A Ballad of Snakes and Shadows // A Dark Sebastian Sallow Romance

Chapter Twenty One: The Undertaker

((cw: heavy smut, lots of humiliation/degredation. bring a raincoat.))

It appeared I would indeed be friendless by the end of the term, if not the entire fucking year. The future that I'd been clawing my way towards would be a lonely one, though I wondered if I would ever make it that far.

Natty had given me a wide berth since the night we had brought Poppy back to the Room. I knew that she'd been quite upset with my methods, but now she'd made her point that she was furious with me.

We had gotten some semblance of an answer from Poppy, regarding whatever was in those vials. I didn't understand why Natty had gotten so bent out of shape over my methods, no matter how unconventional they had been.

In my book, this was a fucking win.

Especially now that Poppy was safe in the seaside Vivarium, rather than being a menace on heels, running about the castle and Merlin knew elsewhere. It might've taken a good bit of spellwork to compel her to be a little more agreeable to being there. Paid enough though, since she was more pliant now, albeit a little grumpy. Highwing had been happy for Poppy's company, regardless of how the latter tried to shoo the bird away more than one time already.

The only thing that ebbed at my nerves was that Natty wasn't being honest with me. We were supposed to be in this together, yet she was avoiding every attempt I'd made to speak to her. Wouldn't so much as look at me in passing in the halls, nor even when I tried to sit with her in the library. It was crystal clear that what I'd done to Poppy had gotten under her skin.

It was even more evident, as she turned her nose away, that my use of the Torturing Curse had deeply disturbed her.

All I wanted was for her to be woman enough to admit it, so we could get on with our lives and back to the mystery of the Court. She had known that we would have to play dirty against the foes we stood against.

Natty had been all bark, no bite.

So instead I had to find ways to bide time, alone.

Two weeks had passed since Deek had taken the vials of Verdure straight to Professor Sharpe. In the days that passed, the potion's master hadn't been able to crack whatever secrets tainted that liquid yet. He hadn't sent so much as an owl.

I only hoped that Sharpe hadn't been apprehended by the Headmaster.

Or worse, the Court.

Those thoughts were just rampant paranoia, though. Something like this potion, poison, or whatever it was was going to take time to dissect. My anxiety however, had pushed that semblance of patience and reasoning quite far away.

So here I was, on the far end of Cragcroft, sulking on its coast just under a hill on the lone isle of rocks.

Alone and insecure.

I sniffled at that thought, as I sat myself down on one of the large boulders that sat close to the sea. I had decided that this rock, and the ocean that surrounded it, would instead be my companions now. Though the boulder was silent, and the waves of the sea a bit too loud, they seemed like trustworthy friends.

Unlike Natty and Ominis, they didn't toss me to the side, or avoid me.

Some of it had been my own doing, I wasn't that ignorant. I knew that their sickened avoidance had everything to do with my lack of willpower against Sebastian Sallow, and that demand to take extraordinary lengths to advance in these games of his.

My faults put aside, weren't friends supposed to stick together forever?

I supposed that betrayal and shock can only be overlooked for so long before they tested any bond of friendship. Even ones that had been born out of intense situations, and a lot of bloodshed.