Postremo Gratis // Sebastian Sallow

17. No Decision Made Lightly

            The Keeper's frames were empty, which wasn't so much of a surprise. They had other frames in places that would keep them entertained for far longer, and the threat to ancient magic was allegedly gone after last year.

I didn't stop to wait for them. I fled down the steps towards the repository but froze at the bottom of them. It was almost a year to the day that I was here last. I had to steel myself even though dread pooled in my stomach.

Imelda was hot on my heels, though she had a sudden flood of questions spilling out of her mouth as we ran down the steps towards the Repository—where were we, what was happening, how long has this been here. I answered them as best I could. I helped keep my mind away from the memories of the last time I was down here. The carnage had been long cleaned up, but I still saw it like it was new.

Our steps slowed as we approached the repository. The magic that had once glowed a gentle blue ignited the room in a blood red glow. "Something's not right." Imelda stayed at the base of the path as I continued towards the repository. As I reached my hand out to touch the goblin metal keeping the magic in place, pale blue started bleeding its way back into the repository.

Was something tarnishing the magic?

I had only seen the magic turn red when it became dark. Isidora, Ranrok, and Sebastian were my only examples of it, but appeared Gooding was the next. There was no saying how he got the magic.

"Open the repository, Clara, and no one gets hurt." I whipped around, wand at the ready, as soon as I heard Gooding's taunting song. His arm was around Imelda's neck and her wand in his hand, pressed to her temple. His wand appeared still tucked into his pocket.

I had to wonder what make of wand she had. Would Gooding even be able to use it? "How did you get down here? How did you even know where this was?"

Gooding cackled. "Some of my finest work, I'll admit. It took a lot of piecing together your memories from the interview and some of your little jaunts with Sallow, but I managed. You protected many memories...not all of them, though. Do you like what I've done with the place?"

He removed the wand from Imelda to gesture towards the repository, which had started to transform back into the deep red it was when we arrived.

Imelda took his momentary distraction as a method of escape. She batted the wand from his hand, drove a hard elbow into his middle, and dove towards me, hand outstretched. "Quick, your wand!" Her wand had rolled halfway across the cavern. She'd never make it without getting struck by another spell. She knew I didn't need my wand. I tossed it to her. "Save the magic. I'll hold him off."

There wasn't time to ask questions or refuse. I took off for the repository while Imelda started firing spells towards Gooding. The duel quickly became more aggressive than I'd bargained for. What started as basic exchanges quickly turned into Imelda deflecting Unforgivables and maximas.

I tried cleansing the magic, but there was too much of it. The darkness overpowered it almost instantly. I only knew one thing for certain—if I touched it, it was restored.

I didn't see any other option. Gooding wanted the magic, and it was clearly pining after him just as greatly. There was no time to figure out why. I just had to take it away.

Rather, I had to take it.

The only way to keep the magic safe was to take it for myself.

I didn't know what taking this much magic would do to me. If it killed me, at least it would die with me. Without a second thought, I rested both hands on the repository and let the magic start flooding into me.