Magicis Par // Sebastian Sallow

19. At What Cost?

            I rubbed my shoulder, trying to coax away the burning pain that still lingered. Sebastian looked up from his Potions textbook and frowned. He opened his mouth to say something, but I held up a hand to stop him. "You've apologized enough for twenty years, Bash. I'm not upset."

"It'd make it easier if you were."

"I'm still upset about other things, if it's of any consolation. Like breaking up with me, for example." He rolled his eyes and returned his attention to his homework. "I'm still awaiting an apology for that."

"I'm not sorry for it," he returned coolly. "I still think it was foolish for us to court when there were more important things to consider."

"Maybe if your head wasn't so far up your ass with hatred—"

Madame Scribner stopped at the head of our table and issued a fierce shh along with a stern look, causing me to lower my voice before continuing.

"Then perhaps we'd have some more answers by now."

His hands slammed on the table abruptly. "Answers? Clara, we have spent over a year searching for answers! I will not stop searching until there is one!"

"Then you should expand your search...perhaps into who you think cursed Anne." His eyes narrowed at me. I knew I made my point, and he knew I was right. "There's only one curse that doesn't have a counter-curse. If we can figure out who—"

"I'd sooner die than fraternize with the enemy."

"Merlin, Sebastian, if you'd let me finish a goddamn sentence every once in a while..." The bells echoed through the library, signifying the start of the next class block. "Let's just get to Potions."

He looked down at his textbook with a frown. "But I'm not done with my reading."

"Not my problem." I collected my belongings and waited at the head of the table for him. He milked every ounce of his pout until we made it to the classroom where we took our table with Ominis and Poppy. Poppy looked between Sebastian and I with pinched eyebrows. "Don't. He's being a child."

"I am not! I simply don't believe that I should have to interact with a goblin when—"

"Merlin, not this again," Poppy muttered. She turned to me. "By the way, I think I found that dragon's den." Her voice dropped to a near whisper as more students started claiming their seats. "We need to get the egg back soon, or it won't hatch. She'll go mad with grief. I couldn't bear to see a dragon put down knowing that I could have stopped it."

I nodded in recognition of her concern. "This weekend? Can the egg make it a few more days?"

"Yes, but no longer than Sunday. Do you have class on Friday?"

"Just one in the morning. We can depart after lunch." My answer seemed to satisfy Poppy, as she turned her attention to her open textbook.

Sharp limped out of his office and towards the head of the class, stopping at our table. "Miss Selwyn, Professor Fig would like to see you after class."

I pushed a smile onto my lips and thanked him, but I was far from grateful. I just wanted a break. It was one thing after the next since the holidays—the first two trials, Sebastian's unrelenting quest for a cure, helping Poppy stop the poachers, helping Natty stop Rookwood and Harlow...

Granted, nearly everything was related. The only thing I was unsure about was Sebastian's quest for a cure, but even that bared similarities. It was all part of the bigger picture.