Curses & Cries ; Sebastian Sallow

chapter 8: The Relic 🌶️

"Igribach, are you with me?"

Blinking, she said, "Yes, Sebastian," and turned her eyes back to the scraps of paper on the table before them, the same ones they took from the catacombs of Feldcroft two years ago.

Sebastian gazed wistfully at her. She tried to match his enthusiasm but could not help thinking about Garreth's earlier proposition. Sebastian carried on with an injured air, Letty noticed, and this forced her to forget Garreth entirely.

"Earlier I was looking at the maps you had drawn," he said, lifting one of the Feldcroft Region and in it was the Irondale hamlet. Then he picked up a journal entry to compare. "I couldn't help but notice this entry about goblin-silver—this etching... wouldn't you say it looks like a moon?"

"What do you think it means?"

"Recall where you first saw the Mooncalves do their dance, you and Poppy."

"At the moonstone ruins in Irondale," she said.

"Yes, and look what I found—hand me that book by your arm, the small one—right there. Thank you." Sebastian opened the book and began to read. "'Irondale... mhm. Originally founded by goblins to mine iron, the goblins were pushed out when it became famous for its ironworks...' Gobbledegook... yes yes—here! 'Now, the hamlet is entirely made up of witches and wizards.' It could be there, Letty, I'm sure of it."

Letty went over to him and, leaning almost cheek to cheek, read also.

"One problem," she said, "iron and silver are not the same thing."

"True enough. However, that doesn't change the fact that the journal points us to Irondale—just look at the moon symbols and the talk of Fwoopers."

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

"It's got to be there if goblins were so drawn to it in the first place. The goblin-silver is in Irondale. The substance we need for the relic to work—it's in the moonstone garden. I've made up my mind."

"Now, hold on, Sebastian," she said. "There are more than Fwoopers and Mooncalves in that area and we must be sure not to go charging in. What do you suppose we do if the silver is there? Have you any idea how it looks?"

"We'll know it when we see it, and same goes for extracting it," was his ignorant reply.

"Sebastian," said Ominis for the first time, "I feel you're getting carried away again. Don't you think you ought to have a plan preceding the garden?"

"I thought you weren't wanting any part of this, Ominis."

"Don't start. You know why I can't bear to help. If anything it's to keep you from getting yourselves killed. As for you, Letty," he continued, "you are altogether too prim and clever, but you'll get yourselves into trouble if you don't take care. I like your nice manners and decent ways of thinking, when you're not in a fury over goblin-silver. But your need for knowledge is just as bad as Sebastian's determination."

Letty put her hand out to keep Sebastian from his callousness, and said, "What do you suppose we do then?"

"Don't ask me. Even then you'll do whatever you want. And if I can't persuade you to give this up I shall watch and be out of your way. I've said all that I needed to," and Ominis made his way out of the Undercroft with the air of soft anger.

No one stopped him, for they had learned by experience that when Ominis was in that mood words were wasted and it was best to wait till his generous nature returned.

The clock struck two and, having swept up the loose papers into a pile and hid the valuable artefact away in case someone strayed inside, Letty poked at the fireplace to warm up.

Sebastian thought sombrely for a minute, for how could they end their meeting on such a desperate note, then joined her on the sofa and said, "Did he tell you that he was planning a ball for your birthday?"

"No, how thoughtful. I should have wanted to hear it from him, though. Nasty of you to ruin his surprise. You never can keep a secret, can you?"

"I only told you because I didn't think you were the type. So you do want one?"

"I can't say I mind."

"Letitia Igribach."

"If he wants to, let him. It'll be the first decent thing to happen to me in months."

Stunned, Sebastian followed up her remark with the inquiry, "Are we not going to talk about it?"

At that minute, Letty was absorbed on the prospect of ball gowns and good company that it was very provoking to be arrested in the act of such question. She wrestled herself from asking the obvious, for she knew 'it' meant the summer night at Gaunt Manor.

"Good heavens, you're blushing."

And Letty snapped, "I'm awfully hot, that's all."

"My apologies," he said, this time in a whisper.

She shuffled further away on the couch. Even though Sebastian thought she was recoiling from him, he moved closer in her direction. It was only then that it occurred to him that she might not be shrinking from him, but drawing him deeper into the gloom of the Undercroft, until they were close enough just to whisper.

Sebastian brought himself under control, saying, "Letty, it's been there for years..."

The girl had an idea what he meant but pushed it away when he looked about to speak again.

He drew in a breath and carried on more reflectively, "Perhaps that's why I was such a nuisance in our first year. I don't know. Every moment you were furious with me—and so I'd become furious with myself. I suppose it was a way of not wanting it to be true."

She said, "It?"

When he spoke again he looked up at her. "You knew before me, didn't you? Even now I'm not sure how. But I know it's there."

Sebastian looked down and Letty waited.

"I know it's there because for years it has made me behave ludicrously," he continued. "And you, of course... You do know what I'm talking about. Tell me you do."

Sebastian was afraid there was nothing shared at all and that Letty would think he was a fool, but she moved nearer, saying, "I know it exactly."

Their friendship had become vague in recent years and getting intimate was easy. For a moment, there seemed no way out and they stared at each other in confusion, unable to speak, sensing something might slip from them. Until Letty smashed her lips into his. She knew she would be paying for that soon and just as the thought left her, he kissed her back harder, and the little bit of byplay excited them.

Soon they were making a mess of the cushions. Her hand reaching for anything as to ground herself while Sebastian's arm went around her waist. She couldn't believe it was happening again, that she was there and this moment was real.

Sebastian drew back and said, "We're far from Gaunt Manor now, aren't we?"

It wasn't long till they were back at it, her hands in his hair and his mouth on her neck and her back against the bookshelves, for the couch was too small and they stood up in excitement. Everything was slow and perfect and made no sense at all.

There was the table in the middle of the room, and when they finally moved away from the bookshelves he pressed her against it, lifting her so that she was seated on the surface and that their bodies were pressed together. Letty wasn't sure if she was even good at kissing, for she felt her mouth clumsy and shy. She wanted to pull him closer and push him away at the same time. She wasn't sure where to put her hands or how hard to grab or how deep to sink her nails into his shoulders.

And while she knew what came after kissing, while she knew what it meant to have his hands slide up over her knee to her thigh, she had no idea how to hide her inexperience.

Letty pulled back to look at Sebastian while trying to keep the panic out of her eyes and said, "Yes, very far from Gaunt Manor and so we ought to save this for another time."

"Tell me you're not afraid of getting caught," he said into her neck.

"No, but I would rather not."

And no matter what she said or however persuasive she had been, Sebastian proved he would still get his way with her.