Chapter 8

"Run!" Harley yelled.

They all turned their backs against the oncoming sandstorm. With their feet being buried quite deep into the sand, their movements are limited. As the sandstorm comes closer, Harley hurled back and raised his wand.

"Repello!" he yelled to repel the sand but without even blinking an eye, all of them are pulled down through the sand as if something had pulled them from underneath. Their screams are also covered by the sand.

Before Harley could respond to his environment, he fell on solid ground with a loud thud. He grunted in pain as he stands on his feet for he felt like he sprained his ankle.

He looked around and scanned the vicinity, it seems that he is inside an abandoned home. The sturdy and dusty huge monoliths start to break into pieces which only means that it has long been uninhabited. The fact that the cavern is underneath makes it suspicious as to why the place is still well-lit, despite the absence of any torch and sunlight. Harley thought that it could be magic but he senses nothing out of the ordinary.

He decided to walk around, hoping to find the exit or find where the others are. Each step he makes, he makes sure that there is no trap he would trigger.

"Ahhhhh!!"

"My back! My back!"

Harith landed safely on the ground, with his feet on the ground and still having perfect balance.

"Catch!" Nana yelled as she landed on her magic cat-paw cushion.

"What?" Harith asked but before he could get a response from her, Chang'e got on top of him. The impact was too much that Harith fell on the floor with his front first.

"Sorry," Chang'e groaned as she tried to get up but before she could even sit down, Lolita came hurling down.

"That's what we call a ride-down-the-hall!" she screamed as she punches the air above her. She fell right above Chang'e, overlying the other two.

"Where's Harley?" Nana asked when she noticed his absence. They waited, hoping that Harley would also fall but there is no sign of him.

"Could it be that he had been separated?" Chang'e predicted.

"Then, let's go find him and get our way out of here," Harith said.

"But how are we going to get out of here?" Lolita asked.

All of them looked around and to their dismay, they are standing on huge elevated rock surrounded by a hot, molten lava freely flowing down below.

"No wonder it's so hot here," Nana said.

"So, it seems like Harley has to find us instead," Lolita commented.

Harith looked around, hoping to find an escape route.

Harley, on the other hand, is having trouble going around and finding a place to escape from. He had been walking for hours but he kept on returning on the spot where he had started. He had also left marks on the paths he had taken so that he would surely take a different way when he goes back to square one. But still, it wasn't enough for him to leave the maze-like room.

"I'm really running out of patience," he snarled as he stares at the same spot where he had fallen from before.

He took a deep breathe before deciding to sit down on the dusty, old floor and tried to calm himself. He let out a deep sigh, wanting to vent out his built up frustration. He once again scanned the abandoned room, observing every crook and cranny. There might be something important he missed out. He sharpened his senses, and started to tap the walls with his wand as he listens to the sound it makes.

When he tapped on the farthest corner, its sound was different from the others, it is as if behind it is hollow. He tapped further, hoping to find its opening button. He suddenly stopped when he saw a very thin, transparent thread glimmering. He followed where the thread is coming from and fortuntely, he was fast enough to dodge an attack coming from above. The mudbrick roof broke and a short, blond hair girl jump off and attacked him once again with waves that she emits from her bare hands. Her moves are smooth and precise but she doesn't look human at all. Her eyes, her hands, her body, her entirety is exactly the same as a doll. Yet, she still resembles a human who is of the same age as her.

"Who the hell are you?" Harley asked, snapping out from his patience.

The girl did not reply, she simply released some of her waves again and out of nowhere, golden threads appeared on the tips of her fingers which came whirling towards Harley. He scoffed in annoyance as the threads crawl up to him and tighten its grip.

"Stupefy!" he casted the spell and the girl immediately froze in place. Her threads vanished, giving Harley back his freedom.

"I do not have the luxury to waste time with a... doll who cannot speak," he said before heading back to wall he heard the hollow sound. He raised his wand and casted a spell.

"Dissendium!"

The wall cracked open slowly, creating a door and just like how he predicted, there is a secret passage behind it. But before he could take a step inside, the doll-like girl passes by swiftly, overtaking him.

Harley took a fast stepback and raised his wand, ready to battle but the girl showed no sign of attacking him like what just happened.

"Angela," she said with a mechanical voice. "Me."

Harley had his wand down and entered the passage. He still has his guard up for the girl might just be feigning innocent. Plus, her presence in that place is suspicious enough for him not to trust her. And he wouldn't even consider an uncategorized being an ally. He is still trying to place Angela to which specie she belongs to, may it be a thing or a human?

"Whoah!!" Lolita gasped in amazement.

"NO! We got to get out from here or else that thing would bake us real good!" Chang'e yelled as she covered her ears.

The hot magma is bursting from beneath, raising drops of it in midair.

"Is it possible to get out of here?" Nana asked as she stared down at the viscous magma.

While Harley and Angela are walking inside the small passage, the human-like doll grabbed Harley's clothes.

"What the hell are you doing?!" the young mage shouted in annoyance as he slaps her hand away from him.

Angela pointed at her right side. Harley, thinking that the girl is just playing around, rolled hus eyes and continued walking ahead. But like before, Angela stopped him and pointed at her right.

"Bombarda maxima!"

Harley made the wall beside Angela explode and to his amazement, a wide cavern was exposed. What even shocked him is the presence of his friends at the middle of the cavern.

"Harley!" Nana happily called out as she waved her boomerang. But she suddenly stopped upon seeing another girl with him.

"Help us!" Chang'e yelled as another shot of magma bursts right beside where they were standing.

"Help?" Angela asked as she tilted her head towards Harley as if she knows not of it.

"Give them a hand," Harley replied, "that is help."

Angela looked both of her hands and had her fingers move back and forth in a slow motion. Harley watched her, anticipating what she'll do next.

He smirked and thought,"Will she take off her hands and throw them at those four?"

Just then, Angela outstretched both of her arms towards the huge rock where the others are. Her golden threads came into view, forming a bridge where they could walk onto.

Chang'e gulped in fear as she stares down at the flowing magma, its color eminating like a flickering torch.

"That was unexpected," Harley commented, feeling a vit disappointed for he really wanted to see her take off her hands and throw them at the four people stuck on the middle of a lake of magma. It would also be entertaining to watch their scared reactions if they saw Angela decapitating her own.

Disclaimer: The spells are not my own. I got them from J.K Rowling's Harry Potter. Rightful credits to the owner.