Chapter 159 One Cannot Escape Death
The Forbidden Forest, at night, was dark and silent.
With the Tracker's help, Evan could sense that Peter was ahead. He was moving slowly, but still advancing.
There were still scattered spots of blood on the winding path.
"Lumos!" There was a sharp, subtle sound, and Evan's wand tip emitted a faint light.
He hastened and walked for about ten minutes. There was no other noise except the sound of branches and the rustling of leaves. Around him, the ancient trees that had grown for centuries had become much denser, obscuring the stars in the sky. If it weren't for the Tracker's help, Evan would have lost his target.
In the ancient Forbidden Forest, Evan's wand glowed alone in a sea of darkness. He saw Peter Pettigrew veer off the path.
After crossing a moss-covered tree trunk, he could hear the murmur of flowing water.
He realized there was a stream nearby.
Through the dim light at the tip of his wand, Evan saw Peter Pettigrew's figure disappearing behind a towering oak. He tightened his wand and hurried after him. Though anxious, he couldn't move very fast now; there were roots and trunks in his way, barely visible in the near darkness.
His clothes snagged on low branches and nearby thorns, and he noticed the ground seemed to be sloping downward, although the trees were as dense as ever.
Suddenly, he came to a abrupt stop and held his wand firmly against his chest.
He could sense that, besides himself and Pettigrew, something was rapidly approaching, accompanied by a strange moaning sound, gliding over the fallen leaves near him.
Evan had to be cautious. He had heard Hagrid mention that the Forbidden Forest was home to many dangerous and magical creatures.
He focused his magical power on his wand and squinted, advancing carefully a few steps.
Peter stopped and hid behind the oak in front of him.
As Evan approached the oak, under the dim light of the wand, he suddenly saw the shadow of a huge and astonishing monster emerging on the ground. Before he could even turn around; a long, furry thing grabbed his waist and hung him upside down in the air.
He was struggling, waving his wand!
He heard the moaning, and it was the monster that was holding him. It was dragging him back into the dark thicket...
While Evan was under attack, Peter Pettigrew was trembling, hidden behind the enormous oak.
He was panting heavily, his right hand amputated and wrapped in his robe. This was a massive injury, bringing him closer to death.
The infinite darkness enveloped him, and he felt like he was dying. His heart was filled with fear like never before.
He couldn't understand why things had come to this point. His plan was flawless, but ever since he encountered the twelve-year-old boy in Lupin's office, things began to spiral out of control very quickly. It even forced him to use the forbidden magic that the Dark Lord had taught him.
The last time he used this magic, he paid a finger as a cost.
This time, he paid a palm, and the huge impact from the blast even robbed him of the ability to move.
Clicks, clicks, clicks...
A strange sound was approaching, and Pettigrew struggled to lift his head.
His terrified eyes widened as he saw something descending from the tree.
Clicks, clicks, clicks...
The sound drew closer, and that creature was right above his head.
The unknown monster seemed to be drawn to the smell of blood on his body.
Peter wanted to flee, but his body was too weak. He fell heavily once more. His face was sweaty, showing his total panic, overwhelmed by fear.
He did not know what the monster approaching above him was, but he knew that death was inching toward him, a price he deserved.
He couldn't recall how many nightmares he had endured. He had been awaiting this day since he betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort.
Now, death finally came for him!
He reminisced about his childhood, the fairy tales from "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" that his mother used to read to him before bedtime every night.
He still remembered the story that had struck him the most, "The Tale of the Three Brothers." Peter had forgotten most of the tale, but there was one phrase he would never forget: One cannot escape death, only delay it.
If he was meant to meet death, he only hoped the process wouldn't be too painful.
Evan's head hung in the air, reaching for his wand.
Its tip gleamed red, and the monster behind him was blasted and sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.
He sprang to his feet, only to behold the monster that had just ensnared him.
It had eight long, peculiar, thick, hairy legs, and a pair of large black fangs atop its head.
Behind it, there was another, glaring at him with its terrifying black eyes.
These two monsters resembled spiders, not small spiders crawling on leaves below, but the size of draft horses, with eight eyes, eight legs, black, hairy, gigantic.
They were Acromantulas.
They were dreadful, and Evan was aware of what he had encountered. Pettigrew blindly fled, luring them towards the Acromantulas' territory.
According to the book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," the Acromantula is a gigantic and ferocious spider with eight eyes, dwelling in dense forests, covered in thick black fur; with a wingspan that can reach up to fifteen feet when fully grown.
They also secrete venom, are dreadful carnivores, and eat almost anything.
Evan knew that there were Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest. They were all descendants of Aragog raised by Hagrid. Even Hagrid had found a mate for his hairy friend for them to breed. He still remembers that it was mentioned in the book that the female can lay up to a hundred soft, wide eggs the size of a beach ball at once.
Reproducing several times a year for a full 50 years, the number of Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest can become terribly high!
Evan tightened his wand, and the two monsters did not immediately approach.
Perhaps they were assessing Evan's weakness, perhaps they sensed danger, perhaps they were waiting for their companions, or perhaps...
In essence, Evan and the two grotesque Acromantulas were in a strange confrontation.
Right at that moment, Peter's pitiful, desperate cry came from behind the oak beside Evan. They were also being attacked!