On his back he carried a sizeable, cubic rucksack that looked as though it were made of rigid components. Liam, as Draco surmised, assuming it was impossible to look any more like an alchemist handling dangerous substances, was carrying a thin, oblong box in his hands. The other two guards didn’t even attempt to approach him, whilst the remaining cadets had stopped what they were doing and were staring at the slow procession heading towards the stream. At that moment, everyone watching Liam had their backs to the forest.
The attackers at the front seized the moment and, trying to make as little noise as possible, pressed forward. They didn’t have far to go, and after just a short while they found themselves behind two huts closer to the forest, with their backs pressed against the walls made of thick logs. On the left, Cedric took up position with four other cadets, and on the right, Zane with two.
A rustling sound caught the dragon’s attention. As he looked in that direction, Sheth and Noah were moving forward, relatively calmly and choosing a fairly concealed path. The dragon scanned the village and, trying to make as little noise as possible, set off in pursuit of his team-mates. Glancing every now and then towards their opponents, he concluded that they should thank Liam after the lesson. The alchemist was the main reason for their current success and their trouble-free sneak into the village within effective casting range.
Draco stopped at the edge of the forest, just behind the parthir, who had just placed both hands on a massive oak tree and closed his eyes. The troll was standing slightly to the right, partly hidden behind the tree, so the dragon positioned himself in a similar manner on the left. He slowly drew his sword and leaned his shoulder against the trunk to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, though no one was looking in their direction anyway.
Cedric first scanned the edge of the forest, then, as if gathering his composure, took a few deep breaths. Retfield leapt with a fluid
