Nate was lying on the sand bed and the other three people were staying around him - as if ready to fight anyone who dared to bring harm to the unconscious man, his body was covered covered with a pile of sand heaped over him and he looked almost colourless - the blood having receded from the uppermostyer of nerves. They knew that if he wasn''t rescued in time, it would be fatal for him.


    The monster came and settled on the bed. He looked at Adrianna and asked, "Do you remember me, Adrianna?"??


    Adrianna gazed at hiseyes that were zing hot in anger. He brought one of his hands to its teeth to remove a piece of bone that was stuck in between them. His head that was prolonged between the eyes formed a sort of beak. The mouth that opened downwards had arge number of mandibles. His huge,pound eyes looked like two enormous red crystals made from red hotva. His tail was curved in front.


    She was surprised that she could hear him speaksurrounded as they were by water. Was he really speaking or was hmunicating with them mentally? If he was talking to her mentally, it was entirely possible that Dmitri and Liam were also listening in on the conversation. She looked at them and found them staring at him with nk expressions.


    "Oh! They can''t hear me…" he replied, as though understanding her unspoken thoughts.


    Adrianna looked at him with shock. "Who are you?"


    The monsterughed. "I am the devil of the sea."


    "I have got the three potions that you wanted. Take them and let us go," she said, contemting her options and trying to form a quick n of escape if he reneged on his promise at the same time.


    The monsterughed again. To Dmitri and Liam, it sounded like a loud shriek and they covered their ears.


    The monster didn''t answer her, rather he said something stranger, "Adrianna, I have to say that it was great chasing you in the snow. You looked so scared that I was beginning to have fun."


    "In the snow?" She was stunned.


    "Yes… when the master gave me the task of killing you, I thought you werejust like every other mundane wizard or witch… but you are something else…" he said as he simultaneously shifted from his ce and came towards Nate.


    Adrianna''s mind raced. It was certain that he was there in the arena during the second stage of thepetition because that was the only time she had been in snow recently.


    "RAZ?" she shouted at him as she looked with bewilderment!


    The monster seemed happy andughed again. He started moving side to side and thenhe snapped his tail. He started spinning his tail in circles, pounding the mud of the floor bed, raising a lot of mud. He made a loud popping sound and extended his hands out, which were a bed of gloopy pustules. His ws extended outwards and, he started scraping them on anearby rock and the noises could be mistaken as ifing from a construction site a block away.


    He looked at her and replied, "Ah! I see you have recognized me. It was difficult to stay in so much snow Adrianna, but I managed because killing you would have been so satisfying. My master wanted you dead or alive."


    "Who is your master?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes.


    He ignored her question and continued, "I didn''t expect someone as tiny as you to be so powerful. You could take Raz down so easily? Raz is not going to forget that."


    Adrianna was shocked beyond words. So this exinedthe fact that there was no student named Raz in the Academy, but how the hell did he enter thepetition arena and on whose behest? It seemed as if her confusion was the source of the monster''s happiness.


    Dmitri broke theirmunication and shouted at her, "We need to take out Nate as soon as possible. What are you waiting for? Give him the potions and let''s go!"


    "I have brought the potions as desired by you," said Adrianna as she started walking towards Nate. "I don''t wish to continue this conversation." She was getting afraid that Raz might turn this thing into a personal vendetta or was it already a personal vendetta? She had to move quickly with her ns.


    Suddenly Raz'' uncurled his tail and circled it around Nate. "Nah! Not soeasily, Adrianna."


    Adrianna stopped. Adrianna signaled Fleur to drop the potions box inside.


    "Where are the potions?" he asked.


    The box was seening down in the waters slowly. It came to Adrianna and she held it in her hands. Raz could see three small bottles of potions in the ss box. He bared his teeth as though he smiling at his victory which was near at hand.


    "Give them to me," he said.


    "First release Nate," she demanded.