Magicis Par // Sebastian Sallow

18. A Light Simmer Rather Than a Boil

            Something was happening. I couldn't place my finger on it, but I didn't like it. As the first few weeks of the term went by, Sebastian was scarce outside of class and Crossed Wands. I'd brought it up to Ominis. Ominis mentioned he'd run into him a few times in the Undercroft, but that was it. I wanted to fill him in on my progress with Ranrok, including a trip into the mines with Amit. He wasn't my first choice, but he was the only one I knew who spoke Gobbledegook in this era.

It wasn't until mid-February when Sebastian finally set me an owl to meet him at a different mine in Upper Hogsfield after dinner. Fortunately, it was a Friday. I couldn't do another late night on a school night—it was killing me.

As I approached Sebastian, I immediately noticed a difference in him. He was antsy, his hair messier than usual, and there were bags under his eyes like he hadn't been sleeping either. He held his arms out to gesture around us. "I knew I recognized the portrait on the triptych. This is the view painted on the canvas." I turned to look out over the valley. He was right. It certainly was, even if I couldn't make out much of the detail in the dark.

"You know this area well," I complimented cautiously.

"And, while I was waiting for you, I took the liberty of scouting around. There's an abandoned mine nearby surrounded by Ranrok's Loyalists."

I frowned. Now, that didn't make sense. I came as soon as I received the owl, which meant he was sniffing around the area prior to this. Given his near manic state, however, I chose not to address it. "Do you think it's connected to the triptych?"

He shrugged despite the glimmer of excitement in his eyes. "Perhaps they're searching it the way they did Rookwood Castle and Isidora's manor." I nodded. He was probably right. The goblins had been wherever ancient magic was supposed to be. "How do we want to handle this?"

I blinked a few times. "Right now?"

"We're already here, aren't we?" He sounded so casual when he said it, but it was clear that this was thought out ahead of time. 

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this," I uttered under my breath. "Alright, fine. Best to go about this as quietly as possible. I didn't prepare for a duel."

"You lead the way, then." He nodded down the path to my left. I gave him one last reluctant look before starting down the path. Once the encampment came into view, I cast a disillusionment over myself and reached my hand back for Sebastian's. His fingers locked around mine once he'd cast the spell on himself, and we wove through the camp, mostly avoiding the duels when possible.

When we made it to the second camp, all bets were off. I'm not sure how they spotted us, but we were met with a handful of overpowered goblins ready to attack. It was like Sebastian had been waiting for this with the way I felt his magic surging out of him.

It was entirely possible that he had been waiting for it. He blamed goblins for what happened to Anne and took every opportunity for retribution.

Once we made it into the mine, our only option was through. As much as I tried to lay low, we were forced through groups of goblins and hordes of spiders. Watching him duel just reminded me of the many reasons I had fallen for him. It broke my heart.

He was strong, fearless, and sometimes a little unhinged. It kept me on my toes.

After a painstaking journey through the mine, we found ourselves in another one of Isidora's hideouts. I was scoping out the room for signs of ancient magic or a doorway like we found at Isidora's manor while Sebastian searched the nooks and crannies for anything that might catch his fancy. "Clara, look," Sebastian gasped, pulling open what looked like a shred of a portrait. "This has to be a piece of the triptych."