A Legacy of Serpents

Chapter 13

The three of them hid behind a stone wall next to the house, listening to the sweet chaos of screams erupting into the skies as the occupants of Feldcroft noticed the troll racing through the hamlet. As an illusion, the troll was unable to physically make contact with anything. But no one would notice. All they would see was the threat.

Ominis listened as the screams grew louder and more frantic. At least a dozen feet trampled across the ground in their haste to either flee from the troll or fight it. And like they'd anticipated, someone rushed in the direction of Solomon's home and pounded a fist against the door.

"Solomon!" the man shouted. "Solomon! There's a troll! In the hamlet!"

Of course, one of the first things the villagers would have done was run to an ex-auror for help. And sure enough, Solomon's footsteps beat against the stairs on his way down from the landing. Ominis picked up the muffled sounds of grunts and grumbling moments before the door squeaked open.

"What is it? What do you want?"

The man explained the situation in quick, raspy breaths, and then the two of them raced off toward the troll making its way farther down the hill, away from the village.

Sebastian took a hold of Ominis's elbow and tugged him around the side of the house. "Come on! We only have minutes before they either figure out it's a fake, or Ariella drops the illusion."

Ominis left his wand in its holster, as he knew Feldcroft like he knew the sound of his own voice. But he found it frustrating to not hear Anne, to not know where she was.

But then her sweet voice came from somewhere above him and filled him with immense relief. "I don't have anything nice to wear."

Beside him, Sebastian called up to the window, "Ominis thinks you look nice."

With a roll of his eyes, Ominis smacked his friend on the back of the head.

"Ow!" Sebastian protested. "It couldn't hurt to be nicer on your wedding day."

"And you also don't need to be making blind jokes. We haven't the time."

Thankfully, the others quickly complied as they created a small platform of crates for him to stand on near the window. But still, he was unable to reach the window ledge. Being leagues away from Anne during their wedding ceremony of all times seemed wrong.

"Get on my shoulders," Sebastian suggested, and Ominis couldn't help but tip his head to the side, distrust in his expression.

"You'll drop me."

"I won't. Now hurry!"

With much difficulty, he climbed onto Sebastian's shoulders and inhaled sharply when his friend stood up shakily. The sensation of his feet leaving the ground unsettled him. It was why he refused to sit on a broom—hence why he had failed Madam Kogawa's flying class—and also why he disliked large bodies of water.

He knew he reached the window when Anne stretched out a soft, gentle hand to steady him on the shoulder.

"Please hurry it up," Sebastian wheezed. "You are heavier than you realize."

"Then levitate me."

"It's too late." His friend huffed and grunted and staggered. "We're already doing this the hard way. Now hurry."

They quieted as Mr. Moon spoke about the importance of marriage, hiccupping every two sentences or so. At least until Sebastian impatiently told the man to hurry it up. "Do you, Ominis Gaunt, take Anne Sallow to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, through sickness and health, to cherish until death? Er...umm..." Hiccup. "For as long as you both shall live?"