Story of the Week #7-8, A Double Feature! Part 1: The Necromancer's Matter

This is a special Story of the Week Double Feature! I will feature 2 stories. The first is The Necromancer's Matter by Destiny SeaGem.

"Why did I have to be placed in the school of Death?" That's what my little sister, Angie Thunderslash, said. Her face was buried deep in her bed mattress so only her long red hair could be viewed.

"Come on Angie, it can't be that bad." I replied. "It is a pretty good school, and you know it."

"You're just saying that." Angie moped. "You know perfectly well that necromancers feed off of the life of others to satisfy their needs and wants."

"Don't worry." I said. "You'll do great, trust me."

"How do you know?" Questioned Angie. "You're in the school of Storm, the most powerful of all. You're a really good diviner, you know. No wonder, it runs in the family."

That was true. The Thunderslashes were generations of diviners, all skilled and powerful, beating others in duels constantly. My great grandmother, Tara Thunderslash, had even been a storm professor before she passed away.

I could feel my face deepening into a dark crimson at Angie's admiration of my storm spells. "Oh, it was just a few lightning bats, nothing special."

"Don't be modest," Angie said as-a-matter-of-factly. "I saw you duel Wolf yesterday, so don't hide that you demonstrated a perfectly good storm shark."

"I'm only an apprentice."

"Well, you deserve to be an intiate."

I had to hand it to her; she was pretty intelligent for an eight-year-old.

"Don't mind it now." I said. "It's time for bed now." I didn't need to say it though. Angie was already tucked in.

"Alyssa?" She asked. "Do you think Death is going to be everything it says to be? Will it be hard to the core?"

"I don't think it’s any harder then Storm is."

"Don't say that." Angie said. "I hear Malistare Drake is a pretty rough professor."

"He's just a little sullen, that's all." I said. "You can't blame him. He's lost his wife, Sylvia." Then I came up with an idea. "Look to his assistant, Dworgyn, if you're having trouble."

"Are you kidding?" Angie said. "He's crazy! Wouldn't be surprised if he thought Marleybone was in his hunch!"

"Angie!" I scolded. "Don't talk that way."

"Sorry," Angie muttered under her breath, barely audible.

"Good night," I said.

"But you haven't told me a bedtime story yet." Angie said.

"I thought you said long ago that you were too old for those."

"I need one now." She protested.

"All right, all right." I sat down next to her bed. "This story is about how the moon changes its shape."

"No, not that one!" Angie said in turn to my offer. "All it is that the elephant just eats it and spits it out!"

I had really been hoping that she wouldn't have remembered, but just my luck, she did. It was pretty bad, I thought. So I really had to rack my brain to satisfy her. Then I found something that had been old and dusty and starting to fade away to dust in my mind.

"Well, I guess I do have something." I told Angie. "Marleyboneian archeologists have just found it in the runes of Krokotopia. It was written on a slate." I turned from Angie. "But, it's nothing, really."

"Tell me more!" Angie insisted.

I turned back to her, smiling. Then I eyed her closely. "All right, I'll begin." I said. "This is the tale of the Necromancer's Matter..."


Rays of light used the stained glass window as a doorway to shine in Destiny's eyes as she roused from her bed. The rays of light had been coming from the sun, a gigantic flaming ball of fire.

Fire.

Today was her orientation in Ravenwood. She would be one of the first students of Fire. She quickly threw on an orange robe with a yellow trim, a robe of the advantage, orange and yellow quartermaster's boots, and pulled a hood over her head called a cap of the aggressor, knowing she had to look presentable to Mistress Flamea. So Destiny ran out of her house to set off in the world.

"Guess what?" Destiny asked her friend, Sophie.

"What?" Asked Sophie.

"I'm gonna be a pyromancer!" Destiny bounced at this. "I can't wait for orientation! I can't wait! I just can't wait!"

"You don't know for sure, Destiny." Sophie said. "You never know which school you'll get placed in. My brother, Jayden, was positive that he would be placed in Myth, but what do you know? He got placed in-" Sophie left off for Destiny to finish.

"I know, I know, he got placed in Life." Destiny said in an annoyed tone. Then she perked right back up. "What school do you hope to be placed in?"

"Fire, like you." Said Sophie. "But we won't know until Mr. Lincoln calls us down. And for some reason I get a feeling that I'll be placed in Ice."

"Weird," Replied Destiny. "Why would you get a calling the weakest school?"

"It's not necessarily the weakest," Sophie said. "Ice wizards are almost undefeatable in health."

"Yeah, but why would you want a fairy with a squeaky voice for a professor?" Asked Destiny.

"Don't insult the professors, Destiny." Sophie instructed. "Who knows how much trouble you can get in for it!"

"Relax," Destiny said. "We're not students right now, we shouldn't offend them much."

"I sure hope you know what you're doing." Muttered Sophie.

Suddenly the two heard screaming and yelling.

"What's going on?" Destiny yelled.

"There's a commotion in the commons!" yelled a conjurer.

"What kind of commotion?" Destiny could make out Sophie's voice among the swarm of students.

They received shoving and pushing for an answer.

Finally they managed to make their way through the crowd and look at what was going on. A long, black haired fifteen-year-old-looking necromancer was doing something to a guy with blonde hair in purple robes, a little older then Destiny and Sophie, ten, but younger then the necromancer. There were two other guys behind the necromancer, about his age, one wearing fancy red robes and brown hair. A pyromancer, from the looks of it. Standing next to him was another boy with blonde hair shorter then the other boys in formal yellow clothing. Most likely a conjurer. Destiny burst when she saw what the necromancer was doing to the diviner.

"Stop!" Destiny burst into the area and got a clear view of the wedgie the necromancer was giving, and shoved the necromancer past the other two guys, knocking him down to the cement of the ground. "Leave him alone!" She shouted.

Destiny had been so obsessed in the incident that she didn't look at the expressions of the crowd. Their mouths left a hole where the lips should have been, and it seemed their eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. Why's everyone like that? Destiny wondered. Her attention turned back to the necromancer, who's right hand was gripping his left elbow. He was flashing his all his white teeth, bent over, and gave an eye to eye look to Destiny that gave her a clear message, "I shall take my revenge!" What came out of his mouth was a little more frightening. "No one," he gritted, and stumbled, but managed to go on. "No one messes with Vladimir Thorn!" He was now shrieking. "Who are you? Who?" Vladimir shrieked at Destiny.

"The one and only Destiny Seagem." Destiny proudly boasted. "What's it to you?"

"What's it to me?" Vladimir was getting very angry. "What's it to me?" Then he quit screaming and smiled one of those grins when you know that person is just up to no good. "Well, then, Destiny, mark my words, you will pay!" He turned to the other two boys. "Chris, Jason, come." And with that, Vladimir gave a flick of a cloak and instantly vanished. Teleportation was the first thing that came to Destiny's mind.

"Where'd he go?" She asked the other two.

"No one, not even us," the pyromancer said. "Knows where he goes. I try teleporting to him from time to time, but I never can, because it's like something's blocking me and Chris from doing it.” So the pyromancer was Jason and the Chris was apparently the conjurer. Destiny noticed then he hadn't spoken a word.

"What's wrong with him?" She asked.

"Oh, he's just a little shy for a conjurer, that's all." Jason replied.

"This Vladimir guy talked to me like he was some lord." Destiny realized. "But I didn't even know he existed, let alone attempt to worship him."

"He's just one of those guys." Jason said. "A bully, really. Has been since his enrollment at Ravenwood. He wanted to be in the Death school, always has been since he took his first breath of life. Chris and I have been friends with him ever since I could remember. And if anyone messes with him, like you just did, he always swears to get revenge, and he always does. And you're lucky if the revenge is getting embarrassed in a classroom. For what you just did, pushed him in front of the whole of Ravenwood, that's got to be bad." Jason turned to Chris, who nodded at him.

"We need to go now. I'll just warn you, don't mess with Vladimir Thorn from now on." And with that, Jason teleported, fire insignias roaming the air. Chris just walked away into the shopping district.

"Awesome!" Called out a voice. Destiny recognized it as the blonde haired diviner. "Now not only we have embarrassment, but history to use against him in another blow! Time someone stood up to the guy once and for all."

"What's your name?" Destiny asked the diviner.

"Ryan," the boy said. "Ryan Stormcaster."

"Ryan," Destiny said. "You wouldn't want a repeat of the wedgie, would you?"

"Relax," Ryan said. "He's been taunting me quite a while now, so the wedgie isn't the worst he's done to me. That's because I've really been rebelling him lately."

"Are you a novice or an apprentice?" Destiny asked.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ryan said. "I'm an initiate."

"So you're ridiculing the apprentices and novices in turn, just like Vladimir?" asked a voice. It belonged to a girl slightly younger than him in blue clothing, with long brown hair, and blue eyes that brightened any day, no matter what happened.

"Esmee!" Destiny called out. She ran to Esmee, hugging her. Ryan saw that Esmee was at least a head taller.

"Ooookay, what's the relation here that I'm missing out on?" He asked.

"Esmee is my cousin." Destiny said. "Can't you see the resemblance?"

"Er... no." Ryan commented. "You don't look alike at all."

"Not in looks," Said Destiny. "But in, you know, personality."

"No, not really." Ryan said. "Anyway, I need to get to class, so I guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, sure, I guess." Destiny replied.

"Anyway, see ya." Said Ryan, and he walked away towards Ravenwood.

"Cool guy," Esmee said. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"What? No! No, we just, um, we just, err..." Destiny stammered.

"Destiny and Ryan, sitting in a tree," Sang Esmee, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

That was torture enough, Destiny thought. Maybe she'll stop now. But no. Esmee went on, "First comes love, then com-"

Before Esmee could get to the M word, Sophie ambushed Esmee and clamped her hand over her mouth so she'd stop singing. Finally after a minute, Sophie let go. "All right, all right, I'll surrender."

"Good," Sophie said.

"Yeah," Said Destiny. "Not cool! We only just met!"

"But you saved him from Vladimir's grip." Esmee remarked.

"True," Destiny said. "But he just said that he had been facing that kind of stuff forever and is attempting to backfire and has been for who knows how long."

"Anyway, I tried to find you because I wanted to show you something." Esmee said. "It's in the shopping district."

"Cool!" Destiny literally jumped at this. "Let's go!"

"Okay," Said Sophie. "It's almost time for my school to be revealed anyway, so I'll catch you guys later." And Sophie headed to Golem Court.

Esmee and Destiny reached the shopping district soon after. "What is it? What is it?" Destiny ran ahead of Esmee and exclaimed in her face, "What is it, what is it, just tell me what it is!"

Esmee grinned. "If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise!"

"So?" Destiny said. "If you tell me, I'll have been prepared for it and know what it is and stuff!"

"No, it'll ruin the whole fun of it!"

"Maybe for you!" Destiny continued. "It's just that, when have you known me to be a patient person?"

"Never," Esmee admitted.

"But like you said, the surprise will be fun for me!"

"Here, I'll strike a deal," Destiny offered. "If you tell me what it is right here, right now, I'll act surprised when I get it!"

"Um, Destiny," Said Esmee. "There isn't anyone on this except for me. So how is that a good deal?"

"It's a good deal because I'll know what it is, and I'll be surprised when you show me! It's a win-win."

"There isn't anyone on this except for me, so how can that be a good deal?"

"It'll be a good deal on my watch."

"And how is that good?"

"Apparently you don't care for anyone but yourself!"

"If I didn't care about anyone, would I be having this conversation with you?" They were on Elik's Edge now.

"No," Destiny admitted. "But you only care for yourself when it comes to surprises!"

Esmee ignored the comment and went inside a shop.

"Where are-" Destiny looked above her to see what store it was. It was the housing and furniture one, apparently.

"Okay, I think I know what it is!" Destiny burst when she went inside the shop.

"What?" "Fire flowers to plant in my yard!"

Esmee giggled. "Honestly Destiny, not even close."

"Well, what then?"

"You're about to find out, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess." Destiny straightened her hood. "Okay, at least tell me this; what's the surprise even for?"

"I thought you'd know that one," Esmee said. "It's a good-luck-on-your-first-day kind of thing."

"Okay, spill." Destiny said. "This is the time to do it, anyway."

"I suppose you're right." Esmee replied. "Here, this should give a pretty clear hint." She handed Destiny a brochure.

"A brochure?" Destiny said. "That's it?" She knew Esmee, and Esmee was not the kind of person to do something so little.

"No, silly!" Look inside." Destiny opened it up and peered. "A quite a bit of furniture?"

"Why would I be giving you all that furniture if you didn't have any space to put it in?"

"What do you mean?" But then she saw just where Esmee was getting at. "Oh! You're giving me all this space!"

"Exactly my point."

"But why would you be giving it all to me unless you were buying me a cottage or a royal playhouse?"

Esmee was trying hard not to laugh.

"Oh, that's precisely what. You were, trying to. Say."

"All along." Esmee said.

"Would you like a tour?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

The shopkeeper handed them a key.

"Oh so it's the key to the house?"

"Yeah. But we have to leave quick, okay?"

"Sure, whatever." Destiny replied.

They headed up Ravenwood, and Esmee was looking up at Bartleby, a great tree. "Good morning!" Esmee called up.

"Hello, Esmee Lionblood." The tree replied in his booming voice. Then he opened a part of him that revealed some stairs and lead to somewhere, apparently. Esmee headed up the stairs, seeming to go exactly where she was going, while Destiny didn't have a clue what she was doing. Must be part of the surprise, thought Destiny, so she joined Esmee.

The stairs led to a huge, magnificent, gleaming room. Little trees seemed to be sprouting, vines covering the bark walls, leaves falling everywhere in a room with a circular perimeter. In the center of it all was a door, edged by what seemed twigs, and a center light shining down on it. Although she had never been there before, Destiny knew at sight what it was.

"The wizard city spiral chamber!" She looked at Esmee. "But how did you know about this?"

Esmee looked straight ahead of her, a long silence fitting in with it. Finally she just replied, "I have my ways." She lead Destiny to the spiral door and fitted the key in, fumbling with the lock for a moment.

"No way," Destiny breathed. "You go by using the spiral?" She was astounded at the idea, as if it had never been thought of until she mentioned it.

"That's the whole idea!" Esmee winked. "Now do you want to see your future house or not?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Then be my guest and go through the door?"

"After you?"

"No."

"Cool.”

Esmee opened the door, and held her hand out, saying to Destiny to go through. She saw in the door an area with two massive buildings, and grass so green a life wizard couldn't be able to see any mistakes or any signs of withering. So it worked like a portal, Destiny thought. Interesting.

Destiny stepped to the other side, and Esmee quickly joined her.

"Okay, so what's even in this massive place, anyway?" Asked Destiny, her cape seeming to float in the wind.

"I'll show you. Destiny, Destiny?" She was nowhere to be found. Oh, where to begin looking for her? Esmee thought. Then she heard a shout coming from somewhere. "All right! You can go under a bridge! Nice touch!"

Ah, the lake and stream.

Esmee followed a trail of sand to a nice, shallow area of water to wade in. "You gotta try this, Esmee!" Shouted Destiny. That proved she was there, all right.

"Come on, Destiny." Said Esmee. Her back was turned to Destiny. "We don't have a lot of time, so we need to get through the res-" Esmee was cut off by a cold, wet feel douching her entire backside, head to toe. Seemed like Destiny splashed her.

She was already drying off, though. While she was meditating, the water on her either evaporated or dripped back to the source.

"Ah, haha, ah haha!" Destiny laughed. She was bent over, pointing at Esmee. She then saw Esmee meditating.

"Oh no you didn't!" Destiny shouted, and flicked her cape to the side and pushed it, sending even more water to Esmee, not only interrupting her meditating but wetting her once again.

This time, Esmee didn't even bother drying off. She was smiling. "I guess that's how you want to play it!" Then a water wave of massive size sprouted behind Esmee, and in turn Esmee jumped on top, and the wave lurched forward at Destiny, who scurried quickly under the bridge.

"I thought you were an ice wizard, not a water wizard!" Destiny shouted.

"Ice is just a solid form of water, so it doesn't matter!" Esmee shouted back. She then jumped, did a backflip, landed on her feet in the lake, and lurched both of her arms forward, sending the wave towards Destiny, splashing her hugely, and was now covered head to toe in freshwater.

"Okay, okay, let's see the rest of the royal playhouse, how about that?" Destiny offered, bringing her hood up, because the water had put a lot of weight on it, forcing the hood to sag in front of Destiny's face, covering it.

"Not so fast!" Said Esmee. "You did two splashes, so I need another turn." But this splash wasn't nearly as massive as the previous one. The second splash barely sprinkled on a finger.

"I can't wait until I'm a pyromancer," Moaned Destiny as they were climbing up the sandy hill that had led to the water fight. "Then I can heat myself up to make it so I'm not wet anymore and all dry and clean instead."

Esmee had already dried off from the splashes. "Here, I'll dry you off," Esmee offered. "Don't think I can dry myself but not others."

"You don't know how good that would be." Destiny muttered. Esmee placed a hand on Destiny's left shoulder, and closed her eyes. In less than a minute, Destiny was as dry as she had been wet, once again either evaporating the water or sending it in a water made stream back to its source. , perking Destiny back to her old self. "So what shall we explore next?" Destiny asked.

In reply, Esmee sat down in a field of magnificent grass, the same patch Destiny had been admiring when she had been staring into the portal view of the castle. "How about looking at the grass?" Asked Esmee. "We need to take some moments out of our lives to appreciate nature."

"You sound like a theurgist." Destiny pointed out.

"You don't have to be a theurgist to see the beauty in the earth." Said Esmee. "You can be a necromancer and see the life in nature."

"It is breathtaking." Agreed Destiny. "But what about in the winter, when the snow is shrouding the grass and the field?"

"Even when the snow has fallen," Esmee told Destiny. "You just know the grass is in there somewhere, deep within. You can still feel the little life even underneath the mass of snow. It may not be visible, but it's still there, living for what seems eternity. The beauty of it can never die." There was a stunned silence for a moment.

"I guess you're right." Said Destiny. "But where should we go next?"

"How about a theater?"

"Really?" Brightened Destiny. "Are you serious? A theater? How great is this place?"

"I don't know, you tell me."

Esmee lead Destiny to a place big in both width and height, and a checkered floor. There were two places above the ground that ensured you with a good view of the play or whatever was going on. There were seats and steps that lead to the stage, which had a scene, a wooden floor, red velvet curtains, and blue curtains with stars behind the sides of the stage, leading to backstage. Destiny ran straight to the stage, and climbed on it.

"Isn't this cool or what?" She asked Esmee, who was climbing the stairs to the stage. "I can see it now," Destiny continued. "When I finish my fire studies and become Destiny Seagem the Great, and become the most beloved pyromancer of all time, this whole place will be the most visited place in the spiral, set like a museum, to see just what it was like in the day to day life of me, and one of the main events is showing the story of my life on this stage! And the play will be called, The Tales and Mishaps of Destiny Seagem the Great!" Destiny turned to Esmee. "I know it's a long title, but I'm working on it."

"Well, Destiny, the thing is, I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? This is my future and you know it. I shall go down all the way back in history!" Destiny jumped at the fact.

"You may not be a pyromancer. You may get placed in a different school. You may get placed in death, for all I know." Destiny flinched at the thought of becoming a necromancer. "Who are you to judge?" Destiny asked. "I was born to be the greatest student of fire of all time."

"Destiny, you don't know for sure!" Esmee responded in a cruel tone. Then she felt pained and said again in a softer tone that sounded more like her, more cheerful. "But you'll find out today, won't you?" She placed a hand on Destiny's shoulders, giving her a reassuring look. Destiny nodded in turn.

"Speaking of that," Esmee said. "We need to hurry through this so we don't miss when Mr. Lincoln calls you down so you know you're school." Destiny agreed.

"There's only one more part of the tour," Esmee said. "We haven't even seen the actual house and space you'll be roaming around in." But all Esmee was talking to was surrounding air and landscape. Esmee ran over to the entryway to the house, and sure enough, the door was flung wide open. When Esmee entered, Destiny was roaming a small space under stairs.

"Hey Esmee," She called out. "This is gonna be where my bed is in the future!" Destiny popped open her hands and arms when she said future, as if she was already roaming the streets and pavement of the distant tomorrow.

But she wasn't. She was trotting up the stairs already and called down.

"Oh, and that big space there downstairs will be my glorious library!" Again Destiny spread out her arms as if she were to soar the air, and then went up the stairs. Destiny had lead herself into a room with another wooden floor then the usual red and white checkered pattern. She waited till Esmee caught up to her and then said, "This is where my crafting station will be!" Destiny then dashed to a wide space of the checkered floor pattern and quickly made up her mind that this is where she would place all of the artifacts she collected throughout her adventures in the spiral. You can't be going down in history for doing nothing, Destiny thought.

"This is where I'll place stuff I collect in the spiral!" Destiny quickly said, and then noticed the stairs leading somewhere else, probably of gleaming magnificence. So that's where Destiny headed next.

She climbed up the stairs, and loved the sight held before her in her eyes. A stained glass window like the one she had in her room held gleaming rays of light shining down on the floor, almost as magical as fire magic itself.

Esmee finally caught up with Destiny, out of breath, but Destiny could tell that she thought the interior of the tower was worth the climb. "Nice view, isn't it?" Esmee asked Destiny.

"Absolutely breathtaking!" Was the response.

"You know, I can't pay for this all at once." Esmee said.

"Where are you getting at?" Destiny asked.

"I don't have enough money to pay for this fully, so I reserved this for you and when I have all the money, I'll be able to pay for it and you'll be granted access." Esmee said.

"So what I'm hearing is that you haven't paid for this yet, so I can't use it until you've paid for it?"

"Sadly, yes." Esmee said. "And we need to go soon for your orientation."

"Yeah, I know." Destiny replied. She touched the stained glass window. "Not a better place for a study, don't you agree?" Destiny asked. "No, there isn't." Esmee said. "I think we need to go now."

"I guess you're right." Destiny said. So they together headed down the long winding spiral staircase back to the spiral door platform. Esmee used the key on the door, opened it up, and the portal back to Elik's Edge opened back up. And looking back, Destiny stepped through. She was shocked at who she found after both her and Esmee stepped through. Sophie was standing there, panting.

"Destiny," she breathed. "Last I checked, Mr. Lincoln was on the last names beginning with P! Seagem isn't far behind!"

"Wait, what school did you get placed in?" Destiny asked.

"Turns out, Ice." Sophie said. "I'll tell you more later, there's no time to waist!" Destiny turned to Esmee, who just nodded and said, "Well, you better take her advice and run."

Destiny then scrambled out of the shop, leaving Sophie and Esmee behind.

Finally Destiny made it to Golem Court, where she could hear Mr. Lincoln going around saying, "Mr. Seafountain, you have been placed in the school of balance." Mr. Lincoln handed a boy a novice balance wand.

When the boy leaved Golem Court, Mr. Lincoln called out, "Miss Seagem, Miss Seagem!" Destiny pushed her way through a crowd of students. She might make it in time!

"Miss Seagem! Does anybody know where Miss Destiny Seagem is?"

"Right here sir, right here!" Destiny called out, and passed future novices, bumping into some, finally coming front and center. She could hear the whispers of the fact that she had stood up to this Vladimir Thorn guy. "I'm sorry Mr. Lincoln, I really am!" She said, hoping to make up for the fact that she had almost missed her school calling.

"Well, now that you're right here, right now, I guess the headmaster would like me to say that it's all right." Destiny straightened out her hood, robe, even boots. This was the moment she had been waiting for her whole life, the moment of truth. She then stood up, back straight, in a good posture.

"What school have I been placed in?" Exceitment was rushing through Destiny's brains. This is it! Destiny thought. When he reveals my school, the almighty, the all-powerful, wise school of fire, where I'll be able to become a pyromancer and be taken under Mistress Flamea's wing as a student, it will set the course of my future! Overall, this would set Destiny on her path, and change her life. Then she heard the words slip out of Mr. Lincoln's beak.

"Miss Seagem, you have been placed in the school of.... Death."

~

When Destiny Seagem heard the words slip out of Mr. Lincoln, she laughed. Hard.

"Good joke, Mr. Lincoln!" She stood straight. "Okay, spill. Admit that I'm destined to be the greatest pyromancer of all time, and you were kidding all along."

Mr. Lincoln used one of his feathered hands to cover his face in exaggeration. "Miss Seagem, I'm not joking or anything. It clearly stats on these papers that your test results have landed in the Death school."

"Well, maybe you misstallied." Destiny said. She could get this resolved within a matter of minutes.

"The Book of Secrets can't 'Misstally'" Mr. Lincoln said. "If it's even a word." Destiny heard him mutter under his breath.

"Well, there has to be some kind of mistake!" Destiny insisted. Then she yanked the papers out of his feathers, and studied them. Mr. Lincoln was right: the results clearly showed Death.

Mr. Lincoln was growing impatient. "Miss Seagem, if you would kindly move along, I have other wizards to attend to!" Mr. Lincoln was clearly getting annoyed by Destiny's presence.

"I'm going to report this to the headmaster!" Shouted Destiny. Before Mr. Lincoln could stop Destiny and punish her with a lecture on you can't just lurch to the headmaster like that without permission, well, she did, carrying the papers for her school with her.

"Headmaster, headmaster!" Shouted Destiny when she barged in the house, where a red haired and mustached man was leaning against his wife, looking down at something, until Destiny rudely interrupted.

"Destiny?" Asked the headmaster. "What are you doing?"

Destiny didn't know why he was too mad, until he saw Headmaster Ambrose's wife, Amber (A pyromancer too), holding a small bundle of blankets like a priceless artifact.

"What can be so important that," The headmaster continued. "You have to interrupt when my wife gets home from the hospital along with our baby boy?"

"Well, I knew you were going to have a baby soon," Destiny said. "But now?" She backed off a few steps. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."

"Well, you can't take back a break-in," Reasoned the headmaster. "What's your dialemma now?"

Destiny explained how she needed to become a pyromancer, but had been placed in the wrong school. "Please, headmaster, I'll give anything, anything at all, to become a pyromancer!" Destiny pleaded. "Do you want gold, community service, better behavior?" She was getting on her hands and knees now. "Just switch my school!"

"Destiny, no matter what you offer, the school you're placed in is the school you're placed in." Replied Headmaster Ambrose. Amber was still cuddling her baby. "But, along with your primary school, which is for you, Death, you also choose an elective course." He advised.

"So, this means I can still attend the school of fire?" Destiny asked. This, by chance, could be a little glimmer of hope for her future as a pyromancer!

"You'll be a necromancer, but you'll be able to attend fire school and become a pyromancer, too. So the fact you have been placed in the Death school just opens up another opprutunity." Headmaster Ambrose said.

"Here, I think I might know something that would cheer you up from your plight." Amber spoke for the first time. If voices were edible, hers would be sweet flavored, like honey. "You'll be the first in the public to see him."

Destiny took her offer and walked up to the little boy. In the mass of blankets, he was fidgeting, balling up his little hands, and strands of blonde hair on his head, eyes as blue as the sky completing the mix.

"Awe, he's so cute!" Destiny complemented. "What's his name?"

"I was thinking on the name Merle." Said Amber.

"Merle?" Destiny said. "Isn't that kind of old fashioned?"

"Well, me and my husband think it's a good name." Amber said. "Oh well, if it's Merle you want," Destiny said. "It's what I want."

"Why don't you go see the teacher of Death, Professer Lucyia Drake, for your clothes and book?" Headmaster Ambrose suggested.

"Sure, I might as well get the fact I'm in a different school over with." Destiny said. Destiny went out of the headmaster's house and headed off to Ravenwood. She looked up at Bartleby and remembered when her cousin, Esmee Lionblood, had said hi to him.

Oh Esmee, Destiny thought. How would she be able to explain the fact she was Death to Esmee, to Sophie, to her family. It seemed impossible that they would accept it. And what about Ryan? What would he think?

Ryan Stormcaster was an initiate diviner who had been rebelling against a bully in Ravenwood, Vladimir Thorn, a necromancer that- A necromancer. Jason's words rung in her ears. "And if anyone messes with him, like you just did, he always swears to get revenge, and he always does. And you're lucky if the revenge is getting embarrassed in a classroom. For what you just did, pushed him in front of the whole of Ravenwood, that's got to be bad." Now that Destiny was a necromancer, it would be a whole lot easier for Vladimir Thorn to get back at her. For what she did, it seemed like it was going to be bad, incredibly bad. Vladimir was a necromancer, a magus at the least. And when Destiny saw that he had been giving Ryan a wedgie in front of Ravenwood, Destiny had spoke up in his and pushed him in front of a huge crowd. He had screamed at her, shrieked at her in turn, and teleported somewhere not even his two friends, Jason Stormflame and Chris Soulhunter, could possibly name. Jason had warned her after Vladimir had teleported away that he wasn't a guy to be messed with. Chris had said nothing, and didn't seem like the talkative type. Destiny didn't know much about Vladimir. She hadn't even heard of him until she met him. But as little as she knew, she had picked up a hint from a conversation from Ryan after the incident. That little shove had been the spark of a possible rebellion everyone had been waiting for, and the flames had a chance of spreading. The message had been clear:

Vladimir now wanted revenge more then ever before.

When Destiny found the Death school residing in between the Myth and Fire schools, she was a bit nervous. Necromancers were rude and offensive, forcing you to quake with fear, and their personality was one of the reasons Destiny was so afraid of the school. And now she had been placed on it. She would stand out like a unicorn in a flock of dragons, because, basically, that's what she was. She wondered what the professor would be like as she hesitantly entered the death school.

Destiny saw the professer for the first time. Lucyia Drake had a rectangular face shape, long black hair behind her head, and other two thirds on each of her shoulders, wearing black robes embedded with intricate designs of dragons and death insignias and a red trim. Bangs were covering her right half of her face, also serving as a shroud to her almond colored and shaped right eye. She was consulting with a male death student who looked strangely familier with black hair and pale skin.

"Worthy to become a master, huh?" Professor Drake asked while the student nodded. "If you are indeed worthy, you will have to master every single death spell you have learned so far completely, win at least fifty duels against other necromancers and cast ten perfect wraith spells before you get too far ahead."

"I knew you would say something like that," Flashed the other student. "That's why I planned ahead of time. I have already mastered every death spell I have learned so far and I get perfect results every time. I can preform now or later, whichever you'd prefer."

Wow, the death student is sure to charm the professor, thought Destiny. But she still knew the voice from somewhere.

"How about the duels?" Destiny knew the student was sure flashing a smile at the professor, as if it were a necromancy charm itself.

"Unlike other necromancers, dueling isn't homework or a burden you give in my opinion," Said the necromancer. "I see it as a pastime, a hobby, a profound and interesting way of spell-to-spell combat and express competition. In the past month, I have won a thirty-four duel streak and I have the tickets to prove it." He got thirty-four arena tickets out of a pouch to prove his point, and handed them to the professor.

"You're doing alright, for a magus." The professor tried not to show any signs of impression. "But the question still remains, will you be able to cast wraith?"

"Don't worry, professor, it shall be done, you'll see." Said the necromancer.

"I expect it so." Said Lucyia. "Now cast wraith ten times and win those sixteen more duels." The student simply nodded his head and turned away. Then Destiny realized where that face had been from.

Before Vladimir could see her (Hopefully), Destiny ran to the nearest desk and slipped under it, crouching as Vladimir exited the death school. If he had seen her, he didn't show any sign of it, except for a mutter, "That's it, that's it."

A long silence passed before the death teacher barked, "I know you're here, don't think I'm dumb!" Hesistantly Destiny emerged from under the desk to face the death professor.

"Destiny Seagem, eh?" She asked. "You're the only novice I haven't seen today."

"Yeah, that's me," Destiny said, unsure of what to say or do.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Cried Professor Drake. "Stop staring at me and get over here!"

Destiny climbed the steps to greet the harsh professor. She spotted a pile of novice clothes and a brown book with an onyx at the center. Destiny guessed those were meant to be for her, and picked them up.

"I've noticed you don't have a wand." Said the professor. That was the nicest thing she's said to me so far, Destiny thought.

"A wand?" Destiny stammered in the sentence. "I never recived one, ma'am."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Snorted Professor Drake. "Mr. Lincoln hands you one after he tells you your school." That's when Destiny remembered that the student before her had gotten a wand after Mr. Lincoln announced he had been placed in balance. Destiny had been so caught up in trying to convince him that she was meant to be a pyromancer, that she never gave him the chance to recive her wand.

Before the professor could say anything, Destiny dashed off with the clothes and book and rushed to Golem Court. Perhaps the wands and Mr. Lincoln are still there, Destiny thought, although it was unlikely. But good luck had overcome this time, because, sure enough, he was still registering a few more kids.

"Mr. Lincoln, Mr. Lincoln!" Destiny called out. Never had she been happy to see his feathery face. Mr. Lincoln turned around to face her. "Oh, what is it this time?" He asked. "Come to give me a little begging to convince the headmaster to place you in fire?"

"No, I already did that." Destiny said as if it were no big deal. "I just came here for my wand."

"I did notice that you never picked it up," Said Mr. Lincoln. As he was talking, Destiny noticed seven separate stacks of wands, each containing novice wands from each school. A plan began to formulate in Destiny's mind as she was approaching closer and closer to them.

"You can have it on one condition," Said the big white bird.

"And what that might be?" Asked Destiny as she inched over to him. "That you return the papers regarding your school to me."

"And why would you need them? The headmaster has it."

"How about I go get them, then? Then after you can have your wand." Said Mr. Lincoln. Destiny was right under his beak now, which was making him both suspisious and nausious.

"It's like you said earlier today," Destiny countered. "You have other students to attend to!"

In a flash, Destiny dived under Mr. Lincoln's beak, aiming for the wands. Mr. Lincoln was rubbing his beak, which seemed to have a little bruise.

"What are you, hey, where are you going?" He yelled. As Mr. Lincoln was talking, Destiny didn't miss her chance to get up and retrive a novice fire wand, and run to the exit of Golem Court. Mr. Lincoln started to go after her, but Destiny simply shouted, "Nope, you have other students to attend to!" And with that, she rushed out of Golem Court, headed to Ravenwood.

The plan had been simple; retrive the novice fire wand, and show it to her as hope to convince Mistress Flamea that she had been placed in fire and would be able to avoid death school and Vladimir.

She barged in the fire school, seeing Mistress Flamea and her long red hair reaching all the way down to her back. Destiny gave a bow, gripping the fire wand tightly. She couldn't mess this up, her future depended on it. Fire being a secondary school wasn't enough.

"Mistress Flamea, I am a new novice and ready to learn the act of fire!" She exclaimed in a loud, cheerful voice.

"Really?" Asked the professor. "I don't recall you being in my list of new novices."

"Sure, I was placed in death," Said Destiny. "But I politely consulted the headmaster and agreed to place me here instead."

"The headmaster can't do such an act," Recalled the professor. "What's the story behind the wand?"

"I just told you," Flashed Destiny. She hoped she would make as good as an impression as Vladimir had with Professor Drake. "I politely consulted the headmaster and he agreed to change my school, and gave me the wand as proof."

"I mean it, Destiny, what's the story?"

"But it's only true!"

"No, it's not! Don't you dare lie to me, Destiny Seagem! No one has ever switched schools!"

Destiny sighed. There was no way out of this. "I ambushed Mr. Lincoln," Destiny said. "Because he wouldn't give me the death wand."

"I know how that feels," Commented Professor Flamea. "I wanted to get placed in the Life school when I was your age. But the book placed me in Fire, and it turns out, Fire was my calling all along. It was just the better path."

"But being self-absorvant, ignorant, and aggressive isn't my calling!"

"I don't know, Destiny." Mistress Flamea said. "You just did show a trait of a necromancer." "Don't be ridiculous!" Said Destiny. "How was I just now like a necromancer?"

"You just displayed the cunning of one," Said Mistress Flamea. "By attempting to steal a fire wand to get yourself in fire is cunning."

Destiny hadn't even thought of that. She had acted like a necromancer all day, come to think of it. She recalled the events that had gone over the day. Boasting she'd be in Fire. Pushing Vladimir. Trying to get the surprise out of Esmee by making offers that would only be benificial to her. Attempting to switch schools. Breaking in the headmaster's house. Ambushing Mr. Lincoln for the fire wand. And just now, lying about it and risking expellation.

"I do have a few novice death wands I've kept in storage." She went to her office and pulled out a death wand from her desk drawers. "I'll give it to you if you'll give me the fire wand," Mistress Flamea said. "Don't bother trying to keep it, it'll know you're a necromancer and won't allow you to cast fire spells properly."

Destiny handed over the fire wand, and as promised, she gave her the death wand. "Don't forget, you can take fire as an elective," Mistress Flamea said.

"I guess there's no other way," Destiny said.

"Speaking of fire classes," Said Mistress Flamea. "I need you to borrow a book from the library. It's called Tales of the Spiral, and it should have a story about fire. You'll need to understand it to become a true pyromancer, elective or not."

"Okay," Destiny said. "I'll go do it now." And she went out of the fire school. First I better change out of these clothes, Destiny thought and headed to her house to change.

"Why are you wearing clothes of a necromancer?" Asked Destiny's mom, Cassandra Rubytail, who was a conjurer.

"Don't ask," Muttered Destiny. "I need to go to the library." Now that her fire robes were off, Destiny's black hair was put up in a ponytail, and it went along well with her green eyes.

Destiny scrolled along the title of the various books in the library, until she finally found the book Mistress Flamea had asked her to borrow, Tales of the Spiral, and then accidently bumped into someone. She had light blue hair and brown skin, wearing purple and yellow robes, and a blue hat that curved at the top and went down in the middle. She was holding a staff with a five pointed star at the top. Another diviner. There was someone with her, a boy wearing blue and white robes holding a blue wand. A thatuamerge.

"Oh, sorry," She said. "I was just looking for a book."

"What is it?" Asked Destiny. "Storm Spells for the Journeyman," Said the girl.

"Diviner, huh?" Destiny said. "You remind me of another diviner I know."

"Who?" Asked the girl. "His name's Ryan Stormcaster."

"He's my brother!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"What's your name?"

"Natalie Goldenflame,"

"Who's that guy over there?"

The boy spoke up. "Chris Mythflame," He said. Destiny laughed. Natalie and Chris stared. "You're a thatuamerge, and you know, myth." "Never mind that, do you know where the book is?" "Oh, I think I did see it earlier, up there," Said Destiny.

"Thanks," Natalie said, and went to retrieve it. Chris was staring at her, and Destiny knew what he would ask. "Don't ask," She said, but turned out to be usless because Chris already said, "Necromancer, huh?" She nodded. "Didn't want too,"

Natalie got the book. "Got it!" She turned to Destiny. "We need to leave now, okay?"

"Sure," Destiny said. "Tell Ryan I said hi."

Natalie nodded one last time before she and Chris left, and shortly Destiny did too.

Destiny flopped on her bed and got to work on the book, but instead of going to the tale Mistress Flamea instructed her to go to, one tale caught her attention, "The First Wizards" it said. Destiny began reading.

After the war between the giants, dragons and titans, the first Wizards were born.

In a third of a spiral, a tornado was erupting. Then the hot and cold winds parted and returned to its source.

The blizzard the cold air was coming from then gave its creation: a short, blue haired girl who was creative and funny. The blizzard called her Ice, and Ice picked up a rod with a snowflake on top. This was the first Ice wand.

The hot air returned to the flames, which was put out. And from the ashes come another redheaded girl who was intelligent and powerful. The flames called her Fire. A firecat came to Fire, and delivered her what was the first Fire wand.

In another third of the spiral, a mighty storm was brewing, lightning flashing and wind traveling at a fast speed.

The wind was the winds of creativity, and out of the air came a blonde boy who was creative and sometimes dwelled in his own world. The wind called him Myth, and in Myth's hand came the first myth wand.

Out of the lightning came a strong and powerful and purple haired boy, and the lightning called him Storm, and made him a staff of lightning.

In the last third of the spiral, was a field, one half bare, the other thriving.

In the thriving part, out of the grass came a brown-haired girl who was compassionate and caring. The land called her Life. And out of the ground rose a stick, which was the first life wand.

On the other side arose a boy who was aggressive and would do anything for his needs. The field called him Death, and gave him a staff that arose out of the ground.

Eventually these wizards all met, and then all fought for complete control of the magic, even Life. Then out of a large bang came out a boy with auburn hair who sought nothing but peace.

"Who are you?" Questioned Myth.

"I am Balance," The boy said. "The spiral has sent me to maintain order and stop the fight."

The other wizards were angry at this, but Balance managed to sooth them, but it was too late. Out of their anger and hate and quest for power had risen up a huge monster of molten lava who sought nothing but control of the spiral.

Combining all of their strength into one huge blast, they defeated the monster, and later founded Ravenwood.

What they didn't know was in place of the monster, instead of remains of molten rock and lava, was a boy. And now they fight with him, to hopefully maintain order and peace in the spiral.

Good story, Destiny thought when she closed the book.
3 Months Later

Eventually Destiny became in initiate, having experience in death and fire, and one day, Jason came up to her.

"Vladimir challenges you to a duel," He said. "Three on three. He say's you're the fiftieth he needs to become a master."

Destiny gulped at this. Even though she was an initiate, how was she supposed to beat someone to soon become a master? There was only one person she could explain this to.

"At least it's three on three," Said Ryan.

"Yeah, but he'll have Jason and Chris on his side!" Destiny said. "How will I be able to beat him?"

Natalie then spoke up. "You need to choose two others," She said. "Take me and Chris with you, we can fight effectivly."

"Thanks," Destiny said. You're the fiftieth he needs, Jason had said. Vladimir was going to battle her as the final one.

Over the next few weeks, Ryan, Natalie and Chris trained her for the duel, and when the time came, Natalie, Chris, and Destiny headed out into the arena. Almost everyone in Ravenwood showed up, and as predicted, in front of the trio stood Vladimir, Jason and Chris.

Vladimir started off the fight by casting a vampire, and Destiny defended herself by casting banshee. The two Chris's were fighting, and Natalie was taking on Jason, who casted a Meteor Strike. Both sides kept casting spell after spell, trying to bring the other team down, but the opposing team, Destiny's or not, managed to counter. The battle was getting intense after Natalie cast Kraken, but Jason defended himself with a simple Sunbird. Chris had cast an evil snowman, hurting the other Chris, who managed to surprise everyone by casting Unicorn. "Oh yeah, did I mention Chris is a secondary school is life?" Vladimir said as he casted a Vampire.

No! Destiny thought. That was the ultimate stratagy, Chris would just be able to use Unicorn and heal everyone when they needed it.

I guess its time for a change of plans! Destiny thought.

Destiny cast a Banshee, but this time aimed it at Chris, who at the same time, the other Chris had casted ice wyvern at him, and seeing where the others were getting at, Natalie cast another Kraken at Chris.

They had defeated Chris.

"Bring it on now!" Challenged Destiny to Vladimir.

Vladimir grinned. "Believe me, I will." Then he cast a Skeletal Pirate, and Destiny attacked Jason with a Meteor Strike treasure card. Jason was out.

Vladimir could barely contain it. "Nooooooooooo!" He shrieked, and with that, Krakens, ghouls, and fire elves all rose out of the ground, and began attacking everyone in the arena, even the spectators. "Now everyone shall feel the wrath of Vladimir Thorn!" Screams were rung through the arena, and soon almost the whole ring had been evacuated except for those dueling. They were going to lose. Then a ray of blue light came out from the walls, and so did another red ray. Then across the room, a purple and yellow. And horizontally from the right, a green ray, and the other direction a black one. The rays then were all forming together as one blast, brown, and it was aimed directly at Vladimir, who then, before the blast could hit him, fled and teleported. The blast then hit the wall of the arena, then the building was crumpling to the ground, bricks smashing to bits.

And in the middle of it all, Destiny fainted.

Destiny awoke in a bed with white sheets. The hospital. And standing before her were four visitors, Ryan, Natalie, and surprisingly, Jason and Chris.

"What're you doing here?" Destiny asked Jason and Chris.

"I think you've shown enough potential that you can join us in the fight against him." Ryan said.

"Against who?" Destiny asked.

"I think you know," Natalie said.

"Against Vladimir?" Destiny shook her head. "I already was."

"Maybe, but not for the reason you think." Destiny heard Chris speak up for the first time ever.

"Well, finally the bird comes out of the nest." Muttered Destiny.

"Have you read the tale, the First Wizards?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"The story's true," Ryan said. "The boy at the end, Vladimir is his descendant."

"What?"

"It's true," Said Natalie. "Ryan and I, we're the descendants of Storm."

"And I'm the descendant of fire, and Chris is the descendant of Myth." "So, that means what?"

"We're all united, trying to fight against him. We haven't found the descendants of ice, life, death or balance. We need all on our side if we hope to fight Vladimir."

"He's looking for them too?"

"Yes, to convert as many on his side as possible." Said Natalie. "The more he converts, the more he has a chance of ruling the spiral."

"Would you like to join the fight?" Ryan offered.

"We'll be leaving to Krokotopia shortly, so take it or leave it."

"What'll I tell my family?"

"Say you got an offer to go to Dragonspyre Academy," Jason said. "They'll believe it."

Destiny pondered this for a moment, and then replied, "Fine, I'll go."

"Then off to Krokotopia it is!" Said Natalie.

And so began the fight against Vladimir Thorn.

~

“You ready?”

Destiny wasn’t too sure about how she should answer to Ryan’s question. They were all now at the spiral door, all heading off to Krokotopia in a quest to defeat a teenage necromancer called Vladimir Thorn. One minute, she had been a normal initiate necromancer thriving in her studies, the next she was heading off to a quest that was of utter importance to the spiral.

She recalled the last time she had been in the spiral chamber. At the time her cousin Esmee had been showing her a surprise for her orientation, when she had been positive she would be placed in fire. But, she had been marked as a necromancer, throwing away her big plans for the future. When she heard this, Destiny had done everything she could to revolt. That hadn’t been too long ago, and yet a lot had changed, including the fact she and Sophia were fighting more than ever. Destiny gave a shudder when Sophia had found out she had been placed in the school of Death.

“How did orientation go, my favorite pyromancer?” Sophia had asked.

Destiny fumbled with her fingers as she stuttered. “Well, um, th-the thing is, kinda, well, um,” She had been scratching the back of her hood, her fire robes had been on at the time. “It sorta has to b-be my secondary school.”

Sophia’s expression looked stunned, but her eyes seemed to glimmer. “Really? Did you happen to be placed in, well, I don’t know, the opposite school?”

“No Sophie, I didn’t get placed in Ice.” Apparently Sophia had been hoping they would get put in the same classes. “Well, what school WERE you placed in?”

At the time Destiny couldn’t bring herself to say she was in death. All their lives they had been raised and told not to get too close to necromancer, in fear of being backstabbed. They were taught they were not only backstabbers, but a bad influence, aggressive, cunning, elusive, creatures that had arose from the remains of darkness and doom, cursed to eternally reap themselves and everything around them. And now she was forced to admit she was one of them. Did this mean she would be one of them? Had her fate just been dumped like that? Was her future not a pillar of light, but a tomb of eternal darkness?

Don’t fret, soothed a voice inside her. Change is completely normal.

But why? Argued another. Why this and now, and why does it forcefully cripple me?

Destiny shuffled her feet and nodded over to the death plaque as a part of the circle dug into the gravel.

Sophia gasped. “You don’t mean-“

“I’m afraid so.”

“But how can you be in death? You were so sure?”

“Look, it’s going to be all right. We’re still friends here, and fire will be my second school. We still might have a class together.”

“Like that’ll happen! Fire is the opposite of Ice, and if I take Fire as my secondary school when my primary is Ice, everyone will think I’m a doofus.”

“It doesn’t matter what they think.”

“Then how come you were so nervous about what I thought?”

“I didn’t want to lose you!”

“You can’t lose a friend because of a stupid school!”

Sophia seemed to calm down after that.”How about we go see the teachers in Ravenwood?” She asked. “I still haven’t seen my secondary teacher.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Agreed Destiny. “Where to?”

“Professor Wu.”

“You chose LIFE?” Destiny burst. “That’s the opposite of my school!”

“It’s not too bad-“

“Are you kidding? Those fools are weak! So weak, in fact, they have to rely on spells that heal themselves and never really do much damage! Why? Because they’re sissies!”

Sophia stood in shock to Destiny’s outburst. There was a long silence when Sophia muttered, “I guess you really are a necromancer, Destiny.” She headed toward the Life school.

“I didn’t want to be a necromancer!” Destiny shouted at her. “I didn’t have a choice!”

Before heading into the Life school, Sophia replied, “You do have a choice, Destiny.” Then she disappeared into the Life school.

Destiny turned away from her when she spotted a familier figure standing alone in the snow behind Kelvin, the ice tree.

Esmee had witnessed everything. She then turned and ran behind the Ice school. Destiny was now feeling more alone then ever. Most necromancer’s wouldn’t mind, but she was different.

What was she turning into?

“Uh, Destiny? Hello?”

Destiny snapped back into reality. Chris was sitting next to the door, his back leaning against one of the sides. Jason was holding a key that had the letters KT on it. Natalie and Ryan were standing next to her.

Should I bring Sophia along? Destiny thought. She would be more comfortable with her alongside her. But mo. She couldn’t bring herself to place her in such a predicament.

“I’m ready.” Destiny said.

In turn, Jason fitted the key into the lock and flung the door, revealing a barren landscape of sand and pyramids and deserts. The sky was a deep black.

“Wow, this sure is the Balance schools’ home turf,” Remarked Destiny as they all stepped through. Natalie shut the door behind them. “No wonder the Balance school’s here.”

“Did you know he was left handed?” Ryan asked.

“Really?” Destiny asked.

“Not only was Balance peaceful, but he was inventive as well,” Jason said. “When Fire predicted Valkoor thorn, the boy who arose from the remains of the monster, would return, for unknown reasons when the other offered to build a school for Balance magic on the Ravenwood grounds, he simply found Krokotopia, then fled the offer with his tail in between his legs and built a school for Balance underground where only balance students know the location.”

“You believe he was hiding something?” Destiny asked.

“Yeah, we believe tha-“ Ryan was cut off by an orange mander holding a lantern.

“Past cerfew, kids,” Said the mander. “You need to get into your tents and stay in there until morning.”

“Oh, shoot!” Natalie slapped her hand against her face. “We completely forgot about tents!”

“Well I guess I’ll have to send you back to Wizard City.” The mander replied.

“No!” Ryan shouted and ran up to the mander. “Please, this is an urgent-“

“Sorry kids,” The mander said. “But you’re all going to have to go home back to your-“

“Wait!” Called an unrecognizable voice. A girl emerged out of one of the tents pitched next to the Krokotopian Library. She wore red and white clothes and had black hair tied up in a ponytail like Destiny. “I’ll take them in.”

The mander didn’t protest. He just shrugged and walked away.

“Come in,” The girl invited, holding a flap of the tent to form an entryway.

“Wait, Jason said, holding everyone back from the tent. “Who are you, and why are you doing this?”

“I am Neela Waterpetal, an adept pyromancer.” She replied. “As for your second question, I have to stay in Krokotopia for a while, although I want to travel to various locations throughout the spiral. So, to amuse myself, I take people in when they need it, like a tavern.”

Hesistantly, Jason entered the tent that had three benches out lining the sides. Jason immediately knocked out on a bench in the north. The other two were taken quickly by both of the diviners, Ryan on the left, Natalie on the right.



Neela got three blankets out of a bag. She placed a red one on Jason, handed a purple one to Ryan and another blue one to Natalie.

“Storm’s my school, but this will work.” Natalie said.

Neither Chris or Destiny had a place to sleep. Neela grabbed two more blankets- one yellow, one green – and gave them to Chris. As he was setting up, he tried not to show it, but for the first time Destiny could see a tiny smile, and noted he was glancing back and forth from his pack to Neela.

Neela got out a red sleeping bag after Chris settled in. She padded it out on the sand, and pulled out the ribbon that held her ponytail in place. She spotted Destiny. “Oh!” Neela cried out in shock. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you were there.” She looked around. “Here, you can share my sleeping bag, its big enough for the two of us.” Neela got in and scooted to the left.

Following Neela’s example, Destiny took off her hat and undid her ponytail. She squeezed inot the sleeping bag next to Neela.

Neela took out two more blankets and folded them into fours. She handed a black one to Destiny. She was opening her mouth when Destiny interrupted. “Yes, I’m a necromancer. Don’t ask.”

“Hey, I was only going to state that you don’t talk much, like the conjurer over there.” Neela placed a tan folded blanket under her head. So they served as pillows.

“Oh, you mean Chris over there?” Destiny placed the makeshift pillow under her head. “The pyromancer over there snoring his heart out is Jason, the boy diviner over there is Ryan, and the girl diviner over there is Natalie, his sister.” Destiny held out her hand to Neela. “I’m Destiny.”

“Nice to meet you,” Neela took Destiny’s hand. “So what are you all doing?”

“Not sure, really,” Destiny replied. “I think we’re supposed to find something here.”

Neela yawned. “Anyways, save it for tomorrow, I’m really tired.” Neela blew out the fire in the lantern.

“Neela, can I ask you something?” Destiny asked.

“Didn’t really give me a choice there, did you?”

Destiny laughed. “Good one! Anyways, I was wondering, as an adept, do you know Meteor Strike by any chance?”

Though it was pitch black, Destiny could see the smile on Neela’s face. “Of course I do.”

“Can you teach it to me?”

“When you’re an adept, yes.”

Destiny shuffled to her side, feeling the best she had felt after starting the mission.



Destiny awoke not to be in the tent, but in an icy glade where snow was covering the field and land, and a frozen lake behind her, and snow was slowly drifting from the sky to the ground. It was a wonderland of ice.

Ice.

Suddenly a huge lion dashed out of the trees, running on its paws. A girl was riding it, a girl who she hadn’t seen before but yet was very familier.

It was Ice, the first to use Ice magic.

Then the lion pricked one of its forepaws on a thorn, and roared in pain, and Ice was trying to calm him down.

The blood that had gushed out of the paw was now flowing like a stream, ruining the beauty of the glade, spelling out in letters-

Destiny awoke, and immediately sat up straight, noticing Neela had already woke up.

But that didn’t matter. The dream, it mystified her, it even scared her a little. But it had really confused her. She couldn’t remember what word the blood spelled out, or what its purpose was. But one thing was clear:

Ice had been trying to tell her something.

Destiny got dressed and redid her hair before coming outside. Unlike the night before, the air was fresh and renewed, as if they had already defeated Vladimir.

Neela was sitting in front of a fire she had assembled, and was cooking some meat. She turned around and noticed Destiny. “Good morning,”

“Hey Neela,” Destiny greeted. “What’re you cooking?”

“Fish,” Neela said. “Want some?”

“No,” Destiny remembered the last time fish had been served. She had refused to eat it, so her family punished her by not allowing her to leave the table until it was cleared. She had been sitting there for three hours before eating one bite. She had thought it was disgusting that they would take the time to go out and fish when they could just buy a perfectly good can of tuna right from a store. It wasn’t fair to just take the ocean’s belongings.

“Take an apple, then.” Neela threw an apple at Destiny. It landed in the sand. She picked it up and brushed off the sand.

“Why is there a cerfew, Neela?” Destiny asked.

“Lately, a band of criminals have been stealing goods from Krokotopia,” Neela explained. “They call themselves the Death Bandits, consisting of three necromancers, two boys and a girl. They wear black clothes with a red trim. The girl does anyway, and the boys have a white trim.”

Destiny was almost positive that the gang belonged to Vladimir. But the real question was,

Who were the other two?

“Hey, do you think you can wake everybody else up?”

Neela’s request snapped Destiny back to reality. “Yeah, I can do that.”

Destiny went inside the tent and shook everybody up. She let everybody go out for breakfast except Jason.

“Jason, before Ryan was cut off by that mander, he said we were looking for something. What is it that Balance hid?”

“Balance intented the one of the greatest treasures of all: the Krokodial.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s like a compass, only a lot better,” Jason said. “Balance made it to suit your needs and wants.”

“So that means-“

“It’ll give the person who finds it first an enourmas head start on being able to find all desendants.” Jason finished.

“So you’re saying we can use this Krokodial to track down desandants?”

“Exactly what I’m saying.”

“Okay, so this Krokodial gives us a head start. The information won’t be useful unless we know where it is.” Destiny replied.

“I think it’s pretty obvious where the compass is located.”

Destiny racked through her brain until she thought, Why had Balance come here in the first place?

To build the balance school.

The Krokodial was hidden in the school of balance.

“Who will lead us there?” Destiny asked. “Only balance students know where it is!”

“You say you’re looking for the balance school?” A familier voice called.

Neela was standing in the entryway of the tent. “My secondary school is balance,” Neela said. “I can take you there.”

Before Jason could protest, Destiny said, ”Great! We’ll head out this afternoon.”

Neela smiled and left. Jason turned to destiny. “What did you just do?” He asked.

“I just bought the five of us a ticket to the balance school,” Destiny replied. “You can thank me after we get the Krokodial.”

“She could be working for Vladimir!”

“She’s going to take us to the balance school, how’s that being our rival?”

“It could be a trap!”

“If she was a minion of Vladimir, she would have contacted him and I would have caught her in the act!”

Jason had nothing to say to that.

All of a sudden a girl in ice robes and long black hair appeared in the tent.

“Destiny?” Sophia asked. “What’re you doing here? I thought you were good enough to be accepted into Dragonspyre Academy!” Sophia turned to Jason. “And what are you doing with HIM?” Apparently Sophia remembered Jason from the first incident with Vladimir.

“For your first question, Death students are taking an-around-the-spiral field trip to study different culture’s fighting skills,” Destiny couldn’t believe how well she was making this all up. “And Jason just teleported to me to to tell me how he was going to take a stand against Vladimir.”

“Oh,” Sophia believed everything. “Anyways, I wanted to show you something,” She pulled out a necklace. “I went to the bazaar and bought a chocker that gave me Blizard, and would you take a look at THIS!” Sophia handed Destiny the necklace and pointed out a line that ran along the face of the necklace. Destiny took them apart, making it a locket.

“It’s a locket, but it didn’t contain pictures.” Sophia said. “It contained this.” She pulled out a blue sliver of glass shaped like a thin diamond, so think it was like a sliver.

“You have a knowledge of artifacts, what do you think it is?”

Destiny turned the sliver, observing it. She turned to Jason, who just shrugged.

“I have no clue,” Destiny said, handing the sliver back to Sophia. “Here you go again.”

“Oh well, I’ll just put it back in the locket.” Sophia put the sliver back in the locket. “Anyways, good luck with Dragonspyre Academy.”

“Thanks,” Destiny said as Sophia teleported back to Wizard City.

After they all ate breakfast, they concentraited on what to do next.

“Me and Chris will be going to the wand shop,” Jason said.

“You guys are maguses, you already have a good wand.” Natalie said.

“Picking out one for your brother,” Jason replied. “He’s in the library looking for something.”

“That’s strange,” Said Natalie. “Ryan’s not the type to go to libraries, or even to read.”

“Maybe he’s a traitor,” Jason suggested.

“you’ve been thinking that everyone’s a traitor lately,” Destiny mumbled underneath her breath.

“Ryan’s the one who formed the whole organization!” Natalie defended. “That’s not exactly being a traitor.”

“Never mind this whole thing about traitors!” Destiny said. “I had a dream last night, and Ice was in it.”

“You mean Ice the first to use ice magic?” Natalie questioned.

“No, I mean Ice that cools off a bruise, yes the first to use ice magic!” Destiny told them about the glade and Ice and lion and the blood and ended with, “What do you think it means?”

“It seems Ice was trying to contact us,” Jason pointed out.

“Yeah, really useful,” Destiny replied sarcastically. “Any ideas on WHAT she was trying to tell us?”

“Possibly something about her desendant,” Jason said.

“How is a lion pricking its paw give us a hint to the desendant of ice?” Natalie asked.

“The original wizards can be tricky,” Jason mused.

“We should get to this later,” Natalie said. “We should try to find Ice’s desendant.”

“I think I know just who to contact,” Destiny said.

Before either Natalie or Jason could ask, Destiny teleported.

Destiny found Chris Mythflame heading to the Ice school. He turned and saw Destiny.

“Destiny?” Chris asked. “Are you all right? You fainted after the duel! And aren’t you supposed to be enrolled in Dragonspyre Academy?”

“Class starts in the afternoon,” Destiny said. She was getting annoyed of this Dragonspyre Academy thing. “Anyway, I need you to do a fovor rfor me.”

“What is it?”

“I need you to be on the lookout for any strand thauatmerges in paticualr, considerably maguses or masters.”

“Okay, but-“

Destiny cut him off. “Thanks, bye!” She teleported to Jason.

“I think that would do nicely for him,” Jason was saying as Destiny teleported.

“Don’t we need to get to the balance school?” Destiny asked.

“Neela said she wanted to find a ring that gave her phoenix.”

The doors in the wand shop slammed open. In the entryway were three Kroks.

“I think she’s the one!” Cried the Krok in front. He pointed a finger at Destiny.

“That I’m a what?” Asked Destiny.

“Someone just reported that they had seen a Death Bandit here.” The Krok said.

“What makes you think I’m a Death Bandit?” Destiny questioned.

“Black and red clothing,” The Krok pointed out.

Destiny looked down at her clothes, and sure enough, her Frost-Touched Cap and her Cryptkeepers Cloak were lack lined with red. Only her Onyx Studded Boots were different, and those were completely black.

“If you think Destiny is a Death Bandit,” Jason said. “You’re crazy!”

“Maybe we are,” The Krok countered. “But the reporter isn’t.”

“And just who that may be?” Jason raised an eyebrow.

“That is classified,” The Krok said simply. “Now hand her over, or I might believe that all of you are Death Bandits.”

“Look,” Destiny shoved Jason and Chris away so she was face-to-face with the Krok. “I am NOT a Death Bandit. I teleported to Jason here not a minute before you arrived. So how can someone report us that quick?

“Furthermore,” She continued. “Jason and Chris here aren’t necromancers. And just because I’m one doesn’t nessisarily mean that I’m bad.”

“She’s right, you know,” Jason agreed.

“Step aside and let us do the work,” The partrolkrok argrued.

“And most of all,” Destiny said. “Krokotopia is a place of balance. Balance is peace. And it is not peaceful to just barge in here and accuss us of being criminals without any evidence whatsoever except for the fact that I wear black and red clothing!”

The kroks weren’t paying any attention, though. What they were paying attention to was a massive tornado of sand a hundred times as big as the Krokotopian Library right behind them.

“I thought there weren’t supposed to be any sandstorms for a long time!” The wand shop keeper protested.

The sandstorm leaned in the doorway ambushing the Kroks and giving time for the trio to flee.

They ran out, breathless. “We need to split up!” Destiny yelled. “Chris, get Natalie! Jason, find Ryan! I’ll look for Neela! Meet up at camp! Without arguing, Jason and Chris left Destiny to the ring shop.

Destiny ran in, finding Neela purchasing something in the ring shop.

“There’s a huge sandstorm out there!” Destiny grabbed Neela’s arm. “We need you to lead us to the balance school NOW!” She ushured Neela out the door as she was crying, “Hey! I was about to buy that ring!”

“That’s the least of our problems!” Destiny yelled as she guided Neela out of the raging sandstorm.

Once they reached camp, they saw Chris and Jason had done their jobs.

“Neela, where’s the balance school?” Jason asked.

“It’s underground in Krokosphinx,” Neela replied. “You need to take a boat to get there.”

Destiny was paying attention to the sandstorm. It was causing havoc everywhere on a huge rampage.

Even they accused me of being a Death Bandit, Destiny thought. It deosn’t mean they deserve THIS.

Destiny ran to the sandstorm, challenging it as much as she had the patrolkrok. She saw the same patrolkrok in the sand, unconscious. It was clutching a little circular bottle of remains of a gold coin. Destiny pried his hand open and snatched the bottle.

No messing around now, Destiny thought. You need to stop this sandstorm.

“Are you nuts?” Natalie yelled at Destiny.

Destiny turned around to face her. “If I don’t stop it, it’ll wreck Krokotopia!”

“But you aren’t a sorcerer!” Natalie called back as Destiny continued to charge the sandstorm.

Maybe I’m not a sorcerer, Destiny thought as her boots pounded the sand. But I nee dto do what’s right.

Now Destiny wasn’t ten feet away from the tornado of sand. She spread her feet wide apart and planted them firmly in the ground.

She spread her arms out wide, and cried, “Stop!”

The sandstorm stopped destructing a house and raced towards Destiny instead. She braced for death until it stopped.

No, EVERYTHING stopped! The people had stopped, the noise stopped, everything did. Except for a boy around Destiny’s age with brown hair dressed in novice balance robes, who seemed to be coming towards her now.

“What people don’t understand,” The boy said. “Is that some living things do bad things because it’s what they know.”

The boy made a soothing gusture towards the sandstorm, and all the sand returned to its source.

“The best way to teach someone something is to be gentle to them, not to be aggressive, the sorcerer said. “If that’s what they are taught, then they won’t know peace, and peace is vital in this world. If there is no peace, then the spiral will corrupt.”

The boy turned to face Destiny, and she noticed one thing she hadn’t noticed before; his eye color. They were a tan, matching the sand beneath their feet.

The boy lowered his head. “That’s what an old, well, how should I put this, an old friend didn’t understand.” He stretched the word friend, as if being sarcastic. “Venged for power, he did. Me some buddies thought we had stopped him, but he still raged on.”

“I don’t really like war either,” Destiny said. “I may be a necromancer, but I’m just different.”

The sorcerer smiled. “I forgot to mention,” He said. “I know exactly what you’re looking for, Destiny Seagem.”

The sound of her name startled Destiny. She had not laid eyes on him until now.

“How do you know my name?” Destiny asked, raising an eyebrow.

The boy simply smiled and said, “I know a lot of things.” He grabbed a nearby stick. “I know what you’re looking for and where it is.”

“If you know what I’m looking for, then just say it.” Destiny challenged.

“I can’t,” The sorcerer said. “Because we’re not the only ones who can move around when time has been stopped.”

“Who’s watching us?”

“If I told you, then it would give away my identity.” The boy said. He stared drawing something in the sand with his left hand. His other hand started fading into sand, drowning to the ground, and started consuming the rest of his body. “I don’t have much time before I fade away.”

“Why are you fading?” She asked.

“Just remember what I said,” The boy replied, then his body completely turned into sand, time turning back to normal.

Destiny looked down at the design the boy had made. It was a capitol V with spikes along the lines.

It was supposed to be a thorn, in the shape of a V.

Vladimir Thorn.

Destiny ran back to the others with a need to tell them what had occurred. Ryan spoak up for the first time.

“What the heck?” Ryan questioned. “One second it was raging, then ‘Pop!’ It was like there wasn’t a sandstorm in the first place!”

“No time to explain,” Destiny said. “We need to move out right now before something phenomenal occurs again!”

Jason turned to Neela. “All right then,” He said. “Take us to the Balance school.”

They arrived on good timing; the school was letting out. A swarm of sorcerers climbed out of the school, and clamored onto the boat that the six had previously taken.

“Down the ladder,” Neela instructed. “Then you’ll see the wonders of balance.”

As she went down the rungs, Destiny thought about what the boy had said. His words rung in her head: If I told you, it would give away my identity. It was clear that he didn’t want himself to be known. And he knew about the Krokodial, that part was obvious. Could he be the balance desendant? No, a normal desendant couldn’t stop time and have their body dissolve into sand, even with all their power. Besides, there was something in his eyes that said otherwise. She wouldn’t forget the tan color in his eyes, the eyes of the sand.

They were all on the ground of the underground school now. A girl with light skin, long brown hair, dressed in balance novice clothes was talking to the instructor.

“ But I’m telling you, I saw it!” The girl persisted.

“My dear, it could have been merly a halucination,” The balance teacher replied.. “Sorcerers can get them commonly.”

“But I haven’t had a halucination in my life!”

Neela opened her mouth to speak for the girl, but Ryn stopped her. “We need her stalling him so we can find the thing we need.”

Destiny looked around. There were almost no hding places whatsoever to put the Krokodial. She turned to the book pedisool. Maybe it’ll give us a hint or tow, she thought.

She flipped thourhg the book and found nothing of use, but did notice a line going around the stool.

“Any of you have something to cut deeply with?” Destiny asked.

“I have a daggar,” Jason volunteered. But it’s really fancy and castly and strong so-“

Destiny smiled. “Give it to me.”

“But-“

“Now, if you want to find the Krokodial!”

Jason gave the daggar to her, and Destiny began to cut through the line. It turned out to be successful. Natalie lifted the top off, and were stunned by what they found.

On the botton part was a slabb of rock that concealed the rest of the botton half, secured by seven latches on the north, south, east and west edges so there was no way to pry it open. In the center was a wheel with seven little circles to insert a finger in, and above each of them were strange symbols. Half of covering the wheel there was a little needle sticking out at a 3:00 angle.

“Okay, anyone here know how to read Krok?” Jason asked. Everyone shook their heads.

“Oh, you need a translator?” Called a voice. It was the girl that had been arguing with the balance instructor seconds ago.

“Okay, girl, what’s the catch?” Destiny asked. “You want gold or what?”

“I don’t need any gold,” The girl went over to the stool and wrote down the notes on a tablet. When she was finished, she handed the tablet over to Chris. Everyone hurryied over to him to peer over his shoulder except Destiny. The girl stopped her.

“Hey, I saw you earlier,” The girl remarked.

“You did?” Destiny asked. Then a male voice called from above.

“Emma, I’ve been waiting for ten minutes!” The voice called. “Hurry up!”

“One minute, I’m conversing with this girl,” The girl called Emma said.

“Emma Strongblood, now!” The voice yelled.

“Why, Dylan?” Emma asked. “So you can attempt to rip me off with treasure card trades?”

“Hurry, the boat to the oaisis is leaving!” Dylan called.

“All right, all right!” Emma murmered. “Sheesh, why do older brother have to be so annoying?” She climbed up the ladder to greet Dylan.

“So what to the notes say?” Destiny asked.

“Each of these seven marks represent a school!” Natalie exclaimed.

“Wait, Neela called out. She looked to the pedistool, then to the tablet. “Give me the tablet to me. I have an idea.”

Jason reluctantly gave the tablet to her. Neela looked from the tablet to the pedistool several times before asking Destiny, “What’s the first schoool in the Ravenwood school cycle?”

She pondered for a moment then replied, “Storm,”

Neela pressed a finger in a hole, and moved it clockwise until it reached the needle, and a latch on each side clicked open.

Destiny could see where this was getting at. “Ice!” She burst.

Another latch opened.

“Fire! Death! Myth!”

Three more latches on each side clicked.

“Life!”

Another.

“Balance!”

All the latches had opened, allowing the slab to be lifted. Chris rushed over and removed the3 slab off the pedistool, revealing a dusty compartment that hadn’t been open for years, a scroll and a smooth stone with markings on it and a needle in the middle.

“The Krokodial!” Natalie exclaimed. “We did it, we found it!” She got out the Krokodial and held it up for everyone to see. Her brother wasn’t paying any attention to the Krokodial, he immediately took out the scroll.

Natalie handed the Krokodial to Chris, who after examing it, pronounced, “It’s a fake.”

“What?” Jason exclaimed. “That’s nonsense!”

“It makes complete sense,” Chris said. He flipped over the Krokodial to reveal an image that left everyone gaping in horror.

It was a capitol V with spikes along the lines.

“Oh my gosh!” Destiny slapped her hand against her face. “Vladimir beat us from the start!”

“Who is this Vladimir you speak of?” Neela questioned. “I deserve to know!”

Jason opened his mouth to protest, but Natalie quickly shushed him and told Neela everything she knew about the fight against Vladimir.

“Would you like to join us?” Destiny offered. “Sure, the Krokodial was a fake, but you showed smarts in getting us to it.”

“I’d be honored,” Neela said, accepting.

Suddenly, Chris Mythflame teleported to Destiny. Before he could open his mouth, Destiny said, “Don’t ask.”

“I was wanting to tell you something before you teleported away last time!”

“Well, don’t just stand there, what is it?” Destiny demanded.

“This girl called Esmee Lionblood wanted me to tell you something, she’s vacationing in Grizzleheim.”

Then it hit her. It slapped her across the cheek. The rest of the dream came back, to her!

Because what the lion’s blood had spelled was E-S-M-E-E.

Her cousin was the desendant of Ice.

“Anyways, that’s all I’ve got, so I guess I’ll take my leave.” Chris teleported away.

“Esmee,” Destiny said softly, almost to a whisper. “She’s the desendant of Ice.”

“How do you know?” Jason questioned.

“Her last name is Lionblood. In my dream there was lion’s blood in an icey glade.”

“Even if she is, we have no idea of her whereabouts, and Vladimir already beat us to the Krokodial,” Neela pointed out.

“Wait,” Destiny said. “The whole point of Chris coming is to tell us she’s in Grizzleheim.”

The six looked at each other. “We have our heading,” Jason announced.

“Let’s go,” Natalie started to climb the ladder.

Before he could get on, Destiny stopped Ryan.

“Jason said you were searching for something in the library,” Destiny pointed out. “What was it?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it now,” Ryan said. “It was actually with the fake Krokodial.”

“Yeah, ut you haven’t answered my question,” Destiny said. “What is it?”

Ryan eyed Destiny closely, then answered, “The Prophecy of Fire.”

~

It smelled of fur, animals, bears.

They were in Grizzlehiem.

A little rainbow stretched out before them, producing bright colors, red, orange, blue, yellow, green, purple. Black wasn’t there. It seemed like an outsider, and outcast, just like Destiny.

It certainly wasn’t how Natalie, Ryan, Jason, Neela or Chris treated her. Especially not Neela. Destiny and Neela were almost best friends now, although Neela was much higher a rank then her. They all were.

Jason and the diviners hooted and laughed as they ran and pranced on the swarm of colors, Jason in the red, Ryan and Natalie in the purple. Chris just walked on the yellow one.

Destiny didn’t take a step on the rainbow. She, a necromancer, held no place in the spiral.

Neela patted her on the back. “Come on, lets go,” She encouraged. “Your cousin’s out there.”

Esmee Lionblood was the reason why they had all come here in the first place, having a chance to be the desendant of Ice, the first to use ice magic. It was the reason why they were here, why Vladimir was looking for her.

The thought of Vladimir sent Destiny’s brows furrowing and her legs pounding against the rainbow. Vladimir, that good-for-nothing, spiteful, evil, eluding character. Vladimir, whose surname brought up shivers. Vladimir, whose ancestor, Valkoor, was a man worse then him, seeking nothing but power over the spiral, the foul villain who caused sheer terror, even when dead.

They all met up at the docks. “So, let’s review the places in Grizzlehiem,” Jason said.

“Let’s see,” Natalie started. “There’s here, Northguard, Savvarstaad Pass, Ravenscar, Mirkholm Keep, for starters.”

“Any one of those places Esmee could be in,” Destiny remarked.

“I’d doubt Ravenscar,” Ryan said. “You’d have to be, like, a master just to get inside. Jason and Chris can’t get in, let alone a novice!”

“I guess we should patrol other possibilities, then,” Jason said. “Neela, see if you can find a way to get into Ravenscar. Natalie, patrol Northguard. Ryan, Destiny, get into Savvarstaad Pass. Chris and I will go into Mirkholm Keep. Move out!”

Jason said the last words with such great force that it sent everyone scattering to do so.

“Ryan, back in the balance school,” Destiny said when she and Ryan were in Savvarstaad Pass. “You said something about a prophecy.”

“Ah, yes, the Prophecy of Fire,” Ryan remembered. “I spent most of the morning yesterday searching for something that had to do with it.”

“So that’s why you were there!” Destiny said. She shook off the fascination quickly. “But why is it called The Prophecy of Fire? And more importantly, what did it say? What is it about?”

“Fire was a seer,” Ryan began, with Destiny cutting him off quickly. “What’s a seer?”

“Basically, someone who can predict events,” Ryan said. “As for your second question, why don’t you read and find out?” He handed her a small scroll, ancient and feeble, the parchement ripped and tattered in various places, words inscribed in fading red ink. Destiny unraveled it and read the following:

Eleven shall stand and take a challenge,

Weary of age and time,

All of great lineage,

One to betray, in the land of the forest,

One to join then, another found with the enemy,

One in the peaceful land,

Three withstanding a glitch in time,

Following that, the paper had been torn in half, cutting off the prophecy. Right now though, the concern was off little importance. They had to pay attention of what was yet to come.

“Someone’s going to betray us, and soon,” Destiny said.

“I know,” Ryan said. “I was hoping the topic would come up sooner or later. We need to figure out who.”

“Let’s run down some suspects,” Destiny suggested. “I know for a fact it’s not you or me, so some possibilities are Chris and Natalie.”

“Natalie?” Ryan bellowed. “That’s absurd! If she were the traitor, wouldn’t I be in it with her, or at least know about it?”

“True,” Admitted Destiny. “So that leaves Chris.”

“He is quiet and sophisticated,” Ryan mused. “And he was a friend of Vladimir’s in the past, maybe he’s hooked back up with him.”

Then Destiny remembered something: back in Krokotopia, Jason accused Neela of being a traitor, than accused Ryan as well. Could he be using it as cover? Destiny considered. Then she couldn’t contain it any longer.

“Jason!” Destiny burst. “It has to be him! He accused you and Neela of being traitors, what if he’s doing that as cover? And he was a tag along with Vladimir!”

“Good thinking,” Ryan said. “But what about Neela? We haven’t even mentioned her.”

“Are you crazy?” Destiny shouted. “Neela could do no harm! She’s sweet and gentle, and I defend her like you defend Natalie!”

“So that leaves Jason or Chris,” Ryan confirmed. “We need to alert everybody now!”



It was near nightfall when they reached camp- a little makeshift shelter with the perimeter of a circle, the walls built with stone and roof being a few wooden planks set across the top, going from one side to another, making sure the inside was protected from rain and other weather problems. The interior had a sizeable amount of space for Neela’s sleeping equipment, all placed in a perfect circle flanking a fire in the middle. To the little bedroom’s left was a little rug to eat on, and a little bucket halfway filled with water. The entryway was just a long rectangle reaching from the ground to the roof. The news came at dinner.

Destiny and Ryan looked at each other, meaning it was time to bring the news.

Ryan cleared his throat, and everyone gave him their attention.

“As we were patrolling Savvarstaad Pass,” Ryan began. “Destiny and I figured out something we need to tell you, to warn you about.”

Everyone looked interested.

“We have found out,” Ryan said. That one of you are not truly with us, and is a spy under Vladimir’s command.”

“And that person,” Ryan continued coldly. “Is in this room, in this circle, right here, right now.”

There were silent reactions from all. Chris continued to sit undaunted. Jason leaned his head forward. Neela’s eyes grew bigger and bigger until they were almost little balls out of its sockets. Natalie looked around the room. “Who do you think it is?” She asked, breaking the silence.

“We have come to a conclusion that it needs to be either Jason or Chris,” Destiny said.

“What?!” Jason stood up as Neela seemed to relax a little. “Why me or Chris?” Chris still seemed to be relaxed, even though he was being accused. Dang, he’s good at this, Destiny thought.

“Both of you were Vladimir’s friends at the beginning,” Ryan began. “And Chris is very quiet.”

“So Chris is quiet,” Jason shrugged. “Big deal! He was like that even when we were with Vladimir!”

“But why did you accuse everyone in Krokotopia?” Destiny said.

“I didn’t!” Jason persisted.

“You sure didn’t trust Neela,” Destiny pointed out. “And you even accused Ryan while he was busy at the library when Natalie said he wasn’t one for books.”

“Yeah, you did!” Natalie stood up along with Destiny and Jason.

“Why accuse me anyways?” Ryan stood.

“I was defending my group!”

Finally yelling and arguing broke out between the quartet, saying rude things and finding the negative when someone yelled, “Stop it!”

Neela could take no more of the fighting. “We’re not going to find the traitor by fighting amongst ourselves. What we need is leadership, cooperation. What this situation needs is complete control.”

Neela was right. If they were to find the traitor, it couldn’t be done like this.

Soon, everyone got in their sleeping bags, with the sky dark, the stars shining, and the moon full.

Neela was to the right of Desitny. Tonight they were going to pull a prank on Ryan: when he was sleeping, they would get the water bucket, fill it with hot water, and dip Ryan’s hand in it!

“This is going to be classic,” Neela mused.

“I’ll say!” Destiny replied quietly. “Proven fact he’ll wet his bag!”

“Quickly, check the bucket,” Neela ordered.

“Sure thing,” Destiny quietly slipped out of the sleeping bag and ran over to the bucket, surprisingly empty.

“It’s empty,” Destiny reported.

Neela furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side in confusion. “That’s funny,” She said. “I remember it being full during dinner.” She stood up. “Here, I’ll go refill it while you make sure Ryan’s asleep.” She grabbed the bucket and left.

Destiny looked over to Ryan, who was raising his head.

“Don’t even bother to try to hide it from me,” He told her.

“All right then,” Destiny answered. “We’ll do it on Jason instead.”

“Speaking of which,” Ryan looked around. “He isn’t here.”

Destiny checked his bag. Sure enough, Jason’s sleeping bag was empty. More proof he’s the traitor, Destiny thought. She could tell Ryan was thinking the same thing.

“I guess we’ll have to do it on-“Destiny smelled something horrible. “Bleck! What’s that awful smell?”

Ryan sniffed the air. “Smoke,” He clarified. Then his eyes widened. “Fire!” He shouted.

“Yeah, maybe it’s leftover smoke from the campfire,” Destiny thought out loud.

Ryan shook his head so rapidly, it was terrifying. “NO!” He shouted. “LOOK BEHIND YOU!”

Destiny turned around and outside the little hut was a huge fire, the flames trickling endlessly as it continued to burn the land, giving it more fuel, larger and wider then life, large enough to destroy a whole city.

But it wasn’t heading to destroy a city. It was aiming for the hut.

“Oh my GOSH!” Destiny screamed, loud enough to wake Natalie and Chris, who, when they saw the flames, stood right up with their mouths into perfect little O’s.

“I’ve never seen a fire like that,” Chris remarked.

“Where’s Jason?” Natalie asked in a panicky tone. “He’s a pyromancer, I’ll bet he can clear this out! Also, where’s the water bucket?”

The bucket was with Neela.

Neela!

“Neela and Jason are both out there!” Destiny yelled. They had to get the fire under control before it destroyed everything!

“Here, if we want to put out the fire, everyone needs to contribute!” Ryan yelled. “Natalie, look for Neela and Jason! Chris, see if you can find a source of water, collect it, and then use it to put some of it out! Destiny, your secondary school is fire, maybe you can possibly clear some of it out! I’ll guard camp!”

Destiny rushed to the fire, as if confronting it. And as if alive and in rage, the flames spread wider. This is getting bigger and bigger, Destiny thought.

She didn’t see how her fire spells would help, so she looked towards her ice treasure cards: only one snow serpent. She quickly traced the ice symbol, picturing the serpent to roam through the flames, putting the fire out.

The snow serpent quickly came to life, drew back, and quickly headed into the fire, making a trail of burnt ground behind him. It lasted a few seconds, but as quickly as it had been put out, the fire regenerated, smothering the line with flames once again, and sending the serpent quickly slithering away, with fire dancing at the end of its tail. What do I do now? Destiny thought. That’s when she heard coughing and sputtering. She followed the sound until she found a familer face, covered in soot and ash.

“Jason!” She ran over to him. “Are you all right?”

“Don’t worry about me,” Jason said. “I’m just trying to clear out this fire.” He lit up all of a sudden. “Hey, your secondary school is fire, maybe you can help!” The flames increased their height by double.

“How?”

“Don’t worry, just do what I do,” Destiny watched as he pointed the tip of his wand towards the fire, turned it in circles like a baton, then the fire responded by donating some of the flames to Jason’s wand. “Twirling it will collect the fire. The more you twirl, the more you collect. The more you collect, the more dangerous it becomes. Then all you have to do is put it out.” The blew on his wand, and the fire resting on his want immediately evaporated into thin air.

Destiny did the same as Jason, then blew on it, but only for it to send a little fireball crash in a piece of land the fire had not yet covered. The fire reached out to it shortly.

“Um, Jason?” Destiny asked. “Mine had a little more disasterous effect!”

“Oh don’t worry,” Jason soothed. “It’s a little harder for people who take it as an elective.”

“Good to know!” Destiny yelled, exaggerated. “It shouldn’t be hard for me because fire was my calling until the stupid book of secrets took a wrong turn and placed me in death!”

“I remember that day as the start of the showdown with you and Vladimir.”

Destiny smiled as she remembered when she had kicked Vladimir’s butt.

“Watch out!” Jason yelled just in time as Destiny leaped to the right as a line of fire covered where her feet had been a moment ago. Jason had saved her feet from being burned to a crisp. And now he was nowhere to be found.

Destiny searched frantically for Jason, screaming out his name mulpitile times as she watched the fire destroy everything around her.

And things were getting even worse. She was swaying, her vision going crazy, watching everything being burned and going around in circles around her. The extreme heat must be getting to her.

Ant that night, before passing out, the last thing Destiny remembered seeing were two unfamiliar people heading her way.



Destiny regained counsiousness on a wooden couch fluffed with a variety of pillows and blankets. She looked around her, in a circular hut, but not in the one she had gotten so used to while in Grizzlehiem. The walls were like a tent, huge and white. The entryway was a white sheet. The ceiling was held up by poles, hole in the middle to allow light in. Across from her was another couch no unlike the one she was laying on. A red asile streamed from the entryway to a stove raised on a circlular platform and a girl about her age dressed in red and yellow, a hood making her hair. In the middle of the asile was a square table with four chairs surrounding it.

Destiny walked over to the girl, who seemed to be cooking. She looked over at Destiny, who stepped back immediately at the sight of her eyes.

Her eyes were a pure red, no blood red, but red as fire. In fact, it WAS the same color as fire. They also seemed to flicker along with the kitchen fire, as if there were a fire blazing in the pupils.

“Hey,” The girl greeted. “We saw you in that fire last night. It was pretty serious.”

“We?” Destiny asked. “Who’s we?”

Then a boy, tall and buff, tannish colored skin with short purple hair and purple and yellow clothing entered. Destiny made sure to pay attention to the eye color, which was purple, which was nothing new, but Destiny could’ve sword she saw a flash of lightning in them. Are these peoples’ eyes holographic or what? She thought.

The boy dragged in some logs, obviously meant for firewood. He threw them-literally threw them- right next to the fireplace.

"Thanks for the firewood, Sto-Stephan," The girl thanked. "We were running short."

The diviner called Stephan nodded curtely and plopped himself on the couch across from where destiny had been sleeping on previously. Chris and Stephan would be best friends, Destiny mused, keeping the thought to herself.

"We refers to me and Stephan," The girl said. "I'm Fiona."

"Um, my name is-" Destiny started, but then the girl cut her off.

"You are called Destiny Seagem," Fiona said. "You are an inititate, primary school death, secondary fire. You are traveling across the spiral with five others. You stopped at Grizzlehiem looking for someone."

Destiny opened her jaw, but shut it again, too stunned to speak. Her schools and rank were easy to guess, but her name and purpose?

There was something weird about the place.

Hey, don't forget about me!

A tiny little chirping voice arose all of a sudden.

Fiona smiled. "Don't worry, Nikki, we haven't forgotten about you."

You had better not! Came the voice in response.

"Um, me and Stephan weren't the only ones to save you," Fiona siad." Nikki came too."

"Who's Nikki?" Destiny asked.

That's when a sprite came out, but looking different. Instead of peach skin, orange hair, blue eyes and an orange floury dress, this was a sprite that had red eyes, a tattered red dress, black boots and hair. And, when Destiny found out, a serious attitude.

Well, ain't it obvious, sunshine? The words came from the sprite. She turned to Fiona. How can she NOT know me? She has the brain the size of a peanut!

"Hey!" Destiny yelled. "I have a perfectly well-sized brian."

The sprite gaped at Destiny. You can understand me?

"Well, duh."

Maaaaybe you aren't as dumb I thought. Maybe.

"I'm not dumb, period!"

The sprite opened its mouth to protest, but Fiona silenced her. "You... you can understand?"

"Well, duh!" Destiny said.

"Weird," Fiona said. "Usually the visitor me and Stephan have, all they can usually hear is constant chirping. You're the first person we know to have understood Nikki."

"Maybe its because I'm death-type?" Destiny asked. "And I get it that Nikki here is the sprite?"

No, I'm a mander, The sprite expressed lamely. Yes, I'm Nikki, who do ya think?

"No, its not because you are in the death school," Fiona said. "We've had necromancers visit before. And, after all, you did have high hopes of being in fire instead." Fiona surpressed a small smile.

That was it! "How did you know about THAT?!" Destiny burst. "That is one of the most private stuff EVER!"

Fiona kept smiling. "I know various things."s

"And just how many is 'various'"? Destiny asked, finger quoting various. "Nest thin I know, you're going to chant the people I'm actually traveling withs' names!"

"Jason Stormflame, Ryan Stormcaster-"

"UGH!" Destiny pounded her fists on the table, her head down looking at the table. Then a thought occured. Destiny looked up. "Speaking of them," Destiny said, keeping her voice low. "Wha-What happened to them? Did they escape?"

Fiona looked over to Stephan, a solemn expression on her face, as if she were a mourner at a funeral. Then she looked over to Destiny. She then got out, "We don't know what happened to them. We didn't find them, only you. We have no idea wheter they made it out and lived, or if they-" She seemed to shoke on the last word.

Destiny nodded, understanding what the final word was. "Died," Destiny finished.

Fiona nodded, then clutched her head . "Ugh," she maneaged to say before she fell to the ground on her side, clutching her head, connecting it to her chest, and pulled her knees to join. "Ow, ow, ow!" She seemed tobe saying, each one more painful and louder then the previous one. Her hood fell off to reveal a mass of long, tangled, red hair with both orange and yellow streaks that Destiny could barely make out from the tangles.

Destiny rushed over to help her, but Stephan got to her first and held up a hand for Desitny to stop. He gradually lifted her armpits and let another hand slide to to the back of her knee and softly carried her to the nearest couch. "Is she going to be okay?" Destiny asked in a panicky tone.

Stephan nodded. "Sometimes she has these huge headaches that knocks her out." He said, speaking for the first time. "While she has the headache she'll be out for a couple of hours. Then she gets back up just fine, as if nothing happened and being completely healthy." He shrugged. "Don't worry, its nothing major."

Nikki fluttered over, looking alarmed. Did she really pass out, or have one of those... you know?

Stephan managed a weak smile. "Same as usuall."

Nikki, actually seeming concerned about something, breathed a tiny sigh of relief.



An hour later, Sephan and Destiny sat at the table, eating a stew of meats and vegtables. Fiona still slept on the bed, occaisionally shaking and shivering a minute or two before it stopped. Destiny couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Nikki was flying around the pot of stew, slurpping the remains. As Destiny observed the things around her, she knew that there was something strange about the place.

"Stephan," Destiny said. "I just have this nagging feeling that there's ... its just that ... there's something you aren't telling me, huh?"

Stephan gulped down a spoonful of the stew and asked, "What makes you think that?"

"A lot," Destiny said. "The way Fiona said that no one but me and you guys could understand Nikki The event of Fiona passing out. The way she was about to say something else when she was thanking you. How Fiona seems to know all. And especially your-"

"Eyes?"

"Yes! So what is going on? I'm not stupid!"

Actually... Nikki began.

"Shut it, Nikki!"

Its just that, well, what their secret is is something that only and idiot like you couldn't figure out.

"I SAID, SHUT IT!"

Destiny said these words with such great force that even Nikki was taken aback by then. "Someone's got the 'tude, huh?" Nikki muttered, her voice barely audible.

Stephan chuckled. "I assure you, Destiny, we aren't keeping anything."

Stephan looked to Nikki, and Destiny observed that, from his facial expression, he was saying, Say one word and I will squeeze you to death!



Fiona eventually recovered, a little loopy, but she was okay, as Stephan had promised, and Destiny was glad to see that. Shortly after, night had fallen and Destiny fell asleep on a couch but was awoken at the sound of her name. Fiona nor Stephan knew she had awoken.

"I'm telling you, Destiny knows too much," Stephan said to Fiona. "She's this close to guessing who we are!" He held his index finger and thumb barely a centimeter apart.

"From what I've foreseen," Fiona said. "She's supposed to figure it out."

Foreseen.

Then all of it came together.

She knew what Fiona and Stephan were hiding.

That was, if Stephan and Fiona were their real names!

Destiny sat up straight. She looked over to the duo, and grinned. "Your flaw, Fiona, was using the word 'Foreseen'."

Fiona opened her mouth to protest, but Destiny said quickly, "Don't bother. I know why you pass out and why you know a lot. You gain the knowledge by seeing things. Things from the future. The headache you got was the process of seeing things."

"What are you trying to say?" Stephan inquired.

"I'm saying Fiona is a seer."

Fiona and Stephan looked at each other in alarm.

"And guess who else just so happened, or, in this case, happens to be a seer?" Destiny grinned. "The almighty Fire, the first fire wizard."

Destiny looked at Fiona. "And when you were thanking 'Stephan' for the firewood, you began to say S-T-O, not S-T-E. And guess who's name has those first three letters?" She paused for a moment, as if she were really pondering it. "Oh yeah, Storm, the first to weild storm magic."

Now Fiona and Stephan were really looking concerned.

"And your eyes, how they seem to be magical, as if you're a god or such. That just gives it all away."

"Are you suggesting that Fiona and I are these Fire and Storm you speak of?"

"Its exactly what I'm saying."

Fiona sighed and said, "Well, you're right. We are the great and powerful Fire and Storm."

"I knew it!" Destiny cheered. But then another question nagged at the back of her mind. "Wait, that one guy," Destin wondered. "In Krokotopia." She thought of how he soothed the sandstorm, how wise he sounded, how he stopped time, how he faded into sand, his tan eyes, his left hand, when he said, "It would give away my identity."

"That was Balance, huh?"

Fiona, now Fire, nodded. "Correct."

"But here is what's bothering me," Destiny said. "The fact that you guys are here in the first place. Aren't you guys supposed to be oh, I don't know, dead? How are you right here, right now, in the modern wordl, where your DESENDANTS are?"

Fire managed a weak smile. "Honestly, not even we know. We're only beginnning to unravel the magic of time."

"So... you're immortal?" Destiny asked.

Fire chuckled. "I wish," She said. "You're right though, in your time, we are dead. But the cause of us being here is, uh, how should I put this..."

"Time travel?" Destiny suggested.

Fire layed her hand straight, palm up. "Time travel." She finished. Then Destiny asked, "What about Nikki? Is she with you?"

Stephan, now Storm, shook his head. "Unfortunatley, no. Your present time is her present time. When we leave this time," Storm sighed. "She'll have to survive on her on, with her wits, unless a caretaker is found."

"That's sad," Destiny replied. Even for someone that rude, it was a little harsh. She looked over to the sleeping sprite, who was sleeping on a little handwoven sleeping bag, one side black, the other green. They reminded Destiny of Neela's sleeping equipment.

Neela.

Destiny missed her so much.

"And imagine how hard it will be to find a caretaker when barely anyone understands her," Storm said, breaking Destiny's little mourning.

"Wait," Destiny interupted. "How did you guys meet Nikki, anyways? And the FULL story this time!"

"Originally," Fire started. "Nikki was a regular sprite in the sprite coloney, the coloney watched over eternally by Lady Oriel the seraph. She was actually one of the many princesses who watched over the coloney. So she didn't really know how to work Life magic, like all grown sprites had. But her training would begin soon.

"And begin soon it did," Fire continued. "But one day the Princess Nikki was roaming around the border of the coloney to spot a necromancer work his magic. She was amazed by his stunning necromancy. However, they were creatures of Life, and the school of Death is the opposite, so the law stated that no sprite could learn one spell of the Death school. Ignoring the law, Nikki went ahead and asked the necromancer for nightly lessons.

"A year passed and she was then skilled in Life magic and an expert at Death. She was also a master negotiator, very smart, and even aggressive when she needed to be. She was therefore one of the sprite coloney's most valued princesses. She also made an enemy of the powerful Lady Lily." Fire shook her had, as if in dispair. "Unfortunately, that was her fatal flaw."

"One of the nights Nikki snuck out to learn more necromancy, Lily followed her and caught her red-handed. She instantly flew away to report it to the queen and Lady Oriel. Oriel was merciful and even allowed Nikki to progress in both magics. As for the queen, not so much.

"She called Nikki to the throne room and banished her. Cursed her, too. She made Nikki look like this, and forced her to survive on her own. She looked to the necromancer who was teaching her, but she could not find him, no matter how hard she tried. So soon she appeared on our doorstep, pale, tired, firty, dieing altogether. She's been with us ever since."

Fire looked at the sleeping sprite soberly. "And soon, very soon, Storm and I will have to return to our own time. We cannot take her with us. Nikki will be forced to survive on her own once more."

Destiny felt sorry for the sprite. Sure, Nikki was rude, but that was just because she had been through a lot. But then an idea passed through her head. What if...

"What if I took care of Nikki?" Destiny offered. "I mean, sure, she doesn't like me that much, but it can be worked out. And you said it yourself, I'm the only one, besides you guys, you've found that understands what she's saying."

"It's possible," Storm mused. "But Nikki has to approve."

"Approve of what?"

Destiny looked over her shoulder to see that the sprite had awoken. "Approve of what?" Nikki repeated. "I heard my name, don't you dare lie! Well, not that the dummy can lie..."

"Hey!" Destiny shouted.

"I'm kidding," Nikki said. Lithten up a little, how about?" Then she turned back to Fire and Storm. "So, what were you talking about?"

Fire sighed. No wonder, Destiny thought. All of her secrets were unwinding.

"Me and Storm- Destiny knows now- need to return to our own time." Fire said. "And according to the rules of time, we cannot bring you."

"So I'm just going to be cast out again?" Nikki said, clearly angry.

"Nikki, it's not like that-"

"It's exactly like that! You're casting me out, just like Queen Samantha did!"

"Nikki, we're not leaving you alone!" Storm yelled. "You don't have to survive on your own. We found someone to take care of you."

Nikki brightened a little. "Who?"

"Destiny Seagem."

"Oh come on!" Nikki protested. "I think I'm better off with surviving on my own! This idiot doesn't know the first thing about me!"

"I know a lot about you, thanks to Fire and Storm," Destiny said.

Nikki looked confused for a minute, and turned paler then she already was and set a panicked expression on her face. "You didn't..."

"I did," Fire confirmed.

"Would I see you again?"

"We'll try."

Nikki sighed. "All right."



"Before we go," Fire said as she was putting stuff in a bag along with Storm. "There's someone we'd like you to meet."

"Who?" Destiny asked.

"You'll see," Storm said. "Waiting outside for you."

It had been the first time Destiny had been outside since the fire, but she was expecting to see a forest with bears roaming around. Instead, she found herself on what seemed to be the edge of Grizzlehiem. There was a painted cliff in front of her, and it seemed to be pointing to a huge lake with three connecting waterfalls plunging into it, and tall pine trees stretched after that. Birds were flying across it, chirping happily, not seeming to have a care in the world. It was so beautiful, it could have been a wonder of Grizzlehiem.

"Wow, this is amazing." Nikki said. "Hey, look down there!"

Destiny looked down. She could barely make out a person on the coastline waving and beckoning them to come down. "See ya at the finish line!" Nikki chanted as she flew down. Destiny found a ramp-like thing that she could slide on. She flung herself on it and slid down.

When Destiny got down she saw a girl, perhaps fourteen of fifteen years old. She was wearing a Marleybonian carnival dress that was light blue trimmed with white. She had white skin and light blue eyes At the top of her head a little silver tiara with snowflake designs and crystals embedded in it perched at the top of her head. At both ends of the tiara was a long white veil covering her long, light blue hair. Destiny could make out a picture sewen into the veil: A flaky winter snowfall. Overall, she looked like how someone would dress up to a very fancy and elegant party.

She looked over to Destiny. "Beautiful, isn't it?" The girl asked. "I just love how all the water flows together as one, putting everything in place and in motion."

Destiny nodded. "It could be a wonder of the spiral." She said. Destiny thought for a moment, then added, "Ice."

"Right to the point, huh?" She said. Ice smiled. Persistance. I quality I admire."

Destiny smiled. "I guess I don't have a liking to the dramatic speeches and stuff." She looked over to Ice. "Why did you want to see me?"

"A little hard to explain, I guess," Ice said. "How about starting with thatlittle fire that occured two nights ago?"

Destiny smirked. "The little fire?" She scoffed. That's so unreal, its hardely a fire! It was unhuman! That... thing could have killed every single one of us right on the spot!"

"Exactly," Ice explained. "Which is one of the reasons that I'm telling you that it was no accident."

"What do you mean?" Destiny questioned.

"I'm saying that it was manmade, someone set it." Ice said. "It was meant to slow you down, set you back, burn down everything so the others could get ahead, to seperate you all."

"They succeeded in doing that last bit," Destiny pointed out.

"I realize that," Ice said. "Which is why mostly everyone should be back at the original campsite, alive and well."

So they were alive! "Thanks!" Destiny said, and started towards the campsite when Ice called after her, "Not so fast"

Destiny turned to face Ice. "What?" She said in an exagerated tone.

"You're not going back right now," Ice ordered. "You're going to complete a mission first."

"And just what would that be?"

"I think you know."

She did know. "Finding Esmee," Destiny replied.

"Affirmitive," Ice clarified. "You'll need to find her first."

"Only one small problem," Destiny said. "I have no idea where she is."

"I do."

"Where?"

"Ravenscar."

Destiny froze. How did Esmee...

"Teleportation is a nice method to use around the spiral," Ice remarked. "Bears may guard the doors, but they never make teleportation off-limits."

Destiny sighed. "Okay, so lets assume she is in Ravenscar," Destiny assumed. "How do I get in?"

"Easy," Ice said. "Teleport to me, then it'll be up to you."

"That's good to know."



Ice and Destiny returned to the hut where Fire and Storm had finished packing.

Fire and Storm said farewell to Nikki in a heartbreaking way. Then they went over to Destiny and said their goodbyes to her, too. But Fire didn't leave her without saying, "That first night, when I was out, I saw a long journey ahead of you." Destiny nodded.

Fire went out the entry, followed by Storm. Destiny and Nikki watched as Fire and Storm stood together as bright lights their height appeared, one red, one purple, and they slowly came for them, encasing them in the light, then both the light and the two legendary wizards disappeared. Nikki wept, but no sound came out.

Ice immediately turned to Destiny. "Here's where things get serious," She said. "I'll teleport to Ravenscar and give you a minute or two to pack and get powerful gear on. I expect it to be the best you've got, because I've got a feeling that the enemy is within the walls of Ravenscar." She then teleported.

Destiny was ready. she already had her gear on, and quickly checked to see if her spells were in place. Good. She was set. She turned to Nikki. "Are you ready?" Destiny asked.

I guess so.

Destiny took a last look at the hut she had lived in for the past few days. Then, with fierce determination, Nikki at her side, and eyes shut, Destiny teleported out of the hut and into the dangerous walls of Ravenscar.



Destiny had been expecting more forest area when in Ravenscar. So she was shocked to find herself in an icey cavern.

She turned around and found Ice. "I hope you find my desendant safe and well," She said. "But before I go, I need to give you this." This was referring to an intrecrately carved snoflake the size of Destiny's hand. "What is it?" Destiny asked.

"It's like a charm," Ice explained. "Use it in distress. Crash it at your feet, and a powerful Ice treasure card will appear in your hand."

Destiny nodded. "Good luck," Ice said. "I have a feeling you'll need it." And with that, a flash of light appeared behind Ice, this time light blue, moved slowly towards Ice and engulfed her and then evaporated, just as it had done with Fire and Storm.

Destiny stuffed the snowflake in her pouch, then looked around the cave. Now that Ice had gone back to her own time, Destiny was nervous. Until she saw a face all to well familier to her.

"Neela!" Destiny called out as she ran towards the girl who had spun around, taken aback.

"Destiny!" Neela replied as she gave Destiny a small hug. "My, my, my, where have you been?" Neela noticed Nikki. "Who's this?"

Whoever she is, whether you trust her or not, do NOT tell her about Fire and Storm, Nikki begged. Actually, tell no one. They would have wanted it that way.

"I escaped the fire, hiding out in Savvarstaad Pass for a while," Destiny lied. "That's where I met Nikki. Turns out, I'm the only one who can understand her." Partually true.

"That explains the chirping I hear," Neela said. "I found my way to Jason, who found his way to Ryan. With teamwork, we managed to put out the fire, but you were gone. Today, Jason assigned tasks again like we did when we first made it into Grizzlehiem, but this time we were looking for you. I so happened to get Ravenscar assigned to me again. And what do you know, you're here!" Neela then pasted a suspisious look on her face. "Wait, how did you get here anyways?"

"Teleportation."

Neela nodded. "Same for me." Neela turned around to head back for camp, but Destiny stopped her.

"Wait, also," Destiny began. "I came here to find Esmee, and I intend to finish the job. I know she's in here."

Neela nodded again. "All right." They then set out to look for her.

A few minutes passed without success, when Destiny heard something behind her. She looked behind her to see nothing unusual, but Destiny could have sworn she saw a flash of black.

"What was that?" Destiny asked.

"What was what?" Neela asked, swirling around and gripping her staff in a fighting position.

"Nothing, I guess." Destiny shrugged.

But Destiny was on full alert now. Something didn't feel right. She secretly looked at a nearby bush and saw the same flash of black she had seen not a minute earlier.

Someone was stalking them.

Destiny took a peek at her life treasure cards. She sighed. Leprechaun would have to do.

She speedly turned at the bush, traced the life symbol, and a leprechaun popped out, heading for the bush, but then immediately stopped when near. Destiny then saw the blade of onyx that had pierced through its heart. A voice then made its way out of the bush, "Pretty resourceful of you to survive the arena incident." A teenage boy stepped out, with pale skin, charming blue eyes, and shoulder-length black hair. He was all too familier, and he seemed to wear new and improvised gear. Destiny could tell he had made his way through being a magus to late masterdom.

"Shocking, too, because you weren't supposed to." Vladimir Thorn said.

"I know," Destiny said, mocking a sweet smile. "Too bad, I did!" She casted a banshee at him, which did stun Vladimir a little, but not a whole lot.

"Actually, despite our differences," Vladimir said. "I think you would make a good addition to our little troop."

"Fat chance, lame-o!" Destiny shot back. She raised her wand in preparation to cast a sunbird at him, but then noticed he had used the word "Our".

Oh no.

Destiny turned to Neela, who already had her sword raised, quite different from the nirini staff she had been carrying around with her barely moments before. And sure enough, the sword she now held was painstakingly resembling Vladimir's.

"Very boring to resemble a puny fire adept," Neela said. "This is the true Neela Waterpetal, mster of the Death school!" She quickly casted a wraith at Destiny.

"You set the fire!" Destiny said as she dodged the wraith's blows. "YOU falsely claimed to the patrolkrok that I was a death bandit! You knew how to get to the Krokodial because you had gotten to it before! Jason was right!" With the final three words, Destiny ducked under the ax, twisted it free from its boney grip, ran behind it, and drove its own ax into the heart, like what Vladimir had done earlier with the leprechaun. The wraith collapsed in front of Neela to make way for Destiny's face- a perfect mixture of anger, hate and loss.

"You betrayed me," Destiny said through clenched teeth, the wraith's ax still held up high. "But more importantly, you betrayed the spiral. You betrayed yourself!"

"But I didn't betray my realitive Valkoor, did I?" Neela questioned.

"Great," Destiny mumbled. "Another thorn to add!"

"Don't get all mean with the last names," Neela said. "Here's a little lesson about family history: Valkoor was more of a great-great-great-great-great-great-uncle, so overall, my surname is still Waterpetal, not Thorn."

As Neela was distracted talking, Destiny casted a Life blade on herself. Neela didn't even notice.

"I don't care if Valkoor was your how many greats uncle or a pet rock!" Destiny yelled as she secretly rummaged through life treasure cards. "I trusted you! You were my best friend!" Destiny added for effect.

Neela laughed. "You'd think that I'd befriend an initiate?" She scoffed, and laughed some more.

Destiny grinned. "I believe that it's my turn to laugh!" She said as she casted seraph. Again, as Neela was distracted, Destiny pulled out the glass snowflake, threw it on the ground, and right when it landed, Destiny stomped on it for extra pressure. Sure enough, the snowflake burst into pieces. Destiny hoped that it would turn into a powerful one, enough to show Neela and Vladimir what she was made of!

Slowly, snow started to fall in her palm, putting together the powerful Ice spell Ice had talked about. The treasure card revealed to be a...

Frost Beetle? Destiny thought, confused. Well, Ice did say it was powerful, I guess I'll try it. She traced the Ice symbol and a frost beetle came to life. Surprisingly, the beetle turned around towards Destiny, and lowered its tusks. Destiny then had a crazy thought and tried it out. She rushed towards the beetle, grabbed a tusk, and started climbing it all the way to the head. It was very cold. The beetle turned back towards Neela. It rampaged towards her, intending to do damage with the tusks. Neela ran to avoid it as the beetle charged. And while that was happening, another treasure card appeared in Destiny's hand, this time a snow serpent. Confused, Destiny cast it, and the serpent raced down the beetle and caught up to Neela. It entwined around her legs as yet another treasure card appeared. This time, it was an evil snowman.

Oh, I get it! Destiny realized. Its not one, but a multitude of treasure cards! Each is a higher rank then the previous one!

Destiny brought the snowman to life, the snowman charging to Neela. As Neela fought dagger-to-sword with the snowman, another spell headed its way, a leprechaun. But Destiny didn't cast it.

What the-

Nikki came out behind a rock, chuckling. If you know the full story, Nikki said. You'll know I work Life magic!

Destiny smiled as she cast an Ice Wyvern that appeared in her hand. Neela didn't seem to be struggling any longer. She had split both the serpent and snowman in two, as well as killing the leprechaun. The wyvern pulled out an icicle and thrust it at Neela, who blocked it with the blade of her sword. Nikki was busy casting another seraph as the wyvern continued to thrust icicles when all of s sudden a Frost Colossus loomed out of the trees and onto the battlefield, charging at Vladimir.

What the-

That's when a tall girl with long brown hair and blue and white Krokotopian clothes and blue eyes came out, winking at Destiny and pointing a runed sapphire wand back and forth between Neela and Vladimir.

Destiny's cousin and possibly the desendant of Ice, Esmee Lionblood.

As he killed the colossus with another wraith and stomach on the icey ground, Vladimir pulled out a smooth, sleek brown stone that had exquite marking around the perimeter and a needle in the middle. The Krokodial! The needle was going crazy, just spinning around in circles faster and faster as Vladimir stood up and walked towards Esmee. It had found the desendant of Ice.

"One of the few," Vladimir clarified, voice low. "I'm guessing of Ice."

"For once," Esmee started. "A desendant of Valkoor is correct."

"Wait, wait, wait," Destiny cut in. "You're the desendant of Ice and you knew it?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Esmee asked. Her head turned back to Vladimir. "Lets get this party started, how about?" Esmee traced the Ice symbol as Destiny prepared a sunbird.

Esmee's wyvern popped out while Destiny's spell fizzled. The wyvern clawed Vladimir as he quickly drew a skeletal pirate. Then a vampire joined the party as Neela rushed to Vladimir's side. Destiny gave a shiver as she pictured all the things Neela could have done to the wyvern she had cast.

"Two against two," Neela mused. "Seems fair."

"If you're saying that two masters against an initiate and a journeyman is fair," Esmee countered. "You're right."

But Destiny was thinking. It was like Esmee had said, they were masters while they were low-leveled. They didn't stand a chance, not today.

"Nikki!" Destiny called. As Nikki flew over, she grabbed Esmee's hand tensley. "We don't stand a chance! We need to make it out of here before they kill us!"

Esmee understood. Destiny grabbed Esmee's and Nikki's hand, visualized Northgueard, and teleported away from Vladimir and Neela.

They all appeared back at Northguard and barely took in the fact that they had arrived when they heard a voice call out, "Destiny!"

Ryan Stormcaster was running towards Destiny, with Chris, Jason, and Natalie right behind him. Esmee nudged Destiny. "Hey, isn't that the guy who got that wedgie on the day of your orientation?" Destiny nodded.

Ryan stopped in front of them. "Oh my gosh!" He said, laughing. "We thought you were dead!"

"Yay, Destiny's back!" Natalie rushed to Destiny and gave her a hug.

"I told you guys!" Jason bragged. He looked to Esmee, then to Nikki. "Who are they?"

"This is Esmee Lionblood-" Destiny started, with Esmee cutting her off. "Desendant of Ice," Esmee proudly added.

Jason's face lit up. "One more desendant down!" He cheered. "Now we have five desndants, we only need three more!" He looked at Nikki. "But who is this? Better not be working for Vladimir!"

Destiny giggled. "Relax, Jason. Basically, Nikki is an exiled sprite princess." Then her face turned sad. "But speaking of Vladimir, Neela, she, she-"

Ryan nodded. "We know. Neela was the traitor all along."

"Shortly after we were separated," Jason said. "I found Neela grinning evilly in death robes. She casted a wraith, followed by a meteor strike, at me!"

Destiny nodded. "I found her in Ravenscar, still thinking that she was aligned with us. That's when Vladimir turned up. I found out she was the traitor, battled them with Ice spells, Esmee turned up, then fled to here, with her and Nikki."

"Wait, wait," Ryan said. "You battled Vladimir? Lucky!"

"Well, I battled Neela more then Vladimir, using a bunch of Ice spells." Destiny replied.

"You used Ice spells?" Jason questioned. "But your primary school is death, secondary fire, and had no Ice treasure cards, so how?"

Destiny looked over to Nikki. "Should I tell them?" She asked. "Honestly, they deserve to know."

But Fire and Storm and Ice, its not what they would have wanted! Nikki protested.

"Nikki, they are their desendants!" Destiny yelled. "They deserve to know about their lineage!"

"Wait, it has something to do with our ancestors?" Natalie asked.

Despite Nikki's protests throughout, Destiny told them the whole story.

"So, they're all immortal?" Ryan asked.

"That's what I thought," Destiny replied. "They are dead. I think it had to do with time travel."

"Okay, although it would have been cool to meet our ancestors," Esmee interupted. "We need to take a break from this thing, because I have something I want to show Destiny."

"What is it?" Destiny asked.

Esmee made a gesture and led them over to the Grizzlehiem spiral door. Destiny had a feeling they were going to leave Grizzlehiem, so she gave it a last look before stepping through the door to see what Esmee had in store.

Destiny had left Grizzlehiem to look at a landscape with a little river, a beach, a little grove, and a huge house. Destiny knew on sight what it was.

"A cottage?" Destiny marveled as the others stepped through.

Esmee nodded. "And the cool part? Its all yours I decided that I had to give up on the royal playhouse, so I bought this instead." Esmee scratched the back of her head, feeling nervous. "I hope it's good enough, wait, Destiny?" Esmee looked around. Then she heard a scream. "This is AWESOME!"

Esmee and the others laughed. Destiny was behaving not unlike the time Esmee had given her a tour of the royal playhouse on the day of her orientation.

"Wait, wait," Jason cried out. "Come back over here!"

Destiny did.

"Destiny, I'm wondering," Jason said. "May this serve as a base?"

"B-but-" Destiny stammered. "Its my home not. I've been waiting for this for a while! It's mine!"

"I didn't mean it like we live in it," Jason reassured. "I'm just wondering if we can store plans and stuff here so Vladimir or Neela, you know, can't reach it."

"Oh," Destiny said. "Sure."

"Another thing," Jason said. "We need to implant ourselves in Vladimir's brain, so we might want to come up with names and ranks."

"How the line of desendants?" Esmee suggested.

"Not all of us are desendants," Destiny pointed out.

Esmee blushed. "Oh, right. Sorry."

"How about the Mighty?" Ryan asked.

"Too short," Jason replied.

"How about the Order of the Spiral?" Natalie suggested.

Jason scratched his chin. "I like that," He said. Chris nodded his agreement, and the others joined him. "Its decided," Ryan clarified. "We are officially the Order of the Spiral."

Jason nodded his approval. "Now for army ranks, like commander, seargent and luitenant." He said. "First lets nominate the commander."

Natalie raised her hand. "I nominate Ryan Stormcaster, desendant of Storm."

Destiny nodded. "he's a desendant of the most powerful founder, very determined, founder of the group," She reasoned.

Ryan smiled.

"Anybody else?" Jason called.

Esmee slowly raised her hand. "I nominate Jason Stormflame, desendant of Fire."

"Powerful, high-ranking, smart," Chris mused.

"Anybody else?" Jason called again.

Nobody spoke.

"Lets take a vote then," Ryan said. "All in favor of Ryan Stormcaster."

Natalie and Destiny raised their hands.

"All in favor of Jason Stormflame." Ryan called again.

Jason, Chris, Esmee and Ryan all raised their hands. Then everyone turned to look at Ryan. "I think he would be a better commander then me."

The newly appointed commander grinned. "You're supportive, willing to put your life on the line for another," Jason said. "All in favor of Ryan Stormcaster as seargent, raise your hand."

Natalie, Destiny, Chris, Jason, Esmee and Ryan raised their hands.

"Then it's decided," Esmee announced. "Jason is the commander, and Ryan is the seargent."

"Now we need the luitenant, the third-in-command." Jason said. "Any nominations?" Jason thought for a moment, then said, "Actually, I nominate Chris Soulhunter, desendand of Myth."

Destiny thought and pictured Chris as a good luitenant.

Ryan raised his hand. "I have a suggestion."

"Who?" Jason asked.

"I nominate Destiny Seagem."

Destiny was stunned. Her? As luitenant? "Why me?" She asked Ryan. "I'm not even a desendant!"

"Maybe not," Ryan admitted. "But you were the one who kicked Vladimir's butt at the duel, then Neela's in Ravenscar, even found the desendant of Ice, Esmee Lionblood."

"Actually, more like she found me," Destiny countered.

"Even so, you are very worthy," Ryan persisted.

"Okay," Jason said. "All in favor of Chris Soulhunter as luitenant, raise your hand."

Only Jason and Chris did.

"All in favor of Destiny Seagem."

Destiny, Ryan, Natalie and Esmee raised their hands.

"Then its decided," The commander said. "I, Jason, am the commander, Ryan the seargent, and Destiny as the luitenant of the order of the Spiral."

"But Jason," Natalie asked. "Where do we go next?"

"I don't know," He admitted. "Maybe we should take up Esmee's suggestion, Go back to Wizard City, get caught up in our studys and become of higher rank. Take a break from Vladimir and Neela and whatever throns remain."

Jason then fitted the key into the spiral door lock, twisted it, then opened the door, revealing a portal to the Wizard City spiral chamber. One by one, the Order of the Spiral stepped through, adn Destiny, the newly appointed luitenant, quickly joined them.