Disclaimer: Diadem: Worlds of Magic does NOT belong to me. It belongs to Peel and his publishers, currently Llewellyn Worldwide. I highly respect his work and am making no profit from this, nor do I intend for this piece of fan fiction to interfere with his profits.
Author's Note: Takes place sometime after Book of Nightmares and before Book of War
-------
Diadem: Book of Thoughts
CHAPTER 5: “Familiar Sight”
by Luna
--------
"So let me get this straight: we’re running off to another world, to risk our lives fighting some mind-reading, magically-endowed, bastard child-villain named Morphos --- all so we can save a whining, talking panda?" asked Score.
“Yes,” answered Pixel, used to Score’s dry Earth humor in situations like these.
"Okay, just wanted to make sure we all knew what we were getting into."
“We’re not going there just to save Blink,” added Helaine sensibly. "Shanara’s also in trouble and Morphos will not stop. He will try to harm others."
Pixel perked up his ears at the certainty in Helaine’s voice. “You know this for a fact?”
Helaine didn’t know how to properly respond. Pixel had already debriefed his friends on his conversation with Oracle. After hearing that her strange writing had been an actual warning from her sixth sense abilities, she was certain that her dreams were also predictions, not simply nightmares. But to explain that to Pixel would mean he would begin to ask more about her dreams, and she wasn’t ready to discuss the horror of those visions yet.
“This situation has bizarre written all over it,” complained Score, but no one was paying attention to him.
Helaine opened her Book of Magic and searched for the Portal spell. As magic-users the trio could travel from world to world using Portals -- magical rifts in space in which only magic-users and creatures of magic could use to travel. There were some limitations, though. The Diadem was formed in a number of circuits, and Portals could only transport someone to a world in the same circuit as their current location or to an adjacent circuit. Thankfully, Dondar was only one level higher than Rawn so they could travel directly there.
“Ready?” Helaine asked. Score and Pixel nodded solemnly. Helaine whispered a few words to herself and the book disappeared.
Pixel stared. “How did you do that?”
Helaine smiled. “Just a new spell I learned. It allows me to call The Book of Magic whenever and wherever I need it. But it’s time to get back to business.”
The three held hands and united their strengths. Instantly, a familiar jagged circle of darkness formed in the air in front of them. The air seemed to crackle with electricity.
One by one, they each stepped into the Portal and found themselves surrounded by a world of white. All around them were ragged mountains that reached to the heavens. Snow seemed to come from all directions and visibility was less than three feet in front of them. Having spent most of his life in virtual reality, Pixel almost enjoyed the experience of feeling the bitter cold wind around him.
“What direction do we head in?” yelled Score over the wind. He was really starting to wish Portal transportation was a more precise art than simply dumping people on the correct planet.
Pixel took out his ruby, which enabled him to find anything once named. He closed his eyes and saw a clear picture of Shanara’s ice palace east of where they were.
“This way!” he called, motioning with his right hand to follow him. He made a fireball in his left hand to provide visibility and heat.
“Brrr. We have got to remember to bring furs with us to Rawn,” said Score, shivering. “I mean, really, who in their right minds would come to an arctic region in the mountains without coats? On second thought, don’t answer that.”
Helaine shook her head. Score had a strange sense of humor he liked to employ when he grew agitated or scared. Neither he nor Pixel were warriors accustomed to rough conditions, she had to remind herself, but Score’s incessant whining never helped anyone’s mood.
“We’re here!” announced Pixel cheerfully. Helaine, Score and Pixel stared at the gleaming white fortress before them. The palace was easily a few hundred feet in height. It appeared to be made entirely out of blocks of ice, all shaped to form a large castle with spires, turrets, and ramparts. There were no noticeable doors or windows, however.
“Prepare yourselves,” warned Helaine as she reached for her sapphire, “I’m going to levitate us inside the courtyard.”
Score and Pixel felt Helaine’s magic take hold as they rose off the ground and over the castle wall. Once inside the courtyard, the proper entrance into Shanara’s castle was visible: a door composed of the same material as the rest of the castle, intricately carved with cryptic symbols and signs. It lay wide open.
“Okay, now I know something’s wrong,” said Score. “Shanara would never leave her door open like this.”
“So you didn’t believe me when I told you they had been captured?” asked Helaine.
Score looked uncomfortable. Luckily, Pixel broke the tension.
“Let me use my ruby to find where they are.”
Pixel closed his eyes in concentration and then opened them, alarmed. “I can’t read where he is. I get the vague impression that he’s still inside, but it’s as if my vision is being blocked!”
“I don’t like this. We’re walking straight into a trap.”
Helaine nodded her agreement to Score’s statement, and unconsciously brushed the sheath on her sword. “We have little choice other than to proceed with caution. Shanara and Blink are counting on us.”
Score grumbled his agreement, and the trio walked through the door, Helaine first, followed by Pixel then Score.
Pixel continued to walk down the corridor, his senses alert for any sign of their foe. It disturbed him that his ruby wasn’t working. As he turned the corner, a metallic shine caught his eye; it was entirely out of place in this castle of quartz crystal, stone and wood. Pixel turned back to examine it. The wall was not anything like the rest of the corridor. It was an electric green and black. In fact, it looked like a large computer chip embedded into the wall.
Pixel recognized that distortion. It happened in the VR programs he had used in Calomir. They were the visible evidence of a game file corruption.
“Helaine! Score! Quick, come take a look at --” Pixel stopped in mid-sentence as he realized that neither Helaine nor Score were next to him, although they had been seconds prior.
“Guys...” Pixel was feeling panicky. They couldn’t have disappeared into thin air, and he hadn’t felt any magical disturbances, so where were they?
“Pixel.” Two familiar voices called out to him from behind.
Pixel whirled around sharply, aghast at who was before him.
Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
