Chapter 1

                                    

                                          
"You can wield it. You have the ability! Please.. Talk to the keepers. If not for me, then .. then for Anne!"
Although his words could have been mistaken for encouragement, empowerment even, you knew better. Your stomach twists painfully and you cannot help but ball your hands into fists underneath the long sleeves of your cloak, nails digging into your palms. For a moment, there is no sound in the Undercroft other than your loudly beating heart and Sebastian's quick breathing. You close your eyes for a moment, try to let the pain and disappointment wash over you without soaking your clothes. Your very being. A small sigh, barely audible, and you turn around to Sebastian, forcing a smile on your face when you give him a nod. Agreeing to help him. To betray your heart and your mind, going against what you so firmly believed in – that there was something very, very wrong about all of this. About Isidora's memories, about the picture they painted. The smile he gives you is so relieved, so hopeful, that it makes you falter. Again.
He leaves, and then there is no one left in the Undercroft but you. Yet you don't feel alone at all. Guilt and hurt your ever-present companions, swirling around you like shadows impervious to light or darkness. Clinging on to you like a second skin. You stare at the Triptych in silence. For how long, you don't know. Where had it all become so wrong? You couldn't wrap your head around it. Couldn't pinpoint the moment things between you started to shift. It was never about you. Or your friendship. Not really. It was about your power. A power that could potentially help his sister. Would you not possess these traces of powerful, ancient magic within you, you doubt Sebastian would have kept you around for as long and as close as he had up until now.
Always the fool with the slowest heart.
It hurt. And you didn't want to doubt him. His intentions, his friendship with you.  But it was difficult to keep grasping at straws when there hadn't been any left for a long time. What in Merlin's name were you doing..
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Unfortunately you received your answer to that question sooner than you had hoped. Before you were able to consult the keepers, you receive Ominis' owl. Your eyes skim the parchment and the delicate handwriting before your blood freezes in your veins and your heart stops beating for a moment. In a matter of seconds the note lay forgotten in the snow as you summon Highwing and swing yourself onto the Hippogriff's strong back. "Faster, Highwing!" you urge the beast, despite your consciousness gnawing at you for it. Should have stopped him. Could have stopped him. Should have said something. Your mind was running a million miles per hour, thinking back to your last conversation with Sebastian when he told you that he would send Anne's crest to her, along with plans to meet in the catacomb. After his last interaction with his Uncle, you should have suspected Sebastian to do something reckless in his pursuit of a cure. Could have, would have, should have. No matter. Evidently it was too late already. 
The moment you land near the catacomb, you see him. See them both.
"Make sure he's alright, will you?" is the last thing you hear Anne say before she makes her way back to the Hamlet. She looked frail. More pale than the last time you had seen her, the dark circles under her eyes making you fear the worst. Your eyes find Ominis' just as he turns his head in your direction and your steps carry you towards him in an instant.
"I'm glad you're here" he says but he sounds exhausted. His voice strained and the lines between his brows a dead giveaway for his distress. Out of pure instinct you move your body close to his, arms touching slightly. A small action, but one that had established itself between the two of you whenever he other needed comforting.
"What happened? Where is Sebastian?" you ask and can't hide the edge of panic and discomfort from your voice.
"Inside the catacomb. I am going back inside to find him. Anne's right. He and the entire Hamlet are in danger. The place is crawling with Inferi."