The Keeper's Legacy | Ominis Gaunt | Sebastian Sallow

CHAPTER - THIRTY-SEVEN - Gratis Poltergeist part 3.

"We should reveal ourselves before he panics," Ominis whispered in my ear, his nose nuzzling against my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I couldn't resist planting another kiss on his lips before reluctantly pulling away, reminding myself that we had a poltergeist to best.

Stepping out from the shadows of the bookshelves, Sebastian eyed us with a suspicious glance. "You both seem a bit disheveled."

Blushing, and I was at a loss for words. Should we tell him what just happened? Fortunately, Ominis was quick with a response. "We ran into more of those mannequins," he said, his tone signaling Sebastian not to delve any deeper into the matter. It was perhaps best to save that information for when we were out of this cursed shop.

"Yeah, fair enough," Sebastian replied, giving me an appraising look before deciding not to challenge his best friend's warning.

Avoiding his gaze, I asked, "What's our next move?"

"We search for those blasted lanterns and try not to get ourselves killed in the process," Sebastian shrugged.

"A solid plan," I agreed, though as I looked around, the library seemed like a labyrinth. My sense of direction wasn't the greatest, and I suspected Ominis might even be better at navigating than I was.

Sebastian threw in a sly remark before we moved forward. "Try not to lag behind again."

Ominis assured him that we wouldn't, but the truth was, we couldn't afford to. It was just unbelievably hard not to have his lips occupy my thoughts, even in the face of life-threatening situations. Sebastian took the lead, and the moment his back turned, I stole a glance at Ominis. He was close beside me, and for a fleeting moment, his hand brushed against mine, kindling a rush of warmth within me that surged to my throat. Then, he followed after Sebastian.

Pull yourself together, Ophelia.

With my wand poised and ready, I too followed them.

More of the underground mansion unveiled itself, more vexing puzzles, more of Fastidio's infuriating taunts. We found ourselves flipping rooms, maneuvering through tight windows, and, much to Sebastian's evident displeasure, placing additional lanterns. The underground layout was sumptuous, each room meticulously crafted with a distinct purpose. If only that purpose wasn't to torment us; otherwise, I could have appreciated the artistry of this place. I begrudgingly had to admit that Fastidio had a sense of aesthetics.

Each room grew gloomier, and I couldn't help but anticipate a jump scare lurking behind every door. I couldn't decide whether the worst part was when we attempted to ascend a staircase only for an entire floor to disappear beneath us as an illusion, or the unpredictable assaults from floating objects.

Sebastian and I constantly had to cast Lumos spells just to see anything, while Ominis employed his wand as a guide. This left us struggling to react swiftly to these sudden attacks. It was becoming increasingly apparent that the poltergeist had cunningly orchestrated the layout of this domain to confound and distress us.

"We seem to be going in circles," Sebastian grumbled, frustration lacing his words. This marked the fifth time we had encountered the same setting.

"Perhaps you should retrace your steps," the poltergeist mused.

Ominis didn't hold back, retorting, "Perhaps you should go to hell."

I struggled to keep a laugh from escaping. This sassy side of him was rather endearing.

"The mannequins seem preferable to this form of torment,"I mumbled, eyeing the very same sofa that had crossed our path five times already. If I encountered it once more, I swore I'd reduce it to ashes.