oOo

I was escorted to the entrance of the Haunted Cave by a full contingent of Wizard City guards and a middle-aged Grandmaster necromancer. I suppose Ambrose suspected I was considering deserting, and was hoping to discourage any attempts to escape my metaphorical march to the scaffold.

The guards weren't my main issue; they were just doing their jobs, after all, and I had seen the reluctance in their movements and the looks of pity they shot me. Those guards wanted to be here about as much as I did.

I shot another glare at the back of the woman who led our group.

That witch was the problem. Not from her words, or her attitude, but her very presence. As marked by the badge pinned proudly to her robes, she was a Grandmaster, one of the strongest wizards in Wizard City. But what was she doing? Not teaching the new necromancers who arrived at Ravenwood with only a 20-something for a teacher and not even a real classroom. Not dismantling the undead with a single spell, or taking the fight to Malistaire himself. No, her only job was deactivating the new protective spells over the entrance to the Haunted Cave long enough to send me to my death.

As we approached the cave's mouth, I realized a marked difference from how it had been during the Battle of Triton Avenue. The gate had been changed since I was last here. What had once been a simple set of bars was now a solid stone wall, with the Death school emblem in the middle surrounded by line after line of magical script and runes.

Our group halted in front of the barrier, and the necromancer began to chant rapidly in a language I couldn't recognize. Her voice was much higher than I had expected. As her recitation dragged on, I realized that I would have no chance of remembering it, let alone duplicating her sibilant tones.

Finally, the barrier melted away, revealing the shadows of the Haunted Cave. I was certain I saw at least one pair of eyes staring out at us.

As the necromancer motioned forward, I reached my breaking point.

I dived away from the Haunted Cave, trying to shove my way past the impenetrable wall of guards blocking me in. Immediately came shouts of alarm and countless hands grabbing me and pulling me back. I screamed, I bit, I kicked, but to no avail. There was no escape.

With a few words, the Grandmaster had me immobilized and silenced. She stepped in front of me and looked down to meet my eyes as she began to speak in a commanding tone of voice.

"My name is Vida MoonBlight, and I am your support for this mission. I will have a scrying chamber set up to follow your progress for as long as you are outside of Stormdrain Tower's anti-scrying wards. I will watch you until you pass into the tower's wards. After this point, I will check on you periodically to see if you have made it back to the entrance. You will be able to notify me that you have reached the entrance by whistling three short notes, which will be picked up by the scrying spell. Summoning me without completing your mission will result in a trial for desertion. I only have the power to maintain the chamber for three days. If you have not achieved your objective by this point, you will be declared missing, presumed dead, and if you are still alive you must find your way out on your own. Any questions?"

"If I can't win fast enough you're just leaving me to die? Is that it?" I spat.

"Listen, you stupid girl. I am on your side. I am the reason you have a way in and out in the first place, and you should be grateful that I am willing to drain my magic to keep the scrying spells up for three full days when you will likely be either victorious within a day or not come out at all. I have taken every step possible to ensure your continued survival. I fought the Wizard City Council over the very idea of sending someone so inexperienced on this mission, and when they refused to send me instead I volunteered to help you. This is the thanks I get? I could have you tried for insubordination for your mouth," MoonBlight spat right back.

"So you offered to take my mission, and now you're scrying for me. So what? If you were really that determined to help me, you'd make the switch right now and go fight Lord Nightshade yourself. You'd probably be in and out in an hour tops, before anybody knows you're gone. And let's not forget the fact that your primary concern wasn't with forcing a student to face near-certain death, but that I wouldn't win in the process. I don't care about your stupid insubordination; I'm doomed already," I snapped.

The older witch opened her mouth, then closed it. She gave me a long look, then turned away from me.

"Send her in," she dismissed.

A hard shove from one of the guards behind me sent me stumbling into the Haunted Cave, and three words from Vida MoonBlight reformed the barrier, leaving me in darkness.

oOo

A/N: So, life is hitting me pretty hard right now, and I'll be super busy until around November 10th. That whole "Two more chapters" thing? Not happening; there'll be more than that. I was hoping to post the full battle with Lord Nightshade in Chapter 11, but the word count ran away from me before I even reached the main action, and I felt bad leaving you guys without anything for a solid 2-3 weeks. This alone is the longest chapter in Letters Home (past 1,000 words on this one!), and it's dialogue-based filler. Next chapter will have the battle, but I have no ETA for it.

Special thanks to GinnySong!

-The Thunder Alchemist