Chapter 2: Where Land Meets Sky
Matthew's Point of View:
I stepped out of Bartleby's now cold core and into the Ravenwood courtyard. The graduation decorations had been magically teleported away. The school day had returned to normal.
"Hey Bartleby," I said, putting my hand on his trunk, which was very cold. "Are you okay?"
"No," Bartleby moaned in a raspy soft voice. "It's no ice wizard prank," He sighed. "This is a curse of deep dark shadow magic."
I cringed at the thought of shadow magic, still regretting learning the evil, dark spells such as Shadow Shrike and Fire From Above. "Can you sense who placed this curse on you?"
"N-n-n-no… But, I can tell where it c-c-came from," Bartleby grumbled.
"Where?" I asked, concerned.
"It came from far away. From where Land Meets the Sky, yes, tell Ambrose the curse came from where Land Meets the Sky."
"Alright Bartleby, hope you feel better, buddy."
"Thank you, Matt," Bartleby groaned, coughing.
I walked to Merle Ambrose's office with a quick pace. The other students were eating lunch in the Commons as I rushed in to Ambrose's office.
"Ah, hello, new graduate!" the headmaster said after swallowing a bite of apple. "You look concerned. Is it Bartleby? Is he okay?"
"No, he's very ill," I said gravely, sitting down.
"Well, it was a very cold wind," Ambrose adjusted his hat. "The summer sun should heal him, right?"
"No, Bartleby's been cursed with a dark shadowy curse. He said it came from far away. What did he say again? It was from 'Where Land Meets The Sky', whatever that means."
Ambrose looked shocked and dropped his apple into his desk. "That does ring a bell. That is a reference to a world called Polaris. This may be a cause to worry. Cyrus Drake has been there. You should ask him."
"Good idea," I said as I turned around to go speak with Mr. Drake.
I was quite starving as I didn't have much to eat that morning, but I still ran as quickly as I could to the Myth School where Cyrus Drake was eating lunch at his desk while grading papers. I noticed there were a lot of red marks on the final exams. "Oh, hello, you're back for more applause? I'm afraid I'm all clapped out. I need to grade these final exams for the undergraduate students."
"Actually, I'm here to ask a question," I said, catching my breath.
"If you want to know how you did on my exam, you did very well for a non-Myth student. You got a B+, an 89%... just to torture you," Cyrus Drake chuckled.
"Actually, I was wondering about Polaris. Bartleby said something about it being 'Where Land Meets Sky'?"
"Oh, is that where Bartleby's curse came from? That is a bit alarming. Polaris is at the outer rim of The Spiral, the horizon, if you will. I knew an old witch there; Baba Yaga is her name. I dated her once. Not the friendliest lady. A bit of a recluse, she is, but she can provide the assistance you need," Cyrus said, opening a desk drawer. Inside the drawer were many Spiral Keys. He pulled out a key with a red palace-looking building on it. He waved his wand over it, causing the key to duplicate. He handed me the duplicate key. "Here is a Spiral Key to Walruskberg, capitol of Polaris. Ask around for Ivan The Great. He is Baba Yaga's contact."
"Thank you, Mr. Drake," I said, placing the key in my pocket. I was much pleased to be spending my summer in Polaris rather than the wasteland that is Dragonspyre.
After speaking with Cyrus, I went to the Commons for lunch. There was a mini-banquet for the graduating class. All the undergraduate students had gone home for the summer to return in September. Ellie Frostheart, my girlfriend, was chatting with a friend with her back to me when I lightly tapped her shoulder covered with long, silky brown hair.
She turned around, startled, then she smiled. "Hey, Matt!" She kissed me on the cheek. "Congratulations on graduating! I suppose there was a last-minute change."
"Yea, Lydia Greyrose deducted 10 points from my test because she hates me. The score was fixed though."
"Well, I'm glad you passed," Ellie said, happy that she could move on from Ravenwood without having to worry about me.
"Hello, Matthew…." I heard an ominous voice say. I turned around. It was Duncan Grimwater.
"What do you want, Duncan?" I asked, scoffing a little.
"I wanted to personally congratulate you for defeating Undead Malistaire. I was his best student, and then Cyrus killed him. Then, Morganthe raises him from the undead, and then you banish him to the Other Side."
"It wasn't like that at all!" I said defensively. "Malistaire made the choice and you know it. You were there in Darkmoor!"
"Matt, you know Malistaire is not evil."
"Yes, he is, or at least he was. Why else would he try to destroy the spiral?"
"He just wanted to bring back his wife! How is that evil?"
Both Duncan and I had gritted teeth at this point and I really just wanted to burn Duncan. He's been rude to me ever since I joined Ravenwood as a freshman.
"Guys, calm down," Ellie said, trying to keep the peace.
"Matt, you will have my vengeance," Duncan said before walking away.
"What's his deal?" Ellie asked.
"Let me tell you a story….." I began.
(Third person POV) Flashback to Triton Avenue, 5 years ago….
"Guys, I think my twin brother Arthur is missing!" Susie Gryphonbane, a novice diviner, panicked.
"Alright, field trip is suspended. We need to find Arthur Gryphonbane before it's too late!" Storm professor Halston Balestrom agreed.
"He likely took a wrong turn and got left behind" Duncan, a novice necromancer, suggested.
"Or it could be these creepy undead wandering the streets," Matthew, a novice pyromancer, added.
"Yes," Halston began. "There has been a recent rise in undead attacks on our city streets since Malistaire quit in a rage last month. I was questioning bringing you all here for a storm lesson. I suggest you all go home before the undead take you prisoner."
"I'll stay and help find Arthur," Matthew said, concerned for his classmate and friend.
"I'll stay too, but only to prove to you all that the undead are not bad or that Malistaire would do such a thing. He was a great professor," Duncan said confidently.
After a long, all day rescue effort, the young teens, Susie, Matthew, and Duncan found Arthur in the Harvest Lord's Tower. The scarecrow with a jack-o-lantern head dropped a note. It read:
"Dear Harvest Lord, do not stop your forces until Wizard City has fallen. Your boss, - Malistaire" Thirteen year old Matthew read the note aloud.
"What… I do not believe this! You set this up, DragonBlade!"
"Duncan, have you ever actually thought that Malistaire is evil?" Susie asked. "He tried to destroy the spiral, mind you. Thank heavens Cyrus Drake is going to beat him before he resummons the Dragon Titan."
Matthew, knowing of his deceased grandfather's original summoning of the Dragon Titan, blushed a little when hearing Susie mention the Dragon Titan.
"He's not! He's good! Why do you assume that he's bad?! He just summoned a few skeletons!"
"Yea, a 'few' skeletons he ordered to capture young wizards and take over Wizard City," Matthew retorted…
Flashback to Zafaria, 2 years ago:
It was a hot day in the Savannah. The sun beat down on the dry grassy plains, causing mirages of water to appear on the dirt roads and hills. A group of Ravenwood students is in Zafaria for a 3-day field trip. An anthropomorphic zebra named Msizi Redband was guiding the students through the plains to visit the tribes and learn of Zafarian culture. Matthew was sixteen years old and his relation to Duncan was a bit friendlier. The group passed a painted rock. "This painting is over 1000 years old! It depicts the Umbra Queen's invasion of the lands of Zafaria," Msizi told the students.
Duncan rolled his eyes and quietly tiptoed away from the group. Matthew noticed and followed him. "What are you doing? You'll get lost."
"Matt, I'll be fine. I'm just going to have a little fun."
Duncan began to climb a rock. "Get down from there. You could fall and I can't exactly heal you."
"I'LL BE FINE!" Duncan said. "Leave me alone. I can handle myself."
"Alright, I'm going back with the group. I'll see ya later, Duncan." Matthew ran off to rejoin the students. Duncan climbed to the top of the rock. The view was great. He could see for miles across the grassy plains. However, this was a sacred rock. Duncan had intruded on the grounds of the King Lion. He was imprisoned in a cage for his crimes and will be sentenced to death in a couple days, as such was a fitting crime for intruding on sacred tribal land.
Meanwhile down below, the group of students was having a lunch picnic on the valley floor. Ms. Falmea was doing a roll call and noticed Duncan Grimwater was missing.
"Matthew Dragonblade, do you know where Duncan is? He's missing."
"Sure. I know exactly where he went."
Matthew retraced the steps to the large rock Duncan ascended. He followed Duncan's footprints up the rock. Matthew noticed Duncan over in a cage. Matthew noticed some lion tribesmen keeping guard over the sacred rock. He hid behind a bush, but the guards heard the rustling and caught Matthew. He was put in the cage with Duncan.
"Look at the mess you got us in!" Matthew said angrily to his classmate.
"It's not my fault. I didn't know this was a SACRED rock."
"I knew I should have dragged you along with the group when you had wandered off."
"Look, I'm sorry," Duncan tried to apologize. "I only have limited time to apologize before we get our death sentence."
"We're going to DIE?!" Matthew panicked. Neither Duncan nor Matthew could think of any way to escape, as their wands were taken by guards.
However, the boys' hopes of rescue were answered a couple hours later when Ellie and the Gryphonbane twins broke into the sacred Nemean Rock and were able to negotiate with the king about the misconception of intruding on a sacred landmark and how Matthew and Duncan were unaware that they had offended the tribe. The king let the boys out, and all was normal, except Matthew's friendship with Duncan was completely severed…
Flashback to Castle Darkmoor, 1 week ago:
Malistaire the Undying had been finally defeated by Matthew, Susie, and Ellie after Morganthe raised him from the dead a year ago. Duncan had gone to Darkmoor with the trio, but betrayed the group to help Malistaire, who was his idol. Now, Malistaire was confronted by Sylvia with an offer to live peacefully on the Other Side and give up his vengeful ways against Ravenwood and Wizard City.
"Malistaire! Don't leave! PLEASE! There's so much more you can teach me!" Duncan shouted.
"Malistaire, my love. Your obsession must stop. Now, it is your chance to do us all a favor and join me on the Other Side," Sylvia pleaded to her husband.
"I will do that for you, my love," Malistaire began. "Even for you, wizards. Thank you for freeing me from this endless cycle of revenge and obsession."
"No! Malistaire! Stop! You must show me your secrets. Show me the shadow!" Duncan pleaded. "I was your best student so many years ago! Don't leave!" eighteen year old Duncan began to tear up. Malistaire and Sylvia Drake walked through a portal into the Other Side to live happily forever after. "WHY!? Why did you free him! The dead are supposed to stay here! Not the Other Side!"
"I think it's the other way around, Duncan," Matthew panted, still catching his breath after that intense battle.
"Matthew! For years you have tormented me! You sent Malistaire away from Wizard City! You killed Malistaire! You helped Morganthe raise him from the dead just so you could get the joy of killing him again and freeing his spirit!"
"Duncan, Matthew didn't do any of that…" Ellie said. "Would you sweetie?" Ellie teasingly asked Matt.
"Of course not. Malistaire… quit and was killed not long after I joined Ravenwood," Matt reasoned with Duncan. "And I never even seen Morganthe in person. She, well, killed herself with her own power."
"Duncan, I think you're going insane," Susie approached the unstable teenager.
"NO! I am perfectly sane!" Duncan shoved Susie quite forcibly. "I will find a way to contact Malistaire!" Duncan then teleported away.
The rest of the students walked back to Wizard City to prepare for graduation the next week, unsure of what to tell Headmaster Ambrose of Duncan's actions.
By the time I finished my story, Ellie and I had walked to my dorm room.
"Wow, so Duncan has always been a bit unstable?" Ellie asked, concerned. I nodded in agreement as I opened my door. "Anyways, are you ready to go to Wizard Tech University next fall in Marleybone?"
"Uh, sure," I said, a bit uneasy.
"Matthew!" Ellie teasingly scolded me. "You haven't applied yet have you?!"
"I was going to apply this afternoon before I leave campus, but Ambrose wants me to go to Polaris, the place where Bartleby's illness has come from."
"Oh, ok," Ellie said solemnly. "You should probably pack up your dorm and get going then. Promise me you'll stay in touch?"
"Of course, Ellie. I love you."
"Aww, Matt, you're so sweet. I am going to pack up my dorm and go home for the summer. Stay safe." Ellie hugged me goodbye before parting ways. I looked around my single-person dorm, and noticed it was quite a mess.
I waved my wand clearing everything and putting it in my infinite backpack. It could hold anything, while still being the size and weight of a normal backpack. I left the bed and desk for the new freshman who would take my dorm next fall. I also changed out of my graduation clothes, putting on my casual robes. I then went back inside sick Bartleby, as his wood was beginning to freeze. The world door at the center still was working fine, as I inserted the Polaris key into the lock…