https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-875-Death-Eater-s-Plan-the-Hebrides/12580202/
Chapter 876: Voldemort's Frustration
Chapter 876: Voldemort's Frustration
As an island in name, the area of the Heshidili Archipelago was indeed a bit overly large, and there was even a mountain range on it.
Perhaps this was also the reason why the black dragon could live here generation after generation. If the area was too small, it wouldn't be able to sustain a fire dragon.
The good news was that after venturing deeper into the island, Voldemort turned into a black mist and left first with those trusted Death Eaters.
Kyle and most of the resentful cannon fodders, on the other hand, were left to trudge through the mountain range on foot.
But this was also good news for Kyle; without Voldemort by his side, he could act without restraint.
"Tired, mate?" Kyle caught up with a lagging Death Eater and patted him on the shoulder. "Care for a drink? I have some Butterbeer here."
The man turned his head, and upon seeing Kyle's face, he paused for a moment.
Strange, this Travknot fellow, who was usually more temperamental than capable, was surprisingly amicable today.
But before he could think it through, a wand swished in front of his eyes.
"Legilimens!"
The Death Eater's gaze immediately became scattered.
Kyle examined his memories and shook his head disappointedly.
Nothing again. He had checked six Death Eaters so far but found no useful information.
These guys had no idea what the purpose of this trip was.
It seemed that he would have to target those trusted Death Eaters. The ideal candidate would undoubtedly be Rodolphus Lestrange, who was in charge before Voldemort arrived. He should know quite a bit.
But he would likely stay by Voldemort's side, making it challenging to get to him.
Kyle pondered, waving his hand casually.
"Stupefy!"
The Death Eater, who had just regained consciousness, immediately fell unconscious again.
"Should I notify the Order of the Phoenix?" Kyle muttered to himself without turning his head.
In principle, the Order of the Phoenix would definitely want to stop such a large-scale Death Eater operation, but with Voldemort present and Dumbledore's whereabouts unknown, even if the Order's people came, it wouldn't make much difference.
Moreover, they also needed manpower in Cornwall... Although Babbling was Moody in disguise, Crouch Jr. hadn't returned yet, and Kyle didn't see him among the crowd just now.
If the Order deployed all their forces here, what would happen to Tonks if she encountered danger?
But not saying anything wasn't an option either. If something unexpected happened, like the black dragon flying away, it would be a significant problem if the Ministry of Magic was kept in the dark.
After hesitating for a moment, Kyle still took out a specially made parchment and wrote a line on it.
"The Dark Lord has appeared in the Heshidili Archipelago."
This was a message parchment, and the other one was with Cedric.
As a level-headed and rational person, Cedric would surely know what to do upon receiving his message.
At the very least, after seeing the name of the Dark Lord, they should exercise more caution.
The only problem now was that the Heshidili Archipelago was a bit too far away, possibly beyond the range of the message parchment.
After all, when he made this thing, it was just for convenient communication within the Ministry of Magic, and it hadn't yet reached the level of international business.
Kyle folded the parchment, opened the box, and jumped in.
Soon, an animal with a horse's body and a fish's tail squeezed out of the box. In the instant it landed, its fish tail disappeared, turning into a complete horse, which then ran towards the seaside at full speed.
Hippocampi, a magical creature capable of freely changing its body shape. During the Triwizard Tournament, Kyle had... well, 'rescued' it, and now it came in handy.
Although the Hippocampus turned into an owl didn't possess the magical ability to find its destination, Kyle didn't need it to deliver the letter to a specific location.
Given the position of the Heshidili Archipelago, as long as it crossed the ocean and reached the edge of Britain, Cedric's side should be able to see the content.
After doing all this, Kyle habitually kicked the unconscious Death Eater away, took out his crossbow, and chased after the direction in which Voldemort had disappeared.
He still had time, and he needed to gather more information.
Voldemort probably wouldn't stay with those Death Eaters all the time. When they separated, that would be his chance.
With the help of his flying broom, Kyle soon overtook the cannon fodder troops and was the first to arrive at the other side of the island.
Before him was a village built at the foot of the outer mountain. The houses were mostly made of stones and a certain type of plant, exuding a medieval style, reminiscent of a miniature Diagon Alley.
Kyle hid behind a tree and looked into the village.
The once quiet village was now ablaze, and those Death Eaters who had followed Voldemort were frantically destroying the humble houses, seemingly venting their anger.
Interestingly, Kyle didn't spot a single stranger.
The entire village seemed to have been evacuated before Voldemort's arrival, and the villagers had likely taken refuge in the mountains.
It must be said that Miles MacFusty was indeed an intelligent man. Facing such a large number of Death Eaters, only a place swarming with black dragons was the safest.
In his line of sight, Rodolphus Lestrange was kneeling on the ground again, curling up like a cooked shrimp and struggling.
Unsurprisingly, Voldemort had probably hit him with a Cruciatus Curse as punishment for his cleverness.
"Where are they? Where are the people you mentioned!"
Even from a distance, Kyle could hear Voldemort's roar.
"Master... they... they agreed... they even proposed conditions for cooperation... I swear..."
Rodolphus Lestrange writhed in pain on the ground.
"You fool, you've been deceived! They're just stalling for time, buying time for everyone's evacuation."
Voldemort's face darkened, and he cast another Cruciatus Curse, "It seems Miles MacFusty doesn't want to be a smart man."
The Cruciatus Curse left Rodolphus unable to make a sound, his legs twitching slightly to indicate he was still alive.
At that moment, the other Death Eaters arrived.
Facing Rodolphus, who was lying on the ground, they all averted their eyes, pretending they hadn't seen anything.
Kyle also took the opportunity to leave his hiding place and blend in at the back of the group.
"Those who defy the Dark Lord will pay the price." A burly man strode over, flipping the last intact house with his wand, and commanded in an arrogant tone, "Go and find them!"
Everyone looked at each other in dismay.
They hadn't forgotten the sound of the fire dragon's roar and the dozen or so intertwining flames they had seen earlier.
There were fire dragons in these mountains, at least a dozen of them.
Go in and look for people? That would be suicidal.
But their hesitation didn't last long. With just a slight turn of his head from Voldemort, the group scattered like birds and beasts, rushing into the mountains in an instant.
Facing the fire dragons might not necessarily mean death, but staying put would definitely spell their demise.
Just as Old Crab had said, defying the Dark Lord would come at the cost of their lives.
Kyle also blended in with the group.
However, he didn't go far and soon stealthily retraced his steps.
After confirming that there was nothing of value left in the village, Voldemort departed, leaving behind only Rodolphus Lestrange, tortured to the brink of collapse by the Cruciatus Curse.
"Tsk tsk, what's the point of all this?" Kyle pointed his wand at Rodolphus's head.
"Legilimens!"
The usually infallible spell now only revealed a chaotic mess of images, devoid of any useful information.
Occlumency? Kyle furrowed his brows.
That made sense. As a trusted Death Eater, how could he not know Occlumency? Even if it was for self-preservation, they had to master this skill.
But this presented a problem.
If Legilimens didn't work, he would have to resort to using Veritaserum.
Kyle did have some of this potion. During the first-year holiday, Saschia, the St. Mungo's Hospital director, had given him a box containing dozens of various potions, including a small vial of Veritaserum, to commend him for defeating the werewolf.
Additionally, on one Christmas, Snape had also given him a bottle of the same potion.
Although Snape's intention had been threatening, the potion was genuine—a proper Veritaserum that would guarantee the drinker answered every question truthfully.
However, in his current state, Rodolphus might not be able to utter a word.
Kyle hesitated, considering whether to look for another opportunity... But such opportunities were rare, and it was uncertain when he would next encounter a high-ranking Death Eater alone.
Should he take him away... and leave the Heshidili Archipelago altogether?
As Kyle deliberated, the effects of the Polyjuice Potion he had been using also began to wear off due to the passing time.
When Rodolphus Lestrange forced his eyes open, he was met with a face he would never forget.
The Lestrange family used to be the most populous among the Death Eaters, until this man appeared... Once three, now only he remained.
All because of this Kyle!
Mustering his strength, Rodolphus gripped his wand and swung it upwards.
A giant skull appeared in mid-air, with a serpent coiling around it.
Knowing that he was in no state to kill Dumbledore's successor, he chose to summon the Dark Mark!
As long as the Dark Lord saw the mark, he would surely come.
Kyle panicked as he realized that Rodolphus had woken up at some point, and his Polyjuice Potion had worn off, revealing his true form.
"You won't get away..." Rodolphus gasped for breath, his eyes wild with madness and elation.
"I never thought... I would... encounter you here..."
"It is quite a coincidence. I guess I'm just destined to cross paths with your Lestrange family." With a resolute heart, Kyle put away the Polyjuice Potion and took out another thumb-sized vial, prying open Rodolphus's mouth and pouring the potion inside.
Instantly, Rodolphus became more polite, and the malevolence in his eyes faded, replaced by a clearer gaze.
"Tell me, what is your purpose for coming here?"
"To recruit the black dragons of the Heshidili Archipelago and start a war." Rodolphus spoke in a monotone voice.
"Is that all?" Kyle asked again, "What if you fail to recruit them?"
"Kill the MacFusty family of wizards, create chaos, and incite a black dragon riot.
"What would you do?"
Under the influence of the Veritaserum, Lestrange answered without hesitation, "Black dragons have an extreme aversion to magic. As long as a large number of wizards continuously use spells, you can drive them away from Heshidili..."
"Avada..."
Lestrange didn't get to finish his sentence before Kyle dove down, rolling out of the way just in time to narrowly dodge the Killing Curse that came flying from afar.
A cloud of black mist descended from the sky.
Voldemort had returned!
Without hesitation, Kyle prepared to disapparate, figuring that he had learned most of what he needed to know, and his presence here would no longer be of use.
But the next second, Kyle realized he was still standing in the same spot.
"Have you figured out that Disapparating won't work?" Voldemort landed on the ground, a mocking sneer curling his lips, "Want to guess why?"
"Professor Dumbledore, Riddle fell for it!" Kyle's eyes lit up, and he shouted, "Let's kill him together!"
"Dumbledore..."
Voldemort turned his head instinctively.
A gust of wind carrying a few leaves slowly drifted past his eyes.
Fooled...
The red light in Voldemort's eyes surged, almost as if it would burst out, but when he turned back, intending to crush the shameless thief, he saw only the tail of a broom.
"Avada..."
Several green jets of light sped towards Kyle from behind, forcing him to change direction at the first opportunity as he tried to escape on his broom. He flew towards the depths of the mountain range.
The Firebolt was fast, but not faster than the Killing Curse, and now the only option was to... well, think of something else.
At the very least, he had to shake off Voldemort.
This unscrupulous fellow had actually secretly learned the Anti-Disapparition Jinx.
Kyle even suspected that the reason Voldemort hadn't appeared earlier was that he had been busy setting up this jinx.
A proper Dark Lord, and he had to resort to tricks instead of using a curse—wasn't that embarrassing? But regardless, Kyle had to admit that he had been careless this time.
He had originally planned to leave after getting the information he needed, but now it seemed that wouldn't be so easy.
The only good news was that if he couldn't use Disapparating, then Voldemort wouldn't be able to either, and catching up to the Firebolt broom shouldn't be that easy... right?
"I..."
Kyle glanced back and was so startled that he almost fell off his broom.
Voldemort, once again transformed into black mist, was right behind him, and the distance between them was shrinking.
This was the Firebolt, the fastest broom in the world, capable of speeds up to 150 miles per hour, and yet Voldemort had caught up?
Was there no reasoning with him? Kyle could only turn again, diving into the deepest part of the mountain range.
During this process, Kyle held onto his broom with one hand while the other reached into the box and started rummaging inside.
Over a dozen Mandrake plants were tossed out, their roots pulled out, resulting in an ear-piercing shriek that echoed through the mountains.
While the Mandrake's cry wouldn't kill Voldemort, it caused the black mist he had transformed into to dissipate briefly, allowing Kyle to increase the distance between them once more.
"Again with these petty tricks!"
Voldemort was frustrated, or rather, he had never been so frustrated before.
In his opinion, Kyle was like an insect, the kind that he could crush underfoot, but the problem was that this insect was not only fast but also seemed to be coated in lubricant, occasionally spitting out disgusting things, making it impossible to catch.
This had never happened before.
"Is this what Dumbledore taught you?"
Voldemort, in a fit of rage, brandished his wand, sending Killing Curses flying towards Kyle without a second thought.
"That's not what the headmaster taught me," Kyle muttered, but he dared not linger and dove into the forest within the mountain range, disappearing from sight.
Voldemort landed back on the ground and waved his wand forcefully, as if casting something over the mountain range. He then shot the Dark Mark into the sky.
A few seconds later, several clouds of black mist appeared one after another, and the Death Eaters who didn't know this jinx also rushed over in the shortest time possible.
"Master."
Crabbe, Goyle, and a group of Death Eaters stood trembling before Voldemort, their expressions respectful.
They could tell that Voldemort was extremely angry, perhaps even more furious than he had ever been before, including the time he faced Dumbledore at the Ministry of Magic.
They didn't know what had happened, but they dared not ask.
"Gather everyone here and find that shameless thief!" Voldemort waved his wand, and an image of Kyle appeared before everyone's eyes.
The magical projection was so lifelike that it was almost indistinguishable from the real Kyle, as if they were looking at a reflection in a mirror.
Shameless thief? Crabbe and Goyle, who weren't the brightest, became even more confused.
Of course, they knew who Kyle was. After all, when Voldemort had first resurrected, it was this person who caused trouble and rescued Harry Potter from the chopping block.
But what was this about a thief? Did he dare to steal from the Dark Lord?
Was he tired of living?
Seeing Kyle's image again, even though it was created by his own magic, Voldemort's pale face seemed to gain a hint of color, and his voice was cold and devoid of emotion.
"Remember, this time, I do not want to hear about your failure."
...
(End of Chapter)
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