Invisible String - Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Twenty-One: Poachers Delight

No one gets hurt.

I wondered how many times he's had to repeat that mantra to himself before. It sounded so foreign on his lips, so wrong spilling from them. I loved dueling poachers with him, and I wanted him to duel more by my side.

Let the fuckers burn for all I cared.

The magic tugged at my veins and I took a deep breath. Steady, Abbi.

"I know where the Phoenix is," I said, stopping Anne short of whatever she was about to say.

"How do you know where the only Phoenix in all of Hogwarts Valley is?" Her voice was skeptical, almost taunting. How very similar she and her brother really were, despite the high ground she claimed ownership of.

"It's mine," I said simply. "Might put a wrench in that no one gets hurt plan if yours, Seb."

"Of bloody course it's yours."

"It's yours?"

They spoke in the same tone. Exasperated yet intrigued. Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose again while Anne simply stared, mouth hanging open. I simply nodded again.

"Can we just talk about Anne's health, please? I'd rather talk about anything than my Phoenix being targeted right now."

Anne giggled and Sebastian's glare was loud enough for him to not need to speak. I was in trouble for that one, and I knew it.

"We can talk about all of it," Anne said gently as she sat next to me. It seemed for the time being, she and I were at a truce; I inclined my head to her slightly as she sat. Sebastian stood still in the door, his dark aura growing with every second.

"What is there to talk about?" Sebastian growled. I stared into his eyes, an expression clearly saying are you kidding me written all over my face.

He knew damn well what I needed to tell her. If she and I were going to have this small truce, then I owed her that much.

"Well, it goes hand in ha-"

"Absolutely not."

"Sebastian, be reasonable," I snapped at him, my patience thin. "It's not your decision." The tone of my voice seemed to leave him stunned. I hadn't so much a raised my voice sideways at him since our raid on a Ranrok base in fifth year. He stalked over to the table and threw himself in it, gesturing to me.

"Fine. Have at it."

I glared at his crumpled form in the chair and he glared back just as hard. Anne cleared her throat a little awkwardly, and it was this sound that jerked Sebastian's glare from me. I turned to her slowly, wishing he'd hold my hand again.

"You had all the puzzle pieces, with those papers and those letters. But I think you put them together wrong."

Her eyes flicked between Sebastian and I, "I didn't. He killed Ranrok, you were both there."

"He was only there after everything happened. In the crowd. He didn't kill Ranrok, and it wasn't goblins that cursed you."

She stared hard at Sebastian at this. "What?"

"It was Victor Rookwood."

Sebastian was staring at the table, refusing to look at me but I could swear I saw his hand twitch, as though he wanted to reach to me and stopped himself. This made me angry again, the feeling surging inside of me. He could hold my hand in the garden, pull me back from Isadora's dark magic and lay with me in our cove under the castle. He could do all of this; provided Anne was not in front of him.