The Cursed Chronicles: Year 6

Chapter 50

The champions had just barely begun to clamber over the unstable and rocky cavern floor towards what they hoped and believed to be the cup, when they were quite violently interrupted. 

From out of the shadows, a figure sprang, knocking straight into Sabrina, who fell over and screamed a blood-curdling scream. Instantly, all three of the other champions abandoned their pursuit of the cup, and scrambled to her aid. 

As Albus got closer, the shape became more clear. It was the form of a giant snake. He pulled out his wand. 

"Stupefy!" A bright red light shot from the tip of his wand and made contact with the snake, who barely moved.  Nicole and Emiliya both pulled out their wands, and they all began flinging spells at the snake. Finally, they all made contact with their stupefy spells, and the snake flung across the cavern. With great effort, the snake heaved itself over a boulder, and glanced back, meeting Albus' eyes. It's expression was almost ominous and calculating, but Albus didn't have much time to consider it before the snake disappeared into the shadows of the cavern.

The champions knelt beside Sabrina, who's leg was bleeding. The snake had bitten her and severely injured her. She hissed in pain. Nicole tore a strip from her top, and they carefully cleaned her up. 

"Thanks guys," she said through the grimace. "But you should really get going. I'll be alright, you guys have to make it to the end, and I'll only slow you down."

"Sabrina, there's no way we're leaving you to be eaten alive by that giant snake," Nicole said. "I wonder if there's more of those things in here." She cast her eyes about nervously. 

"I doubt it," Emiliya commented, although she too was scanning the cavern suspiciously. "Besides the fact that a predator like that would be hard-pressed to coexist with others of it's kind, I bet that snake was put here on purpose for the tournament, as a sort of guardian of the cup."

"I don't think so," Albus dissented, a heavy feeling sinking in his gut. He had recognized the look in that snake's eyes. Roszara. "That snake belonged to Delphi. She's trying to put us on edge and weaken us before she shows up. 

"Which means you guys have to get going," Sabrina insisted. "I'm not going to be any use against Delphi like this, and for all we know, while we're locked down here in  this cave away from everyone, Delphi could be overthrowing Hogwarts." 

"We're not leaving you," Emiliya said. "There's just the uncomfortable point of who...um..." Both Nicole and Emiliya looked away and Sabrina looked down. Albus suddenly realized what they had been dancing around. No one wanted to be the one to give up their chance at winning to help Sabrina to the cup. 

"Merlin, you guys, is that really what's important to you right now?" Albus sighed, slipping his arm around Sabrina's waist and helping her to her feet. "He looked up at Emiliya and Nicole, who had the good grace to look extremely guilty. "Go on," he said. "I've got her." 

Emiliya and Nicole took off for the other end of the cavern, and Albus began picking his way across the rocks, which was abysmally slow now that he was helping Sabrina too. She kept trying to convince him to leave her behind, but there was absolutely no way he was leaving her for Roszara to finish her off. Besides, he was pretty sure that she had to be poisoned, because she was not looking too well. 

He lost sight of Emiliya and Nicole fairly quickly, but he could still see the glow of the cup, getting closer and closer. 

Finally they reached the other side of the cavern. The cup was up on a ledge on the cavern wall. Albus could see where the girls had hastily parted the dense shrubbery, which was completely out of place in their current environment. Albus looked between the cup and Sabrina with unease. He wasn't sure how he was going to get Sabrina up there. She noticed his hesitation.

"Just leave me," she insisted. "They need you." Albus shook his head. 

"Here," he said, steadying her against the wall. "Stay here and keep yourself upright." He then began his accent. It wasn't a terribly long trip, but it wasn't an easy one. There weren't many good handholds on the rocky surface, and he had to jump for the ledge on the last stretch, and heave his entire weight onto the shelf. Careful not to touch the cup preemptively, he got to work fashioning a rudimentary lift system out of the strange vines to get Sabrina up. When he was done, he threw it over the edge. It wasn't even close to perfect, but it would have to do. 

"Slip into the harness," He called down, and she did so skeptically and with great difficulty. He then began to pull her up, hand over hand. It took all of his strength, and his arms began to shake. He was pathetically out of shape for supposedly being the Hogwarts champion. When he thought he couldn't pull any more, He lunged forward, grabbing both of her wrists, and yanking her the last stretch over the shelf. She collapsed on the ground next to him, and they lay there panting for a few minutes. 

Albus was aware that every minute that he was here could mean more danger for his friends on the other side, so he sat up. 

"Okay," he said. "We have to go."

"You first," she insisted. "It's the least I can do, after you offered to lug me." Albus narrowed his eyes skeptically. 

"I'll be right behind you, I promise! Go on!" Giving her a last look that he hoped conveyed "You'd better be right behind me.", he placed one hand on the cup.