*Looks around*
Well, believe it or not but I am finally ready to post the next chapter of my fic. It has been a long chapter to write and I got stuck numerous times but looking at it now, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I hope you are not too angry with me for taking so long though. L
Thanks to anyone who posted replies so far or who is reading this fic (although it is not many...) Reviews are most welcomed.
So without further ado, I give you the next chapter in this story:
Chapter 23: Showdown
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Yannick apparated at the manor. Alex had already left when he went to find her at the stadium. In a way it was comforting as Angelina had told him she had left early to arrive at the manor on time.
He had made a quick stop at St-Mungo again, to reassure Sean that Cynthia and the children were fine and under good protection at the manor. He had then talked to his mother to see that Sean be transferred to the manor as well as they had agreed before. With the way Andrelith was acting at the moment, he did not want to take any chances.
As he came out of the apparation room, he was greeted by Laure and Valerian. Gran and Cynthia were there as well, a bit further back and talking. But he could not see Alex.
"Where is Alex?" he asked Laure.
"She is not with you?" Laure said, "I thought you were picking her up from the stadium."
"She was already gone when I arrived there," Yannick replied, "Angelina told me she had left early in order to be on time for our meeting."
He felt worry filling him. Alex was not at the stadium and she was not here either. Whatever reassuring feeling he had felt after talking with Angelina was gone now. He had not gotten any warning from his pendant. Could Andrelith have found a way to neutralize it and kidnapped her without it going off?
"Gran? Do we have any way to find out where a pendant is?" he asked as she joined them with Cynthia.
"I'm afraid not, my dear," Gran replied, "At least not unless the person is in danger and the warning spell goes off."
"Oh Merlin," Yannick said, "Where is she?"
"I'm here," Alex's voice was heard from the apparation room.
He turned around to see her coming out of the door, a bundle of cloth under her arm. He quickly went over to her and engulfed her in a warm hug.
"Thank Merlin you are alright," he said, kissing her softly.
"Andrelith?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied, "He attacked Sean and I while we were in Diagon Alley. Sean was wounded. He's not in danger and at St Mungo," he quickly added when he saw alarm in her eyes, "He also sent bloodsuckers to attack Cynthia and the twins, but I got there before they arrived and got them to safety."
"He has gone completely mad," Alex said.
"Indeed he has," Gran said, "I'm afraid the bloodsucker attack was but a diversion actually," she added, "at around the same time Alwena's pendant warned her that a person nearby intended to harm her. She's safe in Hogwarts and I talked to Dumbledore, but it is safe to assume that this was Andrelith as well."
"I was afraid he had kidnapped you," Yannick told Alex.
"He almost did," she replied.
"What!?!"
"When I was dressing to come here in the stadium's changing room, I found a rose in my locker," Alex said.
"But I did not leave any there," Yannick said.
"I know," Alex replied, "I realized this as I was about to grab it. Something was wrong with it, it was in a vase, which is something you had never used as you power keeps them fresh for days or even weeks. And this one was looking a bit dried out as well. I took my training robes and wrapped it all there," she added, pulling away a bit to hand the bundle to Gran, who took it to a table and unfolded it.
"I then went looking for you at the Ministry, your home and at the flat, but could not find you," Alex said, "So I came here."
"I'm glad you did," Yannick said, holding her tight against him.
"And you were correct in your assumption Alexandra," Gran replied from where she was examining the rose, "The vase of this rose is a portkey, set to go off as soon as it is touched by a person."
"Andrelith," Yannick said.
"Quite like him to devise something like that," Gran said,
"I got lucky," Alex said as she rested her head on Yannick's chest.
"No," Yannick replied, softly kissing her head, "You used your wits before you acted, which is why you were in Ravenclaw at Hogwarts," he added, causing her to chuckle nervously.
But while he was reassuring her, Yannick knew that something had to be done an fast. Andrelith would not stop on this failure. He could feel Alex holding him tight and he knew there was only one way to solve this crisis.
"What do we do now?" Laure asked.
"I'm going to stop him," he said.
"What?" Alex asked, breaking from the hug and looking at him wide-eyed.
"It is the only way it will ever end," Yannick told her, "You think he'll stop at this failure? When did that ever stop him? He'll continue hitting at us until he gets what he wants, which he never will, or we put an end to him."
"You should be wary of him, Yannick," Gran said, "the fact that most his attempts failed today will make him more prone to rash moves and thus more dangerous."
"I know, Gran," he replied, "but this is the only way I see right now. Is there a way you could find out where that portkey is supposed to transport the person that touches it so one can then apparate there?"
Gran nodded in assent.
"Then I must hurry," he said, "I'll only take a moment to prepare to go... alone," he added looking at Alex, before to turn and head to the training room.
He knew she'd refuse to let him go alone though and it was not a surprise when he heard her following him on the way. He entered the training room and went down the stairs, turning towards the armoury as he reached the bottom. He knew already the items he needed for this task, his bow and arrows, his swords and a few special seeds Aidan had helped him to develop in the recent weeks.
The bow was where Twinky had left after she had taken care of it. The House Elf had shown him a lot of affinity since he had entrusted her the care of it. He relished on the polish of the wood as he passed his hand on it, grabbing the handle. But he also closed his eyes as he felt Alex's hand softly rubbing his back as he was taking his bow down from its stand.
"You understand why I want to go there alone, don't you?" he asked, turning to face her.
"Understand, yes," she replied, "Accept it, no way."
"Alex..."
"Hear me out Nick," she said, cutting him gently, "I know you are doing this because you want to protect me and do not want to see me get hurt. I am very grateful of this care you are showing but I refuse to stay behind while you head towards danger. That is not part of the pact I took with you when I accepted to marry you and I will be by your side on this, whether you like it or not," she added, very seriously.
Yannick sighed and softly passed a hand in her fiery hair. "I hate to know you in danger," he said.
"I know, my love. But I hate knowing you in danger too," Alex replied, kissing him softly, "And I'm not defenceless either. I'll even have personal motivation to get back at this scum."
"Beware of revenge, Alex," Yannick said seriously, "It rarely..."
"...brings one joy. I know," Alex completed for him, "But this Dark Elf murdered my parents, Nick. If I face him with you, I'll be sure to remind him of his crime and how much he hurt me committing it."
"And I'll be there to temper you if it goes too far," Yannick added, kissing her forehead gently.
Alex smiled and pulled him in a tight hug which he was only too glad to return. She would stand by him in this and somehow, this reassured him more than worried him. He broke the hug after a while and went with her in an area of the room where many different protective clothings were displayed.
"We will both need to wear one of those," he told her, "I don't know what we will face there but we need some protection just in case."
"Won't armour make it too bulky to move?" Alex asked, nodding to a suit that was on display.
"Yes it will, but I was not referring to those," he said.
He went to one of the stands and took what looked like a dark brown jacket made of soft leather.
"This is a training leather that has been enhanced by Gran," he said, coming to her, "She used her gift with metal to add a layer of metal rings between the two leather layers," he added, making her feel the metal in the leather.
"It must be heavy though," she said.
"Not at all," he replied, "You know the metal called 'mithrill' that is shown in that Lord of the Rings movie we went to see?"
Alex nodded, remembering the evening they had spend looking at this film and how much he had liked it.
"Well this metal is Elven and very similar to what they show there. It is also very light so it will not hamper your move much. Here, put it on," he added, handing her the coat.
Her surprised expression as she put it on and the appreciation afterwards when she had buttoned it and made some moves with it on told him she agreed. Smiling, he went back to the stand and took the matching set of pants, soft boots and gloves that went with the suit. As she quickly changed into it he went to his own stand of the room and quickly put his own suit.
Gran had designed his when he had come back from training and recently had adapted the studded belt that went with it so it could easily accommodate both his swords without hampering his moves. He took his quiver of arrows which he strapped to his back, before to head back towards Alex who had finished suiting up.
Passing by the stand where he had taken the suit he had given her, he took a leather belt where a dagger hung from it. It was Elven in making and had belonged to his great-grandmother on his father's side. He reached Alex and strapped it around her waist, making sure she would have it under easy reach at all times.
"The suit fits perfectly," Alex said as she stretched with it.
"Blame Gran for that," he said, grinning slightly, "She took an existing suit and adapted it to fit you some months ago."
"Always the careful one, is she not?" Alex asked, matching his grin.
"Better safe than sorry," he replied, taking her hand in his and heading out of the armoury to meet with Gran again who was waiting in the training room now.
What greeted his eyes as they came out was not what he expected though. Laure was standing in the hall, Valerian at her side. She had a bow in her hand and a quiver at her belt as well. Her wand was also within easy reach in its sheath. Valerian had a dagger at his belt and one hand held his wand while the other held his broom. He also recognized the clothes they wore as the same he and Alex now sported.
"What exactly do you think you are doing?" he asked.
"We are coming with you as well," Laure stated simply.
"What?!?" Yannick exclaimed, "No way Laure, this is not your fight and I will not have you put your life in danger."
"This scumbag made it my fight the day he attacked the family, Nick," Laure replied seriously, "Besides, Alex is coming with you and she is my friend. You will not stop me from helping you two."
"As for myself, there is no way I'm letting Laure go into danger without being there for her," Valerian stated, "So I'm in too."
"You guys cannot be serious!?" Yannick said.
"While I do not like to see loved ones in harm's way, I think Laure's decision is the right one, Nick," Gran gently interrupted him, "Laure has proven able in a fight before and so has Valerian in your former school's attack by Death Eaters in their seventh year. They will be of help to you."
"But, Gran..."
"There is not really any time to argue dear one," Gran said, "Alexandra bought us a precious window against Andrelith by foiling his attempt to capture her. You need to move swiftly before he realizes that his portkey trap did not work and he disappears again."
***********************
They re-apparated suddenly and harshly, falling onto the grass in front of a high hedge.
"What in blazes?" Valerian asked as he sat up, wincing from a hit on the back.
"Looks like Andrelith had planned me being able to apparate directly where Alex was." Yannick said, rising to his feet, "this is a strong anti-apparation spell and I'd bet a good amount of galleons that it surrounds the area he is hiding in."
"He must have been planning this for a while," Alex said, standing up to join him.
"How much do you also want to bet that this area is unplotable?" Laure asked.
"I'm sure it is," Yannick agreed, "and I bet that hidden portkey was the only way to get there."
"So what now?" Valerian asked, looking at the tall hedge, "I cannot see an entrance."
"Try flying up on your broom to see what there is behind it," Yannick said, "just be careful to not go too high. I'd hate you to be notice and us losing the advantage of surprise against that scum."
Valerian nodded and soon was hovering next to the top of the hedge.
"Oh this is rich," Yannick heard him say, "Let me see... yeah, nice. There is a kind of large house in the centre of this whole thing. The only problem, this hedge is actually a big maze," he added, coming down again.
"A maze?" Laure exclaimed.
"Oh bugger," Alex said, "That's going to be fun," she added sarcastically.
"Flying above it is out of the question too," Valerian added, "We only have one broom and I can't take more than one person at a time."
"And by the time we make our way through it, Andrelith will have time to disappear again," Laure said.
No way, Yannick thought angrily, I am not letting this scum vanish again so he can harass us more.
"This ends today," he said, clenching his fists, "I am not letting a stupid maze prevent us from stopping this madman."
He reached for his power and went on to feel the hedge. There was no trap or warning spell that he could detect and he was sure Andrelith would have not thought of this way to get through his maze. Smiling internally, he used his power to reconfigure the part of the maze in front of them. An opening appeared onto what seemed to be a long corridor.
"Any changes on the maze, Valerian?" he asked his friend who was still hovering near the top of the hedge.
"Nothing apart from a few birds flying off as if something startled them," Valerian said as he was coming back to join them on the ground, "Yow!" he added, when he saw the opening.
"This is why I had to train with the Elves," Yannick explained to his friend, "I can control trees and plants. This maze being made of hedges, I made us a little shortcut."
"Neat, Nick," Valerian said, "it goes all the way?"
"Yes it does," Yannick confirmed, "I just left the last hedge intact so it would not give the surprise away. And as you confirmed when you came down, it cannot be seen from above either."
"Good thinking Nick," Alex said.
"I'm just thinking, what are the chances of beasts in this maze?" Laure asked.
"Well, when one speaks of a labyrinth, one can expect to find Minotaurs as well," he said, Laure nodding at his statement.
"Oy," Alex said, "those are a pain to get rid of," she added.
"They can't be as bad as what Gran faced," Yannick said.
"Gran faced Minotaurs?" Valerian asked.
"Mate, she took part in the War of the Unicorn," Yannick said, "you read the brotherhood's records on that, so you know what they faced there."
"A Minotaur stands no chance in front of Gran," Laure said, "whether she has a wand or not."
"Impressive," Valerian said.
" Anyway, I did not detect anything but it is best we be on our guards," Yannick said, "Alex, Valerian, you two take out your wands and be ready to cast spells when we tell you to. Laure and I will have our bows ready to deal with anything that tries to come close and is resistant to magic," he added, taking his bow and knocking and arrow on it while making sure his blades were easy to reach as well.
They set out in the path Yannick had cleared in the vegetation, Yannick in front. But while they might have expected some encounter, nothing came out of it and they were soon in front of the last hedge, which was still intact. Yannick used his power to feel what was behind it.
"I don't sense anything behind the hedge," he told them, "there is a clearing and then the mansion but nothing else I can see."
"You think there is no protection?" Laure asked.
"That would be totally unlike Andrelith to not have something defending his lair," Yannick replied.
"Strategic mistake?" Valerian asked.
"Indeed and very unlikely," Yannick said.
He took time to sense the surroundings a little more and then detected something out of place. Shapes, but strange ones at that.
"There is something there," he told his friends, "But I am not sure what it is. Several things."
"We don't have much choice if we want to get to the mansion," Alex said.
"I agree," Laure said, "And while we know about possible opposition, they might not. So we still have an element of surprise."
"Let's get this over with," Valerian added, bringing his wand at the ready.
Yannick nodded and readied his bow with an arrow before to use his gift to open the hedge so they could pass. The mansion was big, that was a fact. But he did not have time to wonder too much as to how Andrelith had managed to acquire it as his eyes found what he had detected previously.
"You have got to be kidding me," Valerian said for him, "Golems?"
"Earth golems to be exact," Alex said.
And both were right. Blocking their path to the mansion were three earth golems, each at least twice their sizes and wielding stone clubs. It was the first time Yannick had actually seen a golem and now he could see that what he had read was pretty close in terms of descriptions. Knowing how dangerous they could be, he took out his wand to cast an elven invisibility spell on himself and his friends. But a guttural noise stopped him and caused him to look at the golems. One of them was waving its club and pointing at them.
"So much for going in unnoticed," Laure said next to him as the creatures started to move towards them.
"They are made of earth," Valerian said, "we should be able to shatter them."
"Good idea," Yannick said, "Valerian, get in the air. You can provide assistance better from a place where they cannot hit you."
His friend nodded and mounted his broom, kissing Laure before to go in the air.
"On three," Yannick told Laure and Alex, "One, two, three..."
"FRACASSO!"
Their spells shot at the golems. Each hit but while Laure's shattered the club of the golem it hit, his and Alex just rebounded on the creatures.
"Spread out!" Yannick said as the golems came upon them.
They were more in danger clustered as a group that on their own and he trusted the girls to be nimble and fast enough to escape the lumbering creatures. The ground shook as the golems hit the spot they had just left with their clubs. The one that Laure had disarmed was trying to catch Valerian with its hands, but his friend kept clear, shooting several spells at it that did not affect it at all.
"A spell is protecting them!" Alex shouted as she evaded one golem.
"Try neutralizing it!" Valerian as he aimed at the golem intent on catching his, "Finite Incantanem!"
Yannick saw the spell hit and the golem slowed for a moment. A symbol on its chest glowed and it started moving again, the spell having no apparent effect.
He aimed at a golem in front of him and hit it with a lightning bolt. It took a chunk of earth from the golem's arm. The creature stopped in its tracks and turned towards him. Letting a cry it started to charge towards him, wielding its club menacingly.
"IMPEDIMENTA!" Yannick shouted.
The spell hit the golem in the chest and caused it to stop. But again, it was only a short respite. The symbol on the golem's chest, which was present on all of them, glowed once more and the golem started again to charge. Instead of fleeing, Yannick decided to go meet it and started to run towards the creature. He took out his katana, putting his wand at his belt. The golem rose its club as he came near and then swung at him. Yannick ducked away, the club narrowly missing him. He ran between the golem's leg and swung his blade at one of them. He was pleasantly surprised to see the blade cut through the leg, separating it from the golem and causing the creature to lose its balance and crash on the ground.
The magic protecting the golems was apparently impervious to normal spells but he now realized that as Andrelith had created the golems, they should be vulnerable to Elven ones. The creature he had brought down used its arms to push itself off the ground. Yannick went close to it, evading another swing from the club and then plunged his blade into the symbol on the chest. The symbol glowed bright red and the golem screamed before to explode in a thousand pieces.
One down, two more to go, he thought as he took out his wand from his belt. He looked around and saw Alex fending off another golem as best she could with standard spells. He aimed his wand at it as he ran to her aid.
"Lietha guldur," (*1) he shouted, waving his wand at the golem.
The spell hit it on its side and it froze mid-movement just as a blasting curse from Alex hit it in the head, blowing it off. The golem stood in balance for a bit before to keel backward from the weight of the club and crash on the ground.
"Are you alright?" he asked Alex as he reached her.
"Yeah," she replied, bending forward with her hands on her knees and seemingly out of breath, "Thanks to you," she added, smiling at him.
He smiled back and looked for the last golem, the one that Laure had disarmed. It was still trying to catch Valerian on its broom and Yannick saw that his friend was doing all he could to keep the broom high enough as he was now also carrying Laure.
"Nick, a little help here?" Valerian shouted in his direction.
Yannick aimed his wand at the golem and ennounced the Elven dispel magic spell that had frozen the second golem. The spell hit the creature, freezing it as it swung its arms upwards in a grasping motion.
The golem neutralized, he went towards Valerian and Laure, who were getting back on the ground, Alex following him.
"Thanks Nick," Valerian said as he reached them.
"Don't mention it," Yannick replied, "I should have thought about the fact that Elven spells created those before, it would have made it easier for us.
"What do we do about it now that it is frozen?" Alex asked.
"Let it be there," Yannick said, "it cannot do any more harm."
"Makes a fancy statue too," Valerian joked.
"FRACASSO!" Laure shouted, waving her wand angrily at the golem. The spell hit it full blast and pulverized it, causing them to recoil a bit.
"Yow!" Yannick exclaimed.
"Sorry," Laure said, "I just feel better if this thing is nothing but rubble," she added.
"Remind me never to anger you again girl," Alex said, laughing lightly.
Yannick and Valerian chuckled at that and Laure soon joined them.
"What now?" Valerian asked after a moment.
"Well, if Andrelith does not know we are here now he must clearly be deaf," Alex said.
"Right, but I doubt he ran away," Yannick said, "his goal was to lure me here and so far it worked. He's most probably in the mansion, waiting for me."
"Then we should not keep him waiting," Laure said.
Yannick nodded at that and walked with his friends towards the entrance of the mansion. They soon reached it and stood a moment in front of the massive oak doors.
"Revelae," Laure said, waving her wand at the door, causing it to glow light blue.
"There is a spell there," she said, "but nothing meant to harm. Looks like a detection spell only."
Yannick nodded and opened the doors, revealing a large hallway. He stepped into the mansion, his wand at the ready and Alex following him. Valerian grunting as he seemingly hit something caused him to look back. A shimmering blue shield had appeared, preventing Laure and his friend from following them.
He went back and passed through back and forth without a problem, but each time either Valerian or Laure tried to, the shield was blocking them. Alex tried as well and could pass through, although with a little effort.
"Looks like Andrelith cast a spell to prevent any help from following me," Yannick said.
"Darn it," Valerian cursed.
"You two go ahead," Laure said, "we must not give Andrelith a chance to escape. I'll try to find a way to cancel the shield so we can join and assist you."
"Be careful," Yannick said, "You never know what trap Andrelith put there in case one tries to cancel it."
Laure nodded and started to wave her wand at the shield, muttering detection spells.
"Good luck," Valerian said.
"Thanks," Alex replied before to follow Yannick deeper into the mansion.
****************
They had been exploring the mansion carefully for the past half hour without finding Andrelith. Alex could see Yannick getting frustrated by this and she could fully understand him. He had tried to detect where the Dark Elf was in the house using his gift but to no avail. It was almost as if he was hiding, laying in wait for them to step into a trap.
The fact that any part of the house could have been a trap got them to double check with spells doors and passageways before entering a room, not to mention casting quick detection spells on the rooms themselves. It had enabled them to disarm several traps, made to capture intruders.
The mansion itself was clearly a wizardry home and had been built by humans. However, it could clearly be seen that whoever the original occupants had been, they were not there anymore. The wood and stone house lacked the coziness one usually associated to magical homes. While most felt warm and welcoming, this one was cold as if dead. The spells they found were very much active however and seeing most of them could only be neutralized by Yannick due to their Elven nature, it was quite clear that they had been put there by Andrelith.
They reached the second floor and paused on the wooden landing. Contrary to the first and ground floor, this one only had one main door and no corridor apart from a short length that brought a person to the stairs leading to the next floor. Alex looked at the double door facing them and then glanced at Yannick, wordlessly questioning on their next move. His short nod towards the door was easy enough to understand, this room was to be checked as well.
They approached the door wand in hand. Yannick muttered a detection spell and saw a reaction, signaling a spell was active there. Yannick cast two more spells to disarm the traps present there.
"More spells here than usual," he told her, "This could be it."
"Alohorama," Alex whispered, waving her wand at the handle.
It clicked and the doors opened. Yannick was first through and she right behind him. The room was huge, clearly meant to accommodate a great number of persons at once. It actually spread on two floors and the walls were covered in shelves full of books and artifacts. Several heavy oak tables were on the ground floor of the room while a large wooden stair lead to the next floor that circled the room, supported by several ornate columns.
"Down!" Alex heard Yannick say as she felt him pushing her away. She let herself fall onto the ground and rolled away as she heard the crackling of a spell. She came back up into a crouch with her wand at the ready, looking for what had occurred.
"Young fool," she heard Andrelith say as the Dark Elf came out of a darkened corner of the room, "Did you think that you having the information I needed would prevent me from harming you?"
Alex saw what he meant. Yannick was stuck into a glowing blue bubble. It looked like a pentacle snare but he seemed to be receiving small shocks of electricity if he tried to move. Andrelith had reached him and was raising his wand. Alex felt her blood boil and rose to her feet, slashing her wand towards the Dark Elf.
"REPULSO!!" she shouted.
The spell caught Andrelith by surprise and sent him flying back to hit the nearby wall.
"You... stay... AWAY... from... the... MAN... I... LOVE!!" she shouted, sending spells at the Dark Elf and causing him to have to retreat behind some furniture.
She took the little amount of time she had gained by this to take a quick look at the spell Yannick was in.
"Scourgify," she said, waving her wand at the spell. It did not have an effect.
An Elven spell, no doubt, she thought as she tried to remember a way to free him. Yannick grunted and tried to move, his eyes widening in alarm and then pain as electricity hit him. She spun, casting a shield charm and stopping the spell Andrelith had sent against her from hitting her.
"So, the little bird has grown some reflexes," Andrelith sneered as he came out of the shadows from one of the wooden pillars of the main room, "pity your lover had to sacrifice himself on that spell. He at least would have proven a challenge."
"That is all you are after? A challenge?" Alex seethed, "I'll give you a challenge you murderer," she added as she cast three stinging hex in quick succession in his direction.
Andrelith blocked the first two hexes and deflected the third, sending it back towards her. She raised a shield and right after sent a reductor curse at him. He ducked it and it went to shatter a shelf that was against the wall.
Keep him on the defensive, she thought as she continued to send different hexes and curses against the Dark Elf. She knew she would not last long against him when he would start attacking her with Elven spells. Yannick had a far better chance to defeat him at this game. She had to free him. Whatever this Elven spell was, it could be broken, one way or another. She started to advance on Andrelith, causing the Dark Elf to retreat deeper into the room as he blocked her spells over and over. At one point she saw Andrelith sneer as one of her spell misfired due to her having mispronounced it. He sent a hex at her, which she blocked with a hasty shield charm.
"Now that I have seen what you can send, let us see what you can block," he said and he sent another hex at her.
The roles had reversed, he was now attacking and she was defending as best she could, sometimes counter-attacking but without much success. A succession of hex caused her to dodge behind a table to avoid them. She took a second to catch her breath and moved away just in time, a blasting curse destroying the table. Her quidditch reflexes were in high gear now, moving her around and dodging the spells most of the time. It would not be sufficient however and she knew it.
"You cannot dodge around forever little bird," Andrelith said, as to confirm her last thought, "really. Such a shame to see you fighting spirit already gone. What would your parents think?"
That last comment stopped her in her tracks as she was about to rise from behind a cupboard. That scum had killed them and now he was daring to tell her she was disappointing them?
"How dare you?" she seethed, "ELASTARE!" she shouted aiming the spell in the Dark Elf's direction as she stood up. Andrelith dodged away from the spell.
"Don't you ever speak about my parents," she shouted, sending another spell at him, "You murdered them!" she added.
Andrelith evaded her last spell and then muttered an incantation in what she recognized as Elven. She saw the violet energy speeding at her and summoned a shield just in time. It blocked some of the spell but not all. He shield turned violet as well and she saw the energy tracing back to her wand quickly. Crackling was heard and smoke came from the tip of it. She barely had time to let go of it before it burst into flame. Quickly, her hand darted to her belt and she unsheathed the dagger Yannick had hung there back at the manor. It was of Elven make, it could block spells. Andrelith sent another spell at her and she used the dagger as a small bat, catching it and sending it back at him.
"Interesting," Andrelith said as he blocked the spell, "An Elven dagger. Not that it will help you much," he added, sending another spell at her.
She blocked it and then deflected another. As she parried the third a sudden thought occurred to her. The blade could block spells. It could even block Elven ones. She had seen Yannick destroying one of the golems by plunging his katana in their glyph. Her eyes darted at Yannick, still encased in the spell. She caught his look, one of desperation. She knew he could see her and had no other wish than to be there at her side to help her. And this blade could free him she realized as she blocked another spell.
Andrelith smiled evilly, "Ready for more?" he asked.
Alex knew the spells would start coming again and this time in a more strenuous way that she would not be able to fend off. She quickly took a decision and threw the dagger at the spell encasing Yannick. She saw his eyes widen in terror as he realized what she was doing and the dagger hit the spell. Out of the corner of her eye she saw lightning speeding at her, sent by Andrelith.
I love you Nick, she thought, looking at him one last time before the spell hit her full force without giving her time to doge it, shooting pain all around her body and sending her back and through a window she had forgotten was behind her, darkness overtaking her as she felt herself falling.
*******************
Yannick wanted to scream when he saw Alex throwing her dagger towards him. It was suicidal, he knew that. Doing this left her open to being hit by Andrelith's next spell and it was exactly what the Dark Elf had done. The chain lightning spell had caught Alex before she could dodge it and sent her out of the window, from the second floor.
The dagger hit the bubble that was encasing him and the spell dissolved, canceled by the Elven blade's magical nature. Yannick crouched as he touched the ground, avoiding a spell from Andrelith. His retaliation caught the Dark Elf by surprise and sent him crashing through wooden furniture.
Yannick quickly went at the window dreading what would greet his eyes. He however released the breath he was keeping when he saw that Alex had not hit the ground as he feared. Valerian had caught her and was softly descending towards the ground with his broom, where Laure was waiting for him. She was safe.
He turned back to face Andrelith, who was coming of the broken furniture, his black wand at the ready.
"So, the child has learned some skills," the Dark Elf sneered, "Too bad they were not enough to protect your puny lover."
"Shut up!" Yannick said sharply, "Your vendetta against my family is at an end Jorelien. There will be only one person leaving here when we are done."
"Then you are more of a fool than I thought," Andrelith replied, "You have no hopes of defeating me."
"We shall see," Yannick said, bringing his wand on guard.
Andrelith did not waste time in more talk and started to attack, sending spells in Yannick's direction. Yannick cast an Elven shield to block them and retaliated swiftly. Elven magic against Elven magic, Yannick could see the slight surprise on the Dark Elf's face but also his rage. Rage on the fact that a "puny human" like him had been taught and had been able to master Elven magic.
"Hyandae en' luhta ," Andrelith enounced, his wand casting a flock of blade spirits in Yannick's direction.
"Naur tinchor osturra ," (*2) Yannick shot in reply, a wall of flames surrounding him quickly and melting the blades before they reached him. "Ring wing," (*3) he cast in retaliation. A beam of blue energy sped towards Andrelith, who ducked away. It hit the pillar behind, causing most of the wood to freeze.
"Pelekta yassen runyaI ," (*4) Andrelith shouted as soon as he had a clear bearing on Yannick. A whip of fire came out of his wand which Yannick blocked with an Elven shield.
The duel became quicker, Andrelith soon sending several spells at once. Yannick had no choice but to go on the defensive at this, not really being able to match the Dark Elf's casting speed.
"Tinechor," he cast again, the shield blocking yet another curse sent his way by the Dark Elf. But it was not enough; the second spell broke through and hit him, sending him crashing through the door of the room and onto the landing. He hit the stairs railing quite forcefully and his wand escaped from his hand through the shock, falling down until it hit the ground floor, fully out of reach.
Quickly, he got to his feet as Andrelith let out a sinister laugh and sent another curse his way. He took out both his swords and blocked the curse, using their Elven nature to send it back in the Dark Elf's direction.
Andrelith erected a shield to block the curse and then stood there, surveying his wandless but not so defenseless opponent.
"You might prove a better challenge than I had thought," he sneered, "it has been a long time since I was able to let Gor (*5) have its share of blood," he added, stowing his wand and unsheathing a sword from where it hung at his belt. He took a guard stance, eying Yannick as he took his own, katana above his head, point facing Andrelith, wakizashi held in a reverse grip and ready to parry.
Andrelith attacked, his lunge swift and deadly. Yannick blocked the blow, making the blades run against each other while he sidestepped, spark emitting from the force of the blow. Yannick was ready for a follow-up attack but Andrelith had retreaded a little, his guard up again and his eyes calculating.
He's testing my defense, he thought. The Dark Elf had never faced him with blades before and Yannick was sure that he was evaluating him. It was a change from the vision Aidan had shown him of his fight, but then again, Aidan had only a staff, making him a seemingly much smaller threat. Andrelith attacked again, got blocked and followed with a third attack before to retreat once more when blocked.
Yannick knew that once the Dark Elf felt he knew what to expect, he would attack in earnest. In view of that, he had blocked the Dark Elf's first three moves with standard blocking moves Yves had taught him and he would continue until the fight started for real. He did not know what Andrelith knew of his training but he was fully determined to keep the aces he could up his sleeve, so as to be more able to retaliate in an unexpected fashion against him.
The Dark Elf attacked again, black blade hitting Yannick's own as it was blocked. Andrelith turned swiftly, disengaging his blade and bringing it against Yannick again, only to find the katana blocking the way once more. He did not retreat this time though, and continued his attacks, Yannick blocking most and evading others. The battle had started.
They continued to circle each other while fighting, moving around the landing. At some point, Yannick decided to try and get back to where his wand was. He retreated towards the stairs and all the while parrying Andrelith's attacks, he started to go down.
"You cannot defend all time," Andrelith sneered as they reached the first floor landing, looking for an angle to attack again, "It might be quicker for you to tell me where what I want is."
"You can go to Hades for all I care," Yannick bit back at him, his mind intent on his retreating steps and the Dark Elf's possible next attacks.
"Where are the scrolls?" Andrelith asked harshly.
"I would not tell you even if I knew."
"But you do know, don't you?" Andrelith asked, "the blood traitor showed them to you did she not?"
Yannick did not answer but the Dark Elf smiled evilly nevertheless. "Yes, I can see it in your eyes," he said, "humans were never good at hiding their emotions. Not like us Elves"
"You're no Elf," Yannick spat, "An outcast. A disgrace to your own race that is what you are."
"Silence!" Andrelith barked, attacking him with two hits which he parried and then holding back, "You will tell me where the scrolls are. It is the only way you have a chance of coming out of here alive."
Yannick did not reply, strong resolve coming to him as they reached the ground floor. Just that fact made Yannick breath a little easier. The floors of the house were just not made for any type of fighting, be it with a wand or otherwise. The ground floor however was an entirely different matter. The hall where the stairs landed was wide and permitted much more moves, especially when one was fighting with swords.
"Not intelligent enough to know when a battle is lost are you?" Andrelith said again, "Very well. If you wont tell me, then I am sure your pitiful friends outside will surely endear me once I am done with you."
"Over my dead body," Yannick bit back.
"Then over your dead body it shall be," Andrelith said, attacking again.
Yannick parried the attack. It was furious and deadly, Andrelith clearly intent on dealing with him once and for all. Deciding it was time, he fully opened to his sword's guidance, letting his training and their magic fully take over and finally passing onto the offensive against the Dark Elf.
And that was something Andrelith had not expected. His own attacks were suddenly effectively blocked and he had to go on the defensive. Yannick saw his blades glow slightly on some forceful hits against the Dark Elf's own black blade and, although he was not certain, he started to see some dents appearing on its edge.
Back to the main stairs, Yannick faced the Dark Elf again, waiting for an attack once more. Behind, he saw his wand, lying on the floor where it had fallen, seemingly intact. Andrelith let out a growl of annoyance and attacked rashly. Yannick evaded the attack, turning on himself and causing the Dark Elf's swing to go wild. He connected his move with a strong kick in Andrelith's back, which sent him falling hard against the stairs. Not waiting a second, Yannick sheathed his katana and picked up his wand and aimed at the Dark Elf.
"Incancerous!" he enounced, "Expelliarmus!" he added right after.
The first spell caught Andrelith squarely in the chest, ropes suddenly pinning his arms to his side. But it did not prevent the curse he had been about to cast at Yannick to depart from his wand, hitting the wooden floor and causing an large explosion that sent Yannick flying backwards and into the corridor leading to the entrance door.
Yannick grunted as he hit the floor. He scrambled to his feet and was about to cast a summoning spell at Andrelith, who he could now see, had been sent crashing into the stairs by the explosion, but he did not have time. A loud cracking and crumbling was heard and the entire staircase came crashing down, wood and stone quickly filling the entire hall and burying the Dark Elf under it, muffling Andrelith's scream of fear.
Yannick did not think twice. He could feel the house crumbling down, the corridor itself starting to show cracks on the walls and ceiling. He ran towards the exit, hearing the wood cracking and stone falling. A huge stone barely missed him as he exited out of the door. He ran hard for a few meters, the rumble of the house crashing down almost causing him to trip and the smoke and dust from the debris engulfing him. Blinded and coughing, he decided to sit down on the grass and wait for it to pass.
When it abated, he saw the extent of the damage. The house was no more than a pile of debris. The only thing still standing being the main entrance door, looking strangely out of place in the ruins. He painfully got up and was starting towards them when he saw Valerian speeding towards him on his broom.
"Nick! You alright mate?" his friend asked when he reached him.
"I'm okay," he replied, "I was afraid the debris had hit you," he added.
"We are fine," Valerian said, "Laure and Alex are near the hedge over there," he added, pointing to an area where Yannick could now see Laure standing next to Alex laying form.
"How's Alex," Yannick ask, dread filling him as he started to run towards them.
"Not as bad as you think mate," Valerian said, following him on his broom.
Soon they had reached Laure who engulfed Yannick in a hug.
"Thank Merlin you are alright!" she exclaimed, "I thought for an instant you had been burried under all this."
"I got out in time," Yannick said.
"And Andrelith?" Valerian asked.
"Dead," Yannick replied, letting go of Laure, "I could not summon him before everything came crashing down."
Valerian and Laure nodded gravely.
"How is she?" he asked Laure, keeling next to Alex to stroke her cheek lightly.
"I managed to heal her cuts and bruises," Laure said, "but I'm afraid whatever sent her crashing out did a sore number on her. I've not been able to rouse her at all."
Yannick nodded and delicately took Alex in his arms to carry her.
"I think we can apparate now, right?" he asked.
Valerian disapparated with a pop, only to reappear a few meters away.
"Looks clear mate," he said, "Whatever spell was present stopped after everything came crashing down."
"Then I suggest we waste no more time here and head to the manor," Yannick said, "the sooner Alex gets medical attention, the better," he added.
Laure nodded with Valerian and soon, the three of them disapparated in direction of Silverleaf Manor.
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(*1) Lietha guldur, = Dispel magic spell
(*2) Naur tinchor osturra = Fire shield, hot form. Creates a shield of fire that protects the caster from incoming attacks for a short while.
(*3) Ring wing = Cone of cold. Sends a wave of cold against the target, freezing it or part of it depending on strength of caster.
(*4) Pelekta yassen runya = Flamestrike. Casts a kind of fire whip to hit the target.
(*5) Gor = Dread