NATURE (BOOK TWO OF THE WIZARD SERIES)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The footsteps kept on getting closer and closer. Though the absence of the floor vibrating gave away that it was not a giant bastard or a huge freaking snowman or snow woman.

Trevor’s heart pumped loudly that he presumed the snowmen heard him.

It was not like he was afraid to fight whatever was coming their way. It was just that. If Egayov got alarmed that Trevor was trying to sneak in. Then Egayov might kill his family. And that was the opposite of what he wanted.

He began pacing around. Rubbing his hands nervously. The snowmen gazed at him. As if they knew what he was thinking.

If he shadow walked outside, he might meet someone else there.

Then it hit him. Egayov wanted him and not his family. So if Egayov killed his family, then his chances of meeting Trevor would be slim.

So even if he learns Trevor was in the castle, then he would do anything to his family instead, he will try to threaten Trevor.

So the only thing left to do was to face whoever was approaching him and the snowmen.

The footsteps grew louder and finally stopped at the door.

Despite knowing what to do, his heart didn’t stop hammering. It even hammered vigorously this time.

That fact that he had no idea who it was, not knowing what their powers might be, made the back of his hair stand.

The door will be opened anytime soon.

He saw the ice doorknob twist. Then, just as he was about to wave his wand, someone else shouted outside the door.

“Rettop, Lord Egayov requires your presence!” The voice of a man shouted.

“I just want to get something!” Rettop shouted back.

“He needs you now, Rettop! Don’t argue!” The man snapped.

Slowly, the door was closed. And Trevor heard footsteps going further and finally died down.

He lowered his wand and sighed. That was close.

He looked at the snowmen and they just lowered their stick hands as well.

He kneed, “listen we have to go separately ok?” They looked at him in bewilderness. “We will never find my family if we just stick together. If they find all of us, them we have no chance of escaping from this place. At least if they were to catch me.....” The little snowman was shaking its head nervously, looking at Trevor. “I was saying in a hypothetical manner, Delur. But just in case. You three will be there to help me, right,” they nodded. “Alright. Let’s go then. We will part ways when we see if there are other passageways outside, this room.”

He got up and began heading to the door. He opened the door peeled and saw that no one was there. Then, just as he turned to gesture for the snowmen to follow him, something shiny caught his eyes.

Something was lying on the ice bed.

He moved forward and picked it up. They were shaped in a key form. About five of them. All in the same shape and size. He examined them further, then shoved them into his pocket. They might come in hand. He thought.

But after looking at the snowmen, he removed the ice keys and gave one to each snowman.

“They might be the keys to the doors around here. Heck, even to the room my family is in. Let me check,” he got up and charged to the ice door. Instead, the key in the keyhole then turned it. He pulled the door, but it was not opening. He turned them again and pulled the door this time it opened. “They work. But who will you reach the keyhole? No offense,” he added upon seeing their expressions.

Nigram, the elder one, moved towards Trevor. Then its snow body began flickering. And its body size began to increase. Trevor’s jaw dropped.

Then, as it grew bigger enough to reach the keyhole, it stopped growing and the blinding light from its body stopped illuminating.

“Damn. What more can you do? And why did you do this earlier when fighting that giant bastard? You know what? forget it. We have no time for hand gesture guessing,” he added.

After a few minutes, Nigram decreased in size.

“Let’s go then,” Trevor said.

He opened the door again with another peek first, then they left the room.

There was a passage hall to his left and right. Then another one straight ahead.

“Nigram go left. Then, Nief, you go right. I and Delur will go straight. If any of us finds my family, then we are to signal the others, ok?” They nodded. He waved his wand and three red stones appeared in his hands. “Here,” he and each to Nigram and Nief, then he was left with one as well. “If any of you find my family, just say the names of the other two and the stones will start glowing. Do you understand,” they nodded. “Alright, off you go,” he looked from Nigram to Nief as their images grew smaller with the increase in distance from where he and Delur were standing.

“Shall we?” He looked at Delur and the little snowman was nodding with excitement in its black eyes.

They walked straight ahead with constant vigilance. The passage was so long, his feet actually began to hate. They walked and walked, still not able to find another room or anything that might get them out of the passage hall.

He looked at Delur, and the snowman was as tired as hell. He bent, picked it up, and threw it on his left shoulder.

They walked and walked, still nothing. His hope dying down. Then just as he leaned his back on the ice wall, it slid inside, making him tremble and fail inside.

He quickly got up, ready to obliterate whatever might be inside the room. But no one was there. Only an empty room looking at him.

He began examining the room further than he saw an ice doorknob on the left side. He gestured for Delur to follow him so he can take a closer look.

He touched the handle, his wand in his other hand. Then pulled the door with his might but it did open. Making his shoulder to hate in the process.

Then he remembered. The key. He took the two remaining keys with him and inserted one in the keyhole. Luckily, it entered without difficulty and then he turned it. Tried to pull the door again, and it opened.

He took a sigh, then entered the darkroom. It was very dark he couldn’t even see a thing.

“Let’s go Delur,” he said, and they entered.

After the only source of light closed, Trevor waved his wand and the tip of it lit up. “Stay close Delur,” he said.

Delur began glowing and minutes later he began increasing until his head reached Trevor’s hip.

They began walking forward, not knowing where they were going. The red stone inside Trevor’s pocket began to glow.

Delur pulled Trevor’s hand and pointed at his pocket as he stopped walking

Trevor took the stone, and it was glowing as bright as ever.

He put it back in his pocket, and he began running straight. He ran for miles, still no way out of the darkroom.

Both he and Delur stopped and looked back.

“Delur, what are we going to do? There is no way out of this place. Do you have anything in your mind?” Delur nodded. “Dammit. Wait, I can apparat us into that room. Hold on to my shirt.”

Feeling Delur’s stick point, hands clench his shirt. Trevor waved his wand and seconds later they were standing in the same room they were almost caught.

Then put the tip of his wand on the red stone he shouted, “point!” And his voice echoed in the room. Presumably, if someone was outside, they probably heard him.

The red stone left his palm and was floating in the air. Seconds later, it began moving in the direction of the door leading outside the castle. It was hammering at the door, then after Trevor opened it, the red stone went outside.

Trevor and Delur followed it behind. Not bothering to look, if any of the giants were near enough to spot them.

The red was now going due north, Trevor and Delur behind.

It turned East and just as Trevor and Delur turned in the direction of the stone, two Giants were standing in front of them. And their eyes met.

“I will hold them off. Follow the stone and after you see where it will lead, come back ok?” Delur didn’t nod, “I will be fine. Just go now.”

With a last sad glance at Trevor, Delur charged towards the red stone.

Trevor waved his wand and green smoke began forming as rapidly as it could. After he saw Delur was now out of sight, he flexed his shoulders and his wings emerged. Time for some fun. A dark grin stretched across his face.

He flapped his wings and flew towards the giants. The green smoke had already covered about one-third of the place. Making Trevor completely visible to the giant.

He waved his wand and a jet of blue light went flying and hit the giant. It trembled, then fell flat on its ass.

The other giant began rounding, looking for the source of the attacker. It howled, beating its chest.

Trevor was circling it underneath. He withdrew a short knife from the side of his hip. He charged towards the giant’s leg and made a cut on the back of its leg. Not to dip, but enough to hate.

The giant yelled in agony, rounding to see the attacker. But the green smoke didn’t permit it.

It began throwing punches into thin air, hoping to punch the attacker. Little did it know the attacker was still circling underneath it.

Trevor charged again and made another cut on the other leg.

The giant yelled even louder, making the birds in the nearby trees fly away.

“Why don’t you face me like a real man!” The giant shouted.

“Because you fight dirty as well. Don’t be a hypocrite. You can turn yourself invisible. Don’t you do that when scaring the kingdom? Oh, s**t,” he added as he realized what he had actually done.

“Thank you,” the giant said. And within seconds, it became invisible.

But before it moved, where it was. Trevor waffled his wand, and a pinkish spot appeared on the now invisible giant, making him know exactly where it was.

“You a forgetting one thing, giant!” Trevor shouted.

“And what is that?”

“I’m a human, well not entirely, but the point is I’m clever than you,” without further ado, he charged towards the pinkish spot and stabbed the giant.

It shrieked as its feet made a turning sound to face Trevor. Greenish blood coming out.

Knowing where it was, he snapped his fingers and blue fire began burning underneath it.

Since ordinary fire wouldn’t be of any use, he used his archangel fire.

The giants’ clothes caught fire, and it began moving around the place screaming on top of its lungs.

He turned to the other giant lying still unconscious. He held his hand, and the giant left the snow ground about an inch.

He moved towards its burning friend and when he so that it was not too far from it; he dropped it.

Then waves his wand, and a gateway erupted underneath them. They fell into it as the one burning screamed. And finally, the screams began dying down. Seconds later, the gateway winked shut.

The green smoke was already vaporizing, and within a minute, the place was becoming clear.

He flapped his wings and touched his feet on the snow ground. Flexed his shoulders and the wings went inside.

Then a thought hit him. Delur. He charged towards the path Delur ran after the stone. And just as he took a turn, he bumped into it.

“Delur, are you alright,” it nodded and hugged Trevor’s leg, “told you I was going to be ok. Now have you found them?”

Delur detached itself from Trevor, shot one glance at him, and gestured for him to follow it.

Without hesitation, he got up, picked the snowman, and threw it on his shoulder. Delur pointed straight ahead, and Trevor ran as fast as he could. In a few minutes, he will be reunited with his family.