Here it is, the (not so) magnificent chapter seven! Anyway, a friend of mine (currently not in ) wrote a uh... fanfic of my fanfic, an extra chapter. I didn't copy her story, but I pulled some ideas, which helped greatley to write the first part of my story. Thanks Avi.
On to reading!
In a landscape of bone-white stone, where nothing but earth existed, the stars of the void glittered overhead endlessly. It was barren, cruel and devoid of life. Amazingly, a grand city thrived in this landscape. Its houses were built of the same white stone as the land itself, aside from a scattering of towers around the metropolis, which consisted of the purple-black rock, obsidian.
In the very centre of the city, a massive construction lay, an elegant mixture of stone and obsidian. Domes, towers, spires and more extravagant structures loomed from the building.
Inside, it had the look of a palace, the massive doors, luxurious corridors, endless rooms. Instead of gardens, rooms existed where fire burned on beautiful statues, like blooming flowers in the Overworld.
All corridors, it seemed, gradually lead to one room, the entrance hall. It was so massive it seemed there was no ceiling, and the chamber simply opened to the black sky miles above. Seated before the far wall, a woman sat upon a decorated throne of white. She was dressed in a pitch black, long-sleeved gown that swept to the ground in silky layers with lace decorating each fold, matching her long lustrous black hair that was elegantly fastened by glittering pearl clips. She was beautiful, though in a shadowy and evil way, as her ice-cold eyes and ghostly white skin clearly showed. Her head was lifted in pride and majestic dignity, her dark gaze sweeping the room emotionlessly.
Before her, a withered old man kneeled. His lower jaw was overtaken with a straggling white beard. His clothes, while expensive seeming, were aged and fading. He was looking up at the woman, pleading with her.
"My queen, we've lost so many men in this war. Can we not stop? What good will th-"
"Enough," the queen commanded, her firm words causing the man to jump. "Enough," she repeated, "We cannot stop this war now, to do so would encourage attacks from the Overworlders. You are my advisor, Windsor, but I will decide what is best for my kingdom. We will win, we have many soldiers, Mages-"
Windsor knew the Queen had a short temper, yet he had to say it. "The Mages are gone."
"Gone!" The cry was of fury, rage and a hint of terror. Windsor quailed, fearing the Enderqueen's wrath. Perceiving his anxiety, she dismissed him harshly.
Once her advisor fled the room, the Queen, Deyanira, stood. Knowing the way well, she led herself down a hidden flight of stairs, deep into the floating land of the end. After a long time of climbing, she reached a large platform of obsidian, which was the only ground. She had gone below the End itself, the staircase reaching out to the void. Deyanira cried out, a call that seemed to fade uselessly into the void. Waiting, it seemed, for nothing, the queen lifted her head suddenly as a black shadow flew over her. A dragon, it's scales the colour of death, landed beside her.
What news have you for me, Deyanira? The voice resounded in her mind, the thoughts of this ageless creature indescribable to those who have not heard it.
Kneeling down before it, much like Windsor had done to her, she murmured, "the Mages have escaped from the armies."
The howl of outrage that came from the throat of the dragon seemed to shake the entire platform. Send everyone! Bring them back here, alive or dead I care not!
Terrified, she kept her head lowered towards the Dragon as she stumbled for the staircase, then fled up it, screaming orders at all.
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Far away from Zia, Asriel and Eria, the sun rose from the horizon. Glorious it was, dyeing the sky like a wound seeping blood from the landscape. Slowly the burning star smudged the air with its yellow light, transforming the wound into a giant's bonfire. Awed, Skye sat beside Susan, the rain slowly ceasing, as though afraid of the sun. Never had she had the chance to view something as beautiful as this -most her dawns and dusks in the Overworld had been spent indoors, or too busily to note the beauty around her. Smiling, Susan wiped aside a dripping strand of hair that had dared to fall before her face.
"Come," she said gently, "I'm low on food, and if you're okay with it, we should go hunting."
Skye murmured that she would indeed love to come with her, and the two climbed the vines hanging numerously from the trees, to Susan's small house, built around the trunk of a tree, high in the air.
Admiring the girl's work, Skye wandered around the house, to where she saw a small bridge leading to the nearest tree. "You built this!?" She asked, fascinated.
"Few people come here, thanks to the thick trees. I can build what I wish here without fear of being seen.
"What else have you built?"
Following the same path as Skye, Susan rounded the house. "Come and see," she said, passing her a sword of bright iron.
Over the bridge the two walked. The structure was little more than a narrow path of wood, reaching outwards. No rails or supports lined the bridge, and it swung gently in the morning breeze. Fearlessly, Susan sprinted across, and Skye followed, assured by the fact that she would be safe, even if she fell. More bridges she was led across, until Skye felt she would never find her way home.
Running ahead with the grace of years of doing the same, Susan stopped at a tree that seemed the same as any in the jungle.
"Is there a ladder or something to get down?" Queried Skye, fearing the answer. Susan simply smirked, then leaped off the platform into the still air. Crying out, Skye rushed froward, only to see Susan reach out for the vines for a tree. She held on for a while, then let go, falling to another tree. She repeated the process until she landed smoothly on the ground, her head as small as a grain of sand to Skye's vision.
Utterly amazed by Susan's grace, like some elegant bird, or perhaps one of the ocelots they'd passed, Skye leaped off the ledge, missing the vines altogether and being forced to use her power over the air to slow her decent.
Laughing, Susan said some choice words regarding Skye's plummet, causing the Mage to scowl cheerily. "Come on," she muttered, leading her into the jungle.
The strange clucking of a bird caught Skye's attention, and she opened her mouth to say something, but a quiet hissing interrupted her. She presumed it was Susan hushing her, and she turned to respond.
Behind the unknowing Susan, a small creature flashed white. It was a strange shape, with four squat legs, no arms whatsoever, and a permanent scowl as a face. Its skin was covered completely with vines and creepers, and it almost seemed it was made of the plants.
Susan finally heard the hissing, and shoved Skye to the ground, thrusting her sword into the creature. It jumped back, stopped flashing and the hissing ceased. Susan didn't let the creature go. Again she struck, then ran back as it began to hiss once more. One more well-aimed swipe, and the being fell over, turning to a pile of leaves and dust.
"Creeper." Susan growled, looking in distaste at the strange corpse.
If you notice differences with my writing, I'm currently reading a story written by the BEST author EVER. 'Not since Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' have I been so impressed by a beautifully spun fantasy.'
Andre Norton, Grand Master of Science Fiction. So yeah, Cecila Dart-Thornton is THAT good.
So there we are, another chapter done. Like my announcement said, my next chapter will hopefully come out next Saturday. Now you've read, it's time to review and favourite/follow!
Questions! Thanks to LexiLopezi. (all my questions come from Lexi's!)
To the furnace: How did it feel like to have some girl stick her hand inside your head? Uh... I have absolutely no idea. At the time, I was recovering from having extreme heartburn... and the taste of coal in my throat...
To the ravine: How did it feel like to have a random girl fall through you?
... If I had eyes, I'd blink. The girl was so small I barely felt her. Oh, a chicken just walked into me! Sorry, what were you saying?