When he lunged forward to escape the falling tree, Ziu's foot plunged into a crevice and it got stuck. The dense mist was not dispersing and hung in the air like a stubborn mule. He heard water gushing nearby as if a stream had found its way out of a fissure and was now filling a hole. He held his leg to pull out the foot. When he looked back he noticed that he was barely five feet away from the fallen tree. His temporary abode had been destroyed completely. Fear of the unknown gripped him. Was there an earthquake? Would an avalanche come? He held his breath and gulped down to stay quiet for the fear that he might attract wild animals even though his adrenalin had spiked. There was sweat on his lips. The foot was badly jammed in the crevice. Since it was fluffy snow where he was standing, he was unable to properly balance his body, which made it harder to pull his leg out. He tried harder and this time he grunted loudly. He stumbled and fell.

All at once his foot became wet because water had found its way to the crevice. The cold water entered his boot making his leg go almost numb. The gap started filling with water. In an attempt to rescue himself, his mind raced to his wand. He left his leg and took it out.

"Vitasia!

" he hissed. The spell worked. As the magic pulled him out of it his foot was yanked out so forcefully that he felt it would rip off his limb. The yanking resulted in a terrible spasm.

"Holy Spirits!

" he cussed as he stumbled back and fell near the broken trunk. But by now he could hear growls of wild beasts. And they were getting nearer. Gripping the trunk, he managed to stand but with a limp. There were beads of sweat on his forehead. The gushing sound had increased forcing him to look down. Water had begun to flood that area. All his firewood was soaked.

"No!

" he shouted.

"No, no no! This can't be happening.

"

Something snarled. He strained his ears. It was coming from his right.

"Snakes be dead!

" he cursed loudly again and then shut his mouth quickly for the stupidity he just did. He had to stay quiet. Ziu was now forced to go to the left towards the mountain. Ziu limped his way out from there. Every step he took filled him with excruciating pain from the spasm and every step splashed water around him. The soft snow also no help. Somehow he managed to break into a trot when he realized that the snarls were getting closer.

But the animal knew more about the terrain than him. A red fox jumped right in front of him some three meters away blocking his way. It bared its fangs. Ziu brought his wand in front and fired some spells on the fox. The wand stirred weakly and let out a few electric beams, enough for the fox to wince in pain. Ziu took the opportunity of the dark and went further towards the mountain slope in order to avoid the water, which would have undoubtedly trickled downstream.

He hastened from that place on his foot, limping, jumping, panting and gasping. When his injured foot couldn't take anymore of it, he simply held his stomach and knelt on the snow. His breathing was ragged. Desperate to find a hideout, Ziu looked around. His gaze settled on an inconspicuous rocky outcrop that seemed dull with so much haze. He rubbed his eyes. Hope rose inside and he lit a torch on his wand. It was a black rocky outcrop. It could mean nothing but he had to take a chance. Even if that was a small cranny where he could simply rest, it was worth it. He limped his way to it.

The small grey rock jutted out of the mountain rather strangely. Tufts of snow had settled on its top surface. The wet, glossy, slimy stone was not even a meter long. Ziu touched it and some of the snow glided down. It was nothing more than that. He was disappointed. He licked his lips exasperatedly. Holding his waist, he rested against the rock. More snow fell, but this time it dropped near-at-hand. Ziu's eyes bulged at what he saw. A sort of entrance of a cave came into view. He walked in front of it and cleared the rest of the snow. He couldn't hold his excitement when he became aware that it was a small hole into a cave.

"Ah! A place to hide!

" He said aloud. He needed rest to regain his energy and fight against Adrianna. He envisaged how he would take her down, how he would kill her.

He entered the chilling blackness of the cave. He shone the beam from his wand ahead. The cave was so dark inside that the weak beam from his wand got lost in its gloom. He stepped onto the loose pebbles and jagged stones, shifting and twisting his ankle even more.

This was a great place to lay low. The rocks of the cave would arrest his body heat also. Ziu saw a small clear surface and perched there, resting his head on the wall. He was extremely exhausted, in pain and of course in anger. He removed his boot. After draining water from it, he rubbed his ankle grunting in pain.

"You bitch!

" he hissed.

"I am going to get you and wring your neck. What gave you the right to wage a war against me? I am the rightful owner of that crown, of the Wizard Kingdom. Adrianna, you are weak, you have no dignity. You stole my right and now I am left with no choice but to slay you. Wait for me.

" He panted as he spat those words.

"If my magic is weak, in the Northern Mountains so is yours. Ha! It is going to be so satisfactory killing you, making you bleed to death.

"

He winced in pain and tapped his coat to check if there was any potion he had kept in it as usual—a habit he had developed recently. Something inside clinked.

He was about to find out what it was, when suddenly the entire cave was lit with bright shimmering and blinding white light. His brain stuttered for a moment and he covered his eyes with his hand. Slowly, he shifted his hand and his eyes took in more lights than he had ever imagined in a dark cave. Every part of his body paused as his brain raced to catch what was happening.

There were light footsteps approaching. He sat upright with eyes wide. He waited for a minute. Once again his adrenalin kicked in. In a frenzy he dug deeper in his coat while looking in front of him. Was that a magical beast of the cave? Of the mountains?

While his mind was thinking all sorts of things, a black shadow emerged from the light—a familiar silhouette.

"Welcome Ziu!

" she said in a murderous tone. She had grasped her wand tightly in her right hand.

Shocked to the core, Ziu forgot to breathe for a moment. The shock was so impactful that it whacked every wisp of air from his chest. He was unable to speak, completely stunned at the new development.