Invisible String - Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Quiet Mornings

"I don't remember much," I said, shooting Sebastian a sideways glance. We hadn't had time to discuss what he'd told Ominis, Anne and Poppy. Surely, that was bound to get complicated if we got into the realm of exact details.

Sebastian remained the only one in this room to know of my ability to use ancient magic for a start.

Thinking hard, I felt the rage my dark magic had taken, remembered storming into the poacher camp, shooting curses all around me and not caring if they injured or killed, any reservations or warning thoughts that I'd previously had completely consumed by the darkness within.

I didn't know what to confess.

So instead, I followed up with, "The last thing I remember was being bound to a chair and being in the worst pain I'd ever been in. They wanted to know how to get into the Room of Requirement, I think. I- I recognized one, but I couldn't place it."

Ominis sighed, his shoulders slumped forward even more than usual. "I thought you might not remember. When you fall victim to the Cruciatus Curse, especially when done by a powerful caster, it can affect your memory."

The aches in my body seemed to come alive again when he mentioned the curse. I flinched away from the memory of the pain. It had been so much more intense than when Sebastian had done it.

"It was worse than last time," I whispered, my voice cracking slightly.

Sebastian tensed, his fingers flexing in anger.

"Last time?" Anne questioned. "When did- who did-"

"We know," Ominis said, gently, cutting Anne off.

"You know? But how could you possibly know it was worse?"

"It was my family, Abbi."

I stilled at his words, my own voice dying in my throat as I processed what he'd said. So calmly, so matter of fact, that I was taken by surprise. His family? The Gaunt's had no reason to be involved in a poacher ring, why on earth would his family be anywhere near it?

"Your family? But-"

Sebastian's arm tightened around me again, his eyes narrowed in an icy glare at his friend, and this time it was his voice that cut me off. "Thorfinn and Marvolo Gaunt. There was a third, but I will admit, I don't know who he was."

"It couldn't have been your family. I recognized one's voice, I couldn't place it but I know I've heard it before. I've never met anyone in your family. There has to be a mistake." I was talking rapidly, the words tumbling desperately from my lips.

I had heard enough about the atrocities of the Gaunt family to be frightened of them. The things they'd done to Ominis at such a young age had haunted me, left me with a feeling of disgust.

You like the power. The same as they do.

Shut. Up. I am not like them.

I didn't have any room left to listen to the voice of my magic right now, despite the way the words rolled in so loudly.

I liked the power, that was true.

I didn't think it a good use on bound and defenseless children.

Ominis sighed, and spoke in a slower manner than he usually did, calling me out of my minds spiral. "Abbi, think hard about the voice you heard. Focus on it, if you can and tell me that it doesn't sound similar to my own."

His tone was so serious, but not in the way I was used to. I was so used to his serious tone being used to scold me, rather than to get me to see sense, but as I focused on the words, it was entirely possible that I thought I recognized it because it sounded like my friend.