As the skeletal forms approached, wands flaring with dark energy, Narcissa's heart was pounding with the realization of the malevolent power animating them, a force capable of anything.
"Protego!" she yelled, throwing up the shimmering barrier just in time to intercept a bolt of red lightning that shot from the nearest skeleton's wand.
The spell rebounded from her shield, hitting the nearest tree and shattering it into splinters. Narcissa knew she couldn't just stay on defense against these unnatural foes.
"Confringo!" she called out, sending a fiery explosion straight at the nearest skeleton.
Boom! Sizzle! The spell struck true, but the skeleton only staggered for a moment before starting forward again, its bones impervious to damage. Her eyes widened with realization: these creatures would not be easy to take down.
"These bastards!" she cursed under her breath. She darted quickly, hiding behind the crumbling wall as another bolt of dark magic sizzled past her. The skeletons followed, their eerie green eyes tracking her every move. Narcissa had to think fast. She couldn't let herself be cornered here.
"Diffindo!" she yelled at one skeleton, this time aiming for its legs.
The spell sliced through its bones and the skeleton crumbled, but even as it fell, it dragged on, still crawling toward her, determined.
Narcissa gritted her teeth and raised her wand to fire yet another spell when pain burst in her side. "Kung! Shit!" She staggered under the impact.
A fourth skeleton that she hadn't seen had slipped up on her and struck with a spell. The moment of searing pain blinded her, but she was still raising her wand. Another spell struck the portkey that fell from her hand when she staggered, sending it skidding off into the mountainside.
"Reducto!" she screamed, smashing the new danger into pieces.
Bang! Shatter! The bones rained down. But this time, it stayed dead.
Narcissa clutched her wounded side and stumbled back. She couldn't stay here; she needed to escape. She was about to run back, but two more skeletons materialized out of thin air, pointing their wands toward her.
Several Stupify were flying past her like bullets.
Casting a glance at the drawing-near skeletons, she turned and ran, using the last of her strength to conjure a powerful gust of wind that knocked her pursuers back temporarily. She ran through the overgrown path; each step felt as if millions of daggers pierced her body.
"Damn it!" Her breath came in ragged gasps as she pushed herself to keep moving.
She reached the edge of the forest, where the thick trees could at least provide her some cover. But the skeletons were relentless; she could hear them crashing through the underbrush behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see the eerie green glow of their eyes closing in. She raised her wand and cast another spell.
"Impedimenta!" The spell slowed them down, but it was only temporary.
Her mind raced for a solution to this. She needed a way to destroy these creatures, or at least get far enough away from them to catch some breath and think of a solution. The ground had grown even more uneven as she continued deeper into the woods; roots and rocks tried to trip her with every step, but she kept plodding on, determined to live. She suddenly pitched out into a small clearing in the trees, and she stopped to catch her breath. The skeletons had now advanced from the trees and kept coming, their eyes fixed on her.
"Expulso!" she yelled, pointing at the ground before them.
Bang! Bang! Several blue orbs were projected from her wand, hitting the ground and one of the skeletons. This explosion formed a shroud of dirt and debris that blocked the view of the skeletons for some time.
Narcissa just dashed toward the mountains while the rugged terrain allowed her many obstacles to do so.
She climbed over boulders and up steep inclines, the skeletons following with mechanical precision. The side of Narcissa throbbed with pain, and she knew that time and strength were running out on her.
She finally reached a narrow pass between two towering cliffs, then realized she could run no more. She turned to face her pursuers and wand at the ready. The skeletons emerged from the trees, their glowing eyes unblinking.
"Damn it!" She touched her left side and felt a wet feeling. She saw blood on her palm. "Tsk. C'mon, you bastards!"
She cannot afford to let them arrive in the village. There were hardly any veterans in the town; Lucius took most of the able wizards and witches with him for the war. She had to end them here. Right now, she was feeling how rusty she became after living a life of luxury for the last few months.
She wanted to use the Fiendfyre, but knowing the forest, it would just cause a forest fire, and the curse would undoubtedly reach the village.
Her mind raced, calculating possibilities. The key was the pass, whose very narrowness made it a strategic advantage: perhaps she could bring down the cliffs and bury the skeletons under a mass of rock and debris; an immensely slender chance, but better than the present alternative.
Narcissa summoned every willpower she could and, with it, raised her wand towards the cliffs above the incoming skeletons. Drawing deep breaths, she channeled every ounce of her focus and energy towards one big spell.
"Reducto Maxima!" she screamed, her voice resonating across the narrow pass.
BOOOM
A brilliant blue beam of light erupted from the tip of her wand toward the cliff, bombarding it with an explosion like thunder. The ground shuddered under an avalanche of stone and boulders, crumbling down the hillside. Stunned only momentarily by the spell's force, the skeletons turned to try and continue their advance—but the crumbling pile of debris was upon them.
They shot a couple of spells at her, but she managed to deflect them.
The cliffs groaned and shifted, the noise of cracking stone above. In front of her, Narcissa watched the skeletons as they were buried beneath the rock fall, their uncanny green eyes flashing out one by one in the dark. For an instant, she allowed herself relief, but the danger was far from over.
By this time, the last of the rocks had settled, and she realized too late that she was standing on unstable ground. The cliffs she had just brought down were now collapsing beneath her feet. Suddenly, the earth beneath her feet gave way.
"ARGGGG!!" She tumbled down the steep slope, battered by rocks and debris.
The world was a blur of motion and pain. Narcissa wanted to grab onto something to stop her falling, but there was nothing to hold on to. And finally, she came to a stop at the base of the slope, her body aching and bruised.
For a moment, Narcissa lay still, trying to catch her breath. Blood in her mouth and the sharp pain of broken ribs, she could taste and feel. Her vision swam, and she fought to stay conscious. She knew she couldn't afford to pass out here, vulnerable and alone.
With great effort, she pushed herself onto her hands and knees, and the pain nearly made her blackout, but she willed herself to move. She had to return to the village to warn them of what waited, though first, she would have to find some resting place to gather her strength.
'I shouldn't have come here alone. I was too overconfident,' She thought as she stumbled forward, dragging her wounded body.
She looked around. The forest was dense and dark. Due to the thick overgrown trees, there was very little sunlight reaching the ground. 'There!' And up ahead, she caught sight of a small cave. Its entrance was covered by overgrown vines. It was as good a place as any to take refuge. She lurched towards the cave, each step an agony as fresh waves of pain pulsed their way through her body. At long last, she was in front of it and fell inside.
Cool darkness gave her a moment's respite as she leaned with ragged gasps against the jagged rock wall. She relaxed for a moment; the maelstrom in her mind was pounding words as a result of it, relating everything that had happened. The betrayal of Bellatrix and the fall of Lucius—now these skeletal creatures—everything seemed to be falling apart.
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