Invisible String - Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Thirty-Five: In the Shadow of Anguish

The sounds of her screams ripped my soul into pieces, tore me apart from the inside out, my knees going weak, my mind splitting as I raced forward, through the camp, firing spell after spell as I went, cutting through the poachers she'd missed.

Their screams were cut short by my curses and hexes, blood splattering up as I raced passed them unconcerned about the mess or the fate of the men. Their lives meant nothing so long as she was screaming.

I was covered head to toe in mud and blood, my own enhanced clothing she'd given me years ago heavier due to the mixture I was drenched in. All around me were bodies of the poachers, wands laid out mere inches from their hands, eyes staring up unblinking.

It was her handiwork, without a doubt. I would recognize it anywhere, having fought along side her so many times before. The camp had the unmistakable mark of her particular magic. Parts of the fortress were upturned, smoke billowing around due to the force of the corrupt ancient magic flowing through her veins.

"Shit, Abbi, what did you do?" I muttered under my breath as I pushed deeper into the ruined fortress.

This was her, but more violent, more twisted. Dark fragments of ancient magic were sure to be littering the place, and I felt the pang in my heart for her. She was feisty, she was pure fire, and this was a deadly rage I hadn't seen in years. Not since Solomon. She was hurt, she was angry, and falling deeper into that darkness.

I'd let her fall into it alone.

I slipped on a rouge wand, just feet from one of the poachers limp bodies and crashed into the ground, a puddle of copper swarming over my clothing and into my face. Sputtering blood from my mouth, I pushed myself up righting myself before taking off again.

"Protego!" I shouted as a spell shot towards me, blocked perfectly before I flicked my wand and fired a severing charm at the caster. Two thuds hit the ground as the poacher crumbled, followed by another wrenching scream from deeper in the camp. I smiled, running through the camp and then-

Her scream.

Louder than it had been before.

Begging.

I fell to my knees, hands shooting to my ears as my soul was tattered and torn into pieces, my own scream mixing with hers through the air. Her screaming was at the top of the list of sounds I would do anything to never listen to again in my life. Anyone who could make that sound come from her deserved the most painful and slow of deaths - myself included on that list, having made those sounds come from her two years ago.

I'd heard them in my nightmares every single night since.

Her body writhing on the ground.

Screaming for me to make the pain stop, my wand held steady on her for a fraction of a second longer than it needed to be as I used my first Unforgivable and found myself relishing the power it brought me.

No.

I forced myself out of the memory being played before my eyes.

I had forever to grovel at her knees and beg for her forgiveness for that.

I just needed to save her first.

I was on my knees, moving to stand, the urge to get to her stronger than anything I had ever felt before. I felt the dark monster in my chest, the one I had worked so hard to keep dormant for Anne, and I wanted to let him out. If I was going to get through whatever was left of this place before it was too late, I needed to let him out.

I smiled knowing Abbi wouldn't mind at all. Knowing that the monster in me had been joined with her dark magic, and I felt more powerful because of it.