Semyon was at the center of the Underwater Cemetery, tied to a giant shell. His Wand lay on a flat stone nearby.
A pocket of dry air surrounded him, just like the one where Ron had been. A transparent magical barrier kept the water out.
Krum approached Semyon's dry refuge cautiously. Suddenly, a dark shape lunged at him from the side.
Krum instinctively twisted aside. The creature grazed his shoulder as it swept past, its sharp claws leaving several bloody scratches.
"Oh, dear, Krum is having terrible luck! He's run into Kelpies again!" Ludo announced to the spectators.
"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the Kelpie, a shapeshifting water monster found in England and Ireland.
"Though they can take all sorts of forms, they most often appear as horses, with broad-leaved cattails for manes.
"They lure the unwary onto their backs, then plunge to the bottom of a river or Lake, devour their riders, and leave their entrails floating on the surface.
"They're more dangerous than Grindylows—faster and fiercer."
As Ludo spoke, several Kelpies came surging in from every direction. Their long manes streamed through the water, and their eyes gleamed with hunger.
Dodging them, Krum tried to recall the material he had crammed recently. These monsters native to England had been covered. Damn it, what was their weakness?
While he searched his memory, the Kelpies charged. Krum swept his Wand through the water.
"Confringo!"
The spell exploded against the nearest Kelpie. It shrieked and recoiled, but several more surged forward. Krum rolled, dodged, and counterattacked, flashes of War Magic lighting up the water.
One Kelpie pounced from behind and raked his back with its claws. Blood poured from the savage wound, staining the surrounding water red.
Krum struck back with Dark Magic, and the Kelpie shrieked as it