Chapter 17- The Final Member

Rowan

Ambrose called an emergency meeting, swearing that he'd found the last Chosen, a small blue haired Ice girl named Jaqueline Iceblood. We all gathered in the tower, Keena and Caleb safely back from their mission (the Krokonomicon had been found, and safely deposited in the Royal Museum). Ambrose opened the door, and the girl slipped in.

"What's going on?" she asked in a small voice.

"We will explain everything, but first, place your hand on the Book of Secrets." he grumbled, expectantly.

She did as told, quivering slightly from nervousness. But nothing happened. She stood there for a minute or two, while we all just watched. Ambrose frowned.

"Young Wizard, let me see your hand," he said anxiously. Jaqueline showed him her palm. It was blank. Ambrose shook his head, beard swaying. "No, no, this can't be right." He murmured feverishly.

Everyone exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. She wasn't a Chosen. Dylan opened his mouth to say something, but Ambrose cut him off.

"No matter," he scowled, "Jaqueline, I do believe that you are one of the Chosen." Her eyes widened. "I'll have Dylan here fill you in on what that means." We all exchanged glances again. Dylan tugged at his collar. "Rowan," Ambrose said, turning to me. "Now that we have our final member, we need to proceed with the plan. I need you to find a way into Malistaire's lair." My jaw dropped. "Now," he commanded.

I rushed out of the tower, still in shock. Jaqueline wasn't a Chosen. But he told her she was. But she wasn't… What could this possibly mean?

I found myself walking towards the library, it seemed like the most logical place to go for information on Malistaire's lair. Perhaps I could find a Dragonspyre blueprint, or a teleportation spell. I entered the library, and walked up to Harold.

"Hello, miss, what do you need?" he asked cheerfully.

"I don't suppose you have anything on, uh," I fidgeted with my robes, "Malistaire's lair?" His eyes widened. "It's for the headmaster!"

"Oh, um…" he examined me, trying to decide if I was telling the truth. He sighed and pulled a key out of his desk drawer. "Here," he said, handing me the key. "This is the key to the library's restricted section. You should find what you're looking for in there."

I thanked him and walked over to the restricted section. The large oak doors seemed somewhat menacing in the dull lighting. I turned the key in the lock, and entered the room.

A startled gasp came from a nearby shelf, and I was surprised to see the Ice girl from the dorms. I still didn't know her name yet. I wondered what she was doing here.

"You," I said, "What are you here for?" I asked. It then occurred to me that this section should only have one key, and I was holding it. She had snuck in.

She rubbed the back of her neck nervously, looking anywhere but me. "Um… I just wanted a book. On spell symbols…" she met my eyes then, "Sorry, I shouldn't be in here." She went to leave the room, but I pulled her back.

"No, no, it's fine," I heard myself saying. "Can you help me with something?" I wasn't sure why I had asked, but she seemed like a much better wizard than that Jaqueline girl, and she appeared to be much smarter too. She nodded slightly, then gulped.

"What?" she asked.

"I need to find a way into Malistaire's lair."

Her jaw dropped. "What?! Why?! Are you crazy! Why on earth would you want to go there! Do you have any idea wha-" she froze, clamping her mouth shut. "Why?" she asked, more calmly this time.

"Uh… It's kind of top secret." I murmured.

"You want to defeat him, don't you?" she said, eyes widening. I managed a slow nod. She sighed. "I-" she sighed again. "I might be able to help you," she said, looking at her shoes. "But you can't tell anyone, okay?" She looked up at me, and I nodded. "Okay… I'll come meet you when I know for sure, but I have to look something up first."

"What?" I asked, curiously. I knew I might be pushing it, it was a miracle that she might help me anyways.

"Teleporting…" The corners of her lips pinched down. My mouth formed a silent O. I wasn't sure what she was planning exactly, but if it could get all of us into Malistaire's lair, I was all for it.