The Spirits (Ch-18; The Woody Fire)

The Spirits And The Devastating War

Chapter-18

The Woody Fire

Edwin and Charlotte didn't have much interest in the topic. Edwin had a lot of mood swings. He was not the same man Harry and Peter met during the construction of the headquarters. He had drastically changed.

Sapna had engendered a wave of tears that fell with her sobs and delineated her racking pain for Ramesh. What Peter said had satisfied Harry. After his last word, everyone kept their hands on Harry's lap with a beautiful smiling face representing the selfless and loyal behaviour of the team towards their leader.

Harry noticed Valencia also supporting them and that reminded him, "Valencia, you told once a bit about your past? Will you explain it, today? We've got so much time..."

"Ahhh!", Valencia caught her breath for a moment and then with a sigh said, "I told I lost connections with my parents generation ago!"

"We know! What was the reason?"

"My over-expectations. I expected a lot in my life... But when I tasted failure for the first time, that made me realise this wasn't too easy! I failed in the exam twice! The exam of handling a family... My family, first, wanted me to marry and then pursue my career but I feared if I limited myself to a house-wife! It's not the condition of women in Australia but my case was different! My fear made me run away from everyone! It is very difficult to limit one's life to just a family and leaving that on predictions and probabilities would be the biggest fear for anyone in this world! I ran away. Lived alone for years without any connections with my family! I looked after them secretly and they're all safe! But they don't know even if I am living! I, then, passed the exams and was then eligible to serve you! And of course, in between, I met Charlotte, too!"

"Why didn't they call you, then? On your success? Now?"

"I have no idea! Didn't see them! Hope that someday they'll call me"

Everyone went silent and thought that any comments weren't necessary.

Abruptly, during the ghost-silence, Peter's eyes started betokening his fear. His eyes went as quiet as waves moving silently by the shore. Valencia easily noticed this sudden reaction and asked, "What is it, Peter?"

"Harry!", Peter shouted, "We forgot something!"

"What is it, Peter?"

"We brought Ramesh's shield but not that portfolio! Mesoteph Mythology! We didn't bring it..."

"That's of no use, Peter, not at least now! We all have gone through it! That time page and all!"

"But the world didn't! Maybe if anyone finds it, they may imagine Cygnian language as a coded one! I am sure that till now, you must have been sacked and me, too"

"Then?", harry didn't understand!

"United Kingdom, to save itself, will connect BPTD to it and then may relate it with the NEDNASTIAN language! Everyone knows about it when you destroyed the headquarters! We are in danger and I don't want to add more!"

"Zip your lip, Peter! This shouldn't happen!", Harry exclaimed out of fear, "Even more, it may increase chances of being stolen! Oliver will not leave this chance! We're gonna need it!"

"Yes, we do! Also, for the government, it may give them more chances if they see that book! Well, I think The Daily Communiqué would have declared us criminals till now! Not 'think', I am clear..."

"Is it again?"

"Yes, Harry, it is again intuition!"

"You are adroit, Peter", Harry sneered.

Peter's intuitions were always right not because he was a foreteller but because he executed his observations magnificently. As his intuition, The Daily Communiqué had declared them criminals. The very next day after the speech of the Prime Minister, The Daily Communiqué had the headline:

Leader London Sacked! Proofs are shown...The United Kingdom vindicated of all blames... All shift to Harry Osborn and The Spirits...

After this headline, the news followed the speech what the Prime Minister spoke to regain reputation but Harry's possessions were declared forfeit. 

At this instance, Valencia observed two gleaming red eyes blinking behind Harry (she was sitting opposite to him when they were sitting in a circle around the bonfire). Those gleaming eyes were observed in the pitch-darkness and were bloody red asking for food. The moment Valencia observed this she shouted to move Harry aside. Harry became a bit afraid of this shouting and moved reflexly. While that was a big animal of the cat family, a tiger. The tiger had open his large mouth to take Harry in him and attacked him rigorously. But Valencia's observation and Harry's reflexes saved him from being the dinner of the tiger. Everyone stood up in fear and started running. Harry took time because he had stumbled as Valencia's shout was more frightening. 

They started running for life with the roaring tiger behind him. Harry feared for Peter and Sapna that they would be left behind in the race but the situation was contrasting. They were running parallel to each other and that too ascending them.  Harry understood that Sapna had injected that potion but for him, Peter's fast run was unclear. He thought it to be right as per the situation. Charlotte and Edwin had managed their speeds along with Valencia. The whole team was dashing across the woody forest which had some less amount of trees as expected. But the tiger didn't leave them. Also, the forest grew darker and darker because the team entered a canopy of trees. Not able to find even each other in the forest, they managed to identify each other through another's voice which was repelled by the forces of air and was cut by the velocities as the team dashed around.

At this, Harry thought, this would never get over. This dash along the forest would be tiring. Therefore, he planned, "Peter, I am opening a portal... We will be going through it... To the Spirits headquarters. We will steal the book. And come back directly straight here. By this time, David you're going to keep everyone safe. We'll meet in the radius of the headquarters nearby!"

"Harry, do you know what place this is?", David broke in, "We're going to need it!!!"

"I don't... Try out with anonymous... By that time, I'll handle the tiger"

The speed of the team slowed down because of the talks and the distance from the tiger decreased. David tried the spell.

ANONYMIUS...INCANTUM...FIVTUM...TRAVILIO...

On the other hand, Harry did a laser blast from his eyes near that tiger maintaining a distance that did not intend to kill that beast. The tiger then hobbled and stumbled to halt. The friends had maintained enough distance from it. David had successfully opened the portal and the other five went through it. His laser blast blasted a tree down. 

The tree fell rising fire in the woods. Because it was a canopy, leaves and stems caught fire too rapidly to react. The heat was noxiously scented and incessant red. Though it had a murderous nature, Peter did not feel it because of his conducting cells. Harry felt it a lot and that spreading fire didn't give him time to open a portal. The friends ran and dashed far from the heat. After coming to a distance, Harry knocked off another tree with his iron-arm to stop the magnitude of spreading of fire. It gave him two to three seconds more and that was enough. Both the friends stopped and Harry incanted the spell.

ANONYMIUS...INCANTUM...TWOTUM...TRAVILIO...

Harry and Peter apparated. They convulsed in their throes. Harry felt a paroxysm of his past. They contacted and expanded through the wormhole. But during this time, Harry heard his own echoed voice. His own voice that was brittle as the first ice of autumn and like evening thrushes. He echoed-

Will use this afterwards in situations which are contrast 

My second wish should be taken into account till the moment I last

Harry and Peter expanded and found themselves in the room they left. It was all dirt now. The people that settled in the flourishing around the headquarters, were leaving. Many members of the SPIRITS had left but many still stayed there. Peter found that the building was now in construction. The board of THE SPIRITS was taken down. Many drawers and cupboards were removed. The sun had set for the Spirits. The placid government managed its people but everyone was gloomy. Not because of the economic loss but because they thought they have been betrayed. 

But providentially and fortunately, the cupboard in which the books were kept was still present there. Peter slid the drawer open, picked up the books. And chuckled as he handed the books in Harry's hand.

On the other hand, David had reached in the radius of the headquarters giving back up to Harry and Peter. Valencia, Edwin, Charlotte and Sapna accompanied David.

At this instance, Peter came near Harry, "That Anonymous trick worked!"

"Yes, because it is all controlled by the mind. I have the full authority!"

"Now, let's leave... Will talk about it later...", quavered Peter.

Harry did not waste much time. With the Mesoteph Mythology in hands, he started, "LONDUS...". But he was then interrupted with a sound. A noise that lagged and was not clear accompanied the sound of a closing portal outside the window. Before the friends could react, a circumnavigating vehicle started to display itself through the broken window. This time it was all clear with the face of the man inside. But the shattered glasses of the window didn't allow the friends to peep into the vehicle. The thrusters of the circumnavigating air were terrorising the people downside.

They saw something like this in the UN Meeting but in reality, they even felt its existence. They believed that what took place in the meeting was the truth. 

People ran here and there in fear. They were just running in the fields around with no place to move away. 

Harry and Peter were shocked to see this. They understood that it was something from Cygnus. They stood alone in the building moving forward and near the vehicle. Harry broke the shattered window to make the vision clear. 

Inside the vehicle was Oliver accompanied by Robert Brooke. Harry's hands went red in anger. He saw Oliver as just a murderer and nothing else. He tried to penetrate the vehicle's walls but that was too thick. This vehicle was much bigger than the one which was observed in the UN Meeting. 

Oliver standing inside came near the mic and started to daunt and demoralize the friends.

"Dwarfy...Diminutive...Insignificant...Tiny...But...my twin...Ossy... You never learn... You have grown but you will never grow up mentally. Have any of your plans ever actually worked out that you thought this would? Hand me the book now!"

"I am alone here, Oliver. You can easily defeat me... No need for any book..."

"I need to know the secrets of that book. But to defeat you, I don't need any book. That's too easy for me! You don't stand a chance."

"You'll do anything to us, I'll tear it... But will not hand it to you!"

-To Be Continued

(Abhinav Srivastava)