Chapter Eight - One Battle Of
The wind howled over the dank island that held Azkaban Prison, swirling never ceasing fog into misty clouds. The grey obscured the black of the fortress, covering the gothic structure from sight. When pockets opened in the haze, the building appeared as though dark figures, the battlements large sentries guarding this world of vapour. They were soon swallowed once more.
The cover held true to the farthest shores of the landmass, effectively hiding anyone alighting on the edges. The darker figures in the fog moved effortlessly across the pebble beach, the continuing gusts concealing all sounds of their movements, as well as making it impossible for them to hear noise from the gaol itself.
Gathering close together, the Presidium held fast for a moment, attempting to gather themselves in the gloom. One cloaked figure moved to the front of the pack.
Harry murmured softly in the language of the ancients, issuing his swift orders and quick directions. With a gesture barely seen, he turned back to the fortress, stepping soundlessly towards it. The others moved into position, unseen to the occupants of the prison.
Pulling up fast against the outer wall, Harry looked at his partner. The Vampyr nodded and closed his eyes, reaching telepathically to the rest of their battalion. Once assured they were in position, he sent the signal to strike at Harry's gesture to begin.
The Presidium quickly scaled the wall, dropping silently to the other side. The wards of the prison had been broken down long before their arrival, rendering the need to hide from them unnecessary. They cautiously made their way to the inner building, meeting no challenges against them.
Harry stilled at the stone barrier to the prison, straining to hear anything from inside. Even the cries of the prisoners, usually so commonplace, were unheard. Pulling his wand from his arm holster, he spelled a hole into the wall. Dropping to his knees, he moved into it, staying low on the other side. Once Carnifex followed him through, Harry closed the opening.
Scanning the immediate hallway, and seeing nothing, they rose to their feet, keeping well hidden in the shadows. Barred doors lined the walls, though no sound came from within the cells, as though they were empty. With measured strides, the wizard and Vampyr walked down the hall, wand and sword held at ready. The going was hazardous just by the path, which clearly was not meant for regular human passage. The floor itself, though stone, seemed as rotted as the bodies of the Dementors that haunted the place. Large areas were pitted and cracked, worn through by time and magic.
Harry stopped at the corner, taking a deep breath and forcefully clearing his mind of emotion. The nearer to the centre of the gaol that they got, the more he knew they would feel the affects of the Dementors. Even now, he felt the cold, his nerves prickling with awareness. If Carnifex noticed anything, he failed to show it. With another breath, Harry stepped down the next passageway, continuing to listen avidly for anything which might signal danger. The cells along the halls remained quiet and empty.
After moving several floors downward, sounds began travelling to their ears. At first indistinguishable, it soon became clear it was the clamour of battle. Echoed shouts rang through the halls, bouncing off cold stone. As Harry and his partner neared the main level of the gaol, various colours of light lit the dark ahead of them.
Raising a hand, Harry glanced at Carnifex and gestured for him to move to the other side of the hall. Keeping close to the wall nearest him, Harry silently walked to the end of the passage. Staying in the shadows, the two warriors looked over the prison and the chaos ensuing within it.
The balcony upon which they stood blocked most players in the scene below, but offered a panoramic view of the inside of the building. The very architecture seemed to render Hogwarts Castle modern, the walls worn smooth and black where once it was rough grey. Below them, where the battle was in force, was a large cavernous hall, with circular pillars of black reaching from the floor to the ceiling levels above where Harry was. The terraces surrounding the pillars in rings upward were as dilapidated as the halls through which he had walked. Beyond the edges of the levels were walls spaced evenly with dark openings. Harry couldn't see into them, but noticed that nothing moved in the shadows.
The torches along the walls sputtered on every level, as though unused to burning. Harry realized that the cold of the Dementors would typically keep them out; and that while it was bitterly chilled, the air lacked the frost that accompanied the creatures. Despair still licked at him, as though coming from the building itself, and Harry decided to move quickly, using the absence of the Dementors to his advantage.
With another wave toward Carnifex, who immediately dropped low and moved forward, Harry stepped around the corner, onto the balcony proper. Sinking down to his knees, he slid to the edge, looking over with his chest against the hard, cracked floor.
The pops and bursts of curses were still going strong. From his vantage point, Harry could now see the figures shooting the spells. Darkly concealed forms moved along the far perimeter of the room, attempting to gain leeway. Scanning the walls below, Harry realized that other people hid in the darkness of the halls adjacent. Looking harder, he saw that they wore lighter robes than the rest, and had no weapons. The prisoners apparently, at least from that side of the prison.
Looking back at the fighting men, and their struggle to push through the room, it became obvious that the exit to the prison lay somewhere in that direction, and that the escapees and their rescuers were trying to reach it. Harry couldn't see those blocking them, but knew them to be Order members and possibly some capable Aurors. At any rate, by the number of spells, Harry could tell the enemy far outnumbered the others.
Still wondering where the Dementors were, but not wanting to tease fate by waiting around, Harry glanced up. The dark halls on the levels above them were no longer empty. As he watched, several cloaked figures moved from the shadows, mirroring his and Carnifex's positions. With a nod to the Vampyr, who signalled the others of the Praesidium, Harry didn't wait to see if they moved.
Grasping the side of a pillar, Harry pulled himself off the balcony, gripping the ridges and cracks in what may have been marble. Once down slightly, he dropped to the ground, using the column to shield himself from the general view. Carnifex jumped beside him, directly from the level above, landing evenly on the unbalanced floor in a crouch.
Explosions sounded towards their left, indicating good aim by some of the interlopers. Carnifex nodded once, and with a sudden increase in pitch, the battle intensified as the Praesidium joined in. Screams came from several of the enemy as they were attacked without warning, the hooded warriors dropping directly onto them. Erecting a strong barrier charm across the Order and Ministry's area, to protect both them and his own men, Harry gestured to two of his Elf warriors to maintain it. Harry made his way along the edge of the main hall, taking a few panicked foes down with quick, yet deadly, spells straight to the chest. Carnifex came up beside him, sword already dripping red.
"Ateraes," the Vampyr murmured, pointing with the blade toward the other side of the large chamber.
Looking through the foggy haze left by spells, Harry saw many dark forms moving along the wall toward the direction of the halls leading to the exit. Most were wearing prison garb, and some staggered, as they tried to walk unnoticed. Glancing at the startled members of the Order and Ministry, who were attempting to alternately break through the shield charm and watch the fight, Harry saw that they weren't looking at the criminals.
With a muttered oath, he gestured for his associate to go back to the main battle. Harry turned, skirting along the wall, ducking spells and striking opponents, making his way towards the other side. He tucked his wand away as he neared the makeshift barrier, not needing anyone seeing it. Moving from pillar to pillar, he was careful to keep his face averted as he passed the officials. Surreptitiously scanning the group, he saw several he recognized by sight and a few by name, including Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt in the ranks of the Aurors. Looking at them, an odd sense tickled his mind, but he put it to the side for the moment.
Reaching the wall once again, Harry pulled into the shadow, stilling. With a quick motion under his cloak, he pulled out a dagger. As the first man stepped in front of him, he lashed out, grabbing the figure's robe and dispatching him with a stab of the blade. Startled, the others reared back, and Harry moved out of the darkness, overtaking the first couple easily. Those toward the back of the group, who were in nicer robes and dark masks, brandished their wands his way. Harry pulled one the prisoners in front of him, holding him up as the spells hit him instead. Letting the body fall, Harry sent a burst of power from his palm toward the more dangerous attackers, downing the others with his knife.
Once all were dead, a quick glance toward the blocked wizards and witches showed that they weren't looking his way, and therefore hadn't noticed his wandless magic. While some creatures were capable of that type of magic, the sort he could do was fairly signature, and would easily give away his identity. Just as he made to turn away and to the battle, the unease he'd noticed earlier repeated.
Narrowing his eyes, Harry focussed back on the group, ignoring the continuing battle. Sudden understanding caused him to start in surprise and he immediately glanced around for Carnifex. He caught the Vampyr's eye just as the creature used his fingers as claws, slitting the throat of the man before him. Taking his sword back up, Carnifex made his way toward his leader.
Harry took out his wand once more, keeping it hidden with his body, and continued to send various spells at the rapidly diminishing ranks of the enemy with almost idle flicks. Carnifex halted next to him, shaking his sword of some of the gore covering it. The Vampyr's pale skin had traces of blood on it, but he seemed uninjured. His fangs glinted as he smirked. Raising an eyebrow, Harry looked at him.
"Doing well, amice?" Harry asked, shooting an amber coloured curse toward a man attempting to sneak up on them.
"You know me, Ateraes. Making the most of the situation." Carnifex scanned the room, then turned his red-tinted gaze to Harry. "What is it?"
"What do you notice of the Order members?"
"From what you have briefed us on, it seems like there are several operatives there," Carnifex answered, looking towards them, slightly confused.
Harry nodded. "Yes, several operatives, and some Ministry lackeys. No one of supreme importance. Yet, I know many of Dumbledore's closest came, not to mention the headmaster himself."
Carnifex scanned those in question again, then looked up at the other levels of the prison. "Something is happening elsewhere."
"Yeah, and something tells me that it's something major, if so few actual persons of competence are here. Had we not arrived, even those of the Order over there wouldn't have had a chance." Harry gestured vaguely around the chamber. "Most like, the Order didn't think the enemy would have such a force. Let's find out just what is happening. You'll have to question them." Harry waved toward the barrier.
Another look around showed that the Praesidium had the battle in hand. Carnifex sheathed his sword, moving toward the shielded men and women. Harry glanced around and followed, keeping his head down. Reaching the edge of the spelled area, and pulling up to the Elf guards, Harry gestured to them. Muttering an order in Latin, he had them clear an opening in the block. He then told Carnifex to pull out Tonks.
With an inhumanly swift movement, the Vampyr reached through and grasped the Auror's arm, wrenching her out of the shield before anyone could stop him. The Elf nearest quickly closed the slit, as Shacklebolt and others attempted to come after her.
For her part, Tonks didn't yell out, though she did trip on a crack in the floor. Carnifex's grip kept her from falling face down, and before her surprised eyes he held her wand that he had somehow pulled from her. Harry rolled his eyes and fought a quirk of the lips, focussing back on the situation. Carnifex maintained his hold on her, even as she struggled, and smirked as she tried to knee him to no avail. Harry sent a look at him to speed it along, keeping his hood far over his face. He saw the rest of the Praesidium finish with the enemy and look over their own numbers.
"Relax, Auror," the Vampyr murmured softly. "We are not going to harm you."
Tonks tossed back her currently orange hair. "Then let go. And give me back my wand."
"In a moment. Right now, we need to know what is going on, and where." Carnifex's voice stayed soft, and he kept his Vampyric features shadowed under his hood.
"What are you on about?" Tonks shook her head. "Even if I knew, I'm not about to tell anything to a group of criminals."
Carnifex shook her slightly, tightening his grip until she winced. "Listen, mortal, the criminals were the ones trying to get out of this god-forsaken place, while we came in. And in so doing, we happened to save your pathetic lives. Somehow that doesn't sound distinctly rational for anyone of evil persuasion."
Tonks pulled against his grip. "Well, I'd call this evil." She blinked at the taller figure. "Did you call me 'mortal'?"
Carnifex pulled her closer, raising his head up. As the light hit his fangs, his eyes glowed from the darkness that remained over the top of his face. Tonks gasped, wrenching backward, sliding on some loose stone. Harry grabbed her from behind, holding her arms tight against her body, making sure she couldn't turn and see his face. As he pulled her close to lean near, Harry gave Carnifex a sharp warning look over her shoulder.
As she stiffened and tried to pull away, Harry whispered into her ear, "It's all right, Nymphadora Tonks. We aren't going to harm you. He's not going to attack."
Tonks stilled. "How do you know my name?"
Still keeping his voice pitched low enough not to be recognized, Harry answered, "An Auror who fought bravely in the Order of the Phoenix, not to mention one with such striking features," he chuckled softly and she breathed deeply, "is hard to miss."
"Who are you?"
"I am known as Ateraes. That is Carnifex. Don't worry, he's harmless when he wants to be." Harry smirked at his partner, who glared at him.
"What about you, are you harmless?" She asked, a touch of sarcasm making her displeasure evident.
"Let's not get into that." He shifted his grip to hold her less harshly, if no less securely. "Now. Something is happening. What is it, and where is it?"
Tonks shook her head and kept silent. Harry sighed, then pulled her into the shadows away from the view of her comrades. Carnifex gestured for the others of the Praesidium, who were now coming closer, to remain where they were.
"Tonks, we do not have time to play games." He pushed her forward to the wall, grasping her wrists in one hand. With his other hand, he pulled his wand, keeping it from her view. "Dicere Verum."
A light of blue streamed from the tip of his wand, spiralling around Tonks' neck, and over her mouth. She tried to pull away, but Harry held her still. Nudging her back, pushing her sharply against the stone, he pressed hard enough to make her gasp. The blue spell instantly entered her mouth, disappearing as she snapped her jaw shut.
A vaguely dark spell, it nonetheless does no lasting damage to the victim, instead working as a type of truth agent. It suppresses the will to keep quiet, as well as the urge to lie, for a brief time, rendering the person truthful. And talkative. Because of that, and its general short time of usefulness, it was not often used. Nor was it very well known, so no one thought to safeguard against it.
"This is very wrong, you know!" Tonks exclaimed as the spell started to affect her. "I'm an Auror, you're the criminal, this should so be the other way around! This is very ungentlemanly. I don't know who you are, but I can tell you're a bloke. I'll will figure out who you are! You know you shouldn't treat a lady like this. And what the bloody hell was that spell! You did something so I'd talk! That is completely dark, and another reason to put you in Azkaban. Or keep you here, I guess, as we are here. And . . ."
As she continued talking, Harry heard a dark chuckle behind him. "Don't you love that spell, Ateraes?" Carnifex asked, amused.
With a low growl, Harry nudged Tonks again to quiet her down. "Tonks, where is the rest of the Order? What is happening?"
"The others are in the Containment Ward. There were breaches, and Dumbledore figured that the main ones of the dark guys were trying to get in. He's a smart man, Dumbledore, ya know? Knows things, he does . . . Ow! Stop pushing me, you blasted cad."
Harry made a sound between a growl and a sigh. "What is the Containment Ward? Where is it?"
"The Containment Ward . . . funny name, huh? Fits though . . . Ow, okay, okay. It's where the Dementors are kept. There's too many of them to let them have run of the prison, or else everyone here would be Kissed. So, extras are put there, and then, er, well, the shift changes, I guess. Some get put there, and more come out. I don't think they really like it much, but they do it by order of the Ministry. Don't ask me why."
"Where is it?" Harry questioned curtly.
"It wouldn't kill you to have some manners, you know. Fine, it's down two levels." Tonks gestured with her chin downwards.
"Down? But this is the lowest level," Carnifex interjected.
"No one outside the Ministry is supposed to know about it. There is a trap door down that hall."
"Which hall?" Harry asked sharply.
"Let me go and I can show you." She squirmed slightly, but when Harry didn't release her, she sighed. "Two to the right."
A shiver ran through her body as the spell wore off. Harry pulled her away from the wall and into the light. Keeping her face away from him, he gestured for one of the Elves to place her back with the others, and for Carnifex to hand over her wand. He then ordered the guards to place a timer on the barrier and to join the others. As they did as he bid, light rippling through the shield, Harry turned to Carnifex.
"Gather those able. We need to go down there."
Harry made to move towards the hall, but stilled when Carnifex grabbed his arm.
"You should not go, Ateraes. That many Dementors will affect you even past your defences."
"I have to, amice. Come now, let us go." He pulled his arm from the Vampyr's grip and walked over to the hall. "Now."
With a gesture to the others, Carnifex fell into step beside Harry. They moved down the hall carefully, torches coming on as they approached, though each seemed reluctant to light. Watching the floor for both structural integrity and any sign of entrances, Harry waved the others to a stop after about fifty paces.
He crouched down, Carnifex kneeling beside him, as he felt along the floor near the middle of the hall. Glancing up, Harry ordered several of his men to move down the passageway farther, in case of any surprises from that direction. Looking back down, Harry waved his wand over the trap door. When no sensor spells detected danger, he flicked the wand gently, removing the cover stone from the passage.
The darkness seemed solid within, and as the air below came up, Harry's breath was visible. Summoning a torch, Harry grasped the base and stuck the flame into the hole. The light revealed crumbling stairs and a thin hall. Moving onto the first stairs, Harry floated the torch downward, following quietly. Carnifex came after, followed quickly by most of the others. Several remained above as guards, with orders to leave should they receive a signal to.
The stairs continued deeper, becoming more steep the further down. When they levelled out, it was almost a shock, and Harry stilled, waving for the others to, as well. The single torch light moved forward, showing a narrow, yet tall, passageway. Harry walked after it, carefully stepping over large potholes in the floor. He gestured for the rest to come slowly. The air seemed frozen, the bite burning Harry's skin as he walked.
Reaching a turn in the passage, Harry followed it, senses sharp. A breeze passed his face, and he looked harder into the darkness ahead as he walked. Suddenly, a strong gust blew over the Praesidium, the torch stuttering out and casting them into complete shadow. They halted, tense and alert. Those with heartbeats heard them in their ears, as nothing moved. Harry took another step forward, and a cold hand grasped his shoulder.
"Ateraes," Carnifex whispered, as though unconsciously trying not to disturb the silence. "Hold."
"Can anyone see anything, even the Vampyrs?" someone asked softly.
Carnifex moved as though turning, but kept his grip on Harry. "No, we can not."
Harry allowed Carnifex's hand to remain on his arm, as he addressed the others, "Those who are able, make some type of light."
The passage lit with various colours, blazing in the cold air. Blinking, Harry held his wandlight away from his face and down the corridor. Ordering the others to follow, he continued along the path. The floor began to slope downwards unevenly, and the travellers were forced to hold onto the hall for balance at some points. Several minutes passed in relative quiet, the only sound the many footsteps as they moved.
A low grating noise halted them in their tracks. Glancing around, the compatriots tried to find what was causing it. The sound became louder, and seemed to surround them.
Abruptly the floor sunk beneath them, spinning downward into a tunnel. The wall was too slick to grip and the Praesidium members found themselves sliding down the shaft, their self-made light failing. In the darkness, they grasped at their comrades and the walls of the hole, palms skidding down stone.
The tunnel suddenly ended, and they were cast out into open, brightly lit, air. Startled exclamations finally found their way from the warriors' throats, echoing as they fell. The unwilling flight ended sharply as they were plunged into freezing water. The shock stilled their movements for precious moments, before they struggled for the surface. The Vampyrs, who had no need for air, and the Elves, who could go without for quite awhile, helped the others- the half-breeds, the few Veelas, and the rest of the group- to the top and onto the bank surrounding the water.
"Ateraes!" Carnifex called sharply from near the edge of the lake.
His cry caught his associates' attention, and they quickly scanned the scattered members for their leader. An alarmed yell came from near a mass of stone, partly covered with water. Carnifex ran over, pushing others out of the way, and leaping over a sharp boulder. He dropped to his knees next to Harry's prone form.
"Ateraes! Don't you do this," the Vampyr admonished, flipping him over. Blood covered part of Harry's face, and he didn't respond. "Damn you, wake up, Ateraes. Harry!"
The leader of the Praesidium lay still.
A/N: Thank all of you for reading. Please review, I love to know what you think. It makes writing so much easier.
-Zenn
Dicere Verum: derived from 'Verum dicere' - to speak truthfully.