Enya was on a spree to kill almost anything that she saw on the ground.

"Ziu must have escaped by now, Enya," Adrianna reasoned. "There is no need to waste your energy on a futile mission. My estimate is that he has already left to join the militia on the eastern wall."

​​

The white witch clenched her jaws. Her face muscles stiffened. She took a deep breath and lowered her wand. "In that case, we should go there. I will freeze him to his death!" she spoke with vengeance.

"Let us go back to the base. Inyanga might have sent Haldir back with information," said Adrianna.

Enya didn't say anything. She calmed her mind for a while and looked around the ground that was blazing with flames. It was very quiet now. Soft blue flames rose from between the ice chunks. Their blue and red reflection on the ice told the saga of destruction, which was contained. She flew to Adrianna. "Let's go."

Adrianna gave her a faint smile and the two Queens of the West and North Wizard Realms flew together. On her way back, Enya couldn't help saying, "I am sorry Adrianna. This was horrible." She couldn't imagine the pain in Adrianna's heart. She had heard that Adrianna could talk to the animals, which meant that she must have heard their cries when Ziu had created fire. She didn't want to imagine what it was to listen to so many animals crying for help. A tear in her left eye blurred her vision. She wanted to hold it but it wouldn't stop. It rolled out.

"Don't Enya. Hold those tears for me. I want to feel the pain to the extent that it runs like poison in my veins," Adrianna said in a deadly calm and cold voice. She was waiting to execute the serpent.

Enya gulped and the two of them reached the Wizard Realm. Haldir was waiting for her. "What is the latest?" asked Adrianna as she alighted the broom and walked to the makeshift room for the leaders to rest. "Has Inyanga found anything about the booby traps?"

"No, but she had delved deep into the General's cell. There was something strange she saw," Haldir said with urgency in his tone.

"What?"

"There is a thick red book in Ziu's palace. It is present in his study. She saw him opening it in front of the General. Inyanga thinks that the book contains his blueprints for the attack and possibly the layout of the booby traps."

Adrianna stopped in her tracks, wrinkled her brow and shot a glance at Haldir. "How can that be possible?"

"This means that Ziu had brought the General to the Wizard Realm and that too in his study." Adrianna evaluated Haldir's information. Mihr, Isidorus, Dmitri and Liam were standing with them.

"What was he doing here? In fact how did the General enter the Wizard Kingdom? And how come none of the Mozias that were stationed outside Ziu's palace find out about it?" asked Dmitri.

"Although Inyanga couldn't speak much, I don't think that he risked bringing General in the Wizard Realm. There is a higher possibility that Ziu had taken the book outside the kingdom and discussed his plans with the General. The book is there in his study now." He paused for a moment for her response. When she didn't speak anything, he said, "Inyanga must have seen him opening at some other place."

"Then we need the book as soon as possible." Adrianna became impatient. "But I wonder why did Ziu leave an important stuff like that behind. I mean if the book was so important why didn't he take it with him?"

Isidorus weighed her words and then replied, "He must have forgotten Adrianna. He is a very intelligent wizard. Every plan must be imprinted on his mind already."

"I agree with Isidorus. He wouldn't have even imagined that a witch like Inyanga who is a specialist in breaking bonds made by wizards is currently opening the deepest memories of our General," chuckled Mihr with enthusiasm. "My Queen, you must allow me to retrieve that book. Once those records are with us, we can easily defeat him."

"I smell a trap here," warned Liam. Something didn't fit well.

"Trap? What kind of trap do you think is there?" Mihr dismissed Liam waving his arms grandly. "You are too immature or foolish to even say that." He was too excited to let anyone get in his way. He let out a throaty laughter and clasped his hands. "Let me go. I will come back as soon as possible."

"I don't think there is any trap there, Adrianna," Enya supported Mihr's views. "We should hurry and get the blueprints of the booby traps. That was we would be able to take him down in a planned way."

Adrianna walked past all of them. Before entering the room, she ordered Mihr, "Get the book and don't touch anything else."

"Yes, my Queen!" Mihr almost jumped with happiness. Once he had his hands on the records, the war would end quickly. He was longing to see his children and his wife. There were two battles back to back that he fought. He traveled a lot and was super busy. His wife had been angry with him and he had promised her that he would take her to the human realm once things settled. His daughter, Nefasky had healed completely and she wanted to get into a college in the human realm. Although he had clearly indicated that he wouldn't let her go, in his heart he knew that she would join the college.

"Remember, Ziu's palace is like a maze. The rooms keep changing their positions. If you feel that you have forgotten the winding routes inside as to where they lead, just come back, okay?" Adrianna cautioned.

"Yes, I will." When Adrianna gave him the orders to go, instantly he got sucked in the vortex not giving anyone else a chance to argue over it.

Haldir left to join Inyanga.

Adrianna went inside the room and Dmitri followed her. She sat on a cushioned chair. There were dark circles under her eyes. Dmitri walked to stand in front of her. She buried her head in his thighs. He stroked her hair gently. "Do you want to have blood?" he asked gently.

"No," she replied. She just wanted to stay like that with him. "I want to wipe Ziu from the face of the earth."

"I know," Dmitri answered softly. He kneeled in front of her. Holding her cheeks in his hands, he kissed her lightly on her lips. "When all this gets over, let us stay in our home and have our baby."

She nodded. "I want a safe world for him."

"And he will get a safe world."

"I am scared Dmitri."

"About what?" he asked, tucking a lock behind her ears. She didn't reply. He squinted at her and asked again, "What is it, love?"

"I am scared that the world that we are in, the world we are going to give our child, how free from danger it is? There have been constant wars ever since I have been crowned. I fear for our child's life. Will he stay secure here?"

Dmitri tilted his head. "I don't know about the Wizard Realm, but if anyone dares to touch even the pinky finger of my child, I would shred him or her to pieces." The way he said, he meant every word.

Adrianna giggled.

Suddenly an explosion ripped the stillness of the air.