it up, ‘til shelved are they all.
Inward you go, to the room marked 8,
To find the ones that were once thought great.”
After this, the cover is so torn, I couldn’t read the words. When I asked about the house we were sitting in, my friends’ faces lit up. Apparently, Merle had given a note to Simeon that said to give us the option of housing early. Because we were going to another world for a while, Merle thought that we should have a house of our own. It was definitely big enough to house all three of us, with several bedrooms to spare. I had never seen this house in the store before, so I think that Ambrose had it specially built for us. When I was up looking around the house, I noticed a broom and a large collar sitting in the entryway. The broom looked exactly like the one from my dream. Again, when I asked them about this, they got really excited. Merle had also given a note to the Crowns Shop Keeper before he disappeared. We were each to receive a mount, to help us get our work done faster, and to reward us on helping in Wizard City.
“Where’s mine?” I asked, looking around.
“We didn’t get it yet, because there’s so much to choose from. We thought we would let you choose.” Anthony said, putting his broom away in his room.
“Okay, so where’s yours, Victoria?”
“Oh, I didn’t get a broom. I’m terrified of heights, so I got a white tiger instead” she said, pointing to the large collar.
I asked them if we could go get mine right then, but then I felt really weak, and barely made it up to my bed before darkness swallowed me again.
This time in my dream, everything was dark. It was a welcome relief, but I couldn’t see anything. Then, I saw images from my first days as a wizard. The door blocked by stacks of books in Merle’s office. The picture of the spiral on the front page of the magic book with the quiz. My curious looking face when I saw the wizarding world for the first time. The next image was one I had never seen before. It was of four wizards, each defeating a different monster. One was with a kraken, another with a Minotaur, a phoenix, and the last with a frost giant.
Again, I opened my eyes and was on the floor, tangled up in the bed sheets. This time, it was almost dark outside. That doesn’t really say much, though, because the sun sets really early in Wizard City. I walked downstairs again, to find the room piled high with books. Near the center of the mess was Victoria.
“What happened?” I asked.
“You were asking us if you could get your mount today, and then you just collapsed. We had to carry you back to your room.” She said, showing me to a chair.
“Do I even want to know what you’re working on now?” I asked.
“Actually, you could probably do this better than I could. I’m trying to figure out what the riddle on the back of the book means. I haven’t even cracked the first sentence yet.”
“Well, you’re not going to believe this, but I think I know what the entire thing means.”
I explained about the weird dreams, and sketched what I had seen. We figured out that it was talking about me—oddly enough—when it said ‘curious eye’. When it had said ‘swirling cloud’, it meant the spiral. We also figured out that Wizard City is considered the home of the spiral, or the center. We looked through the rest of what I had drawn, and found the picture of Merle’s office. It showed the door blocked by books, so that that must have meant ‘room of messes abound’ and ‘stacks so tall’.
“Okay, but why would we have to put them all away?” I said, very puzzled. “I mean, can’t we just put them somewhere else, like on his desk?”
“I don’t know, Erin. Maybe it means that the door won’t open until they’re in the right place.”
“Hey, remember those old movies we saw back on Earth? People would pull a certain book off the shelf, and a secret door would open! Maybe here, they have something like that, too. Except it’s the opposite, where you have to put a certain book back to get the door to open.”
“That makes some sense, but then what’s the key for?” she asked, looking at the intricate swirls carved into it.
Just then, something occurred to me;
“Hey, where’s Anthony? I didn’t see him in the halls when I came downstairs, and he’s not in this mess.”
“Oh, I think he went to Merle’s office to look around some more.” Just then, Tony opened the front door and walked inside, dropping his broom rather carelessly.
“What’s wrong?” we both asked at the same time. Then I saw the newspaper in his hand, and read the headline.
“‘Headmaster Missing, And Trio of Young Wizards to Blame’. Well, that’s not good.” I said, taking the paper from him.
“‘Headmaster Merle Ambrose went missing the same day that three student wizards fell into Nightside. Bartleby saw them, and remembered a cracking sound, but that’s all he remembers. The three wizards are being blamed for Merle’s disappearance. Sources claim that they must have tricked the Headmaster into going somewhere, and then trapped him there. Some believe he may be in Krokatopia, the world where the three wizards were just being allowed into.
“‘Another theory to this shocking story is that they caused the Death School to fall again. A young wizard by the name of Angela TrollSmasher claims that there’s no way that could be possible. ‘If they did it, then why would I have had to fly them out of there?’ she asks during the interview. ‘I know them really well, and they’re way too smart to have been around the school when it fell, if they caused it. Which they didn’t. I mean, how would they be able to break the protection spells around it anyway? They’re only level 13!’ Despite this young wizard’s attempt to clear her friends’ names, there is still mass panic as to who destroyed the School again.’
After reading this, there was dead silence. Err, sorry for the terrible joke. After a while, we began to talk about what to do next.
“What now?” Tori asked, her voice very quiet.
“Well, I guess we just keep doing what we need to do.” Anthony said. “We have plenty of spells, so we don’t have to go to Ravenwood anytime soon. We’ll need to go by the Headmaster’s house sooner or later, though. Speaking of which, did you two find anything good?”
We explained everything that we had found, and also puzzled over what we were going to find behind that door. After a long time of planning, we finally gave it a rest for the night. Victoria gave me a tour of the house, since I had collapsed before getting to do anything earlier that day. She also told me that we would get my mount the next day, on the way to the Headmaster’s house. Anyway, our new house was huge. On the first floor, there was a grand entryway. When you walked further back, there was the main room that we had been in. There were a few closets, and then a spiral staircase to our right.
On the second floor, there was my room, Victoria’s room, and Anthony’s room; and each had a small balcony to look out over the property. Victoria said that I would get to see the outside the next day. Along with our bedrooms, there were also two bathrooms, three really big closets, and a dining room on the second floor. The dining room was magical, of course, so there was no need for a kitchen. The room just poofed up whatever we wanted to eat.
On the third floor, there were two bedrooms, another bathroom, a study/office, and a small room filled with bookshelves. It wouldn’t take long for Victoria to fill them up! When you came up the spiral stairs, there was a door straight ahead that leads to a sort of loft. When you stepped out, there was a short set of stairs that led up to a covered bridge. On the other end, there was a tower for storage.
Back in the main house, you could walk back up the spiral stairs to the fourth floor. There was a small section with a roof over it, but the rest was open. I think it was meant for parties, or just for enjoying the night sky. It could also be used for casting spells and practicing duels. It certainly was big enough.
Despite the issue with the schools, the door, and the missing Headmaster, things might be beginning to get better.
|
The Tale of Alexandra Stormrider (Part 2)
I leapt out of bed and bounced across the room. A small figure was curled up in a ball under a bright red duvet.
“Nat!” I yelled, shaking the figure. “Nathaniel! Get up!”
Nat gave a grumble and rolled over. I sighed and tried again.
“I said, WAKE UP!”
Nat finally opened his eyes.
“No you didn’t,” he mumbled. “You said get up. Actually, you said ‘Nat, Nathaniel, get up’.”
I groaned, exasperated already, and pulled the duvet off.
Naturally, he protested. “Gerroffme!” he whined. “Gimme the duvet!”
I raised an eyebrow. “You want to be late for school?”
He nodded, eyes closed again. When I didn’t respond, he realized.
“No! Wait! No!” Finally Nat leapt out of bed. He’d remembered. Ravenwood.
I yanked on my robes and boots, pulled my hat over my head, and rolled up my sleeves.
As I might have said before, that’s a habit of mine.
Sorted. I couldn’t say the same for Nat. He was busy combing his hair. I grabbed the comb, tossed it on his unmade bed, and dragged him towards the door.
An enormous tree loomed over the five buildings that always seemed to be gathered around it. Nat wriggled free of my grasp and went sprinting after his friend – dressed in black and red. Another necromancer. They headed towards the storm school. Soon they were both in animated conversation. I wasn’t surprised. They had been working on quests together and had just finished up Cyclops Lane yesterday. I sighed. I usually did my quests on my own.
Gamma the owl flew overhead. “Hat on, Thomas Deathsong!” he hooted. There was a smirk on my face. It was soon wiped away. “Miss Stormrider, roll down those sleeves! How many times to I have to tell you? That’s the third time this week,” Gamma sighed irritably.
Arthur Wethersfield smiled at me as I made my way around the tree to a chasm on the edge of Ravenwood, where a grinning boy in black and white robes stood. A crowd of smaller kids were gathered around him, sat on the grass. Most of them made the grass wilt as they touched it.
“Alexandra,” acknowledged Malorn Ashthorn, gesturing towards the grass so I knew it was okay to sit down. I didn’t, though. I walked up to him.
“I have a training point I’d like to use,” I began.
“Level twelve, huh?” he smiled. “Seems just yesterday you and Nat were novices.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said. “But can I learn Banshee today?” I added impatiently.
“Sure. Here’s the card.” I was handed a black card with a picture of a screaming woman on it, and a few figures.
“Quieten down, guys!” commanded Malorn. He always insisted that he was really just a student, like us, so we were allowed to call him Malorn instead of Professor Ashthorn. After all, the professor title didn’t really suit him.
“Okay, so today we’re gonna go over the Banshee spell…” A couple of level fourteens groaned. To be honest, I felt a bit sorry for them. It must be kinda dull to keep going over a spell they had learnt four levels ago. Then again, they would be journeymen soon. And then they’d learn Vampire. Awesome.
“Spellbooks out! Turn to the death chapter, it’s page 597, section 4. Who can tell me the accuracy of banshee?”
“85%!” cried a myth student at the back.
“Pips?”
“Three – or one power, one normal.” A level thirteen necromancer.
“Minimum damage?”
“245 death damage, except when there are resists, shields, or damage debuffs.” Me this time.
“And maximum?”
“305 death, excluding boosts, traps, and blades.” Another necromancer.
“Great! Now the boring bit’s over, you can practice it. Get going, guys!”
I took out my wand and grabbed a Banshee card from my deck. I had been practicing this in private for almost a week now, wheedling a few cards out of Autumn Willowbreeze, my journeyman theurgist friend who seconded in death. It had taken a while, but eventually I had mastered it. And the banshee had only escaped once. I blamed Nat, despite the fact that he was only level 7.
I traced the death symbol, feeling an icy breeze swirl threateningly around me and seeing skulls appeared all around me. I was freaked out when I first cast a successful Dark Sprite and that happened, but I’d got used to it. It was just what happened. Unexplainable. Well, not exactly unexplainable, but we don’t learn about it until we get into Master Class, and that’s ages from now.
A banshee appeared in front of me. I nodded and she opened her mouth and started to wail. More banshees appeared and joined in the screeching. It was giving me a killer headache.
“Nice work, guys!” A voice cut across the horrific sound. I signaled for my banshee to quit the screaming, and she did so, a little reluctantly, folding her arms like Nat in a strop.
“Good control, Alexandra!” I glowed. I’m a bit of a sucker for praise. “Oh, and Thomas, remember, it’s a ghost. Don’t try to restrain it.”
A level ten who I knew was called Thomas Deathsong was trying to cover his banshee’s mouth. He grinned sheepishly as it kept on screeching.
Half an hour later, I was sitting on one of Bartleby’s roots watching two necromancers trying to make their banshees fight each other. They were failing miserably – all the banshees would do when provoked was wail, and it was pointless anyway, because they were unable to hurt each other, seeing as they were just spirits. Eventually they gave up and dismissed the ghosts.
“Okay, class!” yelled Malorn Ashthorn, trying to be heard over the banshees that remained. “Dismiss your banshees and pack away your wands. Homework – practice controlling these banshees! Off you go!”
I slung my backpack over my shoulder and started towards the Commons. I walked into the library and sat down, grabbing my history book, notebook, quill, and ink. Harold Argleston walked in.
“Good morning, class. Today we will be learning about the rebellion of the pyromancers in 76 WCE. Please have your notebooks open to take some notes. I have prepared a presentation, and it would be well-advised for you to listen, as I am going to set you a project on this. Resources for your research will be available here every day after classes, although I would recommend you pay a visit to the Krokotopia library, as they have much information on the subject. And do try chapter 8 of your books – that should be helpful. In your projects I expect the cause of the revolt, the effects, and a detailed personal analysis of the revolt. This will be due in next week.”
I sighed and held my pen poised. I would have to come back here after school to study. I had been planning on starting Colossus Boulevard today. I sighed again. I guessed that would have to wait. I was no whiz at history. Harold Argleston began his presentation, and I responded by beginning to scribble notes on what I could understand of the subject.
I had a free lesson next, so I decided to have a break before starting on my history project. I strolled over to the chasm where the death school used to be. I liked the place – the silence and the cold wind that seemed to be there permanently. I assumed it was okay for me to stay in the place as long as there were no classes being held there. There weren’t any today. There were a few apprentices trying to control their thunder snakes outside of the storm class. I giggled to myself as a thaumaturge was electrocuted by a particularly feisty one.
I was dangling my feet over the edge when I first heard the noise – a great booming sound. I was pretty surprised to say the least. It was always silent when classes were being held. But I knew that the apprentice myth class was going on, so I assumed it was trolls. I did think it was very loud though. In theory, that made sense, as I was sitting next to the myth classroom, but it sounded closer. And surely it was too loud to be a troll whacking the floor with his club. It boomed again. The floor was shaking.
I set down my sandwich and stood up. I had a bad feeling about the noise, but I was determined to prove myself that it was simply an unruly troll. I stepped quietly towards the myth school. I peeked in at one of the windows. No trolls. Just students with heads bent over their desks. As if Cyrus Drake would let them do anything fun anyway.
But then, what was the noise?
There was another earth-shattering boom, this time followed by a cruel laugh. I rounded a corner to see a tall myth kid with blue hair and a satisfied smirk on his face, accompanied by two smaller myth kids and a…
CYCLOPS?!
WHAT?
And what was more, it was lunging at a diviner, who was backed against Bartleby in fear. On an impulse, I rolled up my sleeves (again) and sprinted over to them.
“WHAT THE HECKHOUND,” I began, furious. “DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?”
The tall myth kid looked round with a puzzled expression, which was only to turn to another smirk when he saw me.
“Why is that any of your business?” he said, haughty and unruffled.
“TELL THAT STUPID CYCLOPS TO STOP!”
“And why should do that?” he asked in exactly the same stuck-up manner.
“TELL IT TO STOP BEFORE I KNOCK THE MANA OUT OF YOU!” I was right in his face now. Well, not exactly face, because I was half a head shorter than him. But still making an impression, or so I hoped.
“Alright, chill out,” he said, a tad defensively, folding his arms. “But aren’t you going to answer my questions?”
“No,” I said, before I could stop myself. “You get that stupid, idiotic creature to quit that right now or I’ll… I’ll…”
“Did you hear that, my fine Cyclops friend?” asked the tall boy.
The Cyclops turned around and faced me. He grunted.
“Yes,” the stuck-up kid said smoothly. “She did insult you.”
The Cyclops grunted again.
“Get her!”
The Cyclops was getting ready to obey. I darted through its legs, confusing it, and grabbed the diviner, who had been watching with a mixture of confusion, fear, and amusement. I tore off my backpack and fumbled for my wand and deck. I flicked through it desperately. Lightning strike… Dream Shield… Storm blade… Thermic Shield… Lightning Bats!
With a wave of my wand, a cluster of purple clouds appeared. There was a high-pitched shriek and a flash of lightning as several purple-blue bats swooped down towards the myth kid.
And that was when Headmaster Ambrose decided to appear.
There was one word going through my head – oops.
Guess what?
Immediately, Cyrus Drake had appeared, claiming that Reed (the tall kid – his last name was Mythstrider) had done nothing wrong, and that the apprentices had simply been practicing summoning their trolls. As I opened my mouth to say that I had seen the apprentices and they were most definitely had not been practicing spells, he continued to state that I had simply launched a completely unprovoked attack on three innocent myth children. My mouth was hanging open in shock. I was disgusted. How could he say that? He’d been in the classroom the whole time.
Of course, the Mythstrider kid had probably got off scot-free – typical conjurer luck.
The diviner and I were waiting outside Merle Ambrose’s office. It was the first time I’d had a proper look at him. I recognized him vaguely from class. Fair hair, green eyes. He seemed to be taking an interest in the floor. It was an awkward silence. I bit my lip and tried to start a conversation.
“So,” I began. “Um… What’s your name?”
“Jacob… Jacob Ravencloud. But call me Jake.” He replied, smiling.
“Okay,” I said. “I’m Alexandra Stormrider. But call me Alex.”
Jake grinned.
“What level are you?” I added.
“Twelve. And you?”
“Same.”
“Cool.”
There was another uncomfortable silence.
“That Mythstrider kid is a right pain, don’t you think?” I said thoughtfully.
“Mmmmm,” replied Jake, suddenly serious.
“I mean, what is up with him?” I said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
Jake grimaced. “Seriously, Reed is nuts.”
“You’d know?”
“Yeah.”
“How come?”
“He beats me up. Or, that Cyclops does.”
“Oh.”
I mentally kicked myself for momentarily forgetting that he was the guy being beaten up by the Cyclops.
“But thanks.”
“Huh?”
“For sticking up for me. Usually everyone pretty much ignores it.”
“Oh. Well. You’re welcome, I guess.”
It was kinda awkward. I hadn’t really thought about that much. As I said, it was on an impulse.
“So, what quest are you working on?”
I blinked. “Um… I just got in Colossus Boulevard.”
“Wicked. You’ll have to take me in there some time. I’m finishing up my Firecat Alley quest.”
“Firecat Alley? So you’ve nearly done the main quests for all three streets? You’ll be in Colossus in no time!”
“That’s the follow-up quest? Great! I’ve been looking forward to it for ages!”
“Didn’t you know already?”
“Nope.”
“You don’t have any friends at a higher level than you, do you?”
“Um…”
“Don’t look so worried about it. You’ll probably make some in Colossus Boulevard. I’ve heard there are lots of high-level kids there. I mean, it’s an optional area. Most people go back to it after Krokotopia.”
“Cool.”
“So… um… What’s your secondary school?”
Jake went a bit pink. “Um... Life.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s a girly school.”
“Says who?” I was angered. The life school was definitely not girly. Gosh, I would get into an all-out fight if I even suggested that to Autumn. “And why did you pick it if you think that?”
“I don’t think that.”
“So why did you say it?”
“That’s what everyone thinks.” I was getting seriously annoyed.
“Even the grandmaster theurgist boys?”
“Um…”
“It’s not girly! There are loads of boys in the Life School!”
“Reed says…” Reed?
“The Mythstrider kid?” I exploded. “Why are you even listening to him, let alone taking any notice of what he says?”
“It’s just what he says.” What did it take to get the message across?
“Forget about him. He’s a loser.”
“Right.”
“Seconding in Life isn’t a bad thing. I wish I had.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Ah… my little brother made me…”
“Who’s your little brother?”
“Oh, Nathaniel Ironheart. He’s level seven, death school. He said he’d go for storm if I went for death. He did go for storm, but I regret it now.”
“Really?”
“Yep. As I said, Life is cool.”
“Mmm.”
Boys were so stupid sometimes.
“Miss Stormrider, Mister Ravencloud,” Merle Ambrose beckoned, opening the door to his office. I had almost forgotten why I was there in the first place. I followed him into his office, Jake trailing behind.
“Well,” he said sternly. “I am at a loss as to what has happened here. You two seemed perfectly well-behaved until this incident! And you, Miss Stormrider, should know better than to summon creatures during classes without permission. I am very disappointed. And Jacob, where did you manage to get involved in this? As I said, I am at a loss.”
“Professor Drake lied!” I complained. “That myth kid started it! He had a Cyclops and it had Jake against the wall and it was throwing its weight about like a Helephant or something! The apprentices weren’t practicing Troll! I saw them! They were having a test! And anyway—”
“Miss Stormrider! Do be quiet. I do wish to hear what happened in your own words, but that outburst was quite unnecessary. And you do realize that you are asking me to mistrust the word of one of the faculty?”
“Of course I realize!” I sighed. “Because he was lying! Honestly! Tell him, Jake!” I turned to Jake expectantly.
“Well…” Jake was hesitating. I nodded at him encouragingly. “I don’t know what the apprentices were doing…” I frantically shook my head at him. “But Reed did have a Cyclops,” he added, taking my hint. “It was pinning me against Bartleby.”
“Are you sure this is what happened?” Ambrose was frowning.
“Yes! Of course we are!”
“Very well. I do not believe this was entirely your doing,” Ambrose said solemnly. I grinned. “But I am not inclined to trust this tale…
“But Richard – no, Ryan… no… um, whatever – did it! It was his fault!” I cried desperately.
“There is no proof that he did so, other than your word,” said Ambrose, serious. “I trust that enough to accept that you were not entirely responsible for the incident. However, Alexandra, you know the punishment for summoning without permission. You will receive a detention. Here, Monday, straight after classes. No excuses.”
I knew there was no point arguing. I still sighed.
“I suppose that is all for now,” added Ambrose thoughtfully. “But make sure nothing like this happens again, do you understand?”
Jake and I nodded solemnly. Ambrose nodded, and we turned to leave. I was just about to open the door when Ambrose spoke again.
“Miss Stormrider?” I turned around. “Sleeves.”
I looked down at my sleeves. When had I rolled them up again? Stupid habit. I reminded myself to stop doing that. I rolled them down guiltily and Professor Ambrose smiled as I left.
I sat in the library looking at books about the pyromancers’ rebellion. It wasn’t particularly interesting, and it was hard to find information that Harold Argleston hadn’t already mentioned. I made a mental note to ask Autumn if she could take me to the Krokotopia library to see if there was anything better. I flicked through another heavy, dusty history book. Nothing.
I slammed the book I was reading shut, frustrated. A couple of novice conjurers looked at me, aghast, as if to say, ‘How could you make so much noise in the library?’ I ignored them. I didn’t have the patience to fight with any other myth kids today.
I sighed. What was the point? I would go talk to Autumn later. With that thought, I grabbed my bag and walked out into the Commons. It was nice to get some fresh air, but the place was packed with loads of students who were talking at the tops of their voices. I thought about doing quests. No. I needed a break. I headed towards the Shopping District, pushing past a herd of Balance apprentices.
I breathed in the cool air. I was sitting on a ledge on the edge of Triton Avenue, next to a waterfall. I liked it here. I could watch the world go by. It was perfect for me, seeing as I was a diviner. I love water, storms, Triton Avenue itself. I watched an apprentice cast Snow Serpent on the Kraken hundreds of meters below me. I could see wizards on the other side of the water fighting Haunted Minions and Rotting Fodders. My legs were hanging off the edge of a high cliff, but I had been here too many times before to be scared. I was startled, though, when I heard a voice from behind me.
“Hey.” It was a boy’s voice. I whipped around, only to see Jacob Ravencloud. He was grinning.
“Hi,” I replied. “How’s it going?”
“Pretty dull actually,” he said thoughtfully. “Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all.” Jake sat down beside me.
“So,” he said. “Why are you here? I thought you said you were working on Colossus Boulevard.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “But I just came here for a break. From homework. You know.” There was yet another awkward silence before I added “Why are you here? Weren’t you finishing up Firecat Alley?”
“I found out I had another side quest here,” he shrugged. “I seriously want that Three Streets Savior badge!” he joked. “Done now, though. Homework, you say?”
“Yep. History. Pyromancer’s rebellion.”
“History?” Jake looked interested. “Don’t you like it?”
“No,” I smiled. “Who does?” I caught the look on his face. “You do, then.”
“Yep. But I could help you with that homework. My history class did that project a while back.”
“That’d be cool. Thanks, I guess.”
“If I help you, we’ll be even.”
“I guess so. But I think saving you was way better.”
“Well if you feel like that…”
“No, no. I need help. Seriously. I’m awful at history.”
“You want to get started?”
“Sure. Let’s go.”
I sprinted through the Commons, barely aware of my feet thudding against the ground one after the other and the way in which I was inhaling air in huge, gasping gulps. My heart was racing. I ran over the Rainbow Bridge, glancing over my shoulder. My hand grasped my wand tighter as I pushed myself on. I knew I wouldn’t last much longer. I could see him over my shoulder, dark and tall and ridiculously intimidating, wielding his mighty staff. I could do nothing more. I tripped and fell on the ground. I tried to crawl, but my knees stung. My robes were torn and I had no energy left with which to move. My knees were bleeding. I stared up at Malistaire.
“You will not get away, Stormrider, mark my words. You will never escape my clutches! And once you’re out of the way, Wizard City will be destroyed!” He raised his staff and I could feel the dark power radiating from him. I was vaguely aware of my screams…
“Alex!” whined Nat. “Shut up! Why are you screaming? I want to sleep!”
“Sorry Nat,” I whispered. “Bad dream. Go back to sleep. It’s late.”
I struggled to recall the details of my dream. Why do they always seem to slip away as soon as you wake up? Running. From something… Something bad, evil in fact. With a staff. Running away from something evil with a staff. Malistaire.
What was that all about?
It was Monday, straight after classes, and I was waiting grumpily outside Merle Ambrose’s office. I wasn’t happy about getting a detention. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not exactly a model student – let’s just say this wasn’t my first detention – but I didn’t think I deserved this one. I was only trying to help!
I was slouching against the wall, fuming, when I first heard the voices from inside. Fascinated, I put my ear to the door.
“It’s obvious,” said Ambrose. “He’s one of the children of the prophecy.”
“That may be tru-oo-oo-ue,” hooted a distinctly owlish voice that I recognized as Gamma’s, “but we cannot be sure yet. It is too early to tell.”
“We have so little time!” stressed Ambrose, his voice barely more than a whisper. I had to strain to hear. “We must let him know the truth before it is too late! Malistaire—”
“Well, look what the Firecat dragged in,” drawled a snobbish voice from behind me. I jumped, startled, turning around to see the stuck-up features of the Mythstrider kid.
“What are you doing here, troll-features?” I tried to sneer, but, as I said, he was taller than me, so it was hard to say if he was bothered.
“Detention,” he said loftily, tossing blue hair out of his face. Ugh. “What about you? Telling Ambrose about me being naughty again?”
“Detention,” I said, before what he had said had sunken in. “Wait. What do you mean?”
“After last time, I assumed you would be telling tales to the headmaster again.”
“What last time?”
“You told Ambrose I summoned the Cyclops!”
“Yeah, like he believed me!”
“Why d’you think I have a detention, squirt?”
“Don’t call me that, troll-features!”
“Fine. You don’t tell tales on me, kiddo.”
“I didn’t! Well, I did, but Ambrose didn’t believe me.”
“Yeah right.”
Gosh, some people are so stubborn. As if on cue, Ambrose opened the door.
“Mister Mythstrider, Miss Stormrider.”
The Mythstrider kid walked in haughtily and I followed grudgingly, still a little annoyed about having a detention. Ambrose gestured for us to sit in front of his desk as he seated himself in a business-like manner.
“You both know why you’re here,” he began. The Mythstrider kid threw me a contemptuous glare. Jake was right. He was nuts. What was I meant to have done?
“You two know all too well what the rules we have here are. We don’t have many rules, because we know that, sometimes, young wizards’ powers get out of control. Mostly, this can be contained. But with all the havoc that causes, we can’t have any other wizards deliberately running amok and causing chaos by summoning more creatures.
“Spells are not to be used on your classmates. In Wizard City, we teach you only to use your spells in self-defense! Have you two learnt nothing in your time here?”
“It was in self-defense! He summoned the dumb Cyclops!” I cried.
“We have no proof that it was attacking you directly. Your summoning of lightning bats – though very well cast, I must say, but that is beside the point – was not really necessary.”
“What proof do you have that I summoned the Cyclops then?” said the myth kid indignantly, dark eyes flashing in anger.
“Professor Wu saw it passing the Life School. She assumed a myth initiate’s spell had gone astray. It seems that was the case.” Ambrose’s gaze was disapproving.
The Mythstrider kid looked surly, but didn’t respond.
“Your parents will be told, Mister Mythstrider. You two can write out some lines for now. No magic this time.” Ambrose looked at us sternly. “I must not cast spells without good reason. One hundred times,” he added.
With that, he teleported in a small ‘poof’, different to that of any other wizards, in a small cloud of silvery stars. It was really quite pretty.
I realized that papers had appeared in front of us. I slung my bag on the floor, pulled out a quill, and began to write.
“So,” said the Mythstrider kid.
“So what?” I said, carrying on writing. I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible so I could work on my history project with Jake. For once, I was actually understanding what the Pyromancer’s rebellion was.
“Who are you, anyway?”
“What’s it to you?”
“Just want to know if anyone asks me if I know the name of an annoying little squirt.”
Childishly, I retorted, “At least I don’t go around summoning creatures to terrorize innocent people! Who are, like… What level are you?”
“Fourteen,” he replied snootily.
“Two levels less than me!” I continued.
“That isn’t very much,” he sneered.
“You’re still a bully.”
“Yeah. You better watch your back, squirt.”
“Don’t call me that.”
Jake was in the library, head in a book as usual. I tapped his shoulder and he turned around. I grinned but he looked almost scared until he realized it was me and his fearful grimace morphed to an expression of relief.
“Chill out, Jake,” I grinned. “It’s only me!”
His smile widened as he said, “You scared me! I thought you were Reed then!”
“Why would you think that?” I almost laughed.
“Oh… Y’know… So shall we go do some quests?”
“I thought we were going to work on that history project.”
“It’s nearly finished, anyway. Plus, you’ve just had a detention – with Reed, as well! You need some rest! And I just got into Colossus Boulevard, so can you help with the first couple of quests?”
“Sure!” I wasn’t fussed about leaving it until later, and – let’s face it – when you have the choice of sitting in the library or fighting evil snowmen, what are you going to pick?
No, I wasn’t fussed until much later, when I realized that I hadn’t once mentioned the Mythstrider kid’s name to Jake once. So how in the Spiral did he know that I had a detention with him?
|
The Tale of Sarah Spiritheart (part 7)
It was quarter to midnight.
Ignoring the lateness of the hour, Cyrus Drake sat at his desk, grading a paper of yet another Conjurer-want-to-be. Not even the pleasure of scratching a big, red F on top of the paper with his luxury sunbird feather quill could distract him from the memories.
…a woman’s scream ringing in his ears…
No, Cyrus thought. He took a deep breath to soothe his mind. Then he turned the paper over and wrote with blood-red ink, Very poor work. The next paper you hand in that is as bad as this one, and I will personally make sure that you are expelled. Cyrus breathed in a sigh of pleasure. Giving threats was a favorite pastime of his.
Of course, nothing could distract him for long. It was but a minute before the ghost of his memories came back to haunt him again.
…a staff with a tiny dragon curled around the glass ball at the top…
…words, angry words, unforgivable words…
…a flash of light, a horrible scream, a woman dead on the floor…
Cyrus pulled away from this flashback, his chest heaving in and out. He would never fully recover from this memory. But he had found a way make it a little better. He had eased his conscious, hid the guilt, by blaming Death. For five years now, he had been blaming Death, so now he actually believed it was to blame.
Cyrus stood up so abruptly, he knocked over the inkwell, spilling red ink all over the paper he was grading. Oh well, there were so many marks on it that it would make a difference anyway.
A sinister smile crept across Cyrus’s lips. One word filled his mind: revenge.
Death was the cause of it. Death was to blame. Then why was he sitting around here when he could be giving those horrible students what they deserved for what they did to him?
Never before had Cyrus felt this way. He had always been able to keep himself in check, to keep himself from ripping out each and every one of their throats. But all that changed when he arrived. The boy. The direct descendent of the creators. He had acted like a trigger, bringing back memories like they had never been brought back before.
A plan began to form in his mind, and a brilliant one at that. He’d show Ambrose that he had been wrong to trust them. They would be at Cyrus’s mercy, and soon enough, they would admit to everything.
He strode across the classroom, throwing a black cloak over his shoulders and picking up his wand. And, he realized, he knew exactly where he would go first.
My face turned pale, and for a while, I forgot to breathe.
“Samuel?” I whispered, as if that would somehow bring him back. But, of course, it didn’t.
Then I kind of went crazy. I tore around the room, throwing open doors and upending any possible hiding places for a four-year-old kid. “Samuel! Samuel!” I kept screaming. “Samuel, where are you?”
In a minute in a half, the room resembled a tornado wreck. But I didn’t care. All I cared about was listening for one of Samuel’s trademark mischievous giggles or waiting for him to come out for behind something and shout, “Stop messing up my room!” But there was nothing.
“Samuel!” I shrieked again. This time, as I screamed for my little brother, I heard two doors slam in the hallway. A minute later, Savannah and Sadie had entered.
“What’s going on?” Savannah glared at me, her hand on her hip. It was the first time she had spoken to me in days. “Can’t a girl get some beauty sleep around he—” she saw Samuel’s empty bed and faltered. Then she saw the two pillows, side by side. I could almost hear her brain whirring.
“He’s not smart enough to do that…” she said, her voice hushed.
These words confirmed what I had been denying all this time. That he couldn’t have just gone on a leisurely stroll around the yard. Someone had kidnapped him, and we all knew who.
“Samuel…gone…” Savannah whispered.
“G-gone?” Sadie stammered. “But what should we do?”
I looked at the scared, frantic faces of my sisters and immediately knew one thing. Samuel’s sudden disappearance, however devastating, had brought us back together. A new sort of determinedness rose up inside me and I put on the most un-scared expression I had.
“Here’s what we do,” I said. “We look around the island; make sure that he isn’t there. If he isn’t, we go straight to Ambrose and we tell him what happened.” If anyone could help us, I was certain that Ambrose could. “Don’t worry, you guys, we’re going to find Samuel, no matter what.”
I don’t know exactly how it happened, but in those two minutes alone, we went from sourly avoiding each other to giving each other group hugs. And as we threw our arms around one another, a great feeling of warmth began to spread inside of me. Or was it just my right thigh..?
Sadie suddenly shrieked. “Your pocket’s glowing!”
“What the..?” Savannah said in wonderment.
I reached into my pocket and immediately found the source of the heat. It was an emerald, mossy green, the one that I had found when monsters were attacking Ravenwood School.
“Oooh!” Savannah’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates. “Where did you get that?”
“In Ravenwood,” I replied. “I found it when…well…I found it on the ground.” I refrained from mentioning the exact time because I knew that horrid day still gave Sadie nightmares.
“Maybe…”said Savannah, taking the gemstone from me. “…nah, that’s stupid. I mean, just because you found it doesn’t mean…”
“Uh, Savannah?” I said. “Remember, we’re supposed to be looking for Samuel.”
“Oh, right.” She said hastily, putting the tiny gem back in my pocket.
We searched all over the island, but we didn’t see Samuel anywhere. Not inside the house, not behind a tree, not in a box, or not with a fox. We reported in front of the front door thirty minutes later.
“Sorry, Sarah, we couldn’t find him anywhere.” Savannah panted.
“Don’t be sorry,” I said. “It just means that he’s not here.”
Sadie’s face suddenly lit up. “Why don’t we try Whisper Chat?”
This was the most painfully obvious suggestion ever made. Calling myself stupid under my breath, I thought as hard as I could, Samuel, where are you? I waited for almost a minute, but no answer. Either he didn’t get my message, he wasn’t responding, or—I shuddered—someone was keeping him from responding.
“No can do.” I said. “He isn’t responding.”
“How about teleport, then?” Sadie asked.
I sighed. “I thought of that,” I said. “And I don’t think we should do it. There’s no guarantee where we’ll end up. Maybe in the middle of Dragonspyre or a cage in Malistaire’s hideout or in a big pit of lava or something.”
“Oh,” Sadie said, “yeah.”
“I say we go to Ambrose,” I said firmly. “He’ll help us out.”
The three of us shared a nod, and then we walked up the cobblestone pathway to our spiral door. I jammed a golden key with a beautiful carving of a tree in the lock. The door opened to the Wizard City Spiral Chamber and I ushered everyone inside.
We scrambled outside of Bartleby, who was snoring gently. We were about to go through the tunnel to the Commons when I saw a cloaked figure emerge from the Myth School.
“Quick, over here,” I whispered, shoving everyone behind a large tree root.
“What are you—” Savannah began, but I made the “shh” sign with my finger. I peered over the root and immediately recognized Cyrus Drake.
Life wizards are known for having highly developed senses. So even though it was night and his face was almost entirely hidden by a hood, I could see him as clear as day.
As he approached the spiral chamber, I also heard him muttering under his breath, “They will pay…pay for what they did to me.” Then he entered the chamber and I couldn’t hear him any more.
However intriguing this may be, there was know time to wonder what Professor Drake was doing at this hour of the night, muttering to himself as though mad. We had a more urgent matter to attend to.
As soon as Professor Drake had disappeared, I shooed everyone back out. Then we dashed through the tunnel to the Commons and all the way to Ambrose’s office.
Not worrying about the fact that it was after twelve at night, I grabbed the bronze star-shaped knocker and banged it against the door as hard as I could. When that didn’t work, I started yelling, “Come on, open up! It’s really important!”
“All right, I heard you the first time,” said a voice from directly behind me. And there was Professor Ambrose, dressed in a periwinkle shift, a nightcap with a tassel, and fuzzy, pink bunny slippers. Of course; Ambrose had been at his house, not in his office.
“For future reference, Miss Spiritheart, I still know that if a student happens to come calling late at night, even if I am sound asleep at my house at the time.” His blue eyes twinkled, or at least the one that I could see that wasn’t behind the monocle. “So do what to I owe this late pleasure?”
“This isn’t a pleasure visit,” I said grimly. “Samuel’s missing.”
“Mister Nighttamer?” Ambrose inquired.
“Yes, him,” I said. “I heard a loud crash upstairs and when I went up to look he was gone!”
“Oh my,” said Ambrose. “Please come inside, all of you.” He pulled a key out of the folds of his nightshift and stuck it in the lock.
Once we were all settled on the couch and drinking tea that Ambrose had conjured out of thin air, Savannah piped up, “Professor Ambrose? You don’t think that Samuel could’ve been kidnapped, do you?”
Ambrose took a sip of tea and swallowed, his mustache twitching. “A wise hypothesis, Miss Swiftsong,” he said. “Yes, I think we must assume so. And, of course, I think we all know by whom.”
“Malistaire,” I muttered under my breath. Did it always have to be him?
“I believe so,” said Ambrose.
“Are we going to be able to save him?” I asked.
“I will give it my best efforts,” said Ambrose. “But you three are to remain here in Ravenwood for the time being.”
While Sadie looked somewhat relieved, Savannah and I both gave cries of outrage.
“Why?” Savannah shouted.
“He’s our brother!” I added.
“Goodness gracious, I thought it would’ve been obvious,” said Ambrose, raising his eyebrows. “Did you not think that Malistaire captured Mister Nighttamer to lure you to his base? It may very well be a trap.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. Ambrose was right.
Ambrose stood up. “Excuse me while I go alert the staff,” he said. “We will begin a full search of the Spiral, starting with Dragonspyre, I think. After all, that was where Malistaire was sighted last. I am very sorry for what has occurred. Trust me when I say we will do everything you can to find your brother.” After this speech, he vanished in a puff of smoke.
The next few minutes were long and agonizing. Not a sound was made, except for the clinking of spoon against china as we stirred more sugar in our tea.
Almost involuntarily, maybe out of boredom, I took the gemstone out of my pocket. When I held it up to the light just so, it shone around the room like a beacon.
“I still think it has something to do with what happened,” said Savannah.
“Really? Wouldn’t it have been too much of a coincidence?” I asked.
She shrugged. Just then, Ambrose teleported back into the room, now dressed in his normal wizard robes.
“I have told the other teachers about what has happened,” he said. “The search will commence shortly. I advise you to wait in your house while we…what is that?”
“I don’t know,” I said, holding out the emerald so he could get a better look.
“May I?” he asked. I nodded.
He picked the stone up from my outstretched palm. Then he started examining it. He looked at it from all angles, held it up an inch from his nose, and even prodded it with is staff at one point.
“By Bartleby…” he said.
When he handed in back to us, it was with a look of amazement.
“Where did you find this?” he asked.
“On the ground,” I said. “On school grounds. Why do you want to know?”
“This,” he said, “is no ordinary gemstone. I can’t imagine how you came across it. It’s Bartleby’s eye; the missing eye of history.”
Okay, so none of us were expecting that.
I was still protesting when Ambrose led us to Bartleby, where he would meet the other members of the staff. “But it’s a gem! Wouldn’t his eye look…I don’t know…more like an eye?”
“Both of Bartleby’s eyes have magical properties,” Ambrose explained. “If they were to be taken away from him, they would take the shape of an ordinary gem, so no one would know what it really was
Maybe except for the person who had taken it, I thought, wondering if this plan could’ve been thought out a bit more properly.
“It’s not even blue!” exclaimed Savannah. Ambrose appeared not to have heard; he led us through the tunnel to Ravenwood to come face to face with all the teachers of magic.
“Oh my,” said Professor Greyrose, fluttering about anxiously. “I heard what happened. We’ll find him, dearies. Don’t you worry.”
“I am glad you could all be here tonight. Despite the lateness of the hour,” he added to a weary looking Dworgyn. He looked around. “But one among us is missing. Where is Cyrus?’
“I looked for him,” said Professor Falmea. He isn’t in his house or the Myth School, as far as I can tell.”
“We will have to proceed without him, then,” said Ambrose gravely. “As you all know, we cannot risk waiting for Cyrus at the present time.”
Professor Greyrose nodded, looking as though she might burst into tears.
“Go on then,” said Ambrose. “I will meet you on the other side.” When the other teachers had left, he turned to us. “Return to Bartleby what belongs to him. Make note of anything he says about Malistaire. And if you happen to see Cyrus, let him know of what is going on.
“Hmm,” I said as Ambrose also vanished through the Spiral door. How did you wake up a tree, anyway? “Um, Bartleby?” I said hesitantly, tapping on the trunk.
The great tree’s one eye blinked slowly. Then it looked down and saw the three of us.
“Hello, young wizards,” he said. His deep voice reminded me of a fire crackling in the hearth: warm, tamed, but with a slight hint of great power. “You wish to speak to me?”
I nodded. “We believe this is yours.” I held out the emerald.
“Closer,” said Bartleby gently. I brought it up closer.
Just then, there was a great wind. The gemstone was swept out of my hand, being carried closer to Bartleby’s empty socket by a tornado of leaves. Then it connected, and a transformation took place. The gem widened, softened at the edges, and turned sky blue. Bartleby’s other eye was in place.
“Wow,” said Sadie.
“You’ve found the lost eye of history,” said Bartleby. “Memories…I can feel them coming back. You have undone Malistaire’s evil work; for this I thank you.”
“Yes,” I said, “but now we really need your help.” His giant eyebrows rose. “Our brother is missing, and we think he’s been captured by Malistaire. The teachers went to search for him in Dragonspyre, but we want to know if you have any other information that can help us.”
“They search in vain. Your brother is not in Dragonspyre,” said Bartleby.
“What?”
“I remember now…the day Malistaire stole my eye, he used my Spiral Chamber to go to a world that was beyond my recognition. I believe this is where he is hiding now.”
“But how do we get there?” I asked.
Something poked me in the back. It was one of Bartleby’s branches. Hanging there was a large, black key with a tiny rune of a skull.
“I felt someone up in my branches not too long ago. They dropped this key. However, it was one of many.”
“Thank you,” I said to Bartleby. Then I said to my sisters, “Let’s go.”
“Wait!” said Sadie. “Aren’t we going to go get Professor Ambrose?”
“There’s no time,” I said. “Besides, we can’t get in Dragonspyre.”
“Oh,” Sadie’s face fell.
“Come on.” I dashed through the hollow in Bartleby’s trunk, but I ran headlong into someone. I fell toward the ground, clutching my nose, which had suffered the most severe blow.
“Oww!”
“Ouch!”
“Chris?”
“Sarah, is that you?”
“What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here?”
“Long story,” I said, backing up to give him room. “How about you?”
“I was coming to find you,” he said somewhat apologetically. “I just couldn’t stand the idea of you and those necromancers…oh and I see you brought your sisters.” His tone was disapproving.
“Of course I didn’t!” I blustered. “We just came back from Ambrose’s office. Samuel’s missing!”
“What? No way!” He looked from me to Savannah to Sadie as if hoping to find Samuel among us. “So what are you going to do?”
“We’re going to go get him,” I said, holding out the spiral key.
Chris’s eyes widened. “Where did you get that?”
“Bartleby found it,” I said. “Oh yeah, and we found his other eye too.”
“You found his what?”
“Again, a long story,” I said. “Excuse us please.” I was just about to herd Savannah and Sadie through the hollow when Chris suddenly smacked a hand to his forehead.
“I should’ve seen this coming,” he said, more to himself than to me.
“What?” I asked curiously.
“I mean, why didn’t I see it before? Isn’t it obvious?” He looked at me seriously. “When you were out with those death wizards, did Nolan leave any time at all?”
“Uh, yeah,” I said. “He left to help with the big finale. Only I never actually did see him after he left…” My heart sank faster than a bowling ball dropped off a ten-story building.
“I’m sorry,” Chris said sadly.
I swallowed. Now wasn’t the time. I hated to think about what would happen to Samuel if we hesitated for even a second.
“We need to go now,” I said. Again, Chris stopped me.
“Not so fast,” he said. “I’m coming with you.”
“You are? No, you can’t; you really can’t. It’s too dangerous,” I protested.
He smiled wryly. “And yet…you’re going.”
I hesitated.
“Look, let me come with you guys. Do you think I can just stand here watching while my best friend goes to take on the most powerful dark wizard in the world?”
Without any warning on my part, I hugged him. And despite Savannah’s whistle too.
“Thank you,” I said. As much as I hated dragging another person into this, I was grateful for his company.
This time it was Chris leading us into the Spiral Chamber. Even though I’ve never been fully stressed by it, I was glad that someone else was leading for once.
“Can I see the key?” asked Chris. I gave it to him, and he put it through the keyhole. The door opened, there was a flash of blinding light, and…
“Whoa,” said Savannah.
We found ourselves in a different world entirely. The surface of the ground was rough and jagged, and I thought I even saw a bit of lava beneath the cracks. There were no plants anywhere. (I shivered; as a life wizard I was very uncomfortable in this plant-less world.) At least, there were no living plants. Surrounding the stretch of ground we were on was a forest composed entirely of dead, leafless trees.
But what caught my attention most out of this scene was the big castle right smack dab in the center of the land not covered by dead trees. It looked just like Hogwarts from Harry Potter, but almost completely black and without the cheerfulness. There were even large, black birds circling the towers. In fact, it was so creepy, I half expected there to be ominous music right along with it, like in cartoons.
Chris muttered something incomprehensible, but maybe that was because I was wrapped up in my thoughts and wasn’t listening.
“What?” I said.
“Do you think we’re in Dragonspyre?” Chris said again.
“Not sure,” I said. “Probably not. Bartleby told me that Malistaire wasn’t in Dragonspyre.”
“Oh,” said Chris. Almost simultaneously, there was a puff of smoke and the spiral door vanished.
I groaned. “There goes our ticket out.”
Suddenly, Chris shoved us all behind a large rock. “Get down!”
A second later, I saw why. Two skeletal warriors were marching in front of the fortress. We would’ve been in full view.
That’s when I noticed all the other monsters surrounding the castle. There were all kinds, but it was primarily types of undead. Great. I should’ve known that this place was gong to be guarded.
Savannah and Sadie had seen them too, and now they were both looking at me expectantly. “Sarah…” Savannah said through gritted teeth.
“Hang on. I’m trying. Let me think.” I massaged my temples with my fingers. What could we do? How could we avoid getting seen by all these guards?
Suddenly, it came to me. Remembering something from earlier this night, I traced the life symbol into the air. An imp emerged, happily playing its harp.
Several creatures were now staring at our hiding space because of the racket that the imp was making. No, quiet, I thought. To my surprise, the imp quieted down. Then, laughing, it flew out from behind the rock.
“What are you doing?” Savannah hissed.
“Just watch,” I retorted. Of course, a lot of my plan depended on the guess that these creatures were no smarter than the average bear.
The imp floated over the heads of the creatures, occasionally giggling cheekily or pinching the unwary on the nose. I watched it, waiting. Come on… I thought.
I didn’t have long to wait. Soon, my imp was leading a crowd of unsuspecting monsters behind the castle as if he were the pied piper. It wasn’t long before the area in front of the castle was completely empty.
“Yes!” I whispered. Chris, Savannah, and Sadie all looked impressed. I smiled.
“Come on,” said Chris. “Let’s go before any more arrive.”
We dashed out from behind the rock and toward the wooden doors at the front—which were locked.
“Ugh!” I felt like kicking the doors, but besides the fact that it would cause a big pain in my toe, it would alert someone that we were here.
“Now what?” Savannah said, frustrated.
“Look! Up there!” Sadie was pointing at a window that was big enough for us all to fit in to. The only problem? It was fifteen feet above our heads.
“That is the only other entrance as far as I can see,” I observed. “But how do we get up?”
“Ooh! I know!” said Sadie. “I can cast Lightning Bats and we can fly up!”
“Good idea,” I encouraged. Sadie started rummaging in her deck. At last, she came across the right card.
“Will three bats be enough?” Chris asked.
I smiled playfully. “You’re forgetting who you’re talking to,” I said. As I said this, Sadie tried to cast the spell—but it fizzled. Storm was never known for having high accuracy.
“Hey guys…they’re coming back!” said Savannah in an urgent whisper. Sure enough, I could see one or two ghosts coming back from around a column.
“Hurry,” I moaned as Sadie dug around in her backpack for another card. I was on the verge of sticking my hand in myself when she finally found another card. This time when she cast it, it worked. Dozens of Lightning Bats flew down from the sky and surrounded us.
“Okay, that’s a lot more than just three,” said Chris.
“Um, take us up there, please,” Sadie said aloud, pointing to the open window. The bats surged down from their hole in the sky and started carrying us upward.
As soon as they hefted us onto their backs, my body began to thrum as if with an electric current. And I received several shocks up and down my body. I looked around and saw that the others were also experiencing similar effects. After all, none of us were storm wizards, even though both Chris and Sadie had it as their second school.
“Oi!” I looked down and saw a skeletal pirate shaking his bony fist at us. We had been spotted.
Just then, I was unceremoniously hurled through the window. I landed flat on my face on the cold stone floor.
“Thanks a lot,” I muttered to the bats, which had just disappeared. I felt a trickle of blood run down the side of my mouth.
“Are you all right?” I asked everyone.
“Are you kidding?” said Chris. “That was awesome!” I sighed. Boys confused me sometimes.
“Okay, everyone, we have a problem,” I said. “One of those skeletal pirates saw us come in, so I’m betting that soon the entire place will know we’re here. So let’s just find Samuel as soon as possible and get out of here.”
“How?” asked Sadie. “There are probably a million rooms in here.”
“That’s…a good question,” I said. I looked to Chris for guidance, who merely shrugged.
“Okay, first of all, we need to come up with a plan. But we don’t want to be out it the open.” I held open the first door I saw and led everyone through. Just then I heard something.
“Wait,” I said to everybody, who all stopped at once. “I hear something.”
“I hear it too,” said Chris.
I strained my ears to where I thought the sound was coming from. It sounded like…a scream? A scream! Samuel!
“You guys, I think I hear Samuel!” I said excitedly.
“Really? I don’t hear anything,” said Savannah.
“Follow me,” and I tore off down the hallway, Chris right at my heels, and Sadie and Savannah in our wake.
The four of us dashed down hallways and corridors, rooms and staircases. Samuel’s voice grew steadily louder the farther away we got from the entrance. And we didn’t tire either. Something seemed to be keeping my energy up.
Yet something was wrong. I would’ve thought that even the inside of Malistaire’s castle was guarded. But I didn’t see any creatures as we ran.
“Strange, isn’t it,” I said to Chris, “us not running into any monsters yet?” He shrugged as best as he could while running.
Suddenly, I stopped. Samuel’s wails had reached the loudest yet. They were coming from the exact door that I had stopped in front of.
“He’s in here,” I said. I pulled on the door, expecting in to be locked. It wasn’t.
I walked into a small, dark room with what looked like dog crates piled all over the place. In the largest one was Samuel.
I walked up to him, the others close behind. “Samuel,” I whispered.
He looked up, and immediately, his face brightened. “Sarah!” he exclaimed
“Shh!” I said. “Yes, it’s me. We’re going to get you out of there.” I turned toward the rest. “How are we going to get him out of there?”
“Here.” Chris reached into his belt. “Use my knife.”
“Thanks,” I said, turning the dagger over in my hand. It was just as beautiful as I remembered it. Except now there was a gem missing. I ran my finger over the hole. It was about the size and shape of…of…
A sudden suspicion seized me, but before I could do anything, a bone-chilling voice behind me said, “Well done, girls.”
I slowly turned around and found myself staring into eyes I only ever hoped to see in dreams.
“Malistaire,” I whispered. I hoped I looked fiercer than I sounded.
He chuckled. “Who else?”
My eyes darted around the room, and I automatically began to weigh our chances. Malistaire was blocking the only exit. The room was small, and we had little space to fight. Even if we did fight, he would probably kill the five of us in less time it took you to say, “Toast.”
Malistaire kicked the door shut with his foot. “I applaud you for getting this far. But now, I’m afraid, it’s your time to die.” He smiled wickedly, pointing his staff directly at my chest.
“We’ll see about that,” I growled. And I lunged forward, my wand in hand.
“Sarah, no!” Chris shouted. But it was too late. Malistaire moved his staff so fast I could barely see it. And just like that, I was frozen in place, unable to move. Quick glances told me that Savannah and Sadie were stuck in the same situation that I was.
Then I looked at Chris, who wasn’t frozen like us. Yes! There was still hope.
“Chris!” I shouted. “What are you waiting for? Come and help us!”
For a while, he didn’t move. Then he slowly strode across the room towards Malistaire. But he didn’t face him. Instead, he now stood next to him.
I looked from the dagger lying on the ground to Chris’s expressionless face. Sweat began to form on my brow. My breath came out in slow, ragged gasps.
“Chris?” I said. But it came out more like a squeak.
“No,” he said.
A zap of lightning came down from the ceiling. Only it was black.
Blinking spots from my eyes, I looked at Chris and started to wonder if the black lightning was making me see things. Chris was now dressed all in black—a black robe, black boots, and a black hood that covered his eyes. He smiled.
“Marcus Deathspear,” he said just loud enough for me to hear.
Before I could even make sense about what he just said, he raised his staff, and it all went black.
|
Spiral Saviors - New Friends
Emily didn’t mind much about school anymore. She just sat in class and did her homework. Nobody still ever talked to her, but that was yet to be denied.
Emily was going from Life to Myth on a warm Wednesday morning, and then someone ran into her from behind. She was a wizard about Emily’s age with brown (almost black), spiky hair. “Sorry,” She said, “I was just looking through my stuff and I- hey, I know you, your in class with me for all classes except 2nd School! So you’re an ice wizard too? That’s cool,”
“Yea, I am an ice,” Emily replied.
“Awesome! Oh, please excuse myself. I’m Tara Fairypetal,”
“Hi, I’m Emily Waterbreeze,”
“Cool name,” We started walking again.
“What is your 2nd school anyways?”
“I’m Life, what about you?”
“Wow, I sure would like to be life, seems fun how you can heal people and stuff. Oh, yea, I’m Storm,”
“Cool, that has a lot of damage, but not much accuracy,”
“Huh, I didn’t know that,”
“Anyways, I better go to class,”
“Wait, we’re both going to Myth, right?”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot,” Emily said.
Emily and Tara had become great friends in the next few weeks. All was good. That’s exactly what she thought while walking with Tara to Storm one morning. A scream came from behind. Emily looked back and saw people parting for a girl with long, pink hair. “Hey, I know her. She’s in our class,” Emily said. The girl was getting closer and rushed past them. She looked back, still running. “Ugh! My quill!” Thump. The girl wasn’t looking and hit against the Fire school wall. Emily and Tara rushed to her aid. Another girl with a ponytail exactly like Emily’s brown one, but it was red. “Are you ok?” the red-haired girl asked.
“Yeah, yeah, sure I’m fine, but what about you?”
“Me? What’d I do?”
“I don’t know, you tell me,” The pink-haired girl said.
“Ok, first, who are you guys?” Tara asked.
“I’m Autumn Firestalker, and,” said the pink-haired girl.
“And I’m Natalie Icerunner,” said the red-haired girl.
“And you?” Asked Autumn.
“I’m Tara Fairypetal,”
“And I’m Emily Waterbreeze.
“Your schools?” Autumn questioned.
“Is this a gameshow or something?” Emily asked.
“I don’t know, so ask me.” Autumn said. “Wait, what, no, you just did ask me, didn’t you, didn’t ya’ punk?” Autumn was shaking her fist right by Emily’s nose.
“Um, sure, I guess,” Emily replied.
“Anyways,” Tara said. “We’re Ice. What about you?” Natalie opened her mouth to speak. “Hah! We go to 1st school together, so we’re all Ice!” Autumn looked grumpy. “Well, let’s just see about that!” She scowled at us.
They all tried going their separate ways, but they were all almost in the same classes. Once 1st School came, they all met in Ms. Greyrose’s classroom. “Well then,” Autumn said. “It turns out we’re all Ice. But so what! Just ‘cause I thought you were joking doesn’t mean you have to get so angry at me!” Emily, Tara, and Natalie all had a look of humorous joy on their faces. “We’re not angry at you,” Natalie said, getting interrupted by Autumn. “Oh, just hush up!”
One time, Professor Falmea gave an assignment to the class to defeat Fire Elementals with a group. She didn’t assign it, so the four friends made a group. “Hurry up Autumn!” Tara scolded. “Use a shield spell on Natalie because she entered first and the Elementals always attack her!”
“Ok, ok,” Autumn said, “Just a minute!” Flash!
“Autumn!” Tara said. “You’re out of time!”
“Yeah, so?”
“You could’ve… oh, just forget it.”
“Ok, um, its fine, Tara,” Emily said. “I got a shield,”
“Yeah, she’s got a shield!” Autumn copied.
“Ok, now you hush up, Autumn!” Tara said. It was the next turn. Everybody chose a card except Autumn.
“Hmm,” Autumn said. “I don’t like this card, it looks to scary,”
“Then don’t use it!” Tara said. It was obvious Tara was upset. But Autumn knew that. Because after all, she was Captain Obvious. But it was too late. Autumn took out her quill and started scribbling all over her card.
“Autumn, don’t!” Emily warned. But again, it was too late.
"There we go,” Autumn said proudly. “All better.” She chose the card. When it was her turn, she cast the spell. The card was originally ice, so it appeared blue. But the monster that came out of it was hideous. All it was was a black scribble with two uneven eyes, one arm with two fingers, the other with three, same with the uneven legs. Its mouth was nothing but an open squiggle. It made a gargling moaning-type sound and everyone (including the elementals) burst into laughter.
“Sorry… I forgot … to say … that … it would … only … hit … the enemy!” Autumn said between laughs. Once the monster disappeared, everyone stopped laughing and lost 145 health.
“Autumn! You are in so much trouble!” Tara scolded.
“I know, I’m used to it,” Autumn said dully.
“Oh, you better!” Emily said. And they talked about it the whole way back to school.
|
The Spiral News Reporters
The paper was crumpled in bunches around my bed, each one about a different report on starting a newspaper. My idol Timothy Stargazer top and most news-worthy writer for the Spiral News. Was coming to the Commons. This, of coarse is where I lived. My little cottage was hidden from the rest of the dimly lit houses on the block.
After graduating from Ravenwood as a topnotch fire grand, I went into the nothing business. Yes, the business of doing absolutely nothing. I devoted my time to reading the newspapers. Though, I just couldn’t find the time to practice spells anymore.
Well, it was 7:30 am and I got out of bed sleepily. I dragged my head as it dazed over my shoulder. I heard a faint rustle in my pockets and picked out my wand. It hadn’t been refilled of mana for weeks. Rather, it hadn’t been used for weeks. I took it out as I changed into my robes, a bright yellow hat with a hard dragon scale armor. It was the day, I knew it. In 2 hours Timothy Stargazer would be visiting the commons.
I pocketed my wand and headed out the door my boots heavily covered in un-washable dirt.
“Might as well get those clean, Dragonshard.” Said a voice from behind me, I quickly turned and saw the plane evil face of Eric hunter, “ Timothy wont be looking for run down ravenwooders like you.” He turned away sharply and headed towards the library. I loathed him so much, ever since the 8 year of Ravenwood. When he froze me in a block of ice, just for the fun of it. Though, he got suspended for that.
I kept walking onward into the Commons… I managed to hunt down a few mana sparks. Though, nothing very useful. Banners sported the arrival of my hero everywhere I turned. Then I heard a POW and I wiped around. I walked closer too what looked like a faded mist of red dust. Then who too walk out of the mist but Timothy Stargazer. I gaped for a few seconds then pulled myself together.
“Hello, how do you do?” He said politely shaking his hand in my direction, “I am Timothy- as you must already know. Autograph- of coarse.” A aught graph appeared in the air and he quickly signed it with a fresh quill.
“To?” He said dreamily.
“All- Allison Dragonshard.” I gulped, his presence made me feel sick to my stomach. He quickly handed me the picture. I stared at it as it smiled back at me. He continued to talk to me, as though I was one of his closest friends.
“So- Allison. I am sporting a raffle. Its to find the next top news reporter for the Spiral News.” He smiled, than handed me a pamphlet. I quickly read it over:
“To find the most amazing new reporter” Timothy stargazer said to us as we were issuing the news to the SN. We made it a raffle of not tickets but stories. Everyone will right in a story on the most interesting thing they can find around the spiral and send it in: in article form. The chosen winner will see their story covered in the frost page of SN. (Spiral News)
Cant wait too see all your entries!
I was bursting I couldn’t wait too enter, I stuffed it into my pocket and rushed off to my cottage.
|
The Secret of the Twins
I had a twin. We were both excited to be one of the students of Wizard City, but again, I had a twin. Since the moment we had been born there had been something very different between us. May (my sister) was never afraid of the dark. She loved black and she could watch any scary movie. Me? I was the opposite… completely. I loved the light. I could never resist a scary movie. I was deadly afraid of the dark. My favorite color was green and white!
I never quite understood why there was a complete difference in us both, especially when we were twins. I then realized what the secret was when my big adventure began…
May and I nervously walked through the commons to Ambrose’s tower so we could reveal our schools, last names, dormitories, etc. We finally came upon the door to where Ambrose would tell us our fate.
“Ready?” I asked my sister, not quite sure if I was ready at all.
“Er… I would think so. I don’t know,” May said shrugging.
I didn’t even think. I just pushed the door open and there I was in an awfully big room with my sister, decorated in red and yellow. Books flew here and there; two double-doors were on the back and right wall. Ambrose sat on the desk on the far left corner of the room with his glasses sitting on the tip of his nose. Gamma the Owl sat there beside him, on the desk, looking over his shoulder.
“Ah! May and Odette. How nice of you to come by! You know what you are here to do today, am I not correct?” Headmaster Ambrose asked looking up only with his eyes.
“Yes!” The both of us said at the same time, standing straight and steady as possible.
“Good, good. I will then start with May if that is quite alright with you young Odette,” Headmaster Ambrose said rising from his chair making a motion with his hand handling a heavy book that had been flying crazily across the room the whole time.
“Of course,” I simply said.
Headmaster Ambrose just nodded and made a pen appear out of mid air and handed it to May who had nervously walked up to him while me and the Headmaster had had our little ‘discussion.’
“All I want you to do is answer the questions that appear on the book,” the headmaster said opening the Book of Secrets to the correct page and handing it over to May. May just nodded and sat down, answering the questions quickly and nervously.
I didn’t know what to do. I just stood there stupidly. It may sound stupid to you but I am serious. I was so excited and nervous that my mind was going blank.
Finally May answered all of the questions and I walked over to her. She said, “It says:
EF014
May DeathLion
Formal Teacher: Malistaire
School: Death
May looked up at me with understanding in her eyes. THAT was why she had never been afraid of the dark, never been afraid of scary movies; favorite color was black… and so on.
“Always good to have another Death student in our city, so thank you for coming by,” the headmaster said to May. Well, now I should say May “DeathLion.”
“Your turn Odette,” Ambrose said motioning for me to sit beside him. I sat down as the Headmaster opened to the right page. He then put the book on the table and said, “Good luck.” I nodded in approval and started to answer the questions.
They were actually really simple questions. For example: “What is your favorite time of day?” or “What is your favorite gem?” or “Who do you think is the most important person in a play?” Like I said, they were all simple and easy.
After I finished the test, I flipped to the last page and it read:
EF015
Odette LifeLion
Teacher: Moolinda Wu
School: Life
Now that explained the other side of the story! That’s why I love the light, cannot STAND scary movies and all that; but why were we the exact opposite, especially when we were twins?
“Ah… a life student can create the most beautiful things that not any other school wizard can. It can create the bad into good and turn death backwards, though you cannot turn some sicknesses around,” said Headmaster Ambrose looking over my shoulder as well as May. I understood. Sylvia, the wife of Malistaire, had died of a disease that no power could heal. The death was so quick that they couldn’t bring her back.
“One more thing to both of you, this is something new assigned to every student in the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts. You both will be given a fairy of your school. If your fairy dies, half of your power will disappear. If YOU die, the fairy will die too. Oh, and one more thing about the fairy. It can transform itself into any animal in all of Wizard City. Here you go,” the Headmaster said making a movement with his arms murmuring something under his breath. Suddenly behind me a light shined brightly. I stood up and gazed at it curiously. It turned red, orange, white, sky blue, pink, any color you could ever imagine. I looked at May’s light, but surprisingly, it wasn’t necessarily a LIGHT… but a shadow that didn’t touch the floor. It was dark and suspicious. I then looked at my light again and it started to take form of a fairy.
Then suddenly, it shined so brightly that I had to use my hands to block my eyes from the ‘sunny’ kind of thing. Finally, it was over. I removed my hands and I saw the most beautiful fairy I had ever seen in all my life. It had a white dress that came from one of those white petal flowers. She had long blonde hair that reached to her hips. Her wings were fantastically big with shapes inside of them. I gaped at the fairy’s beauty.
“Hello!” she said looking at me warmly. I couldn’t really see her face for her light shined brightly.
“He- Hello!” I said not really knowing WHAT to say.
“My name is Malderine, your fairy. You must be Odette LifeLion, the Chos-” Malderine suddenly stopped once she looked at the Headmaster. I looked at the headmaster and saw that he was looking at the fairy sternly. I asked myself WHY he did that, but I wasn’t quite sure…
“Well, yes. I am Odette LifeLion. I am pleased to meet you,” I said turning around to her and smiling excited. I then looked at May’s fairy. It was dressed in leaves that had been painted black. Her hair was black with a braid following behind her back. Her outlining light was white. I thought it looked pretty too, but I loved mine (probably better, though no offense to my sister’s fairy!). I looked back to Malderine and took my hand out to let her sit on my palm. Malderine somehow knew what I meant and she stood on my palm in a very formal way. I wanted to study her face to know what she looked like.
I then noticed that she had the most delicate face I had every seen. Her eyes were pure blue. Her face wasn’t very square, but kind of. Her nose didn’t stick out much like my sister’s did.
‘You are so pretty!’ I thought inside my head.
‘Thank you!’ a voice suddenly squeaked. MALDERINE’S VOICE? She could read my MIND? This was awesome! I saw Malderine smile at me again warmly.
“Another thing young wizards, I forgot to give you this book. It is where you will find all the information you need to know about Wizard City. You also have where you have your clothes, the ones you win in battle. You can sell them at the Bazaar or just wear whenever you like. Thank you for stopping by girls. It was nice knowing y- I mean BOTH of you,” the Headmaster said handing us a book. Once it touched my hand it suddenly disappeared.
“How..?” I started to ask.
“Just… I don’t know… wish for the book to appear and it will appear. It works differently for each student. Sometimes they have to spell “B” in mid air, or others have to say “book.” Just works differently for each person. You have to figure out your own way. Thanks for coming by!” the Headmaster said smiling at both of us. He turned around and sat down on his desk again.
I then looked at Malderine. She looked at my sister’s fairy coldly. I guess it was because one was life and the other was death. I knew that they would hate each other from then on. I sighed and ran outside with Malderine holding on to my shoulder. May followed behind me speaking to her fairy. I caught a couple of words like, “Awesome” and “Margaret.” MARGARET! That was probably the name of the fairy; good name for a death fairy!
“Well, I guess we part from each other now May,” I said sadly looking down. Usually family members would separate after they found out what school they were.
May stopped speaking to Margaret and looked up at me. Sadness filled her eyes as well. “Goodbye Odette. Please be careful.”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
“Well then… er… goodbye.”
“Bye.”
We then parted from each other. May headed for the pond to take a quick swim while I walked towards Ravenwood. I wanted to speak to my teacher for the first time. This was going to be fun. Once I came up to the tunnel of Ravenwood, I walked into the darkness. I reached a ledge right at the end of the tunnel and I jumped. I spinned around so quickly that I started to feel dizzy. Finally, I landed softly on hard ground.
“What on Wizard City was THAT?” Malderine asked me.
“It’s a portal to move place to place. You know, like from Ravenwood to The Commons or from the Commons to Shopping District, or from there to so on,” I explained.
“Oh. Does that mean that I have to have that sick feeling in my stomach every time we go through one of those?” she asked worriedly.
I laughed softly. “Of course not! You’ll get used to it by the fourth or fifth time. Then it feels like you’re not spinning at all.”
“Good life.”
With Malderine on my shoulder, I started to walk towards the life school. On the way, I asked her, “Do you have any nicknames that I can call you by?” I liked nicknames. Did I tell you that?
“Um, not necessarily. I like being called Mald, short for MALDerine,” Malderine said looking at me. “Can I call you that then?” I asked her. “Certainly, but not until you tell ME your nickname.
“Oddy is fine for me. My sister used to call me that when we were very young.”
“Ok, ODDY, I will call you that from now!” Mald giggled excided.
We then arrived to the door of the Life School. Wizards all around me didn’t even pay attention to me… at all. In fact, one person even bumped into me hard, but he or she didn’t even notice!
“Ready?” I asked Mald.
“Go for it!”
I pushed open the oak door that had a label of a leaf on it. Suddenly, everything smelled of life. Trees, flowers, grass, water… everything that was natural! In front of me on the far side of the room was Moolinda Wu, organizing the back room where all the potions, cards, and experiments were. As I walked in, Moolinda Wu turned around with a sweet face. “Hello! Welcome to the School of Life, school from the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts. I am Moolinda Wu, your professor, at your teaching service!” my professor said looking at me warmly.
“Th-Thank you. I am pleased to meet you professor!” I said. I didn’t know anything else to do but bow. Stupid was the idea for we never usually BOW to professors, but shake their hands.
“Oh young wizard, you don’t have to even bow to me at all! After all, I am just a professor!” Moolinda Wu said gazing at me curiously.
“Er… ok…” I said nervously.
“So first, your name dear?” Moolinda Wu asked me making a notebook and pen (that wrote by itself) appear out of thin air.
“Oh, yes, my name is Odette LifeLion.”
“Odette… Odette LIFELION?” Moolinda Wu suddenly asked.
“Yes.”
“Oh, well then, dear, here is your wand. I can’t keep you waiting! This is reality not a play! Oh my. Class is almost starting! One minute left until all the life students rush in!” Moolinda Wu said taking a wand from the back room and handing it over to me. Malderine OOHed and AHHed at the wand as I hold it in my hand. She was now lying down on my shoulder with her legs crossed balancing high up in the air.
“Thank you professor!” I thanked Moolinda Wu gladly.
“Anytime dear. Here is your quest for now,” Moolinda said handing me over a parchment of paper. I felt its rough surface and started to unfold it.
“Now please do leave. I do not mean to be harsh, but you don’t want to be here when the students come in. They push and gnarl at you, well at least some of them do.”
“I understand, anyways, thank you professor!” I said to Moolinda as I headed for the door. I looked behind me one more time and saw the professor looking at me almost like if it were an impossible sight. I shrugged and walked out the door.
“Well… what do we do now?” Malderine asked me.
“Well, what do you think? Go on with our quest, that’s what,” I said giggling to Mald.
“Why don’t we go to our dormitory? I am getting kind of tired!” Mald said yawning sitting up on my shoulder.
“Already?” I sighed. “Alright, but tomorrow we WILL go on with our quests. Not many people get a chance like we do out there in the Spiral.”
“Fine,” Mald grumbled. I just laughed and walked to the girl’s dormitory, instead of teleporting. All the wizards rushed around me to go to their professor’s class. Tomorrow I was probably going to be signed into Moolinda Wu’s class (the novice class).
I then skipped in happiness to the Girl’s Dormitory. Fantastically, on the way, while I was doing a skipping-step, I suddenly didn’t come back down for around five seconds. A feeling like if I had freedom of staying up in the air longer filled inside of me. Once I touched the ground, I didn’t realize what had just happened ‘How…?’ I asked myself. ‘How on Wizard City did I ever learn to FLY?! I just flew! I looked at Mald and she looked at me proudly.
“I knew you could do it,” Mald said smiling at me.
I paced around my Dorm Room (which was EF015) confused of how on Wizard City I had ever learned to fly. I haven’t! I never have! I looked at Mald who was sitting on the bed looking at me curiously.
“How did I fly?” I asked her.
“You have to feel a lot of energy inside of you in order to fly. For instance: You can’t move your leg unless you want to right? If you are too lazy then you won’t. Then it’s the exact same thing for flying!” Malderine explained to me. “It’s the same for me. My wings are like nerves inside of me. Get it?”
“I do but… it’s just… I have never in all my six months of waiting seen a wizard fly!” I said sitting down on my bed next to Malderine. Mald flew and sat on my leg.
“Do you really want to know why?” Malderine asked.
“Yes I do.”
Mald sighed before speaking. She then said: “The Headmaster will kill me if I tell you though!” Wasn’t what I expected she would say!
“Tell me. I can keep a secret.”
“No, I won’t. I am sorry Odette.”
“Please! Tell me!”
“Nah-ah, nope!” Mald said crossing her arms.
“Mald…”
“No!”
“Malderine LifeLion, tell me NOW please.”
“Odette LifeLion, NO.”
I gave up. Suddenly, Malderine said: “I’ll just leave you with one hint.”
“Ok what is it?”
“You’re a wizard.”
“MALD, that’s not necessarily a hint!”
“It is.”
I grumbled and got under the coves of the bed. I was starting to get tired. Tomorrow was a big day. I was going to learn how to be a wizard…
“WAKE UP! WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP ODDY!” Malderine yelled at me kicking and scratching my nose.
“WAKE UP! WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL IF YOU DON’T WAKE UP NOW!” Malderine yelled at me flying to my ear.
“WHAT!” I said with my heart starting to THUMP! loudly. I jumped out of bed and ran over to my bank. I took out my school clothes (which were novice clothes that had white and light green) and put them on quickly. I looked at Mald and saw her putting on the same exact clothes only for her size. I didn’t have any time to laugh. I took my tooth-brush out of the bank, brushed my teeth, combed my hair and put it into a pony-tail and ran outside the room with Malderine right on my back.
“ATTENTION EVERYONE, ALL SCHOOLS ARE GOING TO START IN FIVE MINUTES!” suddenly a loud speaker (with the voice of the Headmaster) said.
I ran out the Girl’s Dormitory building and inside the Life School. I didn’t even think. I rushed inside with a big BOOM! And there I was, in the middle of the classroom with wizards of my level starring at me.
“Sorry,” I said embarrassed.
I found a seat on the way back and saw Moolinda looking at me approvingly. A boy next to me looked at me in the manner of ‘who are you to open the door like that loudly and not get in trouble’ look. I just ignored him. I then saw a little chair with a desk on the big desk. “I think that’s for you Mald,” I whispered to her. She nodded and sat down on the chair.
“Students, I want you to meet our newest student, Odette,” Moolinda Wu said looking at me. I got out of my chair and walked over to the front of the class. “Hi Odette,” everyone grumbled tired. ‘Thanks!’ I said sarcastically in my head to them.
“What’s her last name?” Someone suddenly said from the back of the class.
“I don’t want to say last names right now.”
“Please professor, you usually always do,” the kid said. Then I noticed it was the boy that I sat beside with. He had black curled hair and blue eyes with a square face. His costume was instead Dark Green and Light Green.
“As you wish Valkoor. Students, I want you to meet our newest member of the class, Odette LifeLion.”
Everyone suddenly gasped looking at me surprised. I sat there even MORE embarrassed now that everyone looked at me. “The…I mean, do you ACTUALLY mean that she is the-the-the”-
“Yes Valkoor, but she does not know that.”
They must have forgotten that I was there since they were talking so freely about me.
“I don’t know what?” I asked my Professor.
“Go sit down dear. Class is going to start in two minutes.”
I sighed and said, “Fine.” I quickly ran to my chair and sat down. NOW Valkoor looked at me respectfully, but I just kept wondered why.
After class I walked across the streets going to my dormitory. During the way I tried to fly:
I decided to climb on top of the fence and jump to see if I could fly again. It took me a while to balance on it. No one noticed me like usual. In case I WASN’T able to fly, I was going to jump when there was a clear space in the crowd. Then there it appeared.
I jumped.
‘Use your nerves! Use your nerves!’ I thought to myself. Then, I didn’t touch the ground for a while. I had closed my eyes in case I felt any pain of falling on top of someone. I opened one eye and saw Bartleby. Not BARTLEBY himself, but his eye! I opened my other eye and looked below me.
I was flying! Malderine flew next to me. “Told you so, it all works with your nerves.” I thanked her with a nod and enjoyed what I had of flying. I decided to go to the top branches of Bartleby. I pushed myself up with my hands, kicking hard to climb to the top. Then finally I started to move.
‘Almost there!’ I thought to myself as I passed Bartleby’s eye.
Then I started to reach Bartleby’s leaves. I grabbed hold of a thick branch that was hanging out low. I grabbed it with both my hands and climbed on. I looked below me and shrieked.
I was higher than fifty feet above the ground! I looked at Mald who just looked calmly below. She was used to flying at heights I would expect. “Malderine, this is getting very scary,” I said nervously.
“Don’t be scared! At first it is kind’a scary, but you’ll get used to it in time.”
“O-Ok, I’ll tr-try,” I said nervously looking below me, seeing all the wizards pass. After a couple of minutes or so, I actually started to get used to the height. I let me muscles relax and watched the sun over the mountains start to go down. It was a pretty sight. Once Malderine looked at the sun, her eyes bulged out. She grabbed my arm and pulled me off the branch harshly.
“What are you doing?” I asked her.
“We have to get off, hurry!” Malderine shrieked worriedly.
“ Why?” I asked her confused.
“I’ll explain later! Please, get off and lets fly down!” she said pleading me. I just nodded and started to lower myself down where there weren’t many wizards. Only two or three passed by each minute.
As I reached the ground Malderine was explaining: “You are a wizard of life or in other words, of the light. You don’t have much power when it’s dark out. When it is dark you only have one fourth of the power or so, but when the sun is up, you are very powerful.”
“Wait a second, so I can never fly at night? I have always dreamed about that!” I asked Mald.
“I am afraid so, unless you learn the very depths of powers. The magic you have inside of you right now is more powerful than anything you can imagine,” Mald said to me.
“Wait! What about my sister?” I asked Malderine.
Mald sighed and said, “She has lower power than you Oddy. Because the sun is up for most of the day, you have longer power than her.”
Did that mean that we could never fight side by side with the same amount of power?
Suddenly a voice behind me said:
“You’re as trapped as a mouse.”
I gulped.
I slowly turned around in the darkness and saw kroks surrounding me with snarls on their faces. By the looks of it, their teeth could chew up a bone in less than a second. Behind all the kroks was a tall man with a long nose, black hair, squared face, black eyes and costume. I had heard many stories about this certain someone who had come to Wizard City to fight to own the land.
This was in fact Malistaire.
“Wha-What do you wa-want?” I asked afraid. Mald flew and hid behind my shoulder peeking over sometimes.
“Well, let’s just say that I need a favor from you. Move out of my way you beasts!” Malistaire said going through the crowd of kroks. “Wha-what favor?” I asked with my heart beating so loudly I was sure Malistaire would hear.
“I need you to betray your own race,” Malistaire said studying his nails.
“WHAT!” I yelled at him compelled. I felt like if a bomb were inside of me ready to explode. “BETRAY MY OWN RACE?”
“That is correct and if you don’t do me the favor, do you know what will happen to you?” Malistaire asked with a deep uncomfortable voice.
‘You will most likely kill me with all these kroks standing right beside me!’ I answered/thought in my head.
“You probably guessed it by now. You will be killed and once you are defeated by my spell, you will rise from the dead and work on my side, meaning that either way you will have to work for me,” Malistaire said.
I didn’t know what to do. I was standing there in the middle of Ravenwood with kroks all around me (ready to kill me) with Malistaire in the lead threatening me to work on his side.
I really had no choice. I would be killed one way or the other.
I sighed and looked above me. ‘Was there any way to escape?’ Then I noticed something. There was just a couple or rays from the sun still up the horizon. Maybe I would have enough energy to fly… I jumped from where I stood and flew with all my might to Bartleby’s first branch. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THE MAGIC!” Mald yelled at me. I ignored her. Once I was six feet above the ground (which was Malistaire’s height) I kicked and lunged myself up.
“CATCH HER!” Malistaire yelled at the kroks. All of the kroks then ran below me. Thank goodness they were shorter than Malistaire for they jumped with all their might but I was too high for them. “GET OUT OF THE WAY! I’LL CATCH HER MYSELF YOU IDIOTS!” Malistaire yelled waving his wand in the air. I looked below me and gasped. He was swirling a light around his wand murmuring under his breath. Suddenly a tornado kind of shape flew from the wand right below me flying right at me.
“Come on!” I yelled to myself as the sun was getting lower and lower. “COME ON!” I yelled again. The tornado-shape was going faster by the minute. Right after ten seconds wind started to swirl around me, threatening to take me down again. I kicked and screamed, but the wind drowned my yells of help. “HELP!” I yelled in despair. “HELP!” Suddenly, I saw Merle Ambrose land on the ground just at the Ravenwood tunnel. He didn’t see me for he looked at Malistaire with cold eyes. I yelled at him for help with all my force but the sound of the wind was still stronger. The tornado then started to swirl at the height of my head. The last thing I remembered was reaching my hand out to yell for help again to the Headmaster, but I was too late for it was no use. Blackness then filled all around me…
I blinked my eyes open. I had a blurry vision. It took me a couple of seconds to adjust to the light. There I found myself in a small cave with kroks guarding the entrance. ‘Malderine!’ I frantically looked all around me worried for Mald.
She wasn’t there.
I looked around the cave for what seemed like twelve times, but no sign of Mald. I lay down on the back of the cave where a shadow would cover me and started to sob. Malderine had been the best friend I had ever known. If she was dead and I basically had no power at all, who would I be? It was an hour or so when one of the kroks at the entrance stepped aside. I looked up with tears full in my eyes curiously. Then the other krok also stood aside and then I saw the dark figure of Malistaire appear. He had his death wand with him, waving it easily in the air showing off his ‘mini-spells’.
“I told you so,” Malistaire said passing his wand hand to hand.
“IDIOT!” I yelled at him, not knowing what else to say.
“Watch your mouth young lady,” Malistaire said raising and eyebrow and looking up at me with his eyes.
“Or what?” I said bravely standing up. Pain still filled my heart not having Mald beside me.
“Or you will die earlier.”
“YOU SAID…” I started to say.
“I KNOW what you said! Hah! I know my tricks. Do you specifically know why I chose YOU to be trapped in this cave, where your powers are so weak you can’t even cast your what-cha-ma-call-it ice beet or what ever? In fact, not even a single shield!” Malistaire said going back to flipping his wand.
“WHAT… HAVE… YOU… DONE… TO… MALD-ER-INE?” I said angrily yet trying to control my temper.
“Oh she is fine. In fact, she is so fine that she might die this very fine day!” Malistaire said to me eying me carefully, expecting me to have a temper-tantrum. There was one thing I was sure of though.
I was NOT going to let Malderine die.
“GIVE HER BACK!” I yelled overwhelmed at him. I felt nervous, sad, angry, horrified, uncomfortable, but most of all… afraid.
“Hah, like you will ever get her back! Once I destroy and burn the book you will have no hope!” Malistaire yelled at me turning back to walk outside.
“Book? What, what book?” I asked to him confused not even aware if he had heard me. Then an idea occurred to my mind. ‘Mald! Malderine are you there?’ I said to myself concentrating on only Malderine to speak to her through my mind.
There was no answer.
‘Malderine!’
Still no answer.
When I gave up and flung myself to the ground, I started to sob again. My whole life was ruined now. If I worked for Malistaire, I would be a betrayer. I didn’t want that to happen! I had to get out of here one way or the other. This cave wasn’t just an ordinary cave for the cave itself was inside of some building, for there was no light outside.
I swallowed my pride, stood up and for just one moment, I felt a flicker of hope.
How I was going to pass those kroks? I had no idea. I never learned any spells that were going to be as high to defeat a krok at all. Suddenly, a voice said inside my head, yawning:
‘Geez, ya don’t have to yell so loud!’
Malderine!
‘Malderine, oh Mald, I was so worried! I thought Malistaire had killed you by now!’
‘Nope, I’m still here, warm as a bear with a “nice” view out of my window in this cage. Oh how wonderful it feels to be TRAPPED!’
‘Mald!’
‘Sorry…’
‘It’s ok. Anyways, do you have any idea of where you are, your location or anything?’ I asked her.
‘I only have one clue. Through the small hole I can peek through, I see a big humongous tower blocking my view. The only thing I know of where exactly I am is by looking at the very edge of the hole. When I do that, I see a red-grassed meadow with many of Malistaire’s minions practicing their battle skills. That’s all I can tell.’
Red-grass with minions… hmm…
‘Ok… anything else?’ I asked Malderine hopeful.
‘What do you think; I am an expert on this? That I can see the whole WORLD by peeking through one tiny whole smaller than my palm or something?’ Malderine attacked at me.
‘I just wanted to know for Peat Sake!’ I combated back to Mald.
‘Fine.’
I sighed and sat down miserable. I HAD to find a way out of here. I had to do it for my sister and Malderine. Maybe Malistaire had trapped my sister! I had to get out of here at once!
Then an idea occurred to me. When I was walking through the street the day I learned to fly, I heard an advanced potion student say, “Mix fire-weed with some water and if you put a ruby to melt inside the potion, at the end it is so effective it can knock the person out in seconds.”
Fire-weed… hmmm… I looked over the cave, through every hole, but couldn’t find any fire-weed. I suspected them to be red weeds, but I turned out to be completely wrong. Since I was looking even more carefully in the cave, I noticed a small rock that wouldn’t budge if you tried pulling it off the wall. I pushed, pulled, to see if there was any fire-weed right behind the rock, but just when I turned the rock a little to the right, a portion of the wall right in front of me just… disappeared. No ‘poof!’ or fade out or anything. It was just… well… you know… gone.
I then saw something I could have never imagined. There in front of me were swords, FIGHTING swords, the rarest kind in the entire Spiral. Some of them I had never even seen. When I had been looking at the Bazaar the other day, I saw many delicate swords, but when I saw one from the corner of my eye, it shined brightly. I had never seen it before and in small labeled letters on the metal, I read:
Kinkatudapile shmuka lagon soek dimon
“What?” I asked myself confused. Kinkatudapilequa wha?
I picked up the sword and suddenly a great amount of energy burst inside of me. I felt invincible and powerful. I quickly put the sword down under the pile of the wands. Feeling like that was dangerous; it could make you a bad person.
I kept on rummaging through the pile moving the swords from here to there and all. There was one sword that I found that looked very interesting. It didn’t have a symbol on the metal and when I touched it, it felt like if it were made just for me. Then I noticed something… the kroks weren’t noticing what I was doing? I looked up with my heart beating fast and saw the kroks at their duty. It seemed like they didn’t even notice AT ALL what I was doing. I grabbed hold of the “unnamed” sword and crept slowly to them. I didn’t need the potion. I was going to cast a spell on them, if the spells even worked, to hopefully defeat them. I looked behind me to all the swords, but something happened. They were… well…
Gone.
‘That doesn’t make any sense,’ I thought to myself. I then looked in front of me and stopped myself immediately. I almost hit the kroks! I then took my sword and was ready to cast a spell of ice, the ones I knew, but for some weird reason, the kroks just disappeared as if they had faded away. I put my hand to where the ‘couple’ had stood but still… nothing was there.
‘Weird,’ I said to myself.
I slowly walked into the light and found myself surprised. A humongous castle stood in front of me with black walls and torches on each small window. As Mald had said, behind the castle, it was full of red grass, unlike the green grass in Unicorn Way and Wizard City. I looked above me and the whole sky was red and black. It was like a cloud that swirled itself into the middle of the castle. Thunder boomed. I then noticed that the area in front of me was a small building with black walls and the torches (like the castle).
There was only one door that looked like the entrance of the building yet it was blocked by kroks. The area from the cave to the building was like 20 feet, yet in the middle there was a fighting circle. ‘Weird layout,’ I thought to myself. I threw myself to the ground lying on my stomach. The only way to get to the door was by creeping up. I then turned to my right out of the cave slowly without making a sound. Once I reached the corner of the wall, I accidentally scraped my knee making it bleed. I could see that by the red stain on my cloak. “Did you hear something?” asked one of the kroks. They wore blue suits and silky arm bracelets, probably showing that they were guards.
“Nope,” said the other krok.
“Hmm…” the first krok said with a thinking face on. While they were talking I had tightened up every muscle on my body afraid that I was going to be discovered. I then sighed in relief and loosened my muscles. I then started to creep on the second wall, perpendicular to the wall the kroks were at.
Suddenly, when I was halfway to the wall of the building, I heard one of the kroks say: “Hey! Over there!” I closed my eyes ready for some blow that would kill me. Instead, the kroks ran up to me and the first krok grabbed my arm roughly and took me harshly off the ground. I yelped by the claws that had went through my skin. “Ah!” I yelled in pain.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” yelled the krok looking at me sternly in the eyes. I tear ran down my face and I replied: “Escaping!” I then started to cry.
“ESCAPING?” Yelled the krok.
I didn’t reply as I looked away.
“Master won’t like this…” the second krok said eyeing me carefully.
“Malistaire?” I asked them wiping a tear out of my eye with my other hand.
“Duh! Who else you wizard!” yelled the first krok in my ear.
“Why do you guys serve him?” I asked them both holding back my tears feeling my left arm go numb.
“BECAUSE WE…” started the first krok but then stopped.
I looked at him curious. Why did he stop?
“I… I don’t really know. He asked if he would serve me or not. I knew he was the most dangerous wizard on the Spiral so I basically had no choice. Ever since that day I have served him.”
Exactly what Malistaire had asked me, only threatening me!
The krok removed his claws from my arm (which was a COMPLETE relief!) and looked down.
“Malistaire did the same,” I said to him.
“He does that to everyone,” said the second krok.
“But why?” I asked them both.
“Well what do you think? He wants to conquer The Spiral!” said the first krok then looking up straight into my eyes.
“Wait! What about the book? Malistaire said something about the book!” I asked the kroks curious. Maybe they knew what it was.
They both looked at each other, worried. “Ho-How did you know about the book?” the second krok asked me.
“Well, before Malistaire left the cave, he said he ‘wanted to destroy a book,’ but it didn’t make any sense to me. I know you guys know something about it by the way you looked at each other when I mentioned it,” I said challenging them.
The first krok sighed and said, “That is the book of Cilion. It’s the most powerful thing that anyone has ever known in all of the history of the Spiral. It tells where the Seven Wonders of The Sword are.”
“The Seven Wonders of The Sword, what is that?” I asked confused.
“It is the sword that can kill anything. If it slices through a tree, the tree will fall down. It could even kill Malistaire himself if someone else had it in their hands,” the second krok explained to me.
‘It could kill Malistaire? Unbelievable!’
‘What could?’ someone suddenly asked in my mind.
‘SHHHH, hold on!’ I yelled at Mald.
“So wait, why would he want to destroy the book?” I asked them.
“So no one would have the sword in their hands so they couldn’t defeat him.”
“Do you guys know where the book is held?” I asked them.
They looked at each other again and the second krok said, “No one knows. Well, at least the Goddess of Life does.”
“The Goddess of Li...” I started to ask.
“I was getting to that. The Goddess of Light lives where you won’t expect it. She lives in Unicorn Way, at that small little, uh, ‘hut’ I should say that is in between the arena and the streets. Many people have tried talking to her, but they just don’t know how to activate the Force,” said the second krok.
“The Force?” I asked.
“It’s what makes you connect to the Goddess of Light.”
“Oh. Thank you for the information. One more question though. My fairy is stuck in one of the towers of Malistaire’s chambers. Do you know how I can get her?” I asked the kroks.
“Promise not to tell anyone of what I will do right now?” the first krok asked eyeing me.
“Yes, of course!” I said.
The first krok then waved his hand in the air and a light appeared on the tip of his middle claw. It started to grow bigger and bigger with lights bursting all around it. It seemed like fire works that exploded in mid air. Suddenly, the main light separated into two, and one of them flew high up into the air while the other one sat there on the bottom. Exactly at the same time, the raced at each other (really quickly) and they didn’t stop. Then they suddenly hit each other and a big display appeared and something fell from the lights. It was a small figure.
“MALD!” I yelled in delight as she fell like a leave waving from one side to the other. I raced below her and landed right on my palm. She opened one eye and then the other. “Oddy, is that really you?” she asked me.
“Indeed it is,” I said with a tear rolling down my cheek. Suddenly a bright light started to form around me. I kept hold of the sword not knowing what was happening. It was different than the tornado that Malistaire had used to capture me into the cave. Then I started to spin real fast and then darkness crept all around me. I felt as if I weren’t moving. Then, before I knew it, I suddenly sped really fast to a certain angle of the blackness and then a light started to appear as well as stars. I looked behind me and saw my sword leave tracks of light from the shine. I then looked ahead and then before I knew it, BOOM! I was flat on the ground.
I then heard voices, familiar ones, which I thought I would never hear again. I opened one eye but it seemed as if a light was too bright for me to see. It was a blurry vision, but then the next thing happened, and I drifted into an unconscious sleep.
We need to activate the speaker! Cori, give me that stick over there. No not that one, uh, that will work yeah. DON’T THROW IT AT ME! Ok lets see if this words, let me just get that stick under that tile over there… ugh! It won’t work! Krok #2! Any other ideas? No that one is horrible. Wait hold on I can hear someone calling me. Hold on.
Yeah? WHAT? She’s not there? Where is she? Don’t tell me she escaped! Don’t you dare- DON”T YOU DARE do that! I’ll be right there you bastard! Can’t you EVER do anything right?
I’ll be right back kroks, seem like George let one of our prisoners escape… again! I will catch her again! I will capture the Cho-
I woke up by the sound of someone saying softly in my ear, “Wake up sweaty. Wake up darling, come on.”
It was Moolinda Wu.
“Professor?” I asked her not even bothering to open my eyes.
“Come on, we have to tell your sister you are feeling alright.”
My sister! She was alright!
“Where… where is Mald?” I asked my professor.
“Mald, who is she?”
“Oh, she’s my fairy. Her full name is Malderine. I call her Mald for short,” I explained.
“Oh yes, she is aright. She was put in your Dorm Room. She fainted as well when we teleported you back.”
“Oh I see.” They had teleported me back and that was very pleasing to know!
I opened my eyes and got up yawning rubbing my eyes. I then realized I was in the Headmaster’s room with only my professor. I got up out of the sofa that they probably had cast to appear and asked, “Which direction?”
Professor then pointed to the door behind me and I rushed there. I opened the door loudly and found myself in a dark room with a bright light in the middle. It was a small room, but the next thing I knew I was almost taken of balance by a big hit that seemed to squash me.
“May!” I yelled in delight.
“Odette, I thought you would die!” May said hugging me even more tightly.
“I did too!” I chuckled. “Where’s your fairy? Margaret right?” I asked May as she released me.
“Yes, that’s her name. She is at my Dorm Room, sleeping. Oh man you should know her. She is the sweetest thing in the whole world! I think our fairies should meet each other and become best fri…”
“May,” I said cutting May off.
“Yes?” she asked me curious.
“Did you see the way that they looked at each other the day that our fairies were awakened?” I asked her.
May got the point, sighed, and said, “Yes, yes I remember that very clearly.”
“I don’t think that there is a single chance that they will become best friends. It would be incredible if they did, but I think it is kind of impossible.”
“I guess you are right.”
Then I remembered.
THE BOOK!
“I have GOT to go to Unicorn Way!” I said loudly as I rushed out of the room with the door that had been five feet away. May ran right behind me, “Wait! Why are you going so fast?!”
“I’ll explain later!” I yelled behind my back running to the bridge that lay right in front of the tunnel. I almost tripped a lot of times because of how fast I was going, but I HAD to go find the Goddess of Light.
“Hey! Wait!” the guard yelled at me trying to stop me. I had forgotten all about it.
I didn’t have a letter from the professor.
NOOOO!
He grabbed my arm before I could escape and get into the tunnel very tightly. “Let go! I have to go inside Unicorn Way! It’s an extremely big emergency!”
“NO ONE PASSES WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE HEADMASTER!” the guard yelled letting go of me and standing back into his normal position.
“PLEASE! I have to go inside! This is between Life and Death! I am serious!” I explained to the guard.
“I don’t care if it was between the evil M and the Headmaster or anything. This is my duty and you have to accept that.”
“Odette, what’s wrong? Why… oh man… why… why did you run like cra… crazy to the tunnel?” May asked me panting grabbing my shoulder for support. I then had an idea.
“Fine.” I then turned around and started to stalk off. I took some glances behind me and saw him starting to look straight to the pond with big eyes. He stood straight with his sword gleaming in the sunshine. Before he would even know it, I spinned around quickly and rushed to the tunnel. Right before he had even said, “WAIT!” I shifted into the nothingness. I turned around very quickly (like normal) and landed softly on the ground.
I felt warmth cuddle all around me as well as the smell of life fill my nostrils. I opened my eyes and saw the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in all my life… Unicorn Way. I knew this is what they called a “Noob Place” but to me it seemed like heaven. I saw a big wall of green leaves on the other side of the picture. A big unicorn statue just lay in front of it. Then there was a small area of grass with a couple of trees and then the street. To my front right there were two tall double doors that were probably made out of silver wood. I had heard many people call it “the arena.”
I then started to walk to where what the kroks had described it, the hut which was on the far left of my vision. It took a while to get there, but it was good to smell life all around. Once I arrived, I stepped up into the hut and found tiles that were brown and white cover the hut-floor, yet something bugged me about them. As I was studying the hut, there was something that seemed very unusual about them. I searched the ceiling, the rails, the wood and every corner of the hut but I found nothing. I then threw myself to the ground with no hope.
Right when I had flung myself, I noticed something about a certain tile. It had a small leaf on it. Instead of being brown or white, it was like an orange type of color. I leaned over to it and found it surrounded by very, very, very, VERY, tiny words around the tile.
“Where can I get a telescope?” I asked to no one looking frantically around. Suddenly, right in front of me, it appeared. ‘Weird,’ I told myself as I studied it after I had picked it up. I didn’t care where it had come from; I just needed to know what the tile meant. I then read out of the tile:
Directions to talk to the Goddess of Light:
1. Step on the tile you read this from lightly without making a sound.
2. Murmur, “JUVINO KATINO” under your breath as you step on the tile.
3. Sit on the floor for one minute without ANY interruptions closing your eyes. Wait for five minutes and then you will find yourself to where the Goddess awaits.
REMINDER: If you interrupt while you sit on the floor (meaning opening one eye, someone speak to you, or even make a single sound) you will have to start over again. You only have three chances. If you lose all three, then you can’t speak to the Goddess of Light anymore.
I then stood up and lightly tapped my foot (without making a sound) and murmured, “JUVINO KATINO” and then I sat on the floor quietly. ‘Please don’t make any interruptions! Please no oh no!’ Uh-oh. My back started to feel itchy. NOOOOO!
I then scratched my back and then started the steps all over again. This time, no interruptions came for about 5 minutes. Suddenly, a light breeze started to swirl around me. I didn’t DARE open my eyes. I felt like if I were being swished of the ground like a broom. It felt… nice and sweet. Music as charming as ever ran through my ears, but then suddenly, the music stopped. I opened my eyes and I was dumbfounded.
In front of me was a complete beautiful layout with walls of leaves surrounding the picture. There was one thing that wasn’t right. Thirty feet away stood Malistaire with kroks all around him (like he had done to me) and I gasped when I saw what he was doing.
He was pointing his wand to the Goddess of Life.
|
Diary of the Hidden Worlds
After classes, I went to the library for a book I needed for a assignment Professor Balestrom had given me.
As I was about to leave,I noticed a cart of old books in the corner,and when I asked Mr.Argleston,He replied that they were old tomes that nobody reads;so he was just going to throw them away.
One of those books caught my eye,and I really wanted to read it,So I asked if I could keep the book.
Mr.Argleston said yes,and I had skipped away happily.
The book was old and dusty,The cover was rotting away and the pages were torn and burnt on the edges.
You could barely make out the cover’s title,which was called
“The Banishment,and Other Tales”;
But the Author’s name had been rotten off the cover.
It was a moldy brown and the gold tint on the spine of the crumbling tome had nearly faded away,No wonder nobody wanted to read it.
After I had completed my assignment,I decided to read the book.As soon as I opened to the first page,a moth escaped and several cobwebs would barely let me turn the page.
There wasn’t any ink in the book,except for one page,which told me to collect Pixie dust and scatter it all over the book.
I hadn’t a clue why,But I had done so 4 pixie duels later.
The cover and all it’s pages were magically restored,and there was plenty of words all over the book,Black as my burnt bottle burner.
I don’t wish to bore you any longer,so lets skip to the tale.
In the farthest reaches of the spiral,There was a jail,
Hidden away from other places like Ravenwood,Even Grizzleheim.
The people who are trapped are all the ghouls,Pixies,Golems,and anything else that tried to hurt the innocent;And the guards would do a pretty good job,if they hadn’t been lazing around through sleep and whatnot.
All of the prisoners in the jail were defeated in a duel with students in Ravenwood,However they do not have the protection like a student defeated in a duel,so they are sent to the Jail.
However,Some managed to escape the foul place,and find some use of teleportation,to return to their original location;This is what we call,”Respawning”How do I know this? Because,young wizard,I have seen the unthinkable,A ghoul who has learned from his mistakes and decided to be good!
As my days in young wizardhood,I have been to UnicornWay,and it was very peaceful;Until now.
I had to do some research with lady Oriel in her Hedge maze when SHE AND I were students,When her faeries
left the maze and were transformed,and skeletons and ghouls appeared like guards.
As far as I know,It wasn’t our fault,and many students came to drive the menaces back.
A year had passed,and I returned to Unicorn way before I had to leave for a field trip the next day,
To find among the monsters that would not stop coming,A ghoul who wanted my help.
He was a injured chap who had changed his ways,and told me all about the jail in the far reaches of the spiral.I knew he might not be welcomed in Ravenwood,But the world must know about the jail and to make sure that we can stop the respawning of the foul creatures forever.
That was all I could read,For I was tired,It was 11 O’clock,and I promised to myself that I would read and Write more the following day.
Just imagine what the world might discover,In a book that might be tens to hundreds of years old,Or Professor Ambrose’s age,Whatever his age is.
Well.Goodnight.
|
Champions
“Good evening Dworgyn.” said Headmaster Ambrose “How are your classes lately? It seems your students are angry with the other schools lately. Have you had any problems?”
“No, of course not headmaster.” replied Dworgyn without looking up from the essays on his desk. “The students are merely disgruntled about the fact that they cannot perform their magic as they used to. Whereas the other students are free to do so.”
“You have heard this from them before?” questioned Ambrose. Still Dworgyn did not look up.
“On many occasions. They seem to feel that they are restricted everywhere but in this class. Could you please explain why they should feel this way?”
Ambrose took a minute to answer him. “I might have put some rules into place after the scuffle in the Storm classroom two months ago.”
For the first time Dworgyn looked up. His face held an expression of confusion. “I wasn’t aware of any fights. (I suppose I need to get out more) What happened?”
Ambrose frowned. “Well some of the students that took Storm as a secondary school were not working properly at their stations to hatch a Stormzilla Egg. A small fight occurred and as a result the Stormzilla egg was smashed. The Storm students were furious and began attacking the Death Students. The Death students retaliated therefore summoning several very dangerous spirits that took over the Storm Students bodies and sent them halfway into the Scarecrow’s domain. I arrived in time to set things right. Each student was given eight months detention and they were suspended from the school for the next year. While having a private tutor so as to keep pace.” As Ambrose finished his explanation Dworgyn looked astonished.
“Oh my! I never knew that had happened! Well in that case I must agree with you. I will have to explain to the students so they do not cause trouble. But is their any way they can practice their magic? Otherwise they could fail to cast a spell without practice.”
Ambrose smiled “Exactly where I was hoping we would end up. I have an idea for you Dworgyn.” Dworgyn’s eyebrows rose, “A tournament. A series of battles in the Krokotopia Arena where the schools will compete against each other. The winning school is granted a trophy and unlimited access to a new training ground we are currently having built.”
Dworgyn’s frown lifted to reveal a small, sly smile. “A brilliant idea Headmaster. But why should we use the Krokotopia Arena? Is ours not good enough?”
“I understand your concern. But our Arena is much too small for my idea. As you know after the students of each school have mastered their creature spells they are sent out to a new teacher. The teacher shows them how to manipulate the positive and negative energies of their school. That is how I intend this tournament to go.”
Dworgyn smiled “That is a good idea Headmaster but we have so many students that have finished the creatures that it might take a month to finish the tournament.”
“Well there is my second idea; we will have a team for each school that will be made up of the best out of the students. The teams will be decided by the best student, who will be the team’s captain. Yet he or she will report to you. Does this seem a reasonable idea Dworgyn?”
“Yes Headmaster when will these tournaments take place?”
“There will be a new tournament every eight months.”
“So when will the first tournament begin?”
“The first of the tournaments will begin in three months. Am I safe to assume that the students will be ready by then?”
“Indeed Headmaster, but when should I tell them?”
“Well as I have given the schools permission to eat lunch in their street, for our school is becoming increasingly large, it would be fine for you to tell them then.”
“Yes Headmaster.”
The next day Dworgyn was seated at the long onyx table in front of the student’s tables at noon. He silently watched as the selfsame silent students finished eating. When every last sliver of bone-fish cake had disappeared down the throats of their consumers, Dworgyn stood up. Immediately every pale face turned in his direction, and each face was expressionless. A glint of inexplicable intelligence graced each and every eye.
Dworgyn cleared his throat and began to speak, “Welcome my students to another great year. I have some new announcements for you all. Firstly we have 58 new students to add to our school this year. Please do your best to make them feel welcome. Next we have some new rules the Headmaster has set forth. No student is to use any magic in the Shopping District as per the incident of having to rebuild three stores…” he stopped for a moment to stare at three students at the largest table who looked away pointedly, “And gobblers are not to be attacked unless you wish to be suspended, if you survive being swallowed.” Several students chuckled quietly.
“Well, students after those…interesting announcements, there is one more. The Headmaster has given each of the schools a special announcement to give out. Starting next month there will be a tournament. In this tournament our most powerful team of students will fight to win against the other schools. I have already found our team; each school is required to have the minimum of seven members, six fighters and a captain.” He turned his head toward the smallest table and watched as several of the students there began to mutter to the ones next to them.
“Now our six fighters will be Armora Silvermist, Brandon Olardens, Kacy Olardens, Mark Plarden, Steven Meaden, and Corven Arlandra. Will those students please step forward and receive their badges?” As he finished speaking he drew his wand out of his lantern and flicked it in a straight line through the air. Six silver globes of metal appeared there twisting and revolving in slow motion until you could clearly define a shield shape badge with a black skull, silver ribbons surrounding it, and silver stars embossing the edge. As each student walked up, a badge began to float towards them, attaching to the front of their robes.
Dworgyn flicked his wand again and six wands appeared. They floated still in the air until Mark Plarden reached out. At this sudden movement the wands reacted, rapidly shooting sparks that hung in the air in an intricate pattern. Ten seconds later the sparks had become a 3-D silver skull that floated up into the air hung there, illuminating the cave. But no-one was looking at the skull they were all staring at the wands and the fighters. The wands had made a circle around the fighters and a net of silvery strands had made a sphere around them.
The sphere floated higher and higher till it rested just under the jaw of the skull. After it stopped, Dworgyn stood up to face the shock-eyed students before him. He cleared his throat and began to speak.
“Yes. These students have been, as you would say, trapped. There is a test the Headmaster has designed for the captain of each team. Each team’s captain has a special wand that has the ability to overpower these others. But, the wand will only work for the person it thinks will be the best representative for the school. If you would like to be the captain step forward and try to free the others.” Dworgyn stepped back and picked up an ornately carven box that rattled and vibrated slightly. Then he let go of it, the box floated there vibrating with increasing intensity till the lock on it snapped off violently. The lid flew open and a wand floated out.
The slow moving wand turned end over end until it was at least five feet off the ground. The tip let off a cold blue and white light that shivered and danced like a flame. All the while, tendrils of the magic flowed down the wand making it shine with a pale light. Every time a tendril was released the students heard whispers, the calls of the long dead. For a moment the students sat frozen in silence until the scrape of a bench broke it. They turned to see several of their classmates leave their tables to form a line in front of the wand. The first reached out and touched it with the tips of his fingers; the dancing flame began to hiss and spit, flaring red and rising farther in the air, only to drop as the next candidate approached.
The rest of the line went basically the same way. Each student leaving the line with a rather foul face, finally they reached the end of the line. The last student reached out and, the wand fled. It spun in a circular fashion around the whole area, then ran along the length of each table until it stopped at the smallest one there was, the new student’s. At this table the wand crept along moving just slow enough to see each face for at least twenty seconds. Finally it stopped, at the end of the table was a boy sitting alone, a hood pulled over his eyes. The wand hovered there in front of the boy. Finally the boy looked up and Dworgyn noticed the boy’s eyes were sparkling yellow. A color only seen in the eyes of snakes. Dworgyn watched as the boy lowered his hood back.
Letting a curtain of grayish black hair fall back across his shoulders. Then he saw the boy began to work his mouth but he could not hear what he said. All he could hear was a slow deliberate hiss inside his head that kept leaving spaces and making clicks. As he watched the boy he saw that the boy’s voice was the hiss, and the spaces were him stopping. Finally the hissing ceased. The boy stood up and walked forward, the wand eagerly following him. The boy stopped before the table that Dworgyn was sitting at and gestured with his hands towards the ground, the wand floated downward. Then he hissed low and deep and flung his hand up.
The wand rose into his hand. He raised it and with a flick of his wrist the cage glowed bright. As they watched the cage of light drifted downward to sit in front of the boy. The boy began to speak. But this time there was not a hiss but a man’s voice coming from the boy. This was what Dworgyn found deeply disturbing.
“I see why you were chosen to represent the noble school of Death. Each of you has a specific powerful ability that allows you to be the best of your class. Armora, your strength lies in the ability to control fear giving you a head on mental advantage to your adversaries. Brandon and Kacy you are an unusual pair, nothing I have come across in my previous journeys, your minds are linked, and as long as one of you has enough energy you can give the other the strength they need to overcome an enemy. Mark you have an enormous ability to control and duplicate separate magics at the same time, you could be a very resourceful part of our team.
Steven you know every piece and shard of the human body, I am going to presume that while you are in the mortal world you practice many martial arts. Lastly, Corven, your ability to see into the minds of others gives you the same mental advantage as dear Armora here.” He turned away from the cage to Dworgyn whose face remained expressionless while his heart raced at the sight of the serpent boy’s eyes. The boy began to speak again.
“You have given me much to work with; each possesses extraordinary power which I will now see.” And he turned back to the cage. “As I said each of you has enormous power which I would like to see. You will escape the cage on your own. I have examined the cage thoroughly, if you can combine your magic to break the spell I am positive we can win the tournament.” Then he stepped back and the wand followed him leaving trail of bluish-white fire in the air. The students in the cage just watched him the entire time. Their eyes were the only thing that betrayed their fear of the boy.
But as the boy stepped back the students began to mutter quietly. Suddenly a pool of different colored light appeared in each students hands. Armora held a glowing orb of blood red light in her long fingers, the surface twisting and spiraling. The twins Kacy and Brandon both held a yellow orb that dripped its contents down from their hands for an inch before it joined the orb again. Mark’s hand held a glowing green oval that seemed to shape itself into random things.
Steven’s hand seemed to shine with the light emitting from the pale blue spiral in it. But Corven’s hand glowed with the most exotic array of rainbow colored light. As everyone watched the light began to rise, spiraling together to form a rod of silver light. The rod began to rise flooding over the cage, coating the bronze with silvery light. Then… it shattered. The cage fell apart, each bent rod breaking into miniscule pieces and clattering to the ground. The wands that had held the cage aloft spit out sparks and flame as they danced around their owners their owners.
The students themselves looked absolutely awestruck, as they had experienced something far beyond their knowledge of magic. Their eyes turned to the boy in front of them. And they gasped, instead of seeing the small boy they had seen earlier here was a tall teen, perhaps fourteen or fifteen holding the wand in one hand and an eight foot staff with a silver skull at the top and base.
The teen’s yellow eyes glinted with an almost manic light. And with the strong voice of a war commander he began to speak.
“We will win the tournament; we will show them all what we are capable of. To the Almighty School of Death, I am Malistaire!” He exclaimed and he twirled his staff and a huge roar of claps and applause swept through the canyon.
|
Wizardly MisAdventures (part 3)
September 12, 2004
5:17 PM
The numerous clouds made the sky black as night above the streets of Triton Avenue. The chilling rain it brought made every inch of the neighborhood soaked, and the strong and angry wind deafened the sounds of the nearby waterfalls and the mill, which was perched on top of the high, purple-stoned cliffs above. It was a scene where peace and chaos seemed to mingle together, but where nature reigned supreme above it all. But for the Storm wizard standing in the center of a small arena, these occurrences didn't even phase him. The storm wasn't the reason why he seemed occupied.
Please tell me that you’re not outside in Triton Avenue… Ah who am I kidding? Of course you are.
The Storm wizard smiled at the comment. With his eyes closed, he tilted his head towards the sky and breathed in the air around him. The blue hat he wore fell off his head, leaving his snow-white hair to be barraged by the rain. The raindrops were like sharp, cold needles on his skin, but he easily ignored it. His navy blue and black jacket and pants had already been soaked for about half an hour now.
You don’t hear me complain to you whenever you hang out in Colossus Boulevard during a blizzard, he pointed out to the voice in his head.
True, the voice responded, but I don’t have to deal with a little issue called lightning! You realize that it's basically suicide to just stand around with lightning all over the place, right?
He mentally chuckled.
I’m not crazy, Victoria. At my level, I’d quickly get killed if lightning hit me. That's not the case though, is it? All that’s happening now is a tiny little shower.
With the rain still bombarding him, he titled his head back down, keeping his eyes shut. He then held his right palm in front of him. A small zap was heard and he clenched his hand around the wand that had appeared in mid air. The Storm wizard didn’t need to look at it to know that it had a lilac-colored handle, and that on its tip was what looked like a small, blue globe of a far away world called “Earth.”
Now, can I please practice in peace?
No voice responded, and the only sounds the Storm wizard could hear was the deafening howl of the wind and the heavy rainfall slamming into the water of the river, which surrounded the small arena like an ocean around an island.
…Just don’t get into trouble, Stephen.
Stephen smiled triumphantly.
I’ll take that as a “yes” then, he said to the voice. The voice when silent and he could tell that the presence in his mind was gone.
Stephen barely had time to practice his spells recently. Since the school year was almost over, studying for the upcoming exams was more important at that point. But even for someone like Stephen, who was fairly quiet and preferred to study than to socialize with others, he felt that if he did not take a break soon, he would go crazy. So when he heard that a storm was coming on Sunday afternoon, he jumped at the opportunity.
With his eyes still closed, Stephen started to wave his wand in smooth, graceful motions. As he moved, he could feel his Mana slowly move through his arm and to the tip of the strange wand he held. In front of him, he could feel the powerful electrical energy of his Storm symbol on his cold, slick skin. The charge from the symbol tickled the hand that held the wand, making his heart race with excitement. He felt powerful as he began to flick his wand to cast the spell.
“I knew you’d be here.”
Stephen’s arm tensed as he froze.
Fizzle!
He suppressed a growl from escaping he throat.
Drat.
Lowering his arm, Stephen turned around slowly and reluctantly. Opening his dark blue eyes, he gave the uninvited guest an empty stare.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Jonathan Duskglade. What brings a thing like you here?”
The man called Jonathan was standing near the bright, round teleporter that was on the ground near the arena. His long cloak and the hood that was on his head were completely black. Stephen was unable to see anything else of him. In fact, if not for the blinding turquoise light of the teleporter behind him, he would have been almost invisible thanks to the darkness.
Jonathan chuckled.
“Tut tut,” he answered. “Respect your elders, Stephen Darktalon.”
Stephen’s eyebrows arched up.
“You’re only older by five years. I seriously doubt that you count as one,” he retorted.
“But I am still older than you,” Jonathan stated cheerfully. “Not only that, but I am also much stronger than an Initiate of your level. You should still be ‘friendly’ to me. You never know what could happen to you.”
Stephen tried to show indifference to his comments on the surface. But at the same time, he was beginning to bite the inside of his cheek out of irritation. He was unable to see Jonathan’s face, but he could tell that it had a sickly happy grin plastered on it.
“I didn’t realize that Ghouls had to be treated with respect here. After all, I thought all they were good for was grunting and carrying a spade. Not to mention that they smell horrible,” Stephen said.
He tried to suppress a smirk when Jonathan stayed silent. But after a few seconds, Jonathan’s shoulders began to shake and he shook his head. The shaking turned into chuckles, which caused Stephen to raise a white eyebrow out of curiosity.
Great. What’s the foul Ghoul gonna do now?
“I’m sorry, but your attitude amuses me greatly,” responded Jonathan after his chilling chuckles subsided.
When Stephen didn't respond, Jonathan let out a slightly dramatic sigh.
“But to be honest, I feel horrible for you. I thought that your parents would’ve taught you manners when you were little. It looks as though they didn’t do a good job at that.”
The chaotic noises around Stephen seemed to be silenced as he suddenly felt a tight knot form in his chest. His eyes barely widened with shock but his jaw still involuntarily clenched to the point that it was noticeably uncomfortable for him. Even though the rain had made his skin cold, he could feel his face and palms begin to heat up from the newfound anger and humiliation that was beginning to build up within him.
Calm down. No need to get upset at this moment. Breathe, he thought to himself as he took deep breaths through his nose and made a fist with his left hand and tightly clenched his wand.
Why does he do that? Is he really that senseless..?
“Oh, that’s right,” Jonathan said as though realizing something important. “You wouldn’t even know if they said that to you.”
He sighed, this time far too dramatically for Stephen’s liking.
“What is it like to have amnesia? Because I would think that it would be a horrible fate for someone to live with. Especially for you.”
At this, Jonathan took off his black hood. He was young, but his cheeks were beginning to look hollow, which gave him a skeleton-like face. Yet somehow, the face was able to show what would have looked like genuine concern to almost anyone else. But behind his semi-shaggy black hair, which was beginning to get damp from the rain, Stephen thought his grey eyes had a glint of something very… Evil? Sinister? Demonic? He didn’t know. Whatever it was, he blamed it for the sudden burst of electrical energy that was now rapidly flowing throughout his body.
“Hmm. Well, this is odd,” Jonathan stated, blinking and looking curiously around his head. “It feels like lightning is coming, but I thought there wasn’t supposed to be any.”
Stephen gripped the wand in his hand even tighter, but it only made him feel furious. He felt his self control begin to fade, but he didn't care anymore about that. As his grip tightened, the wand began to form a purple electrical current around the orb on its tip. More of Stephen’s Mana was slowly and subconsciously being drawn towards the object in his hand. The large amount of energy started to become less orderly and more chaotic in the blue orb, leaving some of the purple electricity to escape and emit small sparks, which zapped the wet ground near his boots.
Poof!
Stephen glance to his left to find a collection of maroon-colored sparks appear out of thin air. As soon as they had come, they vanished. In their place was a girl with short and straight black hair. Her bright and innocent grey eyes and her light skin was all that was visible of her, since her entire outfit matched the color of the darkness that was still around all of them, although he thought that he saw small patches of navy blue in the mix.
“Jacqueline,” Stephen whispered.
“Ah, little Jackie,” Jonathan said in an affectionate tone. Stephen glanced at him to see that his face now showed a very big and childlike smile.
The girl didn’t acknowledge them as she looked up for a second, raised her arms, and began to wave them around elegantly. In front of her, a bright, maroon Balance symbol began to take shape. When she stopped moving and the symbol was completed, the light was strong enough to be considered blinding to Stephen. But when she waved her arms swiftly away from the symbol, it vanished.
A warm gust of wind came over all of them and tousled their hair as a golden bubble appeared from the ground and swiftly surrounded the entire arena. The rain immediately stopped, and instead, golden lights fell softly from the edges of the bubble. Stephen began to feel powerful energy flowing through the air and in him. And when one of the golden lights fell on his cheek, it was absorbed by his skin and an even bigger rush of energy rushed through his veins.
“So this is Power Play,” Jonathan stated, his eyes showing great curiosity
As the wizard called Jacqueline was patting her hair, she her head to him and gave him a big grin.
“Yep,” she answered him cheerfully.
Jonathan chuckled.
“Interesting. I don’t see too many Balance people use it.”
“That’s because it helps the enemy also. That's never good,” Jacqueline said while pouting.
Jonathan rolled his eyes and his smile grew wider.
“Well, it looks like I gotta go. See you back at home Jackie.”
“’Kay then,” she replied while waving at him.
He nodded to her. He then turned his attention to Stephen again. Even though his expression wasn’t threatening in any way, Stephen still noticed a feeling of anger inside of him when he looked at him.
“I’ll see you around then?” Jonathan asked.
Stephen stayed silent as Jonathan was engulfed in grey and white lights and vanished from sight. When he was gone, Stephen and Jacqueline looked at each other.
“You’re not the kind to just randomly appear where her brother is,” he said to her, not as a question, but a statement.
Jacqueline blinked as though confused.
“Really? I would have thought sisters did that a lot. Doesn’t Victoria do that to you occasionally?” she asked innocently.
Stephen stayed silent, vacantly staring at her. He patiently waited. After a while though, her smile fell from her face and she softly sighed.
“Geez, I can’t lighten the mood now?”
“I want to know why you’re here,” he said calmly, ignoring her question.
“I think you already know, Stephen," Jacqueline said, her expression suddenly becoming serious.
Stephen stayed silent, which gave him an exasperated sigh from her.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was? I could feel the tension all the way from Olde Town. It might not have seemed like much if I was the only one to notice it. You know Stephanie Star? She was all the way in the Commons and she was Whispering to me, wondering why she felt like a storm was coming. And Nora was nearby and she started to get jumpy when she began to feel the electricity you were releasing in the air.”
Stephen bowed his head slightly and stared at the ground in front of him in case his face showed the slight embarrassment that he felt. He said nothing as he slowly bent over and picked up his blue hat, which was still in a puddle. The water was still cold when some drops dripped from the hat to his hands.
“Hmm, I didn’t know Necromancers were jumpy people,” he said.
Jacqueline rolled her eyes.
“Well, I think she was kind of pulling my leg on that one, but I'm pretty sure that she was still worried…”
Again, Stephen didn’t reply. Instead, he looked up and stared at the golden lights that were still cascading from the edges of the glittering bubble around them. But even though the spell shielded them from the cold rain and strong wind, he could smell the scents that came from the weather outside.
“Look, Stephen,” Jacqueline suddenly said. "I know he can be creepy, but he really does mean well. I don’t know what he said to you that got you upset, and you don’t have to say anything about what you two talked about with me. But just give him a chance, okay?”
For a second, Stephen was too shocked from her request to breathe, which woke him up from his semi-trance. Taking a deep breath through his nose, he tried to relax his muscles that were now stiff again. When he finally calmed down, his eyes turned towards Jacqueline.
Jacqueline could think of many emotions that she thought that she saw in Stephen’s eyes: Depressed, angry, nervous, bitter, conflicted—and yet, at the same time, they looked very dull. She couldn’t decide. But no matter how she saw it, for some unknown reason, his gaze made her feel scared and a little helpless. This didn't bode well for her, and she was worried about his response to her question.
“Tell me something: How does it feel to know who you really are?”
Jacqueline blinked. She did not expect Stephen to ask her such a—strange question out of thin air. At the very least, she believed that she would have to endure a nasty argument with him. But the lack of anger, along with the odd question that he asked her, left her utterly confused. And to make matters worse for her, she was so surprised that she was left completely dumfounded and unable to respond.
“Because if you think about it,” Stephen continued, seeming to ignore her silence, “you would probably say that you feel pretty good about having this knowledge. Or maybe you’d say that you never thought about it and are completely indifferent about the fact that you know your name, where you came from, who your family is, what you love, what you hate, what kind of morals you were taught when you were young—” Stephen seemed to notice that his voice was becoming considerably louder with every word, so he stopped himself and rubbed his temple “—I could keep going on.
“But I don’t have any of that. At least, not much of it anymore.”
Jacqueline woke up from her state of semi-shock after hearing Stephen begin to talk. She tried to ask what he meant, but was interrupted by him.
“You wanna know what I meant by that,” he said matter-of-factly, his eyes becoming cold. “Well then fine! I'll tell you."
Jacqueline watched as Stephen fell silent for a moment and his feet shifted nervously. She knew that whatever it was he was trying to say, it was tough for him to get it out. After a while, he huffed to himself and began to talk quietly.
"Because of an… accident that happened to be before I was ten years old, I can remember almost nothing from my past. Nothing at all. Back then, I didn’t know who my parents were, and I still can’t recall anything about them no matter how many times Victoria tried to help me remember; I couldn’t remember what I learned besides basic necessities like my language and social manners; I couldn’t remember the history of Mooshu, the homeland that I was once apparently proud of—!
"Heck, I couldn’t even remember who Victoria and Nicolas were when I woke up from the incident! I probably would’ve left them behind because of that. No, scratch that. I did try to leave them once! The only thing that stopped me was the fact that Victoria kept pleading for me to stay with them. I'm pretty sure that I never saw her cry so much before…”
With a quiet zap, his wand disappeared from his tight grip. He then began to grip his hat with both of his hands, which were starting to visibly shake in front of him.
“As you can imagine, I don’t feel just one emotion over this— this amnesia. I’m angry at whoever or whatever caused me the memory loss. I don’t know how it happened, since no one will tell me. Probably because they knew that I would try to tear them to shreds...
"I also feel so agonized because I feel that it’s a great dishonor to my family that I lost the memory of every one of them. I’m always confused because I have no idea if I’m still the same person or not. It might not seem important to others, but it is to me.
"But you know what the worst one is? The worst part is that I feel completely guilty about the fact that I almost left the last of my family behind. All because I thought that they were total strangers! It especially didn’t help me that during the year after my accident, no matter what I did and no matter what I said that possibly insulted them, Victoria always stuck by me. She took care of me even when I told her to get lost, and she always stood by me and comforted me no matter how many times I tried to punch her in the face…”
Jacqueline gulped when she felt that her throat had gone dry.
“But that’s what sisters should always do. They should always be by their siblings’ side,” she responded weakly to him.
Stephen chuckled, although it seemed forced and creepy to Jacqueline. Even from the distance between them though, she could hear Stephen let out a staggered breath. His face was still wet from the rain, but she thought that she could see a stray tear roll down his pale cheek.
“I’m sorry Jacqueline, but even if your brother was genuinely trying to comfort me, I don’t want pity from him,” he said bitterly. “If there’s anything I’ve learned it’s that when it comes to my past, I despise pity from others. That is something I can’t stand.
“…Besides, I don’t trust him. I don’t care if he’s your older brother or if he’s one of Victoria’s friends, because I don’t trust him—” Stephen’s eyes suddenly became very dark “—And I hope I never will. There’s just something that just doesn’t feel right about him. Something evil…”
The tingling sound of the falling golden lights around the two was all that Jacqueline could hear after Stephen fell silent, who was staring at the hat in his now bone-white hands with the same dark look. But she knew that she probably would have been unable to take anymore of his harsh and sobering words. Her mind was far too full of abstract thought. Some of them involved her contemplating the things that she realized that she had taken for granted until he had spoken up. Now that she thought about it, she realized that if she had no idea who she was in life, then life itself would be meaningless. But mostly, her thoughts involved feeling pity and sadness that she now felt for Stephen, knowing full well that he would never accept them, especially from her.
“Stephen…”
Jackie!
Jacqueline jumped and squealed out of surprise.
What the-!
Jackie, the voice continued, where’s Stephen? My Whispers aren’t reaching him. Do you know why he isn’t responding to me?
Who is thi...? Oh, Victoria. Hang on a sec, she responded.
“Yes Jacqueline?” he asked questioningly.
“Your sister’s wondering why you’re not responding to her Whispers. Did you block them out of your head or something?”
Stephen sighed. She thought that she heard him mumble "I can never get enough peace around here." He closed his eyes, and as soon as they completely shut, he grimaced.
I guess she’s pretty upset with him.
Jacqueline chuckled to herself when every few seconds, Stephen would flinch slightly, probably due to the fact that Victoria was yelling in his head. But after a few moments, his lips began to curve upwards, and he started to chuckle to himself. The sight began to give Jacqueline a warm and comforting feeling inside of her.
He really is lucky. Now I know why Victoria is so protective when it comes to hi. She might act a little strict with him, but at least it’s because she loves him to death. I don’t think he truly realizes how fortunate he is to have such a person in his life. I wish my family was more like his…
“Jacqueline!”
She blinked a couple of time to wake up from her thoughts, and then turned her head to acknowledge Stephen’s presence.
“Victoria is still complaining about the fact that Tyler still calls her ‘Ed.’ She wants you to tell him to quit it. Apparently, he’s taking great pleasure in bugging her with the nickname still.”
“I don’t think I can do much about that,” she said, shrugging. “The little bro can be hard to convince.”
“Oh, how pleasant for me,” he responded sarcastically, but still chuckling. “Well, I have to go now since she won’t take no for an answer now. See you later, Jackie.”
Purple and yellow sparks enveloped him with a loud poof! When the sparks vanished, so did he, leaving behind a confused Balance girl.
“Um…”
How did he get so... Cheerful all of a sudden? And did that kid just actually call me “Jackie?”
Running her hands through her black hair, Jacqueline sighed.
Stephen Darktalon, you’re one strange young man.
A second later, maroon sparks surrounded Jacqueline and like Stephen, she disappeared.
The Power Play spell around the arena stayed active for a few minutes longer. But eventually the golden bubble and all of its bright lights faded away, leaving the harsh storm to batter the ground with its chilling drops and the howl of the wind to penetrate the silence once more.
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