We're Back True Believers! It's Ghost and Miracle here, and we're thrilled to say that we have returned from our honeymoon, and that means our stories are coming off hiatus and kicking back into gear.
What's not so thrilling, is what we came home to. Red skies, smoke so thick you couldn't see more than a block ahead of you, over 6000 homes lost, 34 dead, and 18,636,000 hectares burnt. Sydney University has estimated that more than 480 million animals have died since September as a result of the fires. Our country, our home is on fire, and the people in power refuse to do anything to fix the problem, instead taking vacations to Hawaii and signing deals to bulldoze Koala sanctuaries.
Now, we can't do much on our own, but what we can do and have done is donate to the hundreds of volunteer firefighters who have been out in the bush fighting the good fight. These guys are real heroes, real legends and any cent you can afford helps them, the thousands of animals being treated in animal hospitals, and the people whose livelihoods have been destroyed. If you want to donate, remove the spaces from links below:
www . firefightaustralia . com . au
www. rspca . org . au/
www . australiawildlifefund . com
www . redcross . org . au/campaigns/disaster-relief-and-recovery-donate
Thanks so much everybody. For more on our updating schedule and future, see the endnotes.
Volume II – Imagination's Folly
Chapter 15:
"Friend,
It has been some time, but I have received no further communication from you, and am beginning to worry. Frightening events have occurred, events you must be made aware of. As predicted, the Knights Radiant have fallen without Honour to guide them. Cultivation has hidden somewhere on Roshar, and none of our agents can discern her location. But the more important thing is that Ruin is free. It is only a matter of time before he overcomes the last vestiges of Preservation's power on Scadrial and finally destroys that world. I am heading there now to do what I can. That's on top of the rumours coming from Nalthis of Endowment resurrecting the dead. If you receive this, reply immediately.
If, as Hoid fears, this letter has perhaps fallen into the hands of another, to you, I say this: Be careful of what you seek. The cosmere is a vast and dangerous place for the ill-informed. If you have killed my friend, know that we have long memories, and are not quick to forgive.
Khriss."
Ginny bounced on her tiptoes, desperately trying – and failing – to control her breathing. Right outside those tent flaps, a Dragon was waiting for her. A fucking DRAGON. And she had to fight it.
She had to fight a dragon, and the only people who didn't want her to fail and die painfully in the process were Bill, Charlie, Fred and George, Harry, Gabrielle, and Daphne. Ron would be positively thrilled if she disappeared, her father's life would be made a whole lot easier, and her mother would no longer have to pretend that she wasn't terrified at the sight of her daughter. And the students? They would be thrilled to know that Ginny Weasley, dark witch, was finally dead. She also imagined they would be ecstatic to learn that she had failed the first of Harry's supposed 'tests'.
"I can't do this. I can't do this. I am going to be barbequed!" She muttered, teeth chattering. Beyond the tent walls, Fleur's dragon roared as it tried to devour her.
"Ginny. You can do this! We've been training with Harry and Makani! And we've been so good! We can blow up whole boulders now!" Ember exclaimed. Bouncing excitedly on a nearby table in sync with Ginny's own nervous springs.
Ember had discovered, or perhaps just remembered, a great love of making things explode. Or setting things on fire. Or melting them. Or incinerating them. Anything that involved wanton destruction really.
"AND NOW, OUR FINAL CHAMPION! REPRESENTING HOGWARTS, GINNY WEASLEY!"
Ginny was rather proud of herself for gathering enough courage to actually step out of the tent flap. Ember drifted beside her head, rubbing her hands together, eyes and hair alight.
The arena was a mass of rocky outcroppings and piles of rubble, offering numerous places she could fall and break her neck, or hide from torrents of flame. But the giant black scaled Dragon nesting in the centre of the arena was unmissable. It fixed one menacing black eye one Ginny but otherwise remained still.
I am so going to die.
And then, with perfect clarity, a voice that didn't belong to her echoed softly through her mind.
RELAX, DAUGHTER OF IMAGINATION. TRUST IN YOUR DREAMS. THEY HAVE POWER. USE IT.
A rush of serenity washed over her, and Ginny was finally able to take the deep breath she needed.
Well. If I'm going to die. I may as well die proving everyone wrong.
That thought was all her own.
Ginny did not glance towards the stands. She knew what she would see. Or rather, who she wouldn't. So, she advanced towards the dragon and drew her wand. She wouldn't need it. Not for the magic Harry had drilled into her. But Dumbledore and the others couldn't know about her. Therefore, at least looking like she was using her wand was a necessity. Using her right hand, she pointed the shaft of wood at the giant beast, which snorted at her suspiciously as she neared it. And with her left hand, she clenched her fist.
Focus, Ginny. It's all about focus.
"Ready Ember?" She whispered.
"Ready!"
Then, with all her mind, she reached out to the Fusion Force, and with the softest of tugs, reversed the pressure of gravity on the dragon. The giant creature resisted, its mass still attempting to pull it towards the Earth below, but the spiritual pull was too great, and slowly, screeching all the way, the dragon was jerked up into the air. Away from its nest. Sweat beading across her brow, Ginny bolted at top speed towards the nest. Already she could feel the link beginning to weaken, degrading as the spectators watched in disbelief as a 'little girl' lifted a full-grown Hungarian Horntail in the air with seemingly no effort.
"That's incredible!"
It's imagination.
"Woohoo!" Ember squealed, spinning in the air as Ginny grabbed the egg and began to race back to the tent. She made it halfway before the magic gave out, and the dragon was released. It crashed to the ground, and cried out in rage, before beating its wings rapidly and charging towards her.
"It looks like Miss Weasley has made it mad!"
In the stands at that moment, Harry was trying to come to terms with the fact that, apparently, in the wizarding world, entertainment was akin to Ancient Rome. Except these people threw children to the lions. He was about this close to getting up and murdering everyone. But Ginny didn't know any of that. She was too busy bolting for the exit.
But she couldn't reach it in time. A jet of blistering heat surged towards her, the stench of ash heavy in the air.
"Protego!" The flames washed around her shield charm, but the heat still blistered her skin. Ember was brandishing her battle axe, not that it did them any good.
"Remember Ginny," Harry's lessons echoed from her memory, "We don't know what is going to be in that arena. But it doesn't matter. When in doubt, just blast the shit out of things."
She thrust her free hand towards the dragon, unthinking, and a bolt of lightning lanced from her fingertips. It cracked against the monster's scales, and it screamed in agony. Three tears in split asunder in its wings as the current charged through it. Ginny didn't stay to watch. She and Ember ran for the tent flap, and the second they passed beneath the canvas, Ginny collapsed to the floor, and wretched.
No teacher was there to meet her. Even Madame Pomfrey hadn't come to make sure she was alright. She was alone. No one cared. She risked her life! For a game! And no-one cared! She couldn't even hear any cheers from outside. Only the pained cries from the dragon, and the sounds of curses splashing against its hide.
Ginny remained on her knees, wheezing, until arms wrapped around her, and a voice pierced the cloud of fog surrounding her.
"Ginny?" Bill said, shaking her shoulder.
"Don't pressure her. She'll come back," Gabrielle assured him, and Ginny leaned further into the Veela girl's shoulder.
"The mighty conqueror!" Fred and George exclaimed from somewhere beyond her vision. And in Gabrielle's arms she stayed, clinging desperately to the knowledge that these people, in this room, did care, even if no-one else did. She had to keep going. For them. For herself.
And so they remained, until the stadium dissolved into screams.
Harry was furious. As soon as Ginny made it clear of the arena, he was on his feet, storming towards the judge's box – towards Dumbledore. He very much intended to give the old man a piece of his fucking mind. Or, if that didn't work, a kick up the fucking ass.
Dragons! Dragons were fucking real. And, apparently, throwing children into arenas with them to die was an acceptable past time.
To say Harry was mad would be the biggest understatement of the century. As far as he was concerned at least.
However, as entertaining as Harry punching the headmaster upside would have been; unfortunately, it was not to be.
Harry was in the quarter of the stands straight to the right of the judges, when a dozen figures, dressed in black capes and silver masks, appeared from thin air all around him – the sharp 'cracks!' of Apparation announcing them.
The spectators surrounding Harry instantly screamed in terror. Those adjacent to him turned to see what the fuss was about, and then they too began panicking and attempting to flee. That was all it took for the whole stadium to begin crying out in horror, screams of "Death Eaters!" echoing through the air.
"Fabulous," Harry drawled, rolling up his sleeves to expose his bare forearms as the men drew their wands. (Because, in Harry's mind, women deserved a great deal of respect for all the shit they had to put up with, and as such he instantly assumed that when someone did something stupid, it was a man's fault.)
"My day was already turning out really shit, and now I have to deal with you fuckwits as well." Two of the emo/goth-wannabees set the stands on fire, adding to the chaos.
"Harry Potter," said the leader, a figure with long platinum blonde hair poking out of his collar, "The Boy-Who-Lived…" Harry, sensing an incoming monologue, blasted the man with lightning. He flew backwards with a squawk that was about as intimidating as a mouse in a trap, slammed against a wooden balustrade and collapsed to the floor, smoke billowing from his cloak.
"Anyone else feeling the urge to give a big villain speech?" He asked as one of the wooden towers adorning the stands collapsed in on itself.
"Insolent brat!"
A dozen spells lit the air, and Harry surrounded himself in a cocoon of Division Force. The spells were absorbed harmlessly, and Harry dropped the shield, silently enjoying the gestures of pure shock his opponents demonstrated.
"My turn." Harry dashed forward using the Strength Force. He grabbed one Death Eater, and decreased gravity's hold on him, making the man as light as a feather, but not light enough to fly away. Then, Harry grabbed his leg and used him as a cricket bat, smashing him headfirst into the man beside him. Harry flipped into the air, sailing over a convulsing red curse, before slamming back down to the ground, splintering the wooden flooring. The air was full of the sounds of Apparation now, and he could hear Dumbledore's voice chanting something from not too far away.
Harry flicked his left hand, and a wall of flames bent out of their path, enveloping two men in heat and char. With his right, he pulled a piece of the splintered flooring up into his hand, moulding it into the shape of a knife, before flinging it at another man. A spell hit him in the back, but Harry shrugged it off.
"Avada Kedavra!" the leader – the one Harry had blasted earlier – advanced out of the smoke, and a green curse leapt from his wand, heading straight for him.
Harry didn't think. He spun towards the spell and caught it. The spell condensed into a ball of green energy held inches from his palm with the Fusion Force. The Death Eaters all stopped short.
"Perhaps this will teach you a lesson," Harry said, eyeing them all one by one, "Don't piss me off." He reversed the spells trajectory, and it lanced back towards its caster, striking him directly in the heart. He collapsed like a puppet on a string. All the other Death Eaters disapparated in panic.
"Harry!" Mak exclaimed, zipping out of the smoke. "The Dragons!"
Harry's stomach seized, and he groaned.
"Fuck."
Bolting through the flames, Harry ran for the centre of the arena and jumped the balustrade. He landed in the centre of the rocky outcrop and stopped to take in the situation. The entire stadium was on fire now, and it looked like most of the people had escaped. He could no longer see or hear Dumbledore. The roar of the flames was deafening, but here in the centre of the arena, it wasn't enough to block out the cry of the dragon, which he hadn't been able to hear from the stands. The Hungarian Horntail was prowling around its nest, flames leaping from its jowls at something Harry couldn't see.
"The handlers!" Mak gasped. Harry couldn't risk flying. He might get eaten, or the smoke would suffocate him. The ground would have to do. Fortunately, he could still decrease his gravity to make the trip easier. He reached the cliff edge where Ginny's brother Charlie and three other dragon-tamers were hunkered down from the flames in record time.
"Who the hell are you!?" One of them announced. Harry ignored him, jumping over their heads and climbing to the top of the small bluff. Then he summoned the biggest shield of Division he'd ever created before, just in time to absorb a full blast of flame from the dragon.
"GO!" Harry screamed as his feet began to slide backwards. Blue smoke began to dissipate from his body, and Mak became a pulsing blue light, flashing around him in an intricate dance.
"How…"
"I SAID, GO!" The three tamers finally jolted to their senses, but instead of running away, they ran for the nest. The eggs. They were going after the eggs. Great. Just great. Harry's shield wavered, and he shot backwards, his clothes catching fire. He jerked to a stop in the air and immediately regretted it as his lungs choked with smoke, and the reek of sulphur filled into his nose. The dragon charged at him, and Harry dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding the beast's massive teeth.
Biting his lip and rolling along the stone in a desperate attempt to put out the fire clinging to him, he slammed his fist on the rock. Dozens of spikes shot up from the earth, colliding with the dragon's undercarriage. And all of them shattered. Okay. So, we're talking Smaug level defence here. And Harry did not have anything remotely like Bard's lucky black arrow handy.
Ignoring the blistering heat, Harry rose up on shaky feet, catching a glimpse of the dragon keepers running for an exit with the eggs in hand. Then his eyes shifted upwards. The blaze was billowing towards the sky, creating a tornado of smoke and ash and flame, beyond which Harry could just see dark clouds through the haze. On his upper left, the dragon continued to search for him, the ash and soot impeding its sight and smell as much as Harry's. And then he had an idea.
Taking a deep breath, Harry braced his legs, and shot up into the sky, Mak continuing her dance. The dragon caught sight of him and lurched around, flame licking its jaws. But Harry continued. Up higher and higher. Through the eye of the storm and out into the open air. He took one long shattering breath, raised his hands to the sky, closed his eyes, and screamed.
The clouds whipped into a frenzy, convulsing rapidly in on themselves. And then came the rain. Torrents of it, pouring down on the stadium in sheets. The dragon shot up out of the smoke, and a dozen bolts of lightning fell from the storm, striking it all across its body. The flames began to die down, and the dragon fell to the Earth; alive or dead, he wasn't sure. And the storm continued its downpour until Harry could hold it no more, and he slipped into unconsciousness.
Ginny, Gabrielle, Fred, George and Bill stood on the grounds outside the stadium with the rest of the student body and around half the spectators – the rest having fled already. The whole structure was alight, smoke and fire rising up into the air like a reverse tornado. The sound of it was deafening, and worst of all, they were sure they could still hear the Horntail inside, and no one had seen Charlie or Harry. Dumbledore was not far from them with Barty Crouch, Ludo Bagman, Madame Maxine, Igor Karkaroff and the other two champions – Fleur and Krum.
"We attempted a storm enchantment," Dumbledore was saying, "but the flames grew too fast, and I deemed it smarter to ensure all the children escaped…"
Another tower collapsed inwards, then the side exit of the arena blasted open, and three figures raced out.
"Charlie!" Bill shouted, rushing towards them.
"Bill! The kid! Harry, he's still inside. He saved our fucking lives!"
"Still inside!" Dumbledore exclaimed, also meeting them. Another explosion rocked the arena, and everyone turned back to the structure in time to see a figure wreathed in blue light shoot out from the eye of the tornado.
"Holy Merlin," Gabrielle breathed. The figure, Harry, threw his arms up in the air, and then the overcast clouds began to boil. They churned and writhed, then torrents of rain began to sleet down across the entire castle. Ginny and the others were soaked in an instant, but none of them cared. All they could do was stare in awe. The Horntail followed Harry into the air, and a dozen bolts of lightning struck it down. Charlie winced in pain as it fell. Then the rain eased, though it didn't vanish completely, and the fire surrounding the arena had come under control.
And then the light vanished, and he fell from the sky.
"Harry!" Ginny screamed, before bolting towards the entrance Charlie had just left.
"Ginny! You can't go in there!" Bill yelled, but Ginny was already charging through the debris lined corridor, Gabrielle and the twins not far behind. She pushed her way back into the rocky pit and choked on the ash thick air, but it didn't stop her from going forward, tripping and stumbling on the loose stone as she made her way towards the heart. She climbed a cliffside, using the Strength Force to aid her, and pulled herself up onto the shelf with the nest. Above her, drifting towards the ground was Harry. Mak, full-sized, was trying desperately to hold him up, but she was too insubstantial to do anything but slow his descent.
"Help!" She screamed. Ginny glanced to Ember, but her own faerie was already gliding upwards. Ginny took a deep breath and called the Fusion Force into her veins. Then, just as Harry had carried her that day in Hogsmeade, she flew up into the air. It was the first time she ever flew on her own, and while a part of her couldn't help but revel in the glory of it, the far greater part of her consciousness was focussed on Harry.
Her flight was jerky and unrefined, but it was enough. She reached Mak and took the load from her misty hands. The faerie instantly sagged in relief, reducing back to her normal size, and Ginny lowered herself back to the ground. She sprained her ankle on the landing.
She lay Harry down on the ground, then Gabrielle was climbing up the cliffside with the twins. She skidded to a halt and hit the ground hard on her knees, already waving her wand over his body and chanting in Latin.
"Dangerous levels of smoke inhalation, spell damage to his back, burns to his arms, legs and upper chest…" the Veela girl muttered, before breathing a sigh of relief.
"No spinal or major organ damage, but he needs the hospital wing, quickly." Fred and George picked up Harry's body between them and carried the unconscious boy to the edge of the plateau. At the same time, Gabrielle used a respiration spell to flush the smoke and bad-air from his system, muttering the whole time about carbon-monoxide. Bill, Charlie and Dumbledore's party met them at the base of the cliff, and Fred and George levitated Harry and girls back down. Then, together, they fled the ruined arena and returned to the castle.
Updating Schedule:
Harry Potter and the Shards of Heaven - Every two weeks on Sunday afternoons American Eastern Time starting February 16th (Monday mornings Australian Eastern Time starting February 17th)
New Content - Alternating weeks with Shards. First piece - A Light in the Darkness Part 2 - release date: February 23rd
Monthly Gemini Curse Oneshot - First Sunday afternoon US of every month. March 1st: President Bartlet and the Window.
Harry Potter and the Blessing of the Phoenix - Coming Soon...
It great to be back, and be sure to review everybody!
