Chapter 90 – The Nest of the Phoenix
I was much more nervous going down underground than previously. I knew the same people who kidnapped Quincy used this route to move around, so I was sure I would find her. I kept my eyes open and my nose sharp, wanting to pick up on any movement in the dark before they could sense me.
"Wet dogs..." I whispered as the air had a thin trail of that particular smell. Not that I was complaining, no... I was following it. It led me forward, straight into a wall with the familiar markings. When I pushed it open, I was looking down into a stairway leading even deeper underground, speeding up my heartbeat. "Shit!"
I felt it. The moment I stepped over the threshold, I picked up on a whiff of magic, speeding away from my position. It had to be a silent alarm, alerting others that a door had been opened. There was no time to dawdle, and I broke out in a sprint, casting counter spells in case some hexes started flying my way.
And they did.
"Protego!"
I shouted, erecting a shield charm at the last moment before an invisible fireball could hit me. It exploded against my shield, throwing sparks and flames everywhere, lighting up the long tunnel that opened up into a round chamber. I could see multiple doors on the wall, leading to who knows where, but I had no time to think about it.
"Solidifico!"
With a jump and a precise aim at my feet, I managed to create a stable surface to stand on as the ground below my feet turned into quicksand, trying to pull me under, either killing me or trapping me in place. I watched as the earth began sinking, now golden in color like the Shara's dunes. With another spell, I pointed at one of the doors randomly, opening it up, but sand started pouring out instead of an escape route. Luckily, my second try was a success, as the tunnel behind it was dark but stable. With a quick flick, I propelled myself forward, gliding through the air, landing in the tunnel just to lose all balance as it began rotating about.
"Epoximise!"
I had to think fast, gluing myself to the ground to stay afoot, but it didn't help the fact that the feeling of vertigo was making me nauseous. The whole world was spinning, and it was going faster and faster. I was trying to close my eyes and get my bearings when I felt a spell heading towards me, and my body reacted on its own.
As the two jets of red light clashed, a second one headed towards me from the room where I came from, making me raise another shield charm, fending it off. Still, there was a limit to what I could do as a third one was already coming, aiming at the gap in my defenses.