Chapter 86 - In the Depths of the Purple Oasis ... and When Friendship Fades(3)

Alexander's wand placed the cubes in the order fire-spitting, steaming, swimming and swirling, which eventually opened the door completely.
'How smart I am. I succeeded!" Alexander was happy for the success, without worrying that the merit was common.
The two entered the room, which was according to the map and without looking at it, they headed for the Purple Parchment, proud that they finished the second test.
Elizabeth swam happily like a playful dolphin around Alexander. Even he couldn't help smiling after such a success. But he signalled to the girl that she had to go to the surface, holding that parchment in her hand.
'We have about ten minutes left," he showed the girl the hourglass around her neck in a sober voice.
Then Alexander smiled. The girl smiled too, looking at him ... but ... the smile on her beautiful face suddenly disappeared. Something happened.
Elizabeth's face began to turn increasingly red, ending up in a purple shade.
'I can't breathe ..." the girl managed to say, then she started wrangling chaotically like a fish caught in the hook.
Alexander grabbed her arm and began to swim to the surface with all his might, pulling Elizabeth after him.
But just a few moments before he reached the surface, a creature with long tentacles at least as long as a man's body, grabbed and pushed him forcefully into the depths of the water, then tried to run holding the girl tight between his tentacles. The girl could hardly keep her eyes open because she couldn't breathe.
Alexander noticed that the octopus had human face. He also noticed, sadly, that the human octopus could swim much faster than him. Besides, he left a lot of ink behind, as octopuses in the seas and in the oceans do, trying to lose track, confusing the boy.
Hardly had he realized where he finally had to look, when the human octopus and Elizabeth were far away.
The boy also saw a few wizards turned into mermaids. They tried hard to stop that creature, which began to do something unthinkable.
When he saw the girl almost lost consciousness due to lack of air, the human octopus, scared, went to the surface as if his purpose was to save, not to hurt her. He got out of the water simultaneously with Alexander.
Head out of water, Alexander could see in the rush at the surface how that human octopus let Elizabeth go from his tentacles, rising up into the air. When there wasn't water around him anymore, the human octopus turned into a man with trimmed moustache, wearing a purple cape over an elegant suit. Someone snatched the wand out of the flying man's sleeve in the blink of an eye.
The pinned down guy looked at the one who now held his wand in his hand.
"I thought it was you ..." said the man who was an octopus a few moments ago, after which his body turned to ash and was carried by the wind into the distance.
Alexander looked in the direction of the man who destroyed the human octopus and saw Lord Tbylisium. The Elf Lord babbled something as he laid Elizabeth on the shores of the Purple Oasis. All eyes were on him and on the girl.
After a few moments Elizabeth began coughing, spitting out a bunch of seaweed and water herbs. Seeing how much stuff came out of the poor girl's mouth, one could hardly understand how she swallowed it and how it fitted into her little stomach.
The girl moved her eyelids and saw Miss Harmony's face above her.
The woman gently tilted her chin so that the girl could eliminate everything that almost killed her.
'That's it, my dear ... spit out everything ... Everything."
When the girl came to her senses, Miss Harmony watched her and smiled at her.
'The power of a spell, my darling. A way of magic to harm, or heal in simple words. A way we, humans don't know much about, but which is a habit for the elves. You were lucky because Lord Tbylisium was here to recite the anti-incantation and save you."
Miss Harmony looked at Knudlac.
'It might be good to include such a course in Elmbridge school curriculum. These incantations are very powerful and can do much harm."
Director Eaden Knudlac nodded his head.
Back to life, Elizabeth looked for Alexander. When she saw the boy was safe, she breathed in relief and showed Mr. Knudlac who was next to the girls, the parchment she held in her fist. The fact that the parchment was her hands meant that Alexander would be the one to go on in the contest. These were the rules. Magic knew well who to choose to take part in later ... because she felt tired, quite exhausted.
Knudlac also smiled, but it was because he saw Elizabeth was all right. He asked a few stone elves to pick up Elizabeth and transport her to one of the clinic rooms in the emir's sand cave, where her condition could be better investigated.
The girl looked back as she was carried by those stone elves and saw Alexander congratulated by his friends for having managed to bring the parchment to the surface.
'One more challenge, pal, and you'll be a real wizard," his friends congratulated him.
'You'll definitely do your best and you'll succeed ... Congratulations!"
Avoiding for a moment the crowd congratulating him, Alexander managed to see that Elizabeth was all right. When he felt the girl noticed him he turned his eyes to further be congratulated, behaving as usual ... arrogant, proud and very immodest. Still, he gave a sigh of relief because Elizabeth was safe.
'Did you have any doubt? I didn't ...," he said to the crowd around him.
Probably Elizabeth was the only one who saw Alexander who gave impression that his only goal was to worry only about himself and his gain, actually feared for her life.
The girl smiled at the thought that the boy known to everyone as having a heart of stone, was actually a good boy, deep in his soul.
Then she closed her eyes, exhausted after the challenge that was almost the end for her, while the professors and the stone elves looked after her.
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