Peter emptied his school locker then both he and Helen walked to the front doors. As they came closer, they saw Weavger and two other teachers standing in front of the entrance.

“There’s a back door if you want to go that way,” said Peter to his mother.

“No,” said Helen, “we’re not going the long way because of that gimp.” They walked up to the teachers and as they passed them, Weavger, who had not seen them, or perhaps did not want to, stood talking to one of his colleagues. “Do you have a match?” he asked him kindly as he put the butt of a cigarette between his dry lips.

“My ass to your face,” Peter replied quickly and most happily.

Helen instantly started into a fit of the giggles while they walked on.

“HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT, YOU LITTLE RUNT,” yelled a fuming Weavger. “What kind of a mother could raise a brat like that?” he said to his colleagues, though loudly enough so Helen and Peter could hear it. They heard it loud and clear, and Helen halted, turned on her heel made rude gestures with her middle fingers. “I would tell you to kiss my arse,” she replied, “but I’d be afraid of catching something.”

The mother and son walked on giggling and laughing as they went. When they got to the car Helen pinched her pocket again. The doors of the car unlocked, and Peter dumped everything from his locker in the boot while Helen phoned home to tell Berlanin, Saren and Henkot they were on their way back. In doing so, she found that Delsani had turned up at the house. He told her to get back as quickly as possible.

She decided it was probably wise to do just that, for the old Wizard sounded deadly serious, so they set off as soon as she got off the phone.

“What happened with Weavger?” Peter asked his mother who looked very anxious, but he just thought that it was because of all that had happened in the school.

Helen laughed as the memories flooded back into her mind. However, even her laugh was a nervous one, and Peter could tell that there was something wrong.

Helen saw that Peter was about to say something else, so she got there first and told him what happened at the school and what was said on both sides.

What neither of them realized was that a black sports car had followed them out of the school car park.

When they reached the first set of traffic lights, the lights had just turned red. Helen continued with her story, and still they did not know they were being followed, not until it was too late.

The black car raced up the road to meet them. It was only then that Helen saw it. To her, it was like waking from a dream into a nightmare. It felt as though a shroud was suddenly lifted, and she could see fully again. She saw the car speeding toward them and quickly shoved the gear stick into first and slammed her foot down on the accelerator. The car shot forward. The junction was empty, though it did them no good, as their attacker was already on them and smashed into the back of their car and sent them flying across the junction. The only thing that stopped them from slamming into a wall was Peter, who threw out has hands, which caused a net of blue energy to stop them instantly.

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Peter felt his head, which was the only part of him that hurt. Other than that he was fine. There was not a mark on him.

Helen, on the other hand, had a bruise on her left cheek, and her nose was bleeding.

“Are you okay?” Peter asked her.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You?”

“Fine.” Peter said, still rubbing his brow; he looked across to where they had been. Sitting at the lights was the black car behind the white line. It did not have a scratch on it, as though the accident never happened. On the bonnet of the car, there sat a boy no more than sixteen or seventeen. When he saw Peter staring at him, he pushed himself away from the car and stood waiting for something.

“COME OUT HERE AND FACE ME, DRAGO KING!” the boy shouted to Peter.

“This guy’s some kind of head case or something,” Peter said.

As Peter moved to open has door, Helen saw their attacker’s eyes turn purple?

“NO!” she screamed at Peter. “YOU’RE NOT GOING OUT THERE! JUST WAIT HERE WITH ME!” she emptied the contents of her bag onto her lap as she panicked to find her phone. Within a spit second, she spied it and used the redial function. Saren’s mobile number came onto the display. As the phone rang, she kept staring over to make sure that the boy hadn’t come any closer. To her surprise, he was still waiting at the lights.

The ringing ended. “Hello,” said Saren.

“Saren, please listen. We’ve been attacked!” said Helen.

“Oh my god! Where are you?”

“I don’t know. I can’t think. My head, it hurts.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, apart from this headache, I’m fine.”

“And Peter?”

“Yeah, he’s -” Helen was cut short by the pure horror that shot through her, like ice in her blood, when she turned her head and saw that Peter was gone. He had snuck out as Helen and Saren were halfway through their conversation.

“So you’re not as much of a coward as I first thought,” said the boy with the black car.

“Who the hell are you?” asked Peter.

The stranger laughed. “So what I heard is true. They have lied to you.”

“Listen, I don’t know who you are, and I don’t really care, either. But if I were you, I’d get out of here before the cops get here,” said Peter shakily. He was clearly still in shock after the crash.

“Please, boy. The rules of this world do not apply to me,” said Ulicoth arrogantly.

“Who are you?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me,” said the boy King.

“Very well. The truth is, I’m not really standing in front of you, for this isn’t my true body. This is merely a shell, constructed so that I wouldn’t have to expose myself to you.”

“Well, that’s good, cause I don’t really want you exposing yourself to me either,” said Peter with a smile, as he was trying to conceal his fear in case this was really some nut job, as all the evidence was beginning to point in that direction

“You mock me,” said Ulicoth, a hint of anger starting in his cold voice. “It’s a pity that you will never know who I really am.”

“And what makes you think that I’ll never know? I’ll just wait around for the men in white coats to come and ask them,” this time Peter couldn’t help but laugh.

At first Ulicoth wondered what Peter had meant by that last remark and thought perhaps he knew all and was just pretending not to? Why else would he be standing in front of me mocking me? He must know the truth, thought the Dark Wizard-Elf.

“The reason for you not knowing is simple; soon you’ll be but ash in the wind.”

As Helen looked out of the passenger side window, she could see Peter standing about halfway between her car and Ulicoth.

“He’s out there with that monster! I have to help him.”

Delsani snatched the phone from Saren’s hand.

“Helen, listen to me. Do you still have the crystal the Grand Wizard gave you?” he asked hopefully.

“Yes it’s here,” said Helen. “It’s on my lap.”

“Smash it.”

Helen grabbed it and smashed it against the steering wheel.