Me and the Devil: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter TWELVE - That Damned Grin

"Lumos."

Nothing

"Lumos!"

Pitch

Black

Even the eyes had disappeared leaving only the hair on the back of our necks to prickle.

"Lumos! What I'm Merlin's name?" Sparks flew from Sebastian's wand behind me as he tried to cast the spell again and again but nothing worked.

The heavy book tugged at my fingers and the darkness pulled at my tongue but no words fell.

The ancient magic I had felt upon entering was, if even possible, thicker now. The way it had been choking me had only thickened, tightening its grasp on my throat. A warmth crept down my fingers and I felt it wrap around my wand - a pulsing, itching feeling nipping under my nails. I hadn't felt this since that night two years ago. The power.

It terrified me. I couldn't move. One wrong move and the chaos would take over, the sparks would burn my eyes and scorch my throat. They would lash out against anyone in the room. And I couldn't- WOULDN'T let them.

"Barlowe? Where are you?"

Sebastian shuffled a few paces behind me, his robes dusting the floor.

"Here." My voice squeezed in on itself.

Moments later, the warmth of his hands pressed to my back and ran down my left arm until he slid his hand into mine, pulling slightly.

"Let's get out of here."

His warmth twisted into my veins and coiled around my stomach. It flitted up my body, through my arm, across my collarbone and tugged at the rope around my neck. It wedged its way in ever so slightly but gave me just enough room to breathe. To feel the magic relax. To feel in control again.

I tucked the book into my bag and let him pull me back the way we came - or what I hoped was the right way. My sense of direction was worse here in the dark than it was in the school.

The windows above us had all but disappeared. If I squinted hard enough, I could peak through the cracks of something and see the stars laughing down at us.

Blue sparks twisted suddenly a few paces forward as the sound of metal on glass clashed through the room.

Instantly, I recognized the sword of the stone knights professor Fig and I had fought in the Gringotts vault.

"Get behind me." I pulled my fingers from his and shifted myself in front of Sebastian.

"Excuse me?" He sounded almost insulted.

I brought my wand up and clenched my jaw.

Please. Please let me control it.

"Lumos."

Only sparks.

I tried again.

"LUMOS!"

The tip of my wand sprung to life, white light bouncing over our features, across the floor and over the stone figure in front of us.

"My eyes!" Evidentially Sebastian had been staring directly at the end of my wand. "How come it worked for you??" He pouted but there was no time to respond. Two more swords clashed against the floor on either side of us - two stone statues rising slowly to their feet, hands covering the hilt of the swords in front of them.

"Lumos!" He tried again, and this time it worked. He cackled in excitement.

Three more stone bodies dropped from the ceiling behind us and clashed their swords in a blast of blue sparks.