Traci: I was trying to make this the opposite of a self insertion :( I wanted to just write in the point of view of a character I can relate to, it makes more sense, because I'm more free. Besides, if I made a self-insertion I'd be much more of a pyro *grins evily as Alana glares*. One more thing: I dont really get the Fire and Air becoming lightning, etc. thing. Because Air cant really freeze water (sure it can cool it down, but not FREEZE) and therefore, no ice, no comets. Though you can make meteors with Earth and Fire, an ability I lack! You know, I should get to the chapter now. ^^;
Disclaimer: The Rider belongs to Susan Cooper. Alana and Traci belong to themselves. Everything else is my creation.
Pain seared through my body. The flame energies
from the Fire Orb had melted my metal coat, and the molten metal was burning
my skin. I quickly did the first thing I could think of: I used my powers
to pour cold water over the molten metal. Then I hastily pulled off the
now hardened metal.
I was basically alright except for one thing.
A bit of metal on my arm had taken the full brunt of the blast, and imprinted
in the burn was a shape of the Fire Orb. I bit my lip and tried to ignore
the searing pain. The water wouldn't help it anymore. It had to heal on
its own.
I got up and I saw Ector, still fighting the
Rider with a pair of swords. Their four blades were lined with colors-brown,
blue, red, and white. The Rider kept blasting him with one of his orbs,
but he always deflected it. He was closing in on the Rider, slowly...but
it wasn't fast enough for Craig to see that the Fire Orb had been shattered.
With a cry of rage, he vanished.
Ector stood for a moment, breathing heavily.
Down the hall, the door opened, and Traci and Alana came running in.
"Hoo boy," I said, and hid behind Ector.
The scene was almost as I imagined it. Traci
saw the shattered orb, and would have practically killed me if Ector had
not been there. He began to speak, as if it was a great burden to talk.
"Traci, the orbs were evil. It's true. Whoever
held the orbs could control elements, yes. But YOUR power had nothing to
do with that." He sighed heavily. "They were created by the High Magic.
But not to protect us." He looked up sadly.
"The High Magic believed that mankind was
dangerous to the rest of the universe. The orbs were created to lure men
into destroying themselves, so that the blood of the human race wouldn't
be on their hands. It was all a trick."
I stared at him, shocked. "My god..." I whispered.
I had no idea how close we had gotten to the apocolypse that day. If the
four orbs were together for long enough for the Rider to tap into his powers,
the Earth and all life would be reduced to nothing more then a speck of
matter floating in the universe.
"Didn't you think it odd that the High Magic
didn't lift a finger to defend the orbs from the Dark?" continued Ector.
"The High Magic is very shrewd. And they won't be happy about what has
happened here. There is only one thing left for us to do."
Ector reached out with his hand into the air,
and concentrated hard on the peice of air he had in his grasp. In his hand,
a thin wire suddenly dissolved into view. He clenched his hand around the
wire and yanked at it. It broke and vanished again. He turned back to us.
"I've broken off our link with the High Magic.
As long as I'm with you, we'll be hidden. We are going to do what only
one group of people has ever done in history before. We will fight the
High Magic."
Unconsiously his voice deepened, and I felt
a prickling on the back of my neck.
"The orbs can be turned to instraments of
good, but it will take all four. I know a way to do it, but it will tax
all of our powers." He stared at each of us in turn. "We don't have much
time. I'm going to bring you to where I stay." There was a sudden shining
of light, and the three of us were standing in the middle of a room with
a thatched roof. Before us was a stone table. Four empty glass orbs sat
alone in engraved cut-outs in the table. Ector crossed to the table and
picked up one of the orbs.
"Traci," he said thoughtfully, "how much do
you know about central combustion?"
"Central combustion?", asked Traci,
caught off guard. "I think I was taught some of that...but it must have
been hundreds of years ago." She thought for a second. "I guess I can do
it."
Ector grinned slightly. "Excellent. You see,
the Fire orb is the only one that can be restored. Central combustion is
the art of burning from the inside out. There is no such art for the other
three elements. We can use this art to get a great quantity of energy into
this orb." He shook his head, as if regretting what he had said. "But it
would take so much power from you."
"Will the orb be evil any longer?" asked Traci.
"Of course not."
"Then I'll do it."
Ector pondered for a moment, then handed the
orb to Traci. She stared at for a second, then closed her eyes and concentrated
hard.
A few moments later, Traci opened her eyes.
"I can't latch on. How can I use central combustion on air, something not
even solid?"
"You just have to believe there is something
there, Traci," said Ector gently. "We are here to try. It is the best we
can do to try."
Traci nodded and turned back to the orb. This
time, a faint glimmer of light appeared in the center of the glass. Suddenly,
Traci gave a small cry of pain. The entire orb had flamed up inside, but
Traci would have dropped it if Ector wasn't there, swiftly taking it and
setting it on the table. He turned back to Traci.
"I didn't say it would be easy," he said softly.
"But now, the other three remain. Using the energy from the other three,
we can remake the orbs in a holy light rather then shrewd dark. We only
need the other three orbs.." He was cut off abruptly as the door opened
with a deafining slam.
"You mean these?" Craig was standing at the
doorway, the amulet around his neck glowing bright red.
Alana leaped up, about to send an attack at
the Rider. But Ector was there first. He grabbed the newly created Fire
Orb and thust it at the Rider.
A huge, bright light began shining from the
Fire orb. The other three Orbs were glowing a swallowing blackness. I gulped.
The orbs had been reunited.
Craig stumbled back, eyes bulging. Something
was happening. He fell back onto the ground, screaming in pain. I don't
remember much of it, but it was very fast. Craig simply...shriveled up
and fizzled out with a small hissing noise. The three orbs fell to the
ground and Ector hurriedly got the Fire orb away from them.
"Don't worry. Three evil orbs and one good
didn't do anything but kill the man who possesed them. We have what we
need now. The Rider will bother us no more."
A/N: I hope you like my strange twist. Battling the corrupted High Magic is no easy task...