Chapter 209 - Meeting Ed (1)

Fleur agreed with Dmitri. "You are right Dmitri. I already mentioned it to Adrianna. Vikra has actually been looking for a loophole in our defenses. The moment he finds one, he will strike," she complained while looking around the jungle. The jungle was extremely thick in the particular area they were in. The dense jungle was chilling with a cold breeze blowing through the thick trees. The breeze made them shiver. 

"No one knows that we are here Fleur! It's not like that we announced to the world that I am going to meet Ed. It is a very private meeting and we will be back before anyone even knows it!" retorted Adrianna as she started moving forward, unwilling to listen to anyone. "Bring me to Ed. I want to see for myself whether it is safe or not."

Fleur removed the green branches in front of her and walked in front of Adrianna to show them the way. As they moved forward, they noticed that the trees sheltered the ground with their dense canopies that spread out in a way in which the sunlight couldn't penetrate. They walked over numerous lifeless woods before it started raining and they had to run to find shelter. The large leaves from the plants on the ground started lashing against their skin as they moved swiftly with the wind. 

When they reached the foothill of a small hillock, Fleur stopped them. She held out her wand and a white light emitted out of it. The light illuminated the path and slowly started heading in a direction; it looked as though the light was being sucked in by something. The streak of light touched a small insignificant opening in front of them a few meters away. Adrianna noticed a very small hole in the hill which was covered with tiny green leaves all around. Intrigued, she moved forward and Dmitri followed her closely. 

The green leaves that were guarding the entrance slowly opened up and started receding, making the hole wider. Fleur was the first one to enter. Adrianna and Dmitri followed her inside. As soon as they were inside, the opening closed again and they found themselves on a narrow and damp underground path, which was hardly even two feet wide. 

"Illuminabante," said Fleur as she flicked her wand to create a light. Adrianna could clearly see the red rocks surrounding them. She walked along the uneven pathway, being careful enough to avoid the pits. 

Dmitri was very annoyed at Adrianna and now that they seemed to be alone, he exploded. "You are becoming more and more impulsive with each passing day Adri! What was the point of risking yourself to come here and meet Ed? Couldn't you meet him the next time he's in the wizard kingdom? Or has he retired forever and has chosen not to meet meet you?" 

"Dmitri, I am in no mood to argue with you. Fleur, please just create a portal and have him leave!" Adrianna replied.

Before Dmitri could react, Fleur said, "I have an inkling that aportal can't be created here because if it was possible, then we wouldn't have been forced to go through the jungle. Perhaps this place is under some kind of spell…" 

Adrianna pursed her lips and walked forward. They must have walked only a few hundred meters when they heard the sound of running water. They moved in the direction of the water and saw a rocky spiral staircase that was going straight up for as far as they could see. There was a small waterfall just a few feet away from the staircase. They started climbing the staircase since the path had come to an end. 

As they climbed, droplets of water from the waterfall showered them. Under the dim light from the wand, Adrianna could see moss growing all around the waterfall. The three of them climbed it carefully with Fleur in the lead as there was no railing and the staircase was slippery due to the water from the waterfall.

Adrianna was beginning to feel tired and exhausted so she stopped for a while. Dmitri walked up next to her. "What happened?" he asked, feeling helpless in the new environment. Fleur also stopped and looked back at Adrianna. She could see that Adrianna had started sweating as the sweat beads were trickling down her forehead. 

"Nothing. I am just a bit breathless…" She looked up and noticed that after a few more stairs, there was an opening which was being covered by some rock. 

Dmitri brushed aside some hair which was sticking to her forehead and wiped away the sweat on her forehead and lips with his hands. He stared into her eyes and said, "Is it your hobby to worry me?" 

Adrianna smiled at her husband who wouldn't leave her side in a dangerous situation even though they were fighting. That was the reason why she couldn't tell him about the task Isidorus had given her. "Lets go. We are about to reach the opening," she said gently. 

They continued their climb upwards, but when they reached the top, Fleur couldn't move the rock. She used a spell to remove it, but she couldn't. "This rock need to be removed manually," she said, looking at Dmitri. 

Dmitri moved past them and removed the rock with all his might. The three of them went through the opening and the rock returned to its original spot by itself. 

Once through, the three of them looked around to gage their location. There was a vast expanse of snow-covered mountains and pine trees all around them

In the midst of it all was a small dimly lit hut that looked like inn.