Of Cunning Minds: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 14 - Cat and Mouse

Darkness suddenly engulfed the interior of the manor. Someone had casted a spell extinguishing candle flames and drawing curtains shut. Thea's surroundings disappeared into the shadows. She could barely see Sebastian when he pulled her off the counter. His hand latched onto hers as he moved silently through the kitchen and out into the hallway.

Through the darkness, a malicious voice called out.

"Does the little mousey want to come out to play?" It was Harlow. "You left such a nice blood trail for me to follow."

Thea froze. Sebastian squeezed her hand and tugged her towards a room on their left. She turned to follow him but underestimated the spacing between the wall and the doorway. Her body smacked into a shelf, causing a vase to plummet to the floor with a deafening shatter. Sebastian shoved her body harshly to the right just as a stunning spell lit up the air between them.

"Run!" he yelled.

Thea didn't need to be told twice. She hurled her body up and sprinted down the dark hallway and into an unlocked room. Hands outstretched, she stumbled into a large piece of furniture. A desk. She was in the study. Quickly, she ducked underneath the desk and tucked her legs to her chest, trying to slow her breathing.

Slow, tactful footsteps entered the room. Harlow called out her name in a sweet drawl. Thea clasped a shaking hand against her mouth. He could easily cast Revelio and find her crouched beneath the desk, but he didn't. She imagined this was more fun for him.

His footsteps became louder as they circled the desk. "I know you're in here, mouse. Please stop hiding from me." He suddenly stopped walking and Thea had a terrible feeling he was bending down. She gripped the bottom of the desk to stop from trembling.

Crash!

The sound came from somewhere down the hallway. Harlow swore and his angry footsteps carried him out of the study. Thea immediately uncurled herself and silently chased after him. She knew he needed to keep her alive, but she was doubtful he would extend the same courtesy to Sebastian.

She followed Harlow's heavy steps into another room: the library. Feeling her way along the shelves of books, she crouched and stayed well hidden in the shadows. With the room being so large, it wasn't difficult to maintain distance between herself and Harlow's footsteps. If she could locate Sebastian, they could safely navigate their way to the cellar to retrieve their wands.

A book thudded against the floor a few shelves over from where she was standing. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth as she tiptoed towards the source of the sound. Sebastian must have used the book to signal his whereabouts. The footsteps at the other end of the library momentarily paused, before quickening in her direction.

She lurched forward and her hand fumbled against the fabric of a shirt. She repositioned her fingers so that they closed around Sebastian's wrist. It was thicker and harrier than she remembered.

"You're easy to trick aren't ya?" Harlow's voice whispered huskily in her ear.

She kicked him hard in the shin and flung herself through the darkness, down another row of books. His frustrated screams followed her as she ran. She wove in and out of shelves, feeling her way with an outstretched hand. Harlow's footsteps rang in her ears. Thea was disoriented, unsure of how to find the hallway again. She turned a sharp corner hoping it would lead her out of the library when a rough hand closed around her mouth and pulled her against something strong and rigid.

"Be quiet," Sebastian whispered. Thea felt the vibrations of his chest against the back of her head. Nodding silently, she matched his movements, slinking further into the wall behind them.

"Where did you run off to?" Harlow's voice cooed meters from where they were standing. Thea found herself being pressed impossibly closer to Sebastian's chest. His breathing quickened. Footsteps approached them, and although it made no difference to her visibility, Thea shut her eyes in anticipation. Harlow's ragged breaths came from the left but they quieted as he turned and walked in the opposite direction. Thea released a shaky exhale and nudged Sebastian in the ribs.

"We can go out the window," she whispered. "There was a door down in the cellar that led somewhere outside." He nodded silently, his chin brushing the top of her head.

It was her turn to lead, grabbing his hand and fumbling along the wall until they reached drawn curtains covering a window. She pulled back the heavy fabric, flooding the room with light. Her hands trembled as she unlocked a clasp, allowing the glass panel to swing open. Sebastian climbed through the window first and turned to help Thea. The window was several feet off the ground so she accepted his waiting hand. She had managed to get her left leg through the frame when Harlow's footsteps pounded from the hallway. He stopped in the doorway and spotted Thea, a furious glint in his eyes.

"Diffindo!"

The spell cut deep on her already injured leg and she screamed. Sebastian's arms closed around her body as he heaved her through the window causing them to stumble into a trimmed hedge. "Can you move?" he asked hurriedly.

"I'm fine," Thea lied, pulling herself up. "The cellar entrance is on the other side of the estate." Ignoring the blood pouring from her leg, she took off towards the gardens that stretched around the entire back of the house with Sebastian on her heels.

They sprinted past ornate fountains and elegant flower beds, only stopping when they arrived at stairs leading down to a locked door. Thea descended the steps and swore under her breath. "This is the door to the cellar."

Sebastian stepped around her and stared at the rusty lock. He wrapped a hand around it and pulled, bracing a foot against the door. The muscles in his arms tensed as he leaned back, tugging on the lock with all his strength. It didn't budge.

"Now what?" Thea groaned.

"Now, I think I won this little game." Harlow's icy voice dripped from behind them.

Thea turned and positioned her body in front of Sebastian's. Harlow was at the top of the stairs, wand pointed directly at her head.

"You gave a good chase little mouse, but our fun ends here," he teased. Sebastian gripped Thea's forearm, trying to pull her behind him, but she maintained a firm stance.

"What do you want Harlow?" she spit out.

"Let's just say my colleagues and I require your particular skillset." He wiggled his fingertips. "Ancient magic wielders are hard to come by." He raised his wand and whisps of an incantation formed on his mouth when his body was thrown backwards. Thea raced up the steps to find him in a heap beneath a fountain, Anastasia standing next to him.

Her robes billowed in the wind as smoke streamed from her wand. "I'm sorry." Politeness coated her words. "I don't appreciate uninvited guests."