Cassandra pulled out her wand from her pocket. She whispered an incantation and the tip of the wand glowed with green light. It brightened the dark tunnel that they walked through.
“That girl you saw.” Jacob asked Kevin. “Are you sure that she's a Morgantine wizard?”
“Yeah.” Kevin said. “I'm positive.”
“If she held off all three of you guys, then her magic must be powerful.”
“Are you kidding me? She used the cheapest trick in the book.”
“This time she won't be having the chance to use her dirty tricks.”
Rainee suddenly stopped moving.
“What's wrong?” Jacob asked.
“Listen.” Rainee said. “I hear something ahead.”
Everyone stood still. Noises of clashing and cracking could be heard at the end of the tunnel.
“Proceed.” Kevin ordered. “It must be her!”
When the got out of the tunnel, Kevin saw a crab carrying a knocked out Marleybonian to the top of some ruins.
“Look!” Rainee said. “It's one of the missing crew members that Dalton
was talking about!”
“We follow him.” Kevin said. “That Bloodtulip girl might also be where he's headed.”
Cassandra whispered a spell and blue fairy wings sprouted from her back.
“Hurry guys. We have to get that dog back.”
All the others mounted their brooms and flew the top of the structure, while staying away from the crab's sight.
“This land walker might provide us with useful information.” The crab muttered to himself. He opened a door, went inside, and slammed it.
Kevin signaled for all them to land.
“Alright.” Kevin said. “Cassandra, Jacob, and I are going in first. If you don't here from us in five minutes, barge in the door.”
“Got it.” Rainee said. “Jacob be careful ok?”
“Don't worry.” Jacob replied. “Nothing will happen.”
Cassandra and Jacob drew out their wands.
“Okay I'm ready.” Cassandra smiled.
Kevin kicked open the door and pointed his wand straight.
“ARGH!” The crab said. “Who are you?”
The crab threw the Marleybonian to the floor and pulled out a spear. He waved it around, as if to intimidate Kevin.
“I am Optio Agenor.” The crab said. “Speak your business or suffer my
claws.”
The girl is not here. I miscalculated her location. Kevin thought.
Cassandra flew inside with her fairy wings and stuck out her tongue at the crab. “Hi down there!”
“Why ye little pest!” Agenor said. “Come down here!”
Jacob moved in and pointed his hand at a couple broken boulders. He encanted words of power as his eyes flashed with orange light. “Yortsed Crab Htiw Kcor!1”
The boulder quickly flew off the ground and hit Agenor's back. He fell down on his knees but quickly got back up.
“Boy, you cannot crack my shell that easily!” Agenor laughed.
Agenor angrily threw his spear at Jacob.
Jacob put his hand forward. He redirected the spear back at Agenor, who ducked and dodged it.
Cassandra flew around the room, sprinkling Jacob and Kevin with her agility dust.
“That's the last of my supply.” Cassandra called.
Jacob and Kevin repeated blasted Agenor with magic, shooting like a machine gun.
“URGH!” Agenor cried. “AHHH!”
The agility dust wore off and Kevin gave Jacob a high-five.
1 Yort-Said Crab Tee-wah Core
“That pathetic excuse for a seafood didn't stand a chance.” Kevin grinned.
The door slammed open. Rainee and Stephen came rushing in.
“GUYS!” Stephen said. “There's a mob of crabs coming up the structure!”
“What!?” Cassandra said. She flew out of the door and spotted a large group of crabs marching up the wooden planks.
“Oh my goodness!” Cassandra cried. “He's right!”
“Do we run or fight them off?” Stephen asked.
“What about the Marleybonian?” Rainee pointed to the knocked out dog on the floor.
“Cassandra.” Kevin said. “Here. Catch!”
Kevin threw Cassandra a bottle of Dark Minotaur Energy Drink: Gives You Horns.
“Drink it and lift the Marleybonian to safety.” Kevin said. “We'll handle the crabs.”
“Okay.” Cassandra drank the potion. It tasted like a liquid version of cheeseburgers. Cassandra began to feel as strong as a minotaur.
Cassandra flew down and lifted the dog out of the room. She headed straight for where the other Marleybonians were hanging. “I'll meet you guys later!” she yelled.
“Alright!” Kevin said.
The crabs surrounded Kevin and the others.
“Oh no.” Kevin said. “There must be at least fifteen of them!”
Kevin reached into his pocket and searched through his pile of spell cards.
“There must be something in here that could help.”
One of the crabs pointed rudely at Kevin. “Exterminate the land walkers!”
The other crabs cheered in response and began moving toward the wizards.
Snowman. Wyvern. Colossus. These won't do any good. Kevin looked at his Frost Giant summoning card. Aw man. I don't have enough magic to summon him. If I do summon him, he spirit won't last long.
“Well. Well.” A crab said. “Look at the earthling playing with his little cards.”
Rainee held Jacob's hand tightly. They both stepped back.
“What's the matter land walkers?” A crab teased. “Not used to seeing real warriors?”
Stephen looked around. There's gotta be a spell powerful enough to stop all of them.
“We can try to attempt Arcane Harmony.” Jacob suggested.
Kevin put his cards back in his pocket. “What if we fizzle? The side effects are dangerous.”
“What choice do we have?” Stephen said.
“Cassandra's not here to heal us.” Kevin said. “ugh.... fine!”
The crabs began to walk a little faster. “You puny humans are no match for
imperial troops.”
Slowly, but surely, the crabs surrounded the wizards in a circle.
A crab picked looked at Agenor's corpse and picked it up. “You killed Optio Agenor?” The crab laughed. “Now let's see how do against a lot of us.”
Kevin interrupted the crab's speech. “NOW GO!”
“Huh?” The crab's said blankly.
Rainee, Jacob, Kevin, and Stephen fired magic blasts. It cleared some crabs out of the way and made a path. The wizards quickly ran through it and spread out across the room.
“ALRIGHT GO FOR IT!” Kevin screamed.
Stephen pulled out a Scarecrow card from his deck and threw it to the floor.
Simultaneously, Kevin and Stephen spoke an incantation.
“Ice and Death Close yet far.
The Scarecrow needs help.
Give enemies an Icy scar.
With this spell we should be free I summon Death
So mote it be!”
The two wizards pointed their wands at the card on the floor. The card
exploded with light and transformed into a menacing scarecrow. However, this scarecrow's eyes burned with blue ice and its garments were blue.
“NUH!” The crabs yelled. “What is that!?”
The air became freezing cold as the Scarecrow maneuvered around.
“RUN!” The crabs said. “RUN!”
Kevin's eyes burned with blue light while Stephen's burned with white. The two wizards waved their wands and directed the Scarecrow to attack.
The scarecrow inhaled the cold air around it and blasted it right back at the escaping crabs.
All the crabs became frozen in a mass of ice that shattered into a million pieces.
The Scarecrow's job was done. It transformed back into a card and flew back into Stephen's hand. Stephen put the card back into his spell deck.
“YES!” Rainee said.
“Good work guys!” Jacob said.
Kevin turned around and laughed. “What ya know. It worked!”
“Told you!” Stephen said. “Haha!”
“We've gotta head down and search the nearby grounds.” Kevin said.
“Bloodtulip must be nearby.”
“I nearly forgot about her.” Stephen laughed. “Well. First thing's first.”
The wizards went back down the structure and walked along the soft blue
ground.
“Look there ahead!” Kevin yelled. “It's her!”
Bloodtulip turned around. “Oh my shadow weavers. It's you fools again.
Amazingly you guys survived my trap.”
“Get back here you cheap witch!” Rainee yelled.
“Haha.” Bloodtulip smirked. “Surrendering is so boring. Goodbye wizards.
I have portal stones to collect.”
Bloodtulip ran over to a small water hole and dived in.
“What!?” Kevin said. “She can breathe underwater?”
“How!” Jacob said.
“We can't follow her. We'll die under all that water.” Stephen said. “We've got to get back to Cassandra and find out more information.”
“I agree.” Kevin said.
Kevin and the others turned around and headed back to the Promenade.
Somehow we must find a way to breathe underwater also, if we want a chance of getting that portal stone. Kevin put his wand back in his pocket. That girl better be ready.
Chapter 11:
“Reinforcements”
“Professor. Wake up.” A voice said. “It's really important.”
Merle Ambrose slowly lifted his eyelids. Ugh. Who's there?
The professor saw a tall woman with purple hair. Ms. Deathslinger.
“Professor. The WIC agents have been gone for long time now.” Ms.
Deathslinger said.
“The communication spells aren't working for some reason.” Ambrose said. “Someone put an enchantment on their wands somehow.”
“You think we should send another agent.” Ms. Deathslinger asked.
“Perhaps Lucius and Alexander?”
The headmaster was silent then spoke. “Put more students in danger?”
“What's troubling you sir?” Ms. Deathslinger asked. “You have been acting worried lately.”
“Morganthe...” Ambrose said. “I feel like those students are going to their deaths.”
“The students will be fine; They've been through a lot. Didn't you and the other members of the Council of Light defeat her years ago?”
“Morganthe is more dangerous than you could possible imagine.”
“She went to school here didn't she? I heard that she was the top student.”
The headmaster stood up. “Fine. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to send more
students to Celestia.”
“Morganthe is really that dangerous?” Ms. Deathslinger asked. “Plus, I don't think we have another spiral key to that place.”
The headmaster pulled out a large key from his pocket. “I had the foresight to make a copy.”
Ms. Deathslinger gasped. “I'll call for Lucius and Alexander to go to Celestia.”
_____________________________________________
“Alex.” Lucius said. “Where are you going man. We have basketball practice.”
“Uh. I just got a message from Ms. Deathslinger.” Alexander said. “She sent it in code.”
“Lemme see it.” Lucius said.
“I was getting to that.” Alexander said. “It involves you too.”
“Really?!”
“We'll have to go to the old classroom upstairs to see it.”
“Okay.”
Alexander and Lucius climbed the stairs until they reached the third floor of the school building. They walked into an old abandoned classroom. Cobwebs and dusty desks were scattered everywhere.
“Here.” Alexander said.
Alexander drew out his wand and pointed it a blank space in the wall. A light came out of it and acted as a projector.
Ms. Deathslinger's face came into view. “Hello Alex. I have an important mission to assign to you and Lucius. Kevin, Cassandra, and Stephen have ventured into Celestia to find Jacob and Rainee. There are dark forces at work.
The Umbra Queen, or Morganthe, has been plotting something. Ambrose and I are worried that something has happened to the other agents and we want you guys to travel to Celestia and try to find them.”
Alexander turned around and heard loud footsteps behind them.
“Hide somewhere.” Lucius whispered.
Alexander jumped behind a desk and Lucius used a spell to transform himself to electricity and hide in his cell phone.
“Alex?” A voice called out. “It's me.”
Alexander came out of his hiding spot. “Oh. Ms. Deathslinger you scared us.”
Lucius transformed back into himself and laughed. “Haha. For a second I thought you were a mortal.”
“Did I really?” Ms. Deathslinger laughed.
Ms. Deathslinger took out a large key from her purse. “Here is the key.”
Alex held the key in his hand. It felt ice cold and heavy.
“I still think that Ambrose is hiding something about Morganthe.” Ms.
Deathslinger said. “I don't know what it is yet, but I will keep asking.”
“I see.” Alexander said. “Is she powerful?”
“According to Ambrose, she is.” Ms. Deathslinger. “But I think that all seven of you stand a chance of defeating her.”
Lucius nodded his head. “How come you can't contact the others?”
“I'm afraid someone has used an enchantment on their wands.” Ms.
Deathslinger said. “But I'm not sure how.”
“Alright we're ready to go.” Alexander said.
“But what about basketball practice?” Lucius said.
Ms. Deathslinger smiled. “A little memory charm will cover up your problems. I'll take it from here. Good luck guys.”
“Thanks.” Alexander said. “We'll be on our way.”
Alexander and Lucius headed down the stairs and walked toward the hidden spiral door in the library.
“I hope we didn't make a mistake sending more kids.” Ms. Deathslinger frowned. “But they're all capable of powerful magic. I'll think of the best for them.”
Ms. Deathslinger snapped her fingers and summoned a pack of cookies. “I guess these will ease up the worry a bit.”