Another Preview of Part 15

Just like the title says. This one contains even bigger spoilers than the last one. ...Okay, maybe not exactly spoilers, but hey... it's Sierra and Malistaire's big confrontation before their battle of epic proportions (which I have no idea how I'll write)!

However, unlike the last preview, this may not actually be in the final copy of Part 15! That's why it's here - I need your opinion, dear readers. Please tell me if you like where I'm going with this, or if it's awkward. It's setting up things for the sequel if I ever write one. If people don't like it or just don't care... I don't think I'll do it. It seems a bit odd to me... I'm not sure this fits with my current style of writing.

It's the darkfics, I swear. They're affecting me in different ways, even in my Wizard101 fanfiction.

Ooh! One last thing! While looking for errors (as I hope you do when you read this) please tell me if my references to the Wizard101 plot are correct. I didn't go into detail with the assurance that I'd probably mess it up entirely somehow with my limited memory of the game, but I did mention a few things. If someone wants to explain Malistaire's motives in a comment, I'd be very grateful.

The Tale of Sierra WinterBreeze - Part 15 Preview #2

One hallway later, and we entered a room even larger than the last. It was vaguely circular in shape, and the back of the room had no wall, allowing us to see out into the dark, clouded sky of Dragonspyre. Most of us froze in shock when we realized that part of that sky wasn’t actually sky – it was part of a massive dragon, whose single, closed eye that showed was bigger than the two of the largest Shadow Beasts I’d ever seen in my short encounters with them combined. And trust me; Shadow Beasts could be pretty big, at least equal to five times my own height. This dragon was just… incomprehensibly immense.

Our fear wasn’t helped by the fact that in the center of the room stood the very image that haunted every single one of our nightmares since learning of our destinies as Seekers of Light.

Malistaire, with eight ghostly Soul Servants, stared right at us. Mary and Liam also watched from besides their master.

All seven of us – me, Rowan, Sydney, Victoria, Mark, Hunter, and Vanessa – approached as slowly as possible. While our enemies looked confident and smug, we appeared apprehensive and, to be honest, rather pathetic. We were only a group of wizards-in-training, not even Grandmasters, let alone the Legendaries that should be fighting this fiend…

“We meet again, Seekers,” Malistaire boomed, his voice echoing across the great room. I thought I saw the sleeping dragon’s eye twitch. “So glad you could make it.”

I should have made one of my infamous sarcastic remarks, if only to encourage my friends. But my throat felt dry, and I could only croak, “Um, hello.”

He smirked. “All right. Where should I begin? Which one of you should I kill first?”

I swallowed. “Okay, uh… Malistaire… why don’t we just, like, you know… skip the fighting and do this peacefully? Like, just stop all this Krokonomicon and Dragon Titan craziness?”

Can’t blame me for trying.

His expression turned menacing – as though it wasn’t before. “Are you suggesting I surrender?”

“No! …Uh, actually, yeah. Pretty much. I would put it in those terms exactly, but…”

“You fools!” Everyone – including the Soul Servants – winced at Malistaire’s roar. “I am more powerful than you can imagine! Why give up now? After I bring Sylvia back, it will be easy to take over all the worlds in the Spiral. And the only thing in my way, the only thing fate could bother sending to stop me?” He looked at us and laughed. “Seven measly student wizards. How pathetic. The Spiral Guardians clearly underestimate me; they cannot comprehend how strong I have become.”

“In case you don’t remember,” I spoke up against all my better judgment, “we busted into your lair and broke out again. Twice. Well, the first time, we were kind of captured, but we escaped anyway. If you couldn’t kill us then, what makes you think you can do it now?”

His icy eyes locked on mine. I involuntarily shuddered and hoped no one noticed. “I have learned from my mistakes. You are Sierra WinterBreeze, correct?”

I didn’t reply out of fear my voice would shake.

Malistaire didn’t seem to need an answer. “Yes, I remember you. Very defiant, aren’t you? You have no respect for your betters.” He seemed thoughtful. “Though you’re rather resourceful too, if what you did to my Skeletal Pirate guard was any indication.”

Oh. Right. That time when I was trapped in that room and I used Death magic on the pirate…

“And don’t think I do not know about the spell you used.” I tensed. Oh, my gosh, he knew! He knew about the black lightning! How? I hadn’t told anyone about that. No one. Not even the Seekers. My friends gave me confused looks, but I provided no explanation. Malistaire smiled maliciously, knowing my shock.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stammered. “That has nothing to do with any of this.”

“What a lie that is,” Malistaire chuckled. “Though everyone else in this room may be oblivious, you and I know the truth. You’re no stranger to dark magic.”

My heart was beginning to pound even harder than before. Surely Malistaire could hear it even from across the room. Everyone in the area was staring at me now. I didn’t know what else to do, so I laughed nervously. “Well, duh. I mean… you guys keep attacking us and everything, so I recognize the kind of magic you use by now.”

He gazed at me unblinkingly, studying my face. “Just keep telling yourself that, Sierra WinterBreeze. But know that even if you defeat me, there’s no escaping it.”

“Do I even want to know exactly what it is that I can’t escape?” I mumbled weakly.

He betrayed no emotion. “I don’t know. Do you?”

I hesitated for a moment, before finally saying, “Um, no.” I inhaled deeply, trying to calm myself. Finally, my new leader-skills kicked in. “You know what? I’ll probably ‘escape’ whatever it is anyway. Because… I’m a Seeker.” I grinned. “Seekers don’t give up.” I raised Megan’s wand. “Enough talking. Let’s do this.”

****

I'm very inconsistent when it comes to spelling Megan. Is it Meagan, or Megan? Someone want to tell me which way it is in the game? XD Perhaps even Megan/Meagan herself, if she's still on this blog. I think she corrected me in Part 13, but I don't know if I ever changed it to the right way of spelling.

Anyway, as you can see, I was thinking about Part 9 and the terrible mistake I made there, adding in that stupid black lightning for no apparent reason. I have a few ideas of where I can go with this in the sequel... but you need to tell me what you think first! At this point I'm half and half - I'd go either way, leaving it in or taking it out. I might leave it there out of laziness, or I might take it out because I'm concerned it's so stupid I'll regret writing it later. You tell me if you want it one way or the other.