Chapter 39

"...The supreme act of evil. By commiting murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage"

HP6

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Also the seasons turned cold and London had to deal with a particularly freezing winter. The clients demanded unusual artefacts to warm their homes and somehow Tom had predicted that kind of situation, so he had filled the shop with objects that created good profits. Caractacus was overjoyed and before for Christmas he announced that Tom has repaid his debt.

The excitement was slightly cooled by the holidays that kept them busier than usual because of the people who looked for alternative Christmas presents.Evelyn missed her Christmas holidays spent at Hogwarts.Now she was usually back home late after spending the day dealing with any kind of customers.

One afternoon she was surprised to find Tom already at home. He was feeding Hydra with some little mice."Hey, you're already back!" She exclaimed with surprise, taking her cloak off. The joy she saw in the people in the streets affected her. She needed to be positive to survive the cold weather and the busy days.He welcomed her with a warm smile "I'm sorry for not coming to pick you from the shop. I didn't want to risk meeting your uncle who would find me another task. By the way I made you some hot chocolate"."Really? You're so kind" she said beaming. It was something so unusual to hear him saying something so banal, but she was grateful for a taste of normality."You need something hot in these cold days" he provoked her placing the warm cup into her hands.She tasted the chocolate and moaned at the good sensation, then narrowed her eyes at the young man who was just looking at her "What happened? Another boring day with Miss Smith? Or should I say lovely Miss Hebzibah?"."You're so sweet when you're jealous" he pulled her closed and kissed the corner of her lips, tasting chocolate, then pulled her into a hungry kiss.

Evelyn couldn't tell if she enjoyed more the chocolate or that breathtaking kiss that brought to something hotter. She felt good. She couldn't complain if she had a handsome wizard to spend her free time with, someone who still desired her and who never stopped giving her unique sensations. So she ordered herself to enjoy the moment. "Don't we need a small holiday in these days?" She asked when she was able to think properly again "Maybe a trip to celebrate your birthday?".Tom's smirk turned into an apologizing smile "We can't afford that now. We have to save money for our bigger journey. And didn't you want to plan something special for your uncle's birthday?"."Yeah but it's in next months. I wanted something special for you as well" she complained."Well I already have in my arms what I want for the end of this year" his arms wrapped tighter around her.She giggled "Did you pour anything into the chocolate to make me fall easier into your intentions?".His lips were teasing her neck and stoppes to whisper into her ear "I don't need any potion to get what I want from you".

In the next spring Caractacus was turning one hundred year old and although he didn't want any kind of celebrations, if he didn't want to hang out, celebrations were going to him.When the big day came, he old wizard opened the shop, as in any other day, while in the back shop Evelyn was nervous."Someone will come. Don't worry about that" Tom whispered. He got a free day from his missions, but he would stay in the shop anyway "You should worry about that plunging neckline".His eyes traveled down and she elbowed him "It's fine. I'm not naked".He slightly scowled at her and his fingers buttoned up her dress on her chest "There's no need to show more"."It helps this shop growing better" she insisted, trying not to react to his soft touch."There are other ways to make it grow. I want the exclusive on some views" he insisted and walked passed her."You're annoying when you're jealous" she scoffed and followed him, just in time to see Caractacus's reaction when some of his old friends stepped into the shop shouting greetings to him and carrying a crate with bottles of wine covered with dust."This wine is as old as you! Best bottles of that year!" One of them claimed, his mouth showing some lacking teeth whenever he opened it.Caractacus was deeply moved and unable to hide it behind his usual hard face.Evelyn and Tom were the younger people of all those who joined the celebrations and they took care of the shop before it could be all messed up.The guests who were the least comfortable in there were Milly's parents. They never got on well with Caractacus and hated that shop, but they wanted to take advantage of it also to meet their common niece. Evelyn barely paid some visit to them in all those months since she moved in with Tom, rejecting their regular invitations.Nevertheless they greeted her warmly.

"I can't believe you enjoy staying here. This place is so...creepy" her aunt pulled Evelyn to a quieter corner while her uncles were uncomfortably trying to have a normal conversation."I'm used to this" Evelyn said simply. She couldn't blame her since her aunt was used to the solemnity of the Ministry of Magic."You shouldn't" Milly's mum stopped eyeing the items that filled the shop and took a letter from her pocket, placing it into Evelyn's hand "I wanted to give you this. It's some references for St Mungo's"."St Mungo's?" Evelyn repeated, suspecting that her aunt wanted to lock her there too for mental disorders."When you were a kid you wanted to become a healer. What are you doing here now? Wasting time amongst creepy old objects?".Evelyn felt slightly offended "I like working here"."You are telling to yourself that this is enough for you. Because it's easy. You don't want to change because you want to avoid pain. I understand that. But someday you can regret not taking the opportunities life is offering you. I'm a little disappointed that your boyfriend isn't as ambitious as I imagined. He should find a proper job as well" she glanced at Tom on the other side of the room and when he casually crossed her stare, she stared back at Evelyn."Auntie, you can't control our lives. This is enough for us. It's a job that fits us" Evelyn knew that her aunt couldn't understand her."Try something new. Put some effort in it. Then you will tell me what's enough for you" Milly's mum gave her a wry smile and walked away to pull her husband away from that unappropriate place.

"What's that?" Tom asked after a while.Evelyn was lost into her thoughts since she watched her aunt and uncle walking out of the door, unaffected by the merriness and the frolicking of the other guests. Someone took the wine and poured it for everyone, so the shop was filled with a strong smell of wine."Some references for St Mungo's" she said glancing at the paper in her hand as something that didn't belong to her."Are you going to accept that?" He asked bluntly, guessing what it meant."I don't know. I don't want to think about that now" she looked at the glasses of wine, tempted to drown her sorrow into that, just as Caractacus was doing, gulping shots after shots.Tom grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look into his dark, troubled eyes "We had plans, Evelyn. Our journey to visit the world, then we will be back and I'll apply again at Hogwarts. But if you accept that offer, you will have to stay here and work in that hospital. And we will be apart".She shivered at the idea "I don't want us to be that distant"."Same. But if your life goals start to be divergent, that's our destiny" he said forcefully."We would be separated also if you will get the job at Hogwarts" she pointed out."I would make sure I'll be back home every evening. I would spend the nights with you, as much as I can".She swallowed and crushed the letter into her fist "Let's not think about that. It's too far in the future. Let's follow what we already planned"."What are our plans for now?" He whispered in a provocative way."Let's taste some of that old wine before they drink it all".He agreed and caught a couple of glasses. The wine tasted very good, but Evelyn wasn't used to that kind of drink and after emptying her glass she felt her head spinning and fire into her veins. The other drunk guests addressed her some dirty comments and she knew she had to leave before that could slip out of control, although Tom persuaded them to go away.Then he hanged the sign "closed" on the door."We can leave. There's nothing more we can do here" Tom suggested, his breath on her ear shooting an enjoyable shiver down her spine. She couldn't tell if it was the wine or she simply wanted a private celebration with him, after seeing so many ugly faces in that shop.They glanced at Caractacus, who was talking to himself, sitting behind the counter."He's drunk enough so he can't notice if we sneak away from the shop"."I agree. We can entertain ourselves in the back shop? I'm sure he wouldn't notice it" his provocative look made her willing to sell her soul to the devil.Since she didn't complain, he pushed her out from the old wizard's sight.

The back shop was kinda a narrow santuary for Caractacus, he would never forgive them if they messed around in there. Evelyn was caught by surprise as Tom focused on her, no matter if every single movement could make valuable objects fall and break, objects that he helped collecting in his many missions.She pressed her hands on the young man's chest to stop him from destroying the whole room just for lust."There's another unused floor under us. We would be more comfortable there" she warned out of breath."You also have a room here. Why don't we use your bed?" He teased her with a mischievous smirk."It's not my bed anymore. We can just go home"."It's too early to go home" he sighed "Fine. Show me the underground. It should be more exciting".She scoffed at him. The passage and the vertical ladder would cool down their arousal.They used their wands to lit the old and dusty place. The room was filled with empty bottles and ancient rolls of parchment, ruined by seepage.

"Why he never showed me this? What's the point in cramming everything in the small room upstairs?" His voice echoed in the room, although his tone was low."He doesn't like this place. That's why he never comes down here. So we have the privacy that we need" she lit some torches and candles "Do you remember our adventures at Hogwarts, when we were trapped into that nasty room that almost crushed us?".His frown turned into an amused and provocative grin "That was very intense. I remember your touch. Your fingers in my pants. Nobody ever touched me there".She laughed with shock "I didn't touch you there! You had the key in your pockets!"."Yeah, but having your hand in my pockets gave me new unexpected reactions" he gave her a knowing look.Evelyn faced him crossing her arms "So it was that? You chased me only because I made you react in that way?"."No, you naughty girl" he made her turn to push her against a very dusty table, that cracked loudly under their weights "I wanted you to realize my dirty fantasies on you".His body trapped her against the wood. The dust made her cough. That wasn't the idea of dirty that she was planning.From the cracks of the table she saw something sparkling underneath.Tom was busy with their clothes and she stopped him, pushing him away again and lowering the bott of her dress."What is this doing here?" She asked, kneeling to look under the table, where a very elaborated carpet was enrolled. She noticed some golden treads decorating it. That was the sparkles she had noticed it."Do you prefer using a carpet? Is the table too uncomfortable and rough?" He mocked her and kneeled to pull the carpet away from the table, raising more dust that made her cough again."No, you fool" she scolded him "I only noticed that it is valuable. It seems some old handmade Arabic carpet. Carpets are in great demand nowadays".Tom was distracted by what was hidden underneath the carpet: a small plate that opened a manhole."Is there another floor underground?".She looked at the hole with confusion "I never knew about it"."Let's see what's under?" He said impatiently. "I have no idea what's under there. Maybe just sewerage?" She made a bad face."Let's find out. If it's sewerage as you say, you can be sure we are not going to have fun today" he hissed a bit harshly and pushed the table away to free the passage.With no ceremonies, he lit the hole to check the passage was free, then he held his wand in his mouth and started to climb down the rusty ladder that brought downstairs.Evelyn watched him hesitantly. She sniffed the breeze that came from the hole, but she didn't smell anything upsetting, so she hurried to follow him.Tom already had his feet on a stony floor, raising his wand to lit the enormous place around them.Evelyn grumbled about her messy dress and she jumped from the ladder. The light of their wands wasn't enough to lit the whole place."It's as large as your cave. We must be under the city's known underground" she whispered, startling at the strong echo of her own voice."We could be close to the galleries of Gringotts. What if we find a passage to the vaults?" He pondered."I'm not so positive. This seems a grave" she replied gloomily, feeling cold and almost choking for being so deep underground.Tom disliked her comment and started to explore, his replies turning sharp and short as they walked in that large room without a destination.

Evelyn felt quite remorseful, like she just wasted the day. She knew why Tom was turning against her, when usually he liked that kind of adventures with her.He didn't like being deprived of what he wanted. She should have allowed him to satisfy his appetites first.She cared not to leave his side because he was able to leave her in that dark place just out of spite.Her eyes noticed a dark shape in the darkness. She narrowed her eyes, thinking it was the shape of a dog, but the view froze her.She grabbed Tom's arm to stop him and pointed the figure "Tom? Is that a grim?".He turned rigid, following her stare but he saw nothing and turned to mock her "A grim? Seriously? There's nothing over there. Are you that drunk?".He pulled her closer for a quick kiss, that for him was just a way to check that she was sober."I only drank one cup. You saw me" she defended herself "It's just... I was sure I saw a large black dog with yellow eyes over there"."Maybe it's this place that tricks your mind, not just the wine. Come on, don't leave my hand" he grabbed her and pulled her impatiently towards a locked door, that with a simple alohomora got opened.On the other side there was a cubic room, filled with valuable armours, parchments and crates. In the middle there was a large flat stone.Against the walls there weren't just parchments. There were also bones."Human bones" Evelyn whispered horrified, checking that the door was still open. She didn't want to be trapped in that place."What killed them?" Tom wondered scanning the place to spot any danger "Don't touch anything".He was the one to break his order, tempted by the rare artefacts that he found. They mostly looked centuries old.Tom grew excited as he recognized items linked to dark magic.

Evelyn couldn't be affected by his enthusiasm. She regretted leaving the sunlight for going so deep underground. Where so much darkness was stored.That place turned out to be like a large pool of dark magic and Tom was swimming happily in it.He checked the parchments and recognized runic writings next to old English texts.

Evelyn walked close to the stone in the middle of the room, to stay away from the bones surrounding them. She guessed it was a grave and at the base of it there were some swords.Her eyes lingered on a smaller one that was placed into an opened marble box that had some words engraved on it.She pulled Tom's arm to make him focus on that relic. It didn't look like the Gryffindor's sword but it seems valuable as well.Evelyn looked closer, realizing it was in fact an old, rusty dagger.Carefully she took it to examine it, while Tom translated the runic inscription."This weapon is part of the sword that killed our beloved king Arcturus. May this knife never see the sunlight again. May this knife be a curse to whoever dares to raise it again".Evelyn shivered and handed the dagger to the young man "Arcturus? Do you mean king Arthur? That king Arthur? Merlin?".She couldn't hide her surprise. She regretted handing the relic to him, although the menacing words had scared her to death.Tom rolled the dagger between his fingers "That's the only Arthur I know"."Mordred" she whispered with fear, her mind working furiously to place everything she knew into the right place."What?".She crossed his perplexed eyes and explained "The one who killed Arthur, according to the legends. Then this must be from his sword".She looked impatiently for other details and hints. She couldn't believe that an unpleasant exploration could bring her so close to something that could help her with her quest.What she had been looking for for years could have been waiting for her just under her feet. But she wished she had found that place alone. She didn't want to involve Tom, no matter if they shared everything else.

Tom carried the dagger with him as he was back examinating the other wonders that were stored into that room.Evelyn did the same, but she just wanted to find more about Mordred and why that dagger was kept in there. An idea crossed her mind. All those bones belonged to people, people who could have been stabbed with that dagger. It could explain why the weapon was rusty while the other swords were cleaner.A chill shot her down her spine again and she brushed her hands on her clothes, disgusted by the fact that she had touched something so evil.She noticed that she couldn't get her hands totally clean. A black spot covered her palm. She took her wand and tried to wash away the spot, in vain."Tom? What's this?".He grimaced at the sound of his name, but the wizard abandoned his reading and walked to her to examine her hand, just to realize he had he same spot too and started to worry."What's that?" She asked noticing a writing on the old dagger he was holding."It wasn't there before" he mumbled confused, then inspected the words and translated "Violating the sacred place comes with a big price. Only the blood of a great magician will end the darkest horrors that had been risen".Evelyn turned deadly pale at those bad words "So is that a curse? We are cursed?"."The blood of a great magician" he repeated thoughtfully, then he tightened his grip on the dagger, using it to cut his other hand.Evelyn winced at the sight of his blood.Nothing changed.Tom snorted healing his wound "Maybe it means..."."No" she said coldly. She couldn't bear the idea of another murder. But it made sense seeing all those human bones around them."I'll do it. Not you. The big price can't mean borrowing few drops of blood. Do you want to break the curse or not?".The spot on their hands was growing larger. It was like a venom burning their skin."So what do we do?" Evelyn asked starting to panicking "We must leave this place. And put the dagger back into that box"."This dagger is the source of the curse. We need to use it to let it drink the blood that it wants. This is not rust. This is dry blood. And it wants some fresh blood".She stared at him in horror. Seeing his with that dagger in his hand was the most dangerous view she had seeing in the whole trip."How can you be so sure?"."I feel that it's the way it works" he said impatiently "So we run back into the shop. But should we ask your uncle if he knows how to stop this?".She shook her head vigorously "We can't involve him into this"."Why not? We can erase his memory. Or has his memory been manipulated so much that it can be damaging to do it again?".His harsh words made her shiver. She stared at him dumbfounded. He couldn't know that she used memory charms on her uncle to keep Tom away from some details."I don't think he knows anything about this. If we bring him here, he could be affected by the curse" she narrowed her eyes, trying to look firm when she was frightened "If your idea is to kill the old man to save us, I'll kill you before you can do that".

Tom simpered, his smirk making her blood freezing in his veins."Don't be silly. I want his help, not to kill him" he said sweetly, in contrast with his mocking face "If you have better plans in mind, enlighten me".A laugh echoed into the room, but it wasn't Tom who was laughing. His face had turned paler as he saw something behind Evelyn's back and he stepped forward to pull her close to him in a protective way.Evelyn turned to see a dark figure at the door. The idea that the stranger could lock them in there made her panic. She would kill to get out from there.

"So this is my lucky day" the strange wizard said. At the light of their wands he didn't look like a ghost, but like a crazy, skinny man, with dark bags under his eyes "You have few days left to live. Then I'll be finally free".He didn't have a wand. His hands were placed on the sides of the doos.His joyful face turned Evelyn's fear into anger."Why did you curse us?" Tom asked coldly.The stranger made a surprised face raising his hands "It's not me. I happened into this damned place just like you two. I've been trapped here for ages, waiting for someone to free me. And finally here you are. Trust me, dying soon is better that waiting here for years".Tom looked at the stranger's hands "Why don't you have spots?"."I never touched that dagger" the crazy wizard pointed to the weapon that Tom was still holding "I was tempted to. But I didn't want to prove on myself what was the curse. You see how many damages it has done, still you dared to touch it. Kids"."To free ourselves from the curse we just need some blood" Tom sentenced without hiding his despise "Your blood will free us".This time Evelyn totally agreed with him. She was desperate, the insolence of that crazy man had pissed her off. If someone to die to break the curse, she wanted that man to die.

The stranger laughed loudly, welcoming the challenge "We'll see. One thing is certain. Someone of us will die".His words echoed into the room but before Tom could cast any spell, darkness fell.Evelyn whimpered, fearing that they got locked into that damned room, but when the cloud of darkness vanished, the door was still open but the crazy man was gone.Tom walked out and called him loudly, but he was nowhere to be found.

Somehow he and Evelyn managed to get out from the underground.When they resurfaced into the shop, Evelyn felt better but the dark spot in her hand reminded her that she didn't wake up from the nightmare.It was night and Caractacus was still behind the counter where they saw him for the last time. He had falled asleep hugging an empty bottle and snoring loudly.Evelyn decided to let him there. She placed her cloak on him as a blanket, then pushed Tom put out of the shop and locked it.Then they hurried to their flat.

Tom took out the dagger from under his cloak and placed it on the table."So what we do now?" Evelyn asked crossing her arms."I don't know. Let's try all the potions and magic that could stop this poison from spreading. Then if it's truly a curse, we have to go back down there and kill that bastard".The idea had tempted her badly earlier, but back in the normal world where killing was a big sin it made her uneasy "Kill?"."Yes, kill" he confirmed harshly "Maybe he's not even human. He can be a demon. And we are asked to prove that we have the guts to kill him so the curse can be broken".She nodded weakly as he assaulted their potion inventory to try some antidote.Evelyn followed him but in the hurry she crushed Hydra under her feet.

In a blink of an eye the witch felt an itch on her legs, followed by a stabbing pain.She screamed jumping away from the snake and if Tom didn't catch her in his arms she would have bumped against the potions and made them all fall on the ground.He lost his mind and started to swear, yelling at her and hissing at the snake that slithered away intimidated.Evelyn tried to sit down, wrapping her hands tightly arouns her aching leg.Tom took the antidote and forced her swallow it, then brushed some ointment on her wounds to make them disappear.The witch sighed in relief, but the troubles didn't end."What the hell are you doing?" Tom yelled at her "Isn't a curse enough? Is this what you're planning? To kill yourself?"."I didn't mean it" she replied tiredly, letting him pull her up."It wouldn't be the first time. You already had some suicidal tendency. Then you mention the grim. You touch this bloody dagger" Tom kept grumbling as he searched through the potion "Is death so appealing to you? Tell me the truth!".He grabbed her rudely and forced a bezoar down her throat. She struggled to catch her air, retching for the intrusion.Tom freed her before she choked, making a bad face because the bezoar had no effect on her.Evelyn stepped away from him and coughed violently, her eyes filled with tears. She felt the urge to cry, although she knew how he hated seeing someone cry. The fear of his possible bad reaction forced her to keep control on her feelings.

"You can relax. You are safe" she whispered, her eyes resting on the ring he was wearing. He followed her gaze and kept himself from attacking her again."You just have to teach someone how to bring you back" she added, for the first time grateful that he did what he did to preserve himself.Evelyn looked at the sign of the curse in her skin, the black spot growing slowly to conquer her arm."What is it, Evelyn? Are you giving up?" Tom hissed coldly "Just to add another thing to the list of your insane behaviors for today? What is next? You ask me to kill you?".She stared firmly at him as he scoffed at her "I would offer my life if it helps you to escape the curse. But I'm not sure it can work since I'm already dying. Maybe it can work for another horcrux...".Tom slammed violently his hands against the table to shut her up. If she wasn't out of his reach, she was sure he would have hit her instead."Are you totally out of your mind?" He yelled "The venom already affected your mind? Do you understand what the hell you are saying?!".Evelyn closed her eyes, feeling some tears falling but she didn't mind. The pain in her heart for his reactions was just as unbearable as the bite of the snake and the idea of being killed by the curse."Please, I don't want to spend my last hours arguing with you" sorrow mafe ger voice shake. She was ready to beg him for some peace, although he hated people who begged."I just want to help you survive" she added, seeing his face turning unreadable.

He walked to her and she retreated fearing his violence."I'm not gonna lose you" he said forcefully and she felt something in his tone that persuaded her that he meant it.He reached her and pulled her into his arms, wrapping her into a tight hug that moved her deeply."I would do anything to save you" he stated "But I can't accept the fact that you are already giving up. I feel like you're slipping away from me. And the more I try to hold on you, the farther you go away. Stay with me, Evelyn. We can fix it all, but you have to stay with me".Those words were like a remedy to all her worries and fears. She almost allowed herself to cry for happiness. Because since they went underground, she feared that he was starting to hate her and all those bad events had turned it into something worse.

"Let's take some rest" Tom freed her and patted on her shoulders "We can afford some of sleep. It helps us to think clearer. Problems are easier to solve with a fresh mind".She agreed, although she knew she couldn't sleep with that dark venom spreading under her skin.They laid on the bed, chatting softly about all the possibilities that could help them out of that situation.Eventually, Tom felt asleep. They only agreed to go back underground in the morning.Tom wanted to involve his knights to discover more about London's underground secret, but at that late hour of night they were all sleeping quietly.

At the first lights, Tom woke up and was impatient to break the curse.Evelyn pretended that she had some rest, but she had been haunted by her thoughts for the whole night.They hurried to the shop, where Caractacus looked recovered from all the wine he had drunk."We take some free hours, if that's not a problem for you" Tom told him bluntly.They both wore long cloaks to cover their dark hands. The venom had reached their elbows.Caractacus blinked confused. He didn't dare to complain "Alright. I guess you deserve it after all you've done yesterday".He took the cloak Evelyn had used to cover him for the night "You left this here".She approached him feeling broken hearted. She didn't want him to worry. He had to believe that in his hundredth birthday everything went smoothly."Take care of yourself" she smiled warmly at him, fearing it was a goodbye "We'll be back soon".Caractacus nodded, but eyed her with suspect "Are you alright?"."Yes" she lied with a wide smile "I'm just so happy for you. And proud of you, uncle".He looked uncomfortable for her words "Well, your old uncle. You can say it".Tom placed a hand on her shoulder and she understood that they had to hurry. They tricked the old wizard and sneaked into the back shop, going downstairs.

The more they moved underground, the more Evelyn felt they were burying themselves. She started to feel claustrophobic.When they reached the large cave, they heard some distant laughs echoing, so they followed the noises, reaching different rooms, filled with new treasures.The discovery made Evelyn so hopeful that if they could break the curse, they had enough treasures for the shop that they could live rich for the rest of their lives, hoping it was a long life.

The laughs echoed louder and they recognized they were from the crazy man. It was so rude that someone could laugh for their death.Evelyn had meditated for hours about it and had concluded that although she hated that crazy man, she couldn't bear the idea of killing a human being. Tom started to argue about it again "Stop ranting. We didn't come here to negotiate".He had brought the cursed dagger under his cloak and now he has holding it as he was ready to stab someone."Why don't we give it a try? There must be someone able to help us all. That man had been trapped here for years, while we can go out and ask for help. Surely someone knows how to break a curse like this".Tom rolled his eyes "A curse is linked to the person who casted it. And since that person is dead and we violated his burial yesterday, there is nothing we can do to break it, unless we follow its instructions and be what that curse wants us to be".Murderers. Evelyn said into her mind. A word that she didn't want to be linked to them.Tom sighed at her disapproving face and forced her to stop "So, you choose. Let this curse kill us or kill that bastard?"."Tom, there must be another way" she begged"Then find it! Before it's too late. But I fear that it's already too late" he showed her his black arm. If that venom reached their hearts or their brain, it was the end.

Evelyn gloomily agreed to his plan.They kept walking in the dark, letting the laughs guiding them, until they stopped into a large place.It reminded her of the Room of the Lost Things. But that was more creepy because it was a dark maze.She wondered how bigger the underground was compared to the city blessed by the sunlight."This is where he wants it to happen" Tom said, looking like a predator "He knows this place better than us of course, so he believes he will win. But he is alone, we are two. We must catch him in the middle. Trap him. You distract him while I stab him. Agreed?"."Agreed" Evelyn whispered with her heart beating in her throat. He talked to her close enough to steal him a kiss, but he moved away before she could be mesmerized by that idea.She raised her wand and forced herself not to panic as she watched Tom walking away from her, his hood covering his head.She covered her head too and tightened her grip to her wand as she tried to get orientated by the noises.The crazy man was mocking them. They had spotted him running in front of them as a shadow, fast enough to avoid their spells.Evelyn wished she could be mentally in contact with Tom, to understand what to do or simply for not feeling so alone.The laughs stopped and she guessed that the crazy man wasn't crazy enough not to notice that he wasn't that safe anymore.She just had to find him and immobilize him until Tom attacked him from the other side. It was like hunting. Numbers should determine who was advantaged.Evelyn tried not to be distracted by the many wonders that were stored in that place. When that fight was over, she had all the time to spend with those treasures.The light of her wand unveiled a sort of library. There were small tables with heavy, forgotten books. It was like heaven to her.She tried to leave that place faster for not getting distracted, when her eyes saw something that was irresistible.Evelyn stopped by the table and looked at the book on it, lowering her wand for a moment when she had promised never to do that.She brushed her hand on the dusty cover and a word caught her attention at once.She read more carefully. "Estoire dou Graal" by Robert de Boron.The lost book. Merlin's biography.With trembling fingers she opened it, totally forgetting the curse and the fight. She couldn't die without solving her crucial quest. Nor she could delay it.

She lingered on the chapters about the Graal, that was supposed to be an enchanted cup. The book revealed more details. It was a holy cup that could be held by people who didn't know its true nature. While it could be mortally dangerous to those who craved to use it.So Merlin felt into that trap and was destroyed by that powerful cup.The idea stabbed her mind and shattered her hopes for Merlin being vanished for some greater phenomenon.Evelyn's heart ached. Her eyes had seen something moving fast and when she lowered her head she saw a dagger into her heart. The pain exploded with an intensity she never felt before.Her body reacted violently to that intrusion. Her fingers pulled the book down from the table as she felt her legs numb.She turned her head to see who was her murderer and saw a familiar face, the face she loved the most and she wanted to trust.Her vision blurred as she felt death coming to save her from all that unbearable pain, no matter how her body and her magic tried to heal that wound. The cursed dagger had stabbed her heart. There was no remedy to it.And she asked herself why he stabbed her. Why then.She wondered if Tom pretended that he couldn't read her mind but in fact she never learned enough occlumency to keep him out of her mind. And so he always knew what her secret quest was and he just waited for her to solve the mystery, just as she indirectly led him to the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets.Then she couldn't do anything to stop him from knowing the secret of the Graal. She didn't care anymore.

They say that in your latest moments you see the whole life flying in front of you. But all she saw was darkness and the painful feeling of being betrayed, more unbearable than the pain that her body was experiencing.Her body was still struggling against the fatal wound and the cold that was chasing away the warmth of her life. Then everything faded away.It was the end.

A/N

This is not the end of the book. There are still some chapters to go!And please tell me if you'd like a sequel to this story, just to let me know if it's worthy to write it all and publish it :)Thank you all for reading and commenting! That's what gave me the inspiration and the strenght to carry on this book so far ❤