A/N: I have returned! xD Welcome to The Journey of Fire's Song, story 2 in the Firesong series. :)
This story will feature Alex as the main character, of course, and all of the main O.C.'s from the last story: Erica, Sabrina, Heather, Evan, Destiny, Tristan, Kestrel, Chelsea and Ashley. There will also be eight new O.C.'s, who have already been submitted, and possibly a surprise appearance by someone whose name I can't reveal at the moment. You'll have to guess. ;) *Note: If the owners of Chelsea or Ashley would NOT like their characters to return in this story, please let me know and I will take them out. Sorry, brother dearest; you don't get a say about Evan. I stole his soul. XD
The Journey of Fire's Song will take place mostly in the Morganthe arc (Celestia, Zafaria, Avalon, Azteca and whatever new world comes out next.) This story may or may not be as dark as the first one; there's even a possibility that it will be darker. *Evil laugh* It also takes place ONE YEAR AFTER THE END OF THE LAST STORY.
Many thanks to my awesomesauce beta reader, Rebecca Ripple! :D
Disclaimer: *Is concentrating* Maybe if I concentrate hard enough … I'll make myself the owner of Wizard101! *Keeps concentrating* ...nope. It didn't work. *Randomly pulls out saxophone and starts playing it* Wait a second … I don't even PLAY the saxophone! How does THAT happen? O_O
All right, I think those are all of my announcements… do enjoy The Journey of Fire's Song! :D
Sabrina was distracted. I could see it in her eyes, in the way she moved, in the cards she played. The Theurgist was making errors every couple of rounds, and she only expressed that they'd been mistakes with a slight frown of annoyance. She barely reacted when I cast her least favorite spell on her, and the moment the duel was over, I approached my rival to confront her.
"What's up with you? You've been acting really weird lately," I told Sabrina. She shrugged halfheartedly.
"I dunno. Tired, I guess." I raised an eyebrow.
"You're lying." She let out an over-exaggerated sigh and gave me a disdainful sneer.
"Fine. You caught me," the Theurgist replied dryly. "I've been thinking about what Moira said when we were fighting Malistaire … She said that she knew how to free my mom." I frowned.
"You trust Moira? I mean, I know she changed and all, but … well, it's just not likely, Sabrina." I shrugged. "Sorry to burst your bubble." Sabrina shook her head.
"No, you're probably right. Necromancers." She snorted and walked away, shaking her head and muttering to herself. I watched as she climbed onto her white mare's back and galloped away, and then went to retrieve Bat. I found a black rose and a note pinned to my saddle, and grinned when I saw the signature: Luke Shadowstorm.
I had met my boyfriend almost a year ago while we were dueling. We were each fighting for the title of Warlord, and for the first time in years I had been evenly matched. He was a Necromancer and a secondary Storm wizard, and had beaten me in that duel. Needless to say, I had demanded a rematch, and when I continued to lose, I knew that change was in order. Ice wasn't cutting it any longer, so I insisted that Luke teach me Divination. In return, I had trained him in Thaumaturgy, and we were both stronger because of our third schools. Most of our more recent duels had ended in draws, and I had required a different dueling partner to make Warlord.
Meet me at the Royal Museum of Marleybone at 6:30. I've got something to show you, the note said. I glanced at my watch. Only 3:30. I decided to head to the Commons and work on my Advanced Necromancy homework.
It was a normal day in the peaceful Commons. Other students were milling about, chatting, exchanging items, studying and doing homework. There was a quiet bustle that always made me feel right at home. A few novice Necromancers spotted me and waved.
"Hi, Alexandra!" They called to me. I waved back and grinned before tossing my backpack onto the ground beside a tree. After digging through the overfilled, black bag, I located my half-finished essay on reanimation of corpses and the book that I was using for research: Ghouls, Zombies, Wraiths and Spectres by Marcia Darkwind- my old friend and a former Necromancer. My friend had written several books that were now on the Necromancy reading list. Just as I had begun to read, someone spoke, interrupting my thoughts.
"Hey, Alex! Could you tell us about your quest again?" I looked up. Four of the novice Necromancers stood in a line, staring at me expectantly. I rolled my eyes.
"Really? Again? Guys, I hate to crush your little happy moods, but I'm trying to write a Necromancy essay." I waved the small stack of lined paper at them.
"Oh … could you tell the story later, when you're done with your essay?" My mind drifted back nearly a year, back to Dragonspyre and to the top of the mountain. I remembered the look on Moira's face as she died, and the blood on Arthas' athame after he stabbed Malistaire. I could see the tears on Heather's face again. I felt a sharp stab of pain. I shivered. "Alex?"
"What?" I snapped. The four novices recoiled suddenly, and I realized that I was practically snarling at them. "Uh … sorry. If I can, I'll tell you that story some other time." I ran a hand through my hair. "Just … you might want to go. Isn't Beginning Necromancy starting in a minute or so?" They looked at each other, looked back at me, and then ran towards the waterfall and the entrance to Nightside. I almost grinned, remembering the warning threats Dworgyn always made at the beginning of each new year to discourage tardiness. I doubted that he would ever go through with them, but the novices didn't know that.
"You have way too much fun doing that," a familiar voice said. I glanced to my left. Heather stood a short distance away, smiling in amusement.
"Doing what?"
"Scaring n-novices," she laughed. "Beginning Necromancy d-doesn't start for f-five minutes. You know how I kn-now?" I shook my head. "It's the s-same time as G-grandmaster Thaumaturgy. I have to keep rem-minding Sadie when she's r-reading; she never remembers to keep t-track of the t-time."
"Well, congratulations. How's she been doing, anyways?" I asked, gesturing for the Conjurer to take a seat. She smiled brightly.
"Great! She and N-nolan and I went for a w-walk this morning, and we helped her s-study for her f-final exam. It's in three w-weeks."
"Really? Wow. They've got it early this year."
"Well, P-professor Greyrose doesn't like to d-do that specific t-test any time after M-may; warm w-weather disrupts their s-spells."
"I don't remember having my colossus test in May." I frowned.
"Her test is f-for Thaumaturgy in g-general, silly! She can't b-become a Grandmaster in June if she d-doesn't p-pass this test."
"I'm sure she'll do fine," I declared, pulling my water bottle from my backpack. "If anyone can pass that test, it's Sadie Rosegem. She's like a young Erica Bluestone." We both laughed, thinking of our bizarrely studious friend.
"So, g-guess what?"
"What?" I asked, taking a sip of the water.
"Nolan asked me t-to go to the festival next w-week. As in, he asked m-me on a d-date," Heather said, smiling wider. I choked on my water, which I quickly spat back into the water bottle.
"He asked you WHAT?" My friend beamed.
"Isn't it so s-sweet?"
"No! No, that's not sweet! It's disgusting! How could you trust that jerk?"
"Come on, Alex! How m-many times do I have to t-tell you that he's ch-changed?" I frowned.
"How many times do I have to reply that I do not believe you? He practically tortured Brooke for most of novice year; one does not simply forgive Nolan Stormgate for a crime like that!" The Transcendent Conjurer rolled her eyes.
"Fine. Don't b-believe me."
"You said no, right?" Heather looked horrified.
"Alex! No, I d-didn't say no! I s-said I would g-go with him!" I made a face.
"Whatever. If he hurts you, though, don't expect me to comfort you." I paused for a moment, thinking. "You know, I'll probably just beat him up." Her gentle smile returned.
"You'd make a g-good older brother, you kn-know?"
-V-
It was already dark in Marleybone when I arrived at the museum. A tall wizard dressed entirely in black robes stood with his back to me, inspecting a painting from Avalon. He turned his head slightly as I approached, fixing his brown eyes on mine. He grinned.
"You know, the Avalonians were known for having many famous painters. This picture of the Wyrd was done by an anonymous artist many years ago. They're still trying to figure out who created it," he said, glancing back at the painting.
"Fascinating. So, what's up? Any particular reason we're meeting here?" I asked, nudging his arm gently. He shrugged.
"It's dark." It was a typical "Luke answer." Short and rather vague. "There also happens to be a new restaurant just around the corner. I hope you haven't had dinner yet." My boyfriend smirked and headed towards the exit, grabbing my hand as he passed me.
The restaurant he had spoken of was indeed new, and featured Avalonian food. "What a coincidence: we meet in the Avalon section of the museum, and you take me to an Avalonian restaurant," I mused jokingly. "That's not at all like you, Luke." He laughed.
"You know, Alex, you really need to work on your sarcasm. One of these days I might actually think you're serious." I simply grinned as I stabbed a piece of lettuce from my salad. A letter dropped onto the table in front of me, and I looked up in confusion. A familiar white owl was perched on the windowsill, staring down at me.
"Delta? What are you doing here?" Gamma the Owl's younger brother didn't normally leave Wizard City. He ruffled his feathers and took off in the direction of the Spiral Door.
"You might want to open that. If Delta troubled his lazy backside to bring it to you, it's gotta be important," Luke said in a low voice. I made a face at him as I ripped open the envelope, removing a neatly folded piece of paper.
Young Miss Firesong:
I am in need of your assistance with a rather urgent problem. If you could visit my office as soon as you are available, I would greatly appreciate it. And please, come quickly. It is an issue that requires immediate action.
Sincerely,
Headmaster Ambrose
I looked up at Luke in surprise. "There's some kind of problem… he wants to see me as soon as possible." His expression became one of concern.
"We'd better hurry up and finish here, then. Whatever's going on, it must be serious if he needs your help." I nodded in agreement.
-V-
She was waking. The pain in her head was overwhelming, and she could barely see straight. She couldn't sit up. She couldn't speak. She was having trouble breathing- but she was waking.
A/N: Sorry if my somewhat romantic scene sucked; that's not exactly my best genre. O_o