The door opened, revealing Garreth who looked utterly defeated and distraught. His red hair was caked against his forehead with mud and a bit of dried blood. Gracie frowned, wondering if he'd fallen asleep in the cemetery near the house. Everett and Imelda's deaths had destroyed him as if those two were the last he considered friends with Natsai gone. He didn't appear to be very close with Ominis and certainly not the demon next to her.
Ominis stood up, alarmed with his wand out, but Dinah spoke first. "Merlin's beard. You look dreadful. Come wash up and join us for tea."
Sebastian's eyes narrowed, "What did you get into a fight with? You're bleeding."
Garreth's voice trembled and she realized his eyes were bloodshot from liquor. "You didn't mind the blood when it was Everett and Imelda dying on your couch."
"I thought it'd be rude to point that out on their death beds." He quipped sadistically.
All joking was pushed aside the moment he walked through the entryway. Sebastian lept to his feet, pulling Gracie up and covering her view of the front entrance. His grip was tight, but not enough to hurt her. Though it wasn't comfortable in the least and she tried to push his hand off her.
"Sebastian." She muttered, nudging him. "Let go, your grip is too tight."
He either didn't hear her or he ignored her. His back was rigid and she finally gave up, choosing to leer over his bicep to see what was happening with Garreth. Now that he was finally over the threshold, Gracie's breath caught when she saw someone holding a dagger to his back as it revealed itself from the shadows.
"Poor bastard." An evil laugh escaped him as the dagger was shoved into Garreth from behind and dragged down so that his entrails spilled down the front of his cloak, "He felt as if you all stabbed him in the back, not caring about your wee friends' death. It was my pleasure to show him what being stabbed in the back truly feels like."
Dinah's voice wavered.
"Pergit."
A goblin half the size of Garreth let out another laugh, before ripping the blade out, and pointing to Sebastian. No, not Sebastian.
Gracie.
"Ranrock has business with you." He mused whimsically, "Something about revenge is best served in cold blood."
Chapter Seventy Four: Traitor
Ominis nose scrunched, "Revenge is a dish best served cold is the original expression. If you're going to try to be intimidating, at least try harder."
Gracie looked at him incredulously. Really? Now's the time for that?
"Wrong again. That's the oft-quoted phrase. The original is 'la vengeance est un plat qui se mange froid,' an excerpt from Pierre Choderlos de Laclos in his 1782 novel." Sebastian corrected without taking his eyes off the blatantly irritated goblin.
She looked towards Dinah to see the witch was shaking her head, but had her wand drawn. All of a sudden, Gracie felt inadequate for not doing the same. She was getting lax, thinking that Sebastian could easily protect her. She had to remember that as indestructible as he made himself seem, Sebastian wasn't immortal. He could be hurt too.
"That's what you're concerned about?" Pergit watched uninterested as Garreth dropped to the floor choking on his own bodily fluids, "You're not concerned about how I know the true identity of General Azrael or the fact that Ranrock wants her head?"
Sebastian pretended to think for a moment before comically replying, "Considering I plan to murder you tonight and your precious leader in a few days... No. Not particularly. As for daring to harm her, you'll suffer for the empty threat alone. If I thought you could possibly lay a finger on her, she'd already be gone."
"Arrogance will be your downfall." Pergit reflected with his lip curling up in a snarl.
In front of her, Sebastian scoffed quietly and aimed his wand. "And threatening her will be yours. Now are you going to stand there all day or do something, you ol' git?"
While they'd been trading insults back and forth, Gracie had an idea. With the satchel next to her, she'd quietly slipped the sword out. Pergit or whoever this goblin was certainly wouldn't be able to hand four highly trained wizards. He'd rely on his ancient magic that was imbued in his goblin metal suit of armor.
True to form, Pergit unleashed a beam of corrupted ancient magic in Sebastian's direction. She couldn't push him aside, but she lept forward, crashing into his back, and thrusted the sword in a diagonal arc in front of him. The magic refracted off the blade like sunlight bouncing off a mirror.
It shot back to Pergit with the same ferocity he showed them. Sebastian's arm came down, trapping the sword against his chest as he slid his foot back and took the physical force of the cast with his body. He didn't show any signs of pain, but Gracie knew it had likely knocked the wind out of him in surprise.
The goblin didn't even have time to scream as he was reduced to ashes. Pergit might as well have been a synonym for pungent because all they could smell now was burnt skin and hair. To say it wasn't pleasant was an understatement.
Garreth was still choking on his blood. Sebastian pulled the sword from her grasp and walked towards him with a benevolent expression on his face.
He uttered the words to a healing spell, though there was little chance of him being saved. It would stop the bleeding, but he wouldn't live for even fifteen minutes more. So why was he bothering at all?
At least allow him to die quickly.
They all watched as he squatted down, placing the tip of the sword against Garreth's shoulder, and scraped it lightly. Her breath caught, realizing what he was doing.
"Traitors deserve a traitor's death, no?" Sebastian toyed with the edge of the blade against his skin. A few beads of blood swelled on Garreth's shoulder and turned black almost immediately, "How interesting." His voice lowered half an octave, rumbling in his chest. "Gryffindors are known for having a monopoly on bravery. You'll need that for where you're going. Enjoy the ninth circle, old friend."
Garreth started trembling and she looked back to see that Dinah had a tear streaming down her cheek before she hastily wiped it away. Sebastian noticed it when he turned around, but he didn't care. He glanced between Gracie and Ominis, his eyes doing a quick assessment to ensure they were both unharmed.
Ominis' eyebrows furrowed while the other wizard died in misery, "If Pergit knew of this place, then it's not safe. We need to leave. I'll go with Dinah and send you an owl in a day or two. Lie low."
Sebastian nodded, "The cabin then."
"The cabin." Ominis reaffirmed, holding his own hand out for Dinah.
Once they were gone, Sebastian packed the sword into the satchel, and casted one last look around the house. His emotions were at war with each other and she wondered what he was thinking. She didn't have a chance to ask as voices could be heard in the distance along with shouting.
It was as if a riot was on its way here. Maybe one was.
An irritated noise escaped Sebastian as he casted a strong fire spell on the documents they'd recovered from Rookwood and he slid his arm around her lower back. Gracie put her hand on his chest and the plunging sensation brought them to a dark room.
She was disoriented at first until a single candlelight lit up the quaint cabin room. There was a stone fireplace which Sebastian sent a spark to, further lighting up the room, and revealing more furniture. A modest loveseat with a dusty coffee table in front of it. There was a spacious kitchen with the basic appliances. Gracie sneezed from the stale air, wondering when the last time this place was inhabited.
There were two square windows in the room and one in the kitchen, but dark green curtains completely covered them up. What shocked her was that the clock on the wall read 8:33 p.m.
"Please tell me that clock is wrong." Her head swiveled towards Sebastian who'd staggered back onto the couch, pale in the face.
Sebastian never wavered.
A devastatingly exhausted grin fell on his lips, "You wouldn't beat a wizard when he's down would you?"
"Typically? No. You? Always." She pressed her lips together, more irritated than he'd been earlier, "Sebastian we are in a timezone four hours behind. Where are we?"
"Probably the last place you'd ever want to be."
Her eyes narrowed, "I'm not in your arms right now."
Sebastian choked on a laugh, "I think I'd rather you beat me than hear you say that."
"Too bad." Her voice was flat, "Where. Are. We?"
"Guess."
"Do you have a death wish?"
His head tilted, "You wouldn't kill the father of your children."
"I can find them a new father."
"Behave." A dangerous edge to his sharp command, but she wasn't afraid in the least. "We're near the Carolinas."
"Carolinas? As in North and South?"
He sent her a deadpanned expression, "No, East and West."
She swished her hand, hitting him in the face with pillow that left a dusty print on his cheek. "Don't be cheeky. Are we near the Appalachians again? Why in Merlin's name would you bring us here? Don't you understand that you forgetting me is the most painful, traumatic memory I'll have to relive over and over again? I can't simply forget it."
Although he was clearly tired, Sebastian was on his feet and cupping her face with a stern expression on his face. "Gracie. Words will never be enough to explain how sorry I am about that, but this is the safest place for us right now. The Appalachians have old magic that will cover our trail."
"Old magic?" A bit of nervousness crept into her voice, "What do you mean?"
"There's a lot of legends about the Appalachian mountains that keep people out. Even Scourers are weary about this place and wizards avoid it because of Hidebehinds."
Gracie recalled learning about those dark creatures in D.A.D.A..
A nocturnal and fearsome creature from the Americas, Hidebehinds preyed on Wizarding kind and Muggles. These creatures adapted into American Folklore and became responsible for the disappearances of many loggers. Hidebehinds as the name states are able to conceal themselves behind any sizable object. Their main choice always being trees and as such tend to stick to heavily wooded areas. Their ability to stalk is unmatched, often surprising their prey. Victims of these nocturnal creatures are dragged back to their lairs to be devoured.
A sick feeling washed through Gracie. Meeting Sebastian's eyes, she didn't hide the fear behind them. He understood with an awry smile, leaning down to press his lips against her forehead.
She closed her eyes briefly, enjoying his strong presence and the safe feeling he gave her, "Don't fret, Shortcake. An army couldn't take me away from you, never mind some Dark creatures. Pukwudgies tend to keep them at bay. Plus, I've heavily warded this place. Just don't go outside without me."
"How long must we stay here?"
The brute with a gentle touch rubbed the tops of her arms up to her shoulders in a methodical, soothing gesture. He watched her expression carefully, "A couple days. Ominis will meet us here once he determines Dinah can be trusted."
Gracie froze, "What do you mean 'if Dinah can be trusted'? Why wouldn't we be able to? She's been leading the rebellion this entire time."
"I don't trust anyone except for you and Ominis." Sebastian said without any signs of remorse, "Haven't you ever wondered why or how Ominis was captured when he's powerful and clever enough on his own not to be caught?"
She shook her head slowly, "I've never thought about it. I mean... Everyone is prone to making mistakes."
"Not Ominis. Someone knew he would be at Rookwood Castle." He pressed his lips into a thin line, "Only Dinah knew that he would be at Rookwood Castle that night and then she waited to tell me. You knew before I did."
Gracie felt like the carpet had been pulled from underneath her, but there was also a wildcard he hadn't thought about. "Sebastian, what if he was followed that night? None of us know for certain how long Pergit's been watching the house. With you on the frontlines, the others weren't as perceptive as you are. They could have missed a spy."
Honestly, she didn't want to believe that Professor Hecat could be a traitor. Sebastian was too cautious and refused to trust anyone...Though that was also what had kept him and Ominis alive for this long. Garreth couldn't really be faulted either. Once someone found themselves in a dark hole, it was very hard to get out of it without help. He must have felt alone and like nothing mattered anymore. Truthfully... Gracie pitied him.
"Those are possibilities." He concede, brushing his knuckles against her cheek. He couldn't stop touching her as if he was in disbelief that someone like her existed. He looked at her the way Eros must have stared at Psyche; in constant awe and admiration. Come to think of it, they'd had a daughter too. Sebastian continued, filling the silence with a promise. "When this is all over, I swear to you that I'll take you somewhere safe. Where we won't have to worry about being ambushed or attacked and where we can raise our daughter in peace."
A sad smile rose on her lips, feeling the burden of hope. It was starting to become unbearably heavy. Her hope for the future. Her hope that Sebastian would come out of this unscathed... And maybe what was most unbearable was that their current happiness had the potential to be a ticking clock that only dwindled in time.
If things went wrong during the final battle then that meant they were unknowingly spending their last few days together. And that terrified her as she stared at Sebastian with tears slowly filling her eyes.
"I don't want to lose you." She whispered, feeling choked up.
He understood where her thoughts were because as always, they were on the same page. Sebastian's smile was equally devastating as he continued to brush his fingers along the outline of her face until he reached her chin.
"Gracie," He whispered, his breath fanning across her lips. "You are my life now. Please don't ever think that my love for you is fragile. Death won't be the thing to separate us. Memory or not, you have always been and always will be as vital as breathing. Every breath of mine is yours to take. Every inch of me is yours to take." She felt his lips curl as a naughty smile took over, "Speaking of that, I've got nine for you tonight like the good girl you are."
She pulled away to give him a flat stare, "You can never be serious, can you?"
"I am being serious. Take me to bed, woman." He winked, but then had to blink a few times. "Mostly because I'm dizzy from Apparating across the bloody pond and I'm going to inevitably pass out soon."
With a shake of her head, Gracie walked with him towards what she assumed to be the bedroom. Still... She couldn't wrap her head around Dinah possibly being a traitor. It seemed far fetched and on the verge of being impossible. Pergit following Ominis to Rookwood's castle was the more likely possibility.
But even then... Gracie still had a nagging feeling that she was missing something.
Something crucial.
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(▰˘◡˘▰) Commencing break. Even though its really just an opportunity for me to get ahead on chapters and start plotting--I mean planning the next story. The next chapter will be Sebastian's POV and a mature read, so I look forward to seeing you again on 4.3.29
I plan to release some tiktoks soon that might hint at what the next story is going to be about, so stay tuned.
Thank you for reading and please leave a comment!