Chapter 133. Caught in an Ambush
Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia caught a shocking scene behind them and swallowed with difficulty.
"Is it that statue?" Duncan asked, knowing the stone spikes wouldn't hold those wizards for long, and that they had to leave quickly.
Snapping out of her shock, Olivia hurriedly said, "Yes, just tug its tongue."
Reaching the front of the statue, and once Mori had skidded to a halt, Duncan slid sideways and followed Olivia's instructions, opening a new exit.
"Mori, go!" Duncan glanced back and urged at once.
The wizards behind them seemed to have started moving.
Cracks appeared on the nearest stone spike and it was about to collapse.
Mori snorted, warm vapour spraying into the air, then lowered his head and thundered off.
Bursting out of the slanted upward passage, the dazzling sunlight made Duncan squint and lift a hand to shield his eyes.
When he adjusted, he looked around and realised they'd arrived in a place he had never been—utterly unfamiliar ground.
A small river ran along to one side, willow branches drooping and tossing in the wind, and they were galloping along the embankment.
"If we keep running along this river, we'll reach the edge of the town, and we won't be far from the place Mr Scamander asked us to go," Olivia said.
"All right." Duncan nodded, then bent to look at Mori.
"Do you want a breather? We can run on our own now."
"What's this amount of exercise? I haven't even broken a sweat!" Mori was already panting heavily, but his mouth was as hard as iron.
"Fine. If you can't keep it up, tell me early," Duncan said.
"Got it." Mori drew a deep breath and once again picked up speed.
As time passed, they turned off at a bend in the river as Olivia directed, then ran who knew how far.
They left the river far behind and scattered little courtyards came into view again.
Mori stopped at a crossroads.
Duncan asked Olivia behind him, "Which way now?"
"Right!" Olivia said without a moment's hesitation.
Just as Duncan was about to have Mori move, a spell suddenly shot from a courtyard and streaked toward the steed beneath them.
"Damn it!" Duncan hunched over to shield him.
The spell struck his clothes and ricocheted away into the distance.
"Get out of here!" Duncan said, raising his wand and firing several spells in a row into that courtyard.
Mori let out an angry whinny, fought down the urge to charge in and brawl with them, wheeled about, and bolted away.
But after only a few strides, several more spells flew in from the side and cut off their path.
They seemed to be surrounded.
Duncan's face grew grim as he weighed the situation.
"Mori, into that house!"
"Right!" Mori side-stepped left and right, slipped past the incoming spells, smashed the wooden door, and burst inside.
Duncan slid down from Mori's back, peered carefully through the window at the movement outside, and said, a little suspiciously, "It looks like they already knew we'd pass this way…"
Olivia's brows knit tight.
"How? I'm the only one who knows that exit, and I picked this route on the spot."
"By the way, what's this thing you gave me earlier?"
Duncan took a small black wooden box from his bag.
When they'd fled, Olivia had stuffed it into his arms, and from her tone it had sounded important.
Hesitation flickered in Olivia's eyes.
After a moment's silence she said, "Inside is a key passed down by my forebears.
Its use has been lost to time, but those people seem to know.
Part of the reason they want to catch me is that key.
I always kept it buried underground.
Today I was planning to look for you later, so I dug it up."
Seeing Duncan frown, Olivia added apologetically, "I'm sorry—I didn't mean to hide it from you.
This key is my last hope.
If I keep failing, I want to trade it to get my sister back, so…"
Listening in silence, Duncan suddenly said, "Do you think they have a way to locate the key?"
"Eh?" Olivia blinked in confusion.
"Surely not?"
"Think about it. Not long after you took the key out, they found where you were hiding, and then rushed here to intercept us," Duncan said.
"Doesn't it all feel a bit too coincidental?"
"Now that you say it, it really might be…" Olivia's face changed.
"Then if we keep the key on us, won't they be able to track us the whole time, and we'll never get away?"
"Not necessarily."
Duncan opened his case and tossed the box inside.
"This way they can't find it.
And if they really can pinpoint the key's position, we can use that to lay a trap and give them a proper drubbing."
"Save it for later—those bastards are closing in," Olivia said, peering outside, her tone turning grim.
"Don't worry. In a moment just follow me and charge straight through."
Duncan flipped his case open and called down, "Ari, Charlie—are you two rested? It's your turn!"
After a moment, Ari's massive head pushed out, eyes gleaming with intelligence.
"Is it our turn?"
"Mm, that's right." Duncan nodded with a smile.
"There are several powerful wizards outside. Do you have the confidence?"
"Of course—don't underestimate us!"
Ari and Charlie squeezed urgently out of the case, afraid Duncan might change his mind and bench them.
"Since you're confident, I'll be counting on you."
Duncan turned to Mori.
"Do you want to go back in the case and rest for a bit? With Ari and Charlie at my side, it's enough for now."
"I'll stay with you."
Mori thought for a moment, then, still uneasy, turned back into a little snake, coiled himself around Duncan, and settled there.
"Are you ready?"
Seeing the wizards now within range and several spells already flying over, Duncan asked Olivia.
"Mm!"
Although Olivia had long heard from Newt that Duncan could communicate with animals, seeing it with her own eyes still shocked her.
"Then stick close."
With that, Duncan gave the order for Ari and Charlie to charge.
"Woohoo—follow us in, Duncan!"
The two Erumpents shouted in excitement, smashed straight through the wall, and charged into the wizards outside through the hail of spells, startling them into scattering in panic.
Duncan stayed close behind the Erumpents.
He pushed Transfiguration to its limits: everything his eyes fell upon became his weapon as he unleashed a relentless stream of attacks at the wizards.
Two beasts and one wizard, working in perfect concert, they succeeded in suppressing those wizards in an instant.
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