Chapter 59
Deceit In Atlantis
The classes of the first and second year had completed their tests and now the two schools were even. The third years would contend in the afternoon, after a break.
Taking advantage of the break, Maria and Desirè joined their friends on Alfea's side. They said Aire and her companions were besieged by partying witches and Specialists looking for easy targets, and that Aire and Henna had already knocked out some guys who insisted too much.
- Those two are a great team, they understand each other really well. - said Desirè.
They had moved under the dais reserved for the teachers and the members of the Council, were less students gathered, and they could talk at a normal volume.
Lzzy shivered despite the scarf and hugged herself. Stormy suffered the cold as well, she wore two wool jumpers and her face was still red for the cold.
- Faragonda could have built a covered arena. - she muttered.
- Well, the good side is that we might freeze before our manche. - joked Darcy, who wasn't thrilled at all of participating in the Tournament again.
No one of them was, to tell the truth. Maybe it was also because of the Tournament that, before their year, very few students, fairies or witches, continued their studies beyond the third year. Tecna tried to be optimistic.
- Come on, it won't be that terrible. We surely went through worst... AH! -
A violent hit shook the whole structure of the arena, causing panic. After the first hit there was a second, and then a third, accompanied by a frozen wind that forced everyone to close their eyes.
- This doesn't seem natural! - screamed Flora, holding onto Helia to avoid falling.
- I swear this time it isn't my fault! - screamed Stormy.
- It isn't me either. - echoed Icy.
A new hit shook the arena and made her lose balance. Arejay grabbed her and pulled her close. "It may not be my doing, but I won't be sitting on my hands" thought the witch of ice creating a dome around their group. Without the wind everything felt better.
Sky, Bloom and Stormy, closest to the walls, looked down to understand what was happening.
- It's the Lake! There's huge tides hitting the arena! - exclaimed Sky.
- And why the hell are there tides that high in a lake? - asked Lzzy.
- I don't know, any ideas? Like some wizard who wants to kill us? - retorted Darcy.
- Aren't there protection spells here? - Lzzy asked back.
- Not physical. - answered Aisha.
- Girls! - called a voice from up high.
It was Faragonda.
- The noble Givelian recognized the spell, but he needs you to stop it. You must go to the Fortress of Light with him, now! - she said, shouting to overcome the howling wind.
The Trix glanced at each other: neither of them trusted Givelian. But they had no other choice. They couldn't prove it was a bluff and even if they could, in their situation they couldn't speak against a member of the Council. It really seemed like a trap. The sensation grew more intense when, on the dais, Givelian refused to take the Specialists to the monastery claiming that they needed magic, not muscles, thus bringing them along was a waste of magic.
- Fairies and witches, nobody else. - he said.
The boys stepped aside unwillingly and with them Joe, Arejay and Josh. Lzzy stayed next to the girls.
- Lzzy, go with them. - Icy whispered.
She didn't want to put her through more risks.
- No. my place is with you. We need magic and I have it. - she turned to the boys - We'll be back soon. - she told them.
- Be careful. All of you. - said Josh.
Lzzy smiled at him. Givelian was about to teleport them to the Fortress of Light when Icy heard Griffin's voice in her mind. "Be careful! Do not trust him nor Yerka!"
Her worried tone alarmed Icy. In her experience, Griffin had been that scared only with Valtor and it wasn't a good comparison. She searched for her gaze, hoping she could tell her something more, but it was too late. A flash and they were already in the monastery.
- What do we do now? - Joe asked the Specialists.
Timmy was about to tell him that they would have to wait and help evacuate the arena, which was still shaking, but Griffin was faster.
- I have a mission for you. I want you to inform Xavier of what is happening and stay with him, safe, as long as you can. - she said, meaning "return on Earth as late as possible".
Faragonda, who just like her colleague didn't have a high esteem of Givelian nor she liked the idea of entrusting him her students, even though she didn't fully understand what Griffin's point was, said:
- Yes, inform the professor. Take an Owl and leave, we will evacuate the arena. -
While with the bullhorn Faragonda called fairies, witches, Specialists and guests to follow the teachers to calmly leave the arena, the group walked towards the exit. In order to avoid the mass, they passed on the higher seats, risking to fall more than once, until they reached the bridge that ended on the Lake's shore. There were lots of Redfountain ships near there. They looked all the same to Arejay, Joe and Josh, but Sky and his team walked straight towards one precise shuttle.
It started raining. Brandon was typing in the access code while a voice behind the group startled them.
- Where are you going? -
Aire had seen them go the opposite way unlike anyone else, had left the other witches and followed them. Alec had seen Aire and had followed her as well, and Walter had seen the two of them following the most famous Specialist team in the whole of Redfountain and wanted to know what was going on. So the three of them were there, with Walter that was catching his breath, Aire once more soaking wet and Alec looking at them not really knowing what he was getting into this time.
- Where are the girls? Where is Darcy? - asked Walter in front of the boys' silence.
- At the monastery. - replied Nex.
- We're going to Xavier's. Griffin's orders. - added Helia.
- I'm coming with you, - said Aire, - and don't you even try to change my mind. -
- I'm going with her. - Alec hurried to say.
- You're an idiot. - said the girl.
- Alec, you're already in punishment, your uncle will tear you apart. - said Brandon.
- He won't even notice I'm gone, as far as he knows I never came to the Tournament. I can't get on a shuttle until the end of the month, remember? - replied Alec.
Brandon sighed and typed the last number of the code. The door opened.
- Don't you want to hear my motivation? - said Walter surprised.
- Your motivation is a brown-haired witch with glasses. - Nex mocked him getting on the shuttle with the others.
§§
Meanwhile, Givelian had led the girls through the halls of the monastery, completely desert.
- Wait here. - he said, - I must help the venerable Yerka to bring the ingredients for the spell. I will be back soon. - and he walked away before the girls could make questions.
Knowing well Darcy's powers he really left: it wasn't worth it to make Valtor's plan fail to assist.
As soon as his steps couldn't be heard anymore, Stormy said in a low voice:
- Are we really trusting that snake? -
- Faragonda trusts... - Bloom began to answer, but Icy interrupted her.
- Griffin doesn't, and neither does Faragonda, I think. They both know of some old tricks and maneuvers of his, but refusing a possible solution in front of the entire Council would have made them look crazy. -
"Who is that man?" Lzzy asked her. "The main reason why I didn't want you to come".
- We're here now. If he isn't back in the next five minutes we'll go back to the arena, okay? - Bloom said.
The others nodded, someone begrudgingly. To pass the time they started looking around. The room wasn't big nor small and only housed a big sculpture made of a shiny blue stone. It took an entire wall and it was a sort of mirror framed by a mermaid on the sides and on the top, her face wasn't showing, while at the bottom there was the mermaid's tail on one side and a group of algae on the other. At the bottom center a scroll had something carved on it. Curious, Francesca got closer to read it.
- Transitus in Atlantide... - she read out loud.
She didn't have the time to wonder what the incision meant that the smooth surface in the frame shone. Francesca would've wanted to jump back, but something pulled her towards the mirror. She grabbed onto Musa, uselessly: they were all experiencing the same thing.
- It's too strong, it's gonna pull us in! - Maria shouted.
- Hold on tight and try not to let go! - exclaimed Bloom.
The girls quickly formed a chain, but they still got sucked in by the mirror-portal. There, a strong wind crushed them, first dividing them into two groups, then four. Icy felt Lzzy's hand slip away from hers.
- No! -