"The tiger will see you a hundred times before you see him once." — John Vaillant
…
Hestia, Emma, Charlus, and Regulus were now travelling in a small boat towards the giant mangrove tree.
Their journey from the cave had been smooth, devoid of any dangerous creatures they couldn't handle. Still, the group remained wary and alert. In the forest, they could at least deal with creatures on solid ground. But in water, they didn't know when something might pop up and drag one of them under. By then, it would be too late.
They sat with wands at the ready, gliding across waters of unknown depth.
Earlier, Hestia had transfigured her staff into a long measuring pole of three metres. At the start of the swamp, the scale barely broke the surface. But as they ventured deeper, the water level rose sharply. Now, the pole was fully immersed, and it couldn't touch the bottom.
With this depth, they knew for certain that larger predators lurked beneath them.
They didn't know how dangerous these creatures were. There had been a few sightings of common fish surfacing for air. Then there were Plimpies—spherical, mottled fish with long, rubbery legs and webbed feet. They were not true predators, but they were nibblers that would bite toes and clothing, irritating swimmers.
Hestia caught one with her hand and was now examining it curiously.
"It looks goofy, Regulus. How is she holding that thing?" Charlus asked, grimacing at the squirming fish.
Regulus was too focused on the surroundings to hear what Charlus was saying. He was locked onto the magical signatures abundant in the water. He sensed Grindylows and many other minor creatures. He wasn't concerned with those under his feet.
His attention was fixed on the largest signature emanating from a distance.
It was wild, massive, and emitted a magical presence no less intense than the Chimaera from earlier.
"Guys, focus," Regulus warned, his voice low. "I sense a large creature ahead. It is no less dangerous than a Chimaera. Be alert. Be ready to grab a mangrove branch or root the moment I give the signal."
Hestia, Emma, and Charlus instantly sharpened their focus, scanning the water and the twisted roots of the mangroves within reach.
Hestia, looking for a sturdy branch she could grab onto, suddenly noticed an odd piece of wood floating nearby. She realised what it was instantly.
It was a Dugbog.
A magical creature resembling a piece of dead wood, the Dugbog usually remained dormant until someone grabbed it or stepped on it. It possessed fin-like paws and sharp teeth capable of severing an ankle or wrist upon contact.
She opened her mouth to warn Regulus.
Before she could speak, the boat rocked violently, as if it had hit a solid wall, and came to a dead stop in the water.
Panic flared. Everyone reached out to grab the nearest branches to steady themselves.
"STOP!" Hestia shouted.
Her voice cut through the panic. Regulus, who had been focusing on the distant threat, turned sharply. He saw Emma and Charlus reaching for the 'branches' hanging near the water.
Hestia grabbed the back of their robes and yanked them back.
Regulus followed her gaze and recognised the Dugbogs disguised as wood.
"Reducto!"
He fired a blasting curse. The 'branches' shrieked in agony—a high-pitched, woody scream—as the spell shattered them. He finished them off with a quick fire spell, turning the creatures to ash.
Emma and Charlus, thrown onto the floor of the boat by Hestia's pull, looked up in shock at the source of the noise.
"They are Dugbogs," Hestia said coolly. "They would have bitten your hands off."
Charlus clutched his hand to his chest, sweating buckets. He recovered quickly and placed a reassuring hand on Emma's shoulder.
"There is good news, and there is bad news," Regulus announced, his eyes still scanning the water. "Which do you want to hear first?"
Charlus turned to him. "We could use a bit of good news right now."
"The massive creature I sensed is still at a distance. It wasn't the one that stopped the boat."
"What is the bad news, Regulus?" Emma asked, her voice tight.
"We were stopped by something under the water. And it is eyeing our boat right now."
He pointed his wand at the bow of the boat.
The water surface broke. A bald, scaly head emerged slowly, revealing a beak-like mouth and intelligent, malevolent eyes.
"Kappa," Hestia whispered.
Regulus sensed more signatures rising all around them. He spun around. The water was boiling with them.
"Climb!" Regulus shouted. "Grab the mangroves and climb!"
There was no hesitation this time. Dugbogs or not, the boat was a death trap. They scrambled onto the twisted roots of the nearest mangrove tree, checking for disguises before hauling themselves up.
From the safety of the branches, they looked down.
Their boat was being torn apart. A swarm of Kappas—Japanese water demons resembling scaly monkeys with webbed hands and hollow indentations on their heads—had swarmed the vessel. They tore through the wood with terrifying strength.
At some point, the boat transfigured back into a stick, but the Kappas continued to fight over the splinters like piranhas fighting for scraps of flesh.
"What are those?" Emma asked, horrified.
"Kappas," Hestia replied. "They hide in reeds and leap out to strangle humans or drag them underwater to feed on their blood. They are intelligent. Dealing with one is easy if you know the trick—bow to them, and the water spills from their head—but in these numbers..."
The Kappas submerged again, realising there was no meat on the boat. Regulus watched the last one stare up at them with hungry eyes before slowly sinking beneath the surface, waiting.
"Regulus, transfigure a boat now. They are gone," Charlus urged.
"We cannot go by water anymore," Hestia countered immediately. "The Kappas are intelligent. They know we are in the trees, but they won't come onto land because they lose power if the water in their head spills. They are waiting for us to get back in."
Regulus confirmed it. "She's right. They're circling beneath us."
They were stranded in the middle of the swamp, surrounded by water filled with monsters waiting to tear them apart.
"We will go by the trees," Regulus decided. "Clinging to branches, moving from one tree to another."
"The branches and roots aren't reliable," Hestia worried. "Some of them are rotten. One wrong move and they snap. We can't differentiate between healthy wood and rot easily."
"I will go first," Emma said, stepping forward. "You guys follow my lead. I didn't spend four years studying Herbology for nothing."
"I will follow next to her," Regulus said, "to keep an eye out for any magical creatures disguised as branches."
Hestia and Charlus fell in line behind them.
Emma proved her worth immediately. At a glance, she could identify which branches were sturdy and live, and which were dead rot. When she hesitated over something unrecognizable, Regulus would fire a Reducto to drive away the disguised Dugbog.
Their progress was significantly slower than the boat ride, but they were safe.
Eventually, the dense cluster of mangroves opened up.
Before them lay a ring of open water, surrounding the Giant Mangrove in the centre like a moat.
They all marvelled at the size of the tree. It was the biggest plant they had ever seen; the mangrove alone looked like a mini-forest with its own ecosystem. Its canopy blocked out the sky, shadowing the island it sat upon.
"We finally reached the centre!" exclaimed Emma.
"Yes, but how are we going to get there?" said Charlus, looking at the deep water separating them from the central island.
Regulus focused on the moat. The massive magical signature he had sensed earlier was right there, between them and the tree.
A shadow, the size of a dragon, drifted underneath the surface.
Then, it surfaced.
It breached the water and jumped high into the air, splashing down with a thunderous crash. The group got a good look at the creature.
It was a beautiful water horse with a mane made of thick, green kelp. It looked docile, despite its massive size. It noticed the group standing on the branches and approached them calmly, keeping only its head above water. It looked at them with soft eyes, seemingly inviting them for a ride across the moat.
Hestia didn't hesitate. She raised her wand.
"Mobiliarbus!"
She began to manipulate the kelp mane of the creature, twisting it into a specific shape. The creature appeared to enjoy her act, tossing its head.
Charlus whispered to Regulus, "Mate, why are we standing here watching her play pony with a giant monster?"
"It is a Kelpie," Regulus explained grimly. "This creature invites weary travellers onto its back. Once someone sits on it, the mane becomes adhesive, sticking to the rider's skin. It then dives, drowning and devouring them."
Emma and Charlus looked at the creature with renewed horror. It was still enjoying Hestia's magic.
"But," Regulus continued, "if you bridle the creature using a Placement Charm on its mane, it becomes docile and submissive. It won't drown us."
He watched Hestia finish the charm.
"Get ready."
Charlus and Emma looked at each other, both thinking the same thing: What the fuck is he saying?