Friends Close, Enemies Closer
.:Angelgrl185:.
((I don't own the Harry Potter Series of any of its components))
Chapter Fifteen: Rilanthia: Kingdom of the Gods
Two Days Until Winter Solstice
Afternoon
"You're helping me more than you know," Voldemort's cold voice hissed as it slithered in her ears. Ginny felt her body freeze as her mind processed the words. She looked up slowly, her green eyes coming to rest upon Voldemort. His slit scarlet eyes seemed to glow and his thin, bloodless lips were pulled back in an evil sneer. A knowing look rested on his face as if he had seen the future and knew the events that would occur. Dread began to seep into Ginny's body as the possibility that she may have done something to betray those who she loved hit her hard. Her mind frantically dug into her memories trying to find a moment in which she had done something or said something that would've helped Voldemort in his quest for power. Nothing came to her.
Voldemort just stared at her with his knowing smile as chills ran down her spine. He motioned at a Death Eater with his hands and signaled for him to take Ginny away. The Death Eater pulled Ginny roughly off of the chair and shoved her towards the door. Ginny was too tired to put up a fight and Voldemort's words kept haunting her mind.
She stumbled down the hallway ahead of the Death Eater who was escorting her to her prison. She obediently followed his commands and didn't struggle. Ginny didn't want to give the Death Eater any reason to touch her with his slimy hands. She entered her personal dungeon silently and sat down in her usual dark corner when the sun's rays did not touch. Wariness fell over her as she settled down against the familiar stone and felt her eyelids drift shut. Her rhythmic breathing filled the dungeon as she fell asleep.
Ginny smiled happily as the sunlight hit her face. She raced across the plains outside of her house as the cool breeze whipped through her wavy amber locks and caressed her face like a lover. The smells of the wildflowers drifted into her nostrils causing her to inhale their delicious scents deeply. A shout to her right caught her attention causing her to turn to find the source. Ginny turned her head and spotted her parents waving at her to come inside. Ginny's smile widened and she changed her course heading towards her home, The Burrow. As she neared, the smiling faces of her parents changed quickly to horror and fear. A deep voice rumbled in her ears and a flash of light flew past her before consuming her parents in a great blast of fire. The fire was white hot as Ginny screamed and ran towards the burning inferno. Orange and blue flames licked the bodies of her parents and the putrid smell of burning flesh infiltrated her senses causing Ginny to gag. Tears streamed down her face as she watch the bodies blacken and fade to ash before blowing away in the cool breeze that had just moments before filled her with peace. Their screams of pain echoed in her ears long after the raging fire had died down. Ginny shut her eyes tightly trying to block out the image as she prayed that when they opened this would be gone.
Slowly the smells around her changed and she no longer caught the nauseating scent of scorched skin mixed with the delicate smell of wildflowers. Ginny peeked open her eyes and found that the sun was completely gone and in its place was a pale moon beaming at her through bars. Ginny sighed in relief as she recognized her prison and moved away from the window turning her attention to the other side of the dungeon. A brief scream erupted from her jaw as the sight before her. All six of her brothers were chained to the cold dungeon walls. Piles of blood stained hay lay below them as blood ran along their arms and legs from the deep cuts their chains were creating.
Ginny trembled as she walked closer to her brothers, her hand reaching out towards them. Stopping at Bill she gently grazed her fingers across his arm and a whimper escaped from her as she felt how cold his skin felt beneath her fingertips. His head rolled on his neck and dull, lifeless brown eyes stared back at her when his grayish tinted face turned to hers. Ginny scrambled away from Bill, her hands covering her mouth in shock. She looked down the line of her brothers, all strung up and hanging limply against their thick steel chains. A gasp of pain caught her ears and Ginny flew to the one who managed to choke out a breath. She fell down on her knees in front of Percy who lifted his head and peered at her from narrow eyes, his face contorted in pain. Tears streamed down her face as she looked up at him.
"Percy," Ginny whispered softly, her voice full of sorrow. His neck muscles strained as he used his last ounce of strength to look back at her.
"Go to hell, Ginny," he spat out, thick phlegm flying from his lips. "This is your fault." Ginny's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. She shook her head rapidly in denial.
"No, no!" she fell back against the floor and crawled back away from him shaking her head. Percy gave her one last glare of hatred before his head fell limply against his chest.
"NO!" Ginny screamed. She was shaking now and curled herself in a little ball as her body racked with sobs. The pain was so great she couldn't bare it. Ginny gasped for breath. She felt as if a ton of bricks were lying on her chest. Her parents were dead. Her brothers were dead.
They blamed her.
"Why me?" she whispered, squeezing her eyes tight as she tried to block out the images.
"You're helping me more than you know," a lone voice hissed in her ears.
Ginny felt something breathing down her neck making the hair on the back of it rise. Crying out she flung her hands out to fend off the person. Her hands hit a solid chest and she immediately began to beat against it when hands grabbed her. Struggling to free herself, Ginny found herself facing a pair of glowing scarlet eyes as sharp fingernails dug into her sides.
"NO!" she screamed, once more and closed her eyes to block out the intense gaze burning into hers.
"Ginny," the voice was smooth and seeped into her ears.
"Let me go!" Ginny yelled, starting to kick.
"Ginny, wake up!" the voice demanded. Arms wound themselves around her body binding her to the firm chest she was beating upon. No longer able to move, Ginny whimpered.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Ginny," the voice said, soothingly. "It's okay."
Ginny was puzzled. The voice was so familiar and it brought warm surges of feelings through her instead of the cold chills she was feeling moments before. Opening her eyes, Ginny found soft gray eyes instead of the burning scarlet ones she had just seen.
"Draco?" she whispered, in disbelief.
"It's okay, Ginny," Draco repeated, as he traced his hand over her face and then smoothed back her wild hair. "You had a bad dream."
"Their dead!" Ginny said, sitting up rapidly and looking around lost.
"Who is dead?" Draco questioned her.
"My family," Ginny whispered. "I killed them. They're dead because of me."
Draco looked at her a moment before pulling her back into his arms and cradling her shuddering body. "Your family isn't dead, Ginny. You were just dreaming."
"I saw them!" she protested, tears slipping down her face as the horrifying images burned in her mind. "My parents burned."
"A dream, Ginny, nothing more," Draco said, firmly pulling away to stare into her glazed eyes. "Voldemort is trying to torture you. He's having fun at your expense."
"How?" Ginny asked weakly. She looked around the room and saw that the sun was still shining through the barred window, not the moon.
"Your mind is weak," Draco explained. "He can easily penetrate it and plant nightmares in your head."
"He told me I was helping him even though I wouldn't know how," Ginny said, before burying her head in his chest.
"Voldemort is trying to scare you. You haven't helped him. Not yet, and you won't either."
"Draco, I'm so scared," Ginny admitted.
"I know, Ginny, I know." He tightened his hold on her and pressed a light kiss on the top of her head. "Come now, Ginny. We have to leave."
"Why?" Ginny asked, pulling her head away from him. "Where are we going?"
"Greece," Draco said, as he pulled her to her feet. "It's time."
"How are we going to get there?"
"Apparate."
"You can apparate to Greece?" Ginny said, in shock. "But it's so far away!"
"Voldemort made some kind of medallion that powers up our apparation," Draco explained, pulling a silver chain out from beneath his black robes. "It enables us to apparate at great distances, but it also makes us very weary." Ginny placed her fingers over the cold chain and ran them along the bright emerald that was planted in the center. Draco smiled at her enchantment with the jewel. He placed his arms around her and squeezed her reassuringly before with a loud pop they were gone.
Ginny and Draco found themselves in the middle of a bustling market. Pure white sand littered the ground as camels and carts moved past them. People chattered merrily as vendors called to them in the streets trying to get people to buy their delicious fruits or sparkling jewelry. Draco removed his arms from Ginny opting to grab her arm roughly and jerking her away from the middle of the street as a camel drawn cart sped past them. Ginny shot Draco a grateful before brushing off sand that had been kicked upon her.
"Draco, why did we apparate in the middle of a muggle market?" Ginny asked him.
"This isn't a muggle market," Draco said, simply. "We're in Xanthi which is one of the few Wizarding communities in Greece."
"Is this where the sword is?" Ginny asked, skeptically as she looked around.
Draco chuckled. "No. We cannot apparate to the island Thasos. The cavern where the Masamune rests is in the middle of a desert called Έδαφος των νεκρών, which means, "Land of the Dead" in Greek."
"Land of the Dead doesn't sound too inviting," Ginny said, sourly.
"It means dead from magic," Draco explained. "But I'm sure many have died trying to find the Masamune so I guess the other kind of death makes sense too."
"So how are we going to get there then?" Ginny asked.
"First we have to ride across the desert here on camels until we reach the Aegean Sea. We'll buy some ships and then sail with our camels to the island Thasos and travel across the desert until we find the place where the cavern is."
"You're going to buy camels?" Ginny asked, sarcastically. Draco ignored her and glared at her so intensely that Ginny backed away in fear.
"Draco," a steely voice spoke. Ginny looked away from Draco to find his father standing next to them.
"Yes, Father?" Draco asked, peeling his gaze away from Ginny and looking seriously at Lucius.
"What is going on? Why haven't you gotten your supplies?"
"This pathetic waste of life," Draco spat out, glaring at Ginny once again. "Was giving me trouble." Lucius nodded.
"Yes, she may be a Weasley, but she does have some spirit," he said, looking at her red hair. "Tie her up and then get the supplies."
"Yes, Sir," Draco said, compliantly. He pulled out his wand and summoned a long rope. With Lucius watching he had no choice but to tie Ginny up tightly so that the rope dug into her flesh. Draco secured the rope against a pole used to tie up camels.
"How fitting," Lucius sneered. A camel moved its head and sniffed Ginny's hair then began to nibble on it after a moment. Ginny gasped and yanked her head out of the camel's reach. Lucius' sneer grew and even Draco had a smirk appearing on his face. Lucius clapped Draco on the back and the two of them walked away disappearing into the crowded market place.
Ginny sighed and drooped against the pole her head falling to her chest. The stupid camel was still trying to eat her hair. The sun shone brightly from its position high in the sky and was beating down relentlessly against her fair skin. If Draco didn't get her out of the sun soon she was going to be a Weasley shish ka bob. Tracing lazy circles in the white sand soon bored her and Ginny lifted up her head to look around for other options. Seeing as how she was tied to a poll, there wasn't any. Ginny sighed again.
"If only Harry were here. Then I would be out of this mess," she thought bitterly to herself. That's when it clicked. She needed to tell Harry where she was! Ginny relaxed her body against the poll and placed her hands lightly at her temples. She felt the familiar warm embrace of the magic surrounding her mind as she weaved her crimson and gold strands in order to open the portal.
"Ginny, stop!" a frantic voice cut into her magic causing it to falter and the gate to slam shut as the golden and crimson strands of magic broke. Ginny opened her eyes in frustrated and glared at Draco who was standing in front of her his arm reached out.
"Draco, you could have killed me!" Ginny hissed angrily. Draco looked startled before he crossed his arms.
"Ginny, what're you doing?" he asked.
"I'm telling Harry where I am so he can get me out of this living hell," Ginny answered, evenly.
"No!" Draco shouted, placing his hands on her shoulders. Ginny stared at him surprised at his reaction. "You can't tell Harry."
"And why not?"
"That's what Voldemort wants you to do," Draco replied. Ginny's eyes narrowed.
"Why would he want me to tell Harry?" Ginny questioned. "That would bring him to me and he'd just defeat Voldemort again like he did the other times."
"Voldemort is counting on you using your Legilimens power to tell Harry where you are," Draco began. "He's already formulated a trap to get Harry here."
"I don't understand why he wants Harry here so badly. He doesn't need Harry all the way over in Greece to kill him."
"Voldemort needs Harry's blood to make him completely immortal. Legend says that when the Masamune slices the blood of ones mortal enemy, the bearer becomes immortal."
"What?" Ginny said, confused. "I don't remember this. It wasn't in my memories."
"Maybe you haven't completed the memory yet," Draco suggested.
"Oh my god, that's how I was supposed to help Voldemort without me knowing," Ginny stared at Draco. "This isn't good. What do I do now? Voldemort is expecting me to contact Harry and I'm sure he'll be monitoring whether or not I try. Since my mind has weakened it wouldn't be too hard for him to monitor it."
"Can he monitor what you say to Harry?" Draco asked.
"No, I can still block that," Ginny answered.
"Good," Draco replied. "Now this is what I want you to do. Contact Harry and tell him that everything is all right. That way Voldemort will think you told Harry the location and Harry won't be able to get here."
"Great idea, Draco, but I'll still be stuck here," Ginny said, bitterly.
"Well at least you're stuck with me," Draco said, with a grin. "You'll have something to look forward too. Sitting with me on a camel for two days. I hear that the rocking motion of camels is very sensuous when two people are together."
"Draco!" Ginny laughed. Draco chuckled with her before composing himself.
"You contact Harry now," he told her. "I have something I have to do."
"What?" she asked.
"I've been spying for the Order and I have to tell them where we are and where we're going," Draco explained.
"You're going to apparate back to England?" Ginny asked, stunned. "You'll be too tired to make it back! You could end up with half your body in god knows where!"
"I have too, Ginny," Draco said, gravely. "It's the only way to make sure Voldemort is stopped. Contact Harry, I'll be back in a little while. You won't miss me." With those words he left.
"Don't be so sure of that," Ginny whispered, staring at the spot where he just stood. Sighing she sank to the desert floor pulling the rope down with her and cradled her head in her knees.
Harry sighed as he stared up at the old ceiling of Grimmauld Place. His thin frame was draped lazily over a couch as his fingers drummed against the side. He was tired and his eyes kept drooping, but Blaise and Tristan wouldn't stop giggle from the armchair where they were cuddling.
'At least something good came from these events,' Harry thought half amused and half bitter as he watched the two flirt. Ron was trying to teach Hermione how to play wizard's chess. Although she was considered the brightest wizard of her age, Hermione couldn't win the game even if she had all her pieces and Ron just a pawn and a king. Harry sighed again and closed his eyes trying to block out the sounds in the room. He could really use a nap right about now. A weird feeling settled over him, one that he was certain he had felt before. His mind suddenly felt heavy like it was carrying extra weight, but Harry could quite place what it was. That was until he heard a voice speaking softly in his mind.
"Harry?" Ginny's musical voice floated around in his head.
"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, sitting up abruptly on the couch. All heads turned towards him and his weird behavior. Harry waved them away impatiently. "Where are you, Ginny? Did you reach the place with the Masamune yet?"
"Not yet," she replied. "Harry, I just wanted to let you know that I'm fine. You don't need to come anymore. Everything is under control and I'll be home soon."
"What are you talking about, Ginny?" Harry asked confused. "How can you be fine? Your stuck with a bunch of blood thirsty Death Eaters and no one knows where you are! Not to mention that Voldemort is about to find a sword that can make him invincible."
"Harry, please," Ginny pleaded. "I need you to trust me." Harry released a heavy breath and rubbed his temples with his hands.
"Alright, Gin," he agreed, warily. "But the first sign of trouble you let me know where you are got it?"
"Sure, Harry," Ginny settled. "Don't worry about me. Draco's here and the Order are coming."
"You told the Order where you are?" Harry asked, indignantly.
"Of course, Harry," Ginny replied. "They're in charge of bringing Voldemort down. They're grown and experienced wizards. They'll defeat Voldemort and bring me home safely I have to go now though. It's not safe for me to keep the connection long. Voldemort could sense it."
"Goodbye, Ginny."
"Bye, Harry."
Harry leaned back against the sofa in silence a thoughtful look adorning his face. Blaise looked at him curiously.
"What's wrong, Harry?"
"It's Ginny," he replied.
"You talked to her?" Blaise said, with a start, pushing away from Tristan.
"Yeah, just now,"
"What did she say?" Blaise asked, impatiently. "Come on, Harry. We all care about her too."
"She told me not to worry about her and that she'd be fine," Harry revealed. "She refused to tell me where she was taken too."
"What!" Ron yelled. "What is she thinking?"
"Apparently the Order has already been informed of her location."
"What are they going to do?" Ron asked, sarcastically. "Barge in with wands blazing and steal Ginny away?"
"No, Ron, they're going to walk up to Voldemort and ask him to tea before politely asking for our darling Ginny back," Blaise retorted, rolling her eyes.
"I don't get it," Tristan spoke up. "Obviously they're going to try and stop Voldemort if they're going to be over there. How are they going to do that when it is supposed to be Harry who kills him?"
"That's exactly what I was wondering," Harry admitted.
"I think we should just let them do their thing," Hermione said. "They're older than us. They know what's best. We don't need to be screwing anything up by getting in the way."
"Aw, come on, Hermione!" Ron groaned. "You heard the prophecy! They need Harry to talk down Voldemort. The Order is going to die and Ginny along with them."
"And Draco," Blaise piped up.
"And Malfoy," Ron added, through clenched teeth.
"How are we supposed to help?" Hermoine challenged. "We don't know anything that is going on."
"We can use those Extendable Ears that Fred and George made," Ron said, excitedly. "I know I have a pair of them hidden around this place somewhere."
"Where are the adults anyway?" Tristan asked, looking around. "I haven't heard them for a while."
"That's true," Hermione agreed. "They must be in a meeting or something."
"This is the perfect opportunity to listen in and see what is going on," Harry decided, his green eyes beginning to brighten in excitement.
"I still think we shouldn't do this," Hermione said, nervously biting her bottom lip.
"Hermione, stop being a baby," Ron said exasperated. "Get some guts, woman!"
"Ronald Weasley, don't you talk to me that way!" Hermoine yelled, slapping Ron upside the head. Ron yelped and rubbed his tender skull while Hermione glowered at him. Blaise chuckled and the two remaining boys cracked smiles.
"Alright, Ron, you go find the Extendable Ears," Harry ordered looking at the redhead. "The rest of us will meet downstairs in the kitchen. Then when it seems clear, we'll use the Extendable Ears to listen in on the conference room." The four nodded their heads in understanding and they left.
Draco landed heavily on his feet in the middle of the conference room of Grimmauld Place. His legs were weak and shaky beneath him for the energy he used. Throwing out his arms, Draco grabbed a nearby table and leaned all his weight against it. He took a couple of deep breaths and stuffed the amulet back into his robes.
"Draco, are you alright?" Mrs. Weasley's concerned voice filtered into his ears. Draco nodded weakly, but she paid no heed. Motioning with her hands, she ordered Arthur and Remus to help Draco over to an available chair.
"Severus," Mrs. Weasley spoke to the silent man. "Please go see if you can find a regenerating potion for Mr. Malfoy. I say he spent all his energy getting here." Snape nodded and left the room. Draco gratefully accepted the potion when Snape returned and downed it in one gulp. His face blanched and contorted in disgust at the taste of the potion bringing a wry smile to Severus' face.
"Feeling better, Draco?" Albus Dumbledore's smooth voice asked. Draco nodded and cleared his throat.
"Yes, Professor," he replied. Dumbledore smile reassuringly and placed a fatherly hand on his shoulder.
"What news do you have for us?" he asked.
"We've moved Ginny," Draco started. "Right now we're station in Xanthi. We have to travel to the Aegean Sea and cross it by boat until we reach the island of Thasos. Then we're travel across the "Land of the Dead" to find the cavern."
"A dangerous place Thasos is," Lupin commented, thoughtfully.
"What is the Land of the Dead?" Tonks asked, curiously.
"It was once the kingdom of the gods, but is now a desert where no magic exists," Remus answered.
"We have to go there?" Tonks said, incredulously.
"We do," Sirius said. "You don't."
"What?" Tonks screeched. "What do you mean? I'm not going?"
"Tonks, we need you to stay and look after the kids," Albus said, gently.
"Oh yeah, give me the babysitting job," Tonks grumbled. "Why can't Molly do it? She loves kids. She's got her own personal army."
"Molly is going because Ginny is her daughter," Dumbledore replied. "Molly is quite capable and can handle herself. She will be an asset to us. I wouldn't ask her to stay home when it's her daughter whose life is on the line."
"Fine," Tonks agreed, sullenly. "But I still don't like being left behind."
"We should leave tonight, Albus," Sirius said.
"You can't leave until after we do," Draco spoke up.
"True," Albus said thoughtfully.
"I'll owl the Ministry and get us a portkey to Xanthi, Greece," Arthur said.
"Will you have any problems with that?" Lupin asked.
"I shouldn't," Arthur replied. "They trust me. There were some occurrences a couple weeks ago in Greece with some bewitched pillowcases. I'll just tell them that I'm taking a team to follow it up."
"Fine," Dumbledore agreed. "We'll leave when the sun goes down."
"I should be going now, Professor," Draco said standing up.
"Do you think you have enough energy to get back?" Mrs. Weasley asked concerned.
"I should be fine," Draco smiled. "Thank you though. I can see where Ginny gets her compassion from." Mrs. Weasley blushed and mumbled something incoherent before turning away. Draco smiled again and pulled out the amulet. Closing his eyes he tapped into the amulet's power before apparating out of Grimmauld.
"Did you hear that?" Blaise said in awe looking at the others who were huddled around the Extendable Ears as well.
"Yeah, they're going to a place called the Land of the Dead," Ron said with a gulp.
"Not that!" Blaise rolled her eyes. "Draco's a Death Eater and a spy no less!"
"That's really dangerous," Hermione observed.
"No kidding, Hermione," it was Ron's turn to roll his eyes.
"We have to get to Xanthi," Harry said determinedly.
"And how do you propose that?" Hermoine asked. "None of us can apparate that far. No one can."
"Malfoy did," Harry argued.
"Draco must've had some enchanted item that allowed him to apparate at greater distances," Blaise informed them.
"What about Tonks?" Tristan asked.
"What about Tonks?" Ron questioned him.
"She could help us," Tristan explained.
"Tonks?" Ron said with raised eyebrows. "They left her behind for a reason, man."
"Same with us, Ron," Hermione said smugly.
"We could fly there," Blaise suggested.
"Fly to Greece? Are you crazy?"
"I don't see you offering any ideas, Ron!" Blaise said defensively.
"That's because I know when not to say something stupid," Ron retorted. "There are no good ideas."
"Guys, stop it!" Harry ordered. "Tristan's right. Maybe we can use Tonks."
"But how?" Hermione questioned.
"I don't know, maybe trick her or something."
"We could trick her into thinking we went to Greece," Hermione suggested.
"Then when she leaves for Greece on a portkey we grab her and go as well."
"That could work," Harry said thoughtfully, scratching his head.
"It's the only plan we got," Blaise pointed out.
"I thought only the number of people the portkey is designed for can use it?" Tristan asked.
"That's true, but it's a chance we'll have to take," Ron said grimly.
"I'm in," Blaise said putting out her hand.
"Me too," Tristan added placing his hand over Blaise's and squeezing it. Hermione and Ron added theirs as well.
"I guess we're going to Greece," Harry said as he placed his hand in the pile.
"I always wanted to go," Hermione informed them. "Greek mythology is so fascinating. Now I guess I get to see it up close and personal."
"Don't sound so happy about it," Ron groaned. "We could be killed."
"Oh stop being such a baby, Ron," Hermoine said smugly. "Get some guts, man." Ron glared at her while Hermione smiled back haughtily. Harry rolled his eyes at Blaise who giggled.
"From now on we need to work together," Harry said seriously. "After the Order leaves, we'll start the plan."
Draco stumbled across the desert floor when he landed. The dry desert air wasn't doing anything to help him recover from his jump. He weakly made his way over to where he had left Ginny tied to the pole. She looked up at him, her happiness to see him well shining through her green eyes.
"Draco, are you okay" she asked concerned when he rested a moment beside her. Draco closed his eyes and took in a few deep breaths, coughing when sand entered his lungs.
"I'm fine, Ginny," he coughed, bending over and spitting the sand out of his mouth.
"You don't look fine," she said observing him.
"Leave it alone, Ginny," Draco growled. "I'm back and I'm in one piece."
"You should have warned me that apparating so far would make you grumpy," Ginny grumbled. Draco glared at her before untying her from the pole. He grabbed the end of the rope and pulled her through the thick crowds of people. Ginny stumbled along, the smooth sand making it hard to keep her footing steady. When they reached a caravan of waiting camels, Draco threw her down at the feet of Lord Voldemort.
"She'll be riding with you, Draco," Voldemort said. "I take it you can handle her."
"Yes, milord," Draco said with a bow before jerking Ginny back up to her feet. Ginny scowled at him and Lord Voldemort before following him to a large camel.
"I'm sorry for throwing you around," Draco whispered in her ear when they were out of sight.
"It's okay, Draco," Ginny replied with a sigh. "I know you have to keep up face."
Draco nodded and placed his hands gently around her waist. He stayed like that from a moment before hoisting her up in one motion and setting her on top of the camel. He quickly packed his supplies on the other hump of the camel before mounting the beast himself. Ginny ran her hands along the fur of the animal. It was a thick and coarse fur that stuck up when her fingers ran over it. The camel was light brown and blended in nicely with the desert sand. It's legs were long and stocky seemingly very breakable, but Ginny knew that camels could carry a great deal of weight.
"This is a Bactrian camel," Draco said in her ear. "It has two humps while the Arabian camels like the ones over have only one hump." He pointed to their left where the other Death Eaters were mounting camels. A sharp whistle signaled that the caravan was moving out. Ginny could help but giggle at the thought that the almighty Death Eaters were riding through a desert on a bunch of spitting camels.
"Draco, tell me about the Land of the Dead," Ginny said after a while. The caravan had been traveling for a couple of miles. Ginny and Draco were in the rear and riding in silence. "Do you know anything?"
Draco took a sip of water from his canteen before answering. "The desert in Thasos used to be called Βασίλειο των Θεών. It means "Kingdom of the Gods" in Greek. It was the home of the city of Rilanthia where the palace of the gods dwelt. Back then, when the four gods still roamed the earth, they lived in the Kingdom of the Gods. It used to be beautiful."
"Describe it to me," Ginny said dreamily.
"The buildings were made of the purest white marble and were trimmed in gold. All types of exotic trees and flowers grew around the palace and cities. It was full of life. Music and dancing were in the streets, delicious food was abundant and everyone was happy. The gods were peaceful and led a life of prosperity."
"What happened?" Ginny asked curiously. "Why did it become a barren desert?"
"When the four gods, Jupiter, Neptune, Mars and Uranus, realized that they were becoming too powerful they created the Masamune," Draco explained holding the reins to the camel limply in his hands. "Of course they couldn't let anyone just enter the city and get the Masamune so they cursed the place. Only the strongest would be able to enter the place and get the sword. That way if they were to become corrupt, someone worthy of being the savior could kill them."
"I don't know about you, but I don't' consider Voldemort very worthy of being a savior," Ginny said bitterly.
"That was their one mistake," Draco said. "The gods didn't account for those being strong in evil as well as strong in heart."
"What exactly did the curse do?" Ginny questioned.
"For one it turned the beautiful kingdom of Rilanthia into a desert wasteland."
"Yeah, but how come no magic can be used there?"
"The curse erased every magical essence in the desert. The gods thought that it would be easy for a wizard to just waltz into Rilanthia with his magic and take the sword so they destroyed the magical essence of Rilanthia. Now if a wizard ventures into the "Land of the Dead" and is not strong enough, the absence of magic will drain his life force and the wizard will die."
"Die?" Ginny whispered her face becoming pale. "Draco, what if I'm not strong enough?"
"Don't worry, Ginny," Draco said soothingly in her ear. "You are one of the strongest woman I know."
"What's going on here?" Lucius' sharp voice cut in. Ginny froze in front of Draco who stiffened a little as well. A wry smile drifted over Draco's face.
"I was just telling her all the nice things I'll get to do to her once Voldemort is finished with her," Draco snickered his face contorting into an evil grin. Lucius looked from his son to Ginny whose face was already pale and nodded. He reached out a hand and grabbed a strand of Ginny's red hair and rubbed it between his fingers.
"She'll be a lot of fun for you, Draco," he murmured. "She seems to have a wild side. Maybe I shall have some fun with her as well" Ginny squirmed in front of Draco as Lucius touched her. Draco swallowed hard trying to ignore the sickening feeling invading his stomach.
"The Dark Lord wants everyone to be carefully watching the desert," Lucius added dropping Ginny's locks and turning his steely gray eyes towards his son. "Night has fallen and the creatures of the dark will be roaming the desert now. Have your wand ready." Draco nodded and his father left urging his camel to the head of the line. Ginny whimpered.
"Shush, Ginny," Draco said soothingly. "It's okay, I will never let him hurt you." He wrapped his arms around her waist and Ginny leaned back gratefully into his firm chest. The rocking motion of the camel soon cast a spell over her and Ginny felt her body slowly relax against Draco's, their forms fitting together perfectly. With Draco relaxingly rubbing her arms, Ginny soon fell asleep.
Well there's the next chapter. Took a while to write, but I'm lazy. Summer does that to you. Next chapter follows Ginny and Draco's journey into the desert and the ride across the sea. Very dangerous if you ask me. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please review and let me know!
.:Angelgrl185:.