Mr. Nakutsck's group of stone elves went away. Each of them was definitely trained on what to do and who to help. Mr. Nakutsck trained them well, for he wanted everything to turn out perfectly. Especially since it was the first time the forest elves also participated in this contest.
All the guests were helped to carry their luggage and were shown to their rooms.
The same ice steps, with the same crystal-like windows could be found on all the corridors of the castle.
Eventually, the group got to a corridor where there were several doors. All three children were invited to enter the same room, while the professors had separate rooms.
Lots of Magicorum uttered by everyone in front of the bedrooms, after which the doors opened and closed right away behind those who entered the rooms.
After entering their room, Elizabeth, Johnny and even Alexander, were amazed at what they saw. Their room was so huge in surface and height that it could accommodate a whole class of students from Elmbridge there. In fact it wasn't a room, but rather a small ... the inside of a small mansion.
Downstairs there was a beautifully furnished large room with an enormous space like a dance floor where one could give a big party. It was a kind of recreation room or study, where the three children could learn and train unhindered. Equipped with bookshelves, study tools, such as a microscope, telescope, potion equipment, pots with all kinds of herbs, as well as various games and logic toys designed to work your mind, gathered in one corner of the room, that room looked like an academician's study place.
Also downstairs, that room continued on one side with a kind of entrance hall, followed by a small room. That room was a small bedroom that had only a bed, a closet, a small nightstand and a small bookcase, but which provided everything a student needed to be able to rest quietly.
From the same hall there were many steps to the ceiling. The steps led at one point to another bedroom, and continued to lead to the ceiling, where they again led to a last bedroom.
The boys without saying a word, looked at each other, and then began to run towards the end of the steps. Surely they both wanted to sleep in the upstairs bedroom. Alexander, who was a little faster entered the first in the last dormitory and was surprised to see that everything in that room changed, magically... according to his wishes.
Johnny, who was defeated, went down the steps a little sadly, but when he entered the room and saw it seemed to know him, he beamed up. The room changed as he entered it, giving him everything a boy of his age needed ... in fact, the bedroom provided everything Johnny needed.
A huge bed with a mattress where he could rest as much as he wanted, a hammock hanging from the ceiling, but also a wall that gave him the opportunity to exercise his climbing skills. As if that room felt Johnny came in and knew what it had to offer.
Next to the bed there was a mug, which when the boy entered the room, displayed his name in golden letters. The name of the person who first entered the room, customizing both the mug and the room for ... Johnny.
Elizabeth entered the downstairs bedroom as well. Her bed became a beautiful bed made of oak, with pillars nicely carved in the form of a pony. Even though the entire castle was built of ice and that magic ice was warm, the White Wizard took care to arrange the rooms as appropriate as possible for the guests. Each room was gracefully arranged, according to the guest's preferences as far as possible.
The girl came happily back into the high room and she was even more surprised when she saw a few letters appear on the ice window.
"Guys ... I think something is happening!"
The two quickly descended the stairs. They stopped by that window and waited.
Soon the message was written in full:
"I am waiting for you in the training room after two hours. As you get down the second hall from the ground floor on the right side. Signed ... Professor Knudlac."
"It's nothing special, just Professor Knudlac," Johhny said.
"Finally the training starts," Alexander said, joyfully. "I'll do my best to win this contest. As a result of these tests, the people of the Dragoesti family gained very powerful magic skills ... that afterwards became the most powerful magic in the world."
"Do you think we can gain magic known only by the elves?" Johnny asked.
"I don't know ... I really don't know," Alexander shrugged.
"Who are these Dragoesti?" Elizabeth asked.
"Some evil wizards ... who hurt more people," Johnny said briefly.
Alexander wanted to say something more, but he stopped.
Each child went to inspect the room better ... those magic rooms, which seemed to know their inhabitants very well.
…
"My dear, let me introduce the Ice Golems to you" said the magician Knudlac to the children, showing them two ice giants, at least ten feet high, who stood side by side, still and motionless. "We're here to study them and see how you could overcome them in the first test you have to pass. As far as I know, they're not too vulnerable. Only a dragon could destroy them. But, if you manage to confuse them for a few moments, you'll win the first test. You just have to help each other and think like one. Become a united team to win."
The children got closer to those lifeless giants.
Johnny noticed they were very cold, like the ice you feel tingling when you put your hand on it, when he made the mistake of touching them.
"Alexander. What would you do if you were to defeat such a creature as the ice Golems?"
"I'd try to melt them ..."
"It's good. Johnny, what would you do?"
"Freeze them," he replied quickly.
At such words, anyone could laugh loud, as Alexander did, or at least smiled, as Elizabeth did. But not the professor who stopped walking around the golem and looked at Alexander seriously. As soon as he felt the sharp gaze, the young boy stopped laughing.
"I wanted to say that ... I'd somehow make him stay in place. Somehow disable him…"
"Yes, now I got what you meant. This way is good too. Elizabeth, what would you do?"
The girl thought a little, and then she spoke:
"I'd let Alexander and Johnny deal with the Golems, melt them or 'freeze' them, to pass all three tests to win the Divine Parchment."
Mr. Knudlac smiled as he didn't expect such an honest answer. But this answer still made him happy.
"How do you know the great prize is a Divine Parchment?" asked Professor Knudlac.
"I read about the Magic Contest of the Decade. I got that the prize for each event in the contest now is a single parchment. That only one member of the team can learn ... unlike ten years ago. And I read some other things about ..."
"Yes, I heard enough," Professor Knudlac stopped her. "I'm glad you read about the contest."
He looked at the boys questioningly. But he looked for nothing. It seems even Alexander didn't think of reading about the conditions of the contest, then Johnny, even if asked to do so, probably wouldn't do it.
"I told you, my dear, knowledge is the most important."
He gave a sign to the children to approach him and continued:
"This is how the Magic Contest of the Decade will take place. The rules change... The three members of a team won't get to the last test, as in the previous contest. This time, after each test the team gives up one of their colleagues. And this happens depending on your actions. No matter how things go, you have to act properly. Without bothering one another ..."
The children nodded in agreement that they got it and would comply with the requirements.
"Okay ... I'll let you look at the Golem carefully. Find out his weaknesses, if he has something like that, learn about him. And think together how you could get through the first test. No one knows more than Nakutsck. He's in charge of this test."
Knudlac smiled at the children, happy they were paid close attention to the frozen creature, trying to find his weaknesses.
"I'm sure you'll do it. Alexander and Johnny, you two have on the desks in your rooms a copy of this year's contest rules. Elizabeth, you can rest, relax or walk around the castle, given that you already read it."
Alexander and Johnny looked down as if they were punished. Even though Knudlac didn't scold them ... they were ashamed, for a reproach is tougher when it's not spoken, but it's thought.
The professor greeted them and slowly moved away, leaving them busy with their research.
The three children kept looking at the Golem. They discussed what to do during the test; they knew pretty nothing about it.
It was obvious that Alexander and Johnny didn't agree on how they'd manage to pass the first test.
"Fire ... fire melts ice," Alexander said.
"But there may be more. You can't melt them all. And then you heard their breath can put out that fire."
"And then what do you propose, freeze them? Freeze ... ice?"
"Guys, if we quarrel we don't get anywhere. We should analyse the situation first, and then choose the best option," the girl intervened.
"What does a girl know?" Alexander asked. "And especially one who just found out what magic means."
"Maybe it would be better to read what Mr. Knudlac left us about Golems. Maybe we can find something out there about them ... how we could destroy them," Johnny told Alexander.
"Well, Princess Elizabeth Catherine Edwards read the rules. She can tell us if they wrote something about how to fight them," Alexander said ironically.
"They don't say anything about it, it's just rules of participation," replied the girl as if it was her fault they didn't write anything in that regulation about how they could fight against the ice creatures.
There were also the other teams there to compete with Elmbridge Magic School to win the Divine Parchment. Professor Hikaiddo's students and the elf girls's team. As even their coaches asked them read that regulation, Alexander and Johnny concluded it was best to go and do the same.
And Elizabeth, as Mr. Knudlac also said, could do whatever she wanted.