Invisible String - Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Quiet Mornings

"But- But that, well, that doesn't make sense," I sputtered, stupidly, knowing they wouldn't lie and yet wishing it wasn't true. "The Gaunt's surely don't know about Aurora. Or me for that matter. What business do they have in a poacher ring?"

Ominis shrugged, "I don't know what they could possibly need with a poacher ring. But Sebastian and I have gone to the manor the last two summers."

"But we haven't been talking! I haven't even sent an owl. How would your family know about me?"

Sebastian tensed underneath me, his whispered "Oh," causing me to start. I whipped my head to him, to take in his expression. This proved to be reason enough for me to worry.

His eyes were wide, freckled face covered in shock, brows raised and the darkness I'd planted in him showing vividly on his face.

"Sebastian? What is it?" Anne's voice finally joined in the conversation, the second Sallow sibling noticing the difference in her brother almost as quickly as I had.

"Seb?" I asked after he didn't answer her.

"They know about you," he choked out, "because I went to live there."

Ominis looked around, his unseeing gaze narrowed in on Sebastian while his hand squeezed my knee. "But why would my family care about Abbi? She's not a pure-blood."

My blood ran cold, the familiar tingle of Dark Magic sparked and then died inside my chest.

"They want my magic," I whispered, eyes locked onto Sebastian's, his face showing the darkness just as much as mine.

~

The morning sun was filtering in through dusty stained glass windows, the smells of coffee and fresh bread filling the small cottage as Poppy, Ominis, Anne, Sebastian and I all circled the table still stained with blood from the previous night. A small basket like bread was placed in an attempt to get us to eat.

No one had touched it.

The Sallow home was admittedly much too small for five people to crowd around the table, let alone sleep comfortably. Solomon really hadn't thought much about comforts of his niece and nephew, but rather kept them in his small single room home because it was convenient for him. The very thought of him keeping the twins in this type of environment still made my blood boil.

The result of this situation now was for us to crowd in together as close as we could around the small table. I perched myself on Sebastian's lap, his arms still caging me in by my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder. A cup of hot chocolate was clutched in my hands at Anne's insistence. Sebastian's mug of coffee was untouched on the table next to my broken wand.

I kept my eyes on it while I waited for anyone to speak.

Poppy was looking confused and worried as her eyes darted around the room, her body leaning into Ominis instinctively. His hands were splayed out on the table in front of him, palms pressed flatly to the wooden surface, his face pinched tightly.

It was Anne who broke the uncomfortable silence that had settled in on all our throats.

"I still don't understand what ancient magic is," she said slowly, her voice steady though her hands were clenched like Sebastian's.

"I don't really understand it either," I admitted, looking at between her and Poppy. "But it's powerful. It's what Ranrok and Rookwood were after."