I dare you to move, I dare you to move ...
Anthony walked cautiously towards the room he knew held the Ashley girl. A guard walked around the corner ahead of him and he started slightly. Gripping his wand, he whispered “Imperio” quickly before the other guard could get suspicious of anything.
“I want you to stand outside of Klaus’ door and keep anyone from entering or exiting. No matter what happens, you stay there and keep that door shut.”
“Okay,” the man said, voice gruff.
Anthony watched him walk down the hall to the door, turn, and cross his arms. Feeling a little bit better about leaving the room, he turned to the door in front of him, opened it and slid in.
Reese’s pulse jumped; the turn of the slightly creaky door knob always caused her heart to stutter, then beat much too fast. It was mostly fear, but there was also anticipation laced in the adrenaline. Reese hated that she yearned for company - even that of her captor.
But when the candles in the room did not spring to life, when a person did not immediately announce themselves, the fear completely overtook any anticipation that may have lingered.
Reese did not like when Lucas played these kinds of games. They always hurt.
She shifted from the bed she’d made of cushions to the back of the gnarled, wooden cage, and her quick, panicky breaths filled the silence of the room. That she couldn’t see his colors made the suspense worse.
Anthony let his eyes adjust to the darkness inside of the room. The moonlight shining through the window gave enough light to note that he appeared to be in an office of some sort with a large object in the middle of the floor. He squinted in it’s direction, confused, as it looked rather like a large birdcage with someone inside it. He looked around the room one more time and felt certain there was no one else with him in the room except the figure in the cage, which he assumed had to be Ashley.
He took a few steps closer and recognized the outline of the girl at once from the pictures Bletchley had offered him. He observed her for a few moments, taking in her still form that he knew resulted from fear. He wasn’t sure yet if fear would work in his favor or not, he hadn’t been on many rescue missions. Knowing it wasn’t wise to waste time at such a crucial stage of his plan, he decided to get a good look at the cage she was being held in, hoping it didn’t have a complicated lock.
“Lumos.”
Reese shied away from the light, but several blinks later and she found herself looking at one of the more cruel guards. He had never been assigned to her, however, which meant that he wasn’t supposed to be here.
Her pulse fluttered rapidly as she watched him stride purposefully toward her and little hands fisted into the blanket as fear buzzed through her. That she could not see his intent in his colors made her all the more fearful. If he touched her, Lukas would kill him. It was no consolation though; she would have already been violated.
She did not think about the daily violations of her mind and body. She’d fall apart if she did.
He only spared her a brief glance, however, and a long minute passed as he inspected the latch of her cage. As the silence stretched, the tension in Reese eased somewhat. This guard was not known for his silence; if he was here for what she had feared, he would have been taunting her and leering. Instead his brow was furrowed in concentration and an uncharacteristic patient stoicism seemed to emanate from him. She wished more than ever she could see all of him.
Reese was not aware of shifting toward him. “Who are you?”
Anthony had forgotten for a moment that he was wearing someone else’s skin. After a slight pause he decided to ignore her question. “Does this latch have a warding spell on it? Will it harm me if I try to undo it?”
Her gaze flicked to the latch and she shook her head. “He just opens it. Nothing bad happens.” Green eyes ticked back to the guard. Something about him wasn’t right. “Don’t come inside though, or it’ll steal all your light,” she added.
Anthony gaze met hers suddenly. He wondered what that meant, ‘steal all your light’. What an odd thing to say.
Giving her a puzzled look, he turned his attention back to the latch. He didn’t really have time to test it, so he’d have to trust her. Anthony brought his hand to it hesitantly, and pulled. The door swung open.
Reese just stared at him, pulse beginning to speed again. She hated being in the cage, but if he wasn’t going to come in then maybe it was safer to stay put.
Even as she watched him, however, his hair color began to change from blonde to a dark, inky color, and his face rippled and began to thin. Her green eyes widened, and without thinking, she pushed to her feet and moved toward the door. The blanket fell away and the air was cool against her skin, but Reese paid no mind as she stood just at the edge of the opening.
“I didn’t think you were him,” she said, eyes shifting to his when they changed from blue to brown. “You’re becoming you now.” Her head tipped to the side slightly and for the second time she asked, “Who are you?”
Anthony’s hand flew to his face as he swore quietly. He had forgotten to take more of the polyjuice potion. Pulling out the flask at his hip, he took a quick swallow and grimaced. He still wasn’t used to the foul taste of the potion. After a moment, he felt his features shift.
Tucking the flask away, Anthony turned his attention back to Ashley. “It doesn’t matter who I am. I was sent here to get you out.”
“...to get me out?” The world seemed to stop in that moment, hold it’s breath as Reese processed what the man had just said. Out. Free. The concept was foreign to her; she’d long since forced herself to stop thinking about getting away as the likelihood was very slim.
She blinked at him, then again as shock rippled through her, but on the third blink Reese started breathing again and all but flung herself out of the cage. Slim arms caught the man around his middle in a hug, but before she could babble the slew of thoughts and questions, Reese was nearly choked by her magic as it came back to her and blinded by thick presence of the man’s colors. The longer she stayed in the cage, the more jarring it was to her system to come out of it. As Lukas has been out of the house for days and had yet to come for her, her stay in the enclosure had been longer than normal.
Little hands fisted in the man’s shirt, more for support than gratitude, as her body sagged. All she could see was a midnight blue as dark as the darkest of nights and a green as dark as the forbidden forest, and her magic sizzled through her, burning in an almost painful way. She’d been devoid of it all and now she felt full to bursting.
Anthony looked down at the girl, shocked. He never would have imagined this. As she started to fumble, he reached down and caught her, holding her to him in support. Just then he flashed on a girl much similar in size holding him like this years ago. His hands tightened their hold on her unconsciously as his sister’s tinkling laughter rang through his head.
Coming back to himself, he gazed down at the girl questioningly. “Are you hurt,” he asked, taking in her bruised skin. “Do you need anything?”
“No... I,” she squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them as she tipped her face up toward his voice. “I can’t see,” she explained, “and the magic hurts when it comes back after being away for so long.” She blinked a few more times, hoping that the realities would mix back together so his colors would be superimposed with his physical body, but it did no good.
“You’re colors are dark,” said absently as she released his shirt and traced her hands over him, stuttered over to his arm, and then latched onto one of his hands with both of her own. “They’re filling up everything right now, but it’ll get better in a little while.”
“You can’t see?” Anthony frowned. That wasn’t going to make this any easier. He looked down at her hands over his; an image flashed through his mind of his little sister giggling as she ran from him in a game of tag. As he studied the Ashley girl, he noted their features were similar.
He took a deep breath. “Do you want me to get you some water?”
She shook her head. “No, no, we should go. We have to get Anoush, but we have to hurry. Lukas has plans for plans for plans, and if he finds us...” Reese shuddered and goose pimples pebbled her skin.
“What are you talking about?” Anthony looked down at her in confusion, her words not making much sense. He was glad she was in a hurry though; at least he didn’t need to make that point clear.
“And you shouldn’t need to worry about Klaus. He’s secure at the moment.”
“Then we should get Anoush,” she said again, tugging at his hand. Now that the shock and excitement had worn off, urgency pumped through her veins. She trusted this man who had no black in his colors, who’s hands had been gentle when she needed them, and she trusted that she shouldn’t worry about Lukas. But she couldn’t help but be afraid. Lukas had made it clear what he would do to her if he caught her trying to escape again, made it clear what he would do to Anoush, to Kiss.
“What’s Anoush? Whatever it is, it’s not as important as your life. We don’t have much time here. We’re in a very precarious situation.” He let her pull him towards the door, but he didn’t really know why. The plan had been to get her out of here quick, and if she made any noise he’d gag her or put her to sleep. Somehow he wasn’t sure that was much of an option anymore.
“Anoush is a little sunshine girl, and Lukas will hurt her if she stays, or kill her, or sell her with all the other little girls, somewhere where he won’t get in trouble for selling a pureblood,” she said in a rush, one hand letting go of his to blindly reach for where she thought the door should be. After another few steps, she felt the wood and blindly looked for the handle.
“Well, hold on.” His hand covered hers on the doorknob, making her stop. “We can’t just go rushing out into the hallway. We don’t know who’s out there.” He took a short breath, shaking his head in aggravation. This was going to get them into trouble. You stray from the plan and that’s what does you in. This definitely wasn’t part of the plan.
“Where’s her room,” he asked, resigning himself to the fact he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, though he wondered why.
“Just down the hall. Five doors and two tapestries, and it’s on the opposite side of this door.”
Her brows furrowed as the rest of what he’d said ticked through her mind, how they would have to look out for danger, and she looked down where her hands clasped one of his; she couldn’t see anything just that moment, but it was habit to look all the same. “Do I have your wand hand? I shouldn’t, you need it more than me.”
“No, you don’t. Be quiet,” he said in hushed tones before he muttered ‘Nox’ and opened the door a sliver. He gazed out into the hall and saw no one on either side. “It’s clear,” he said to her. “Keep beside me.”
He led her down the hall opposite from Klaus’, making sure the guard was still at his door. Walking at a brisk pace, he stopped suddenly at a shuffling ahead of them. He shoved Reese to the wall beside him protectively and pushed her down to the ground as he whipped his wand around to the man coming around the corner.
“Avada Kedavra,” he said in a gruff voice, trying to stay silent.
Reese heard a body hit the floor and her eyes widened. It wasn’t the worst thing she’d seen or heard at this point, but it was sudden and terrible all the same.
Before she had time to process it all though, she heard a door click open and the sound of a body being drug across the carpet. Crawling toward the sound, Reese almost fell nose-first into the floor when she found the legs sticking out into the hall. Revulsion shuddered through her, but she just held up her hand blindly and whispered, “help.”
Anthony quickly drug the man the rest of the way through the doorway and slung him towards the side. He reached out to Reese and helped her to her feet, closing the door behind her.
Reese didn’t need anymore help after that. Despite her temporary blindness, Anoush’s rosy pink and dewy yellows were like a spring bloom in the gloom of her rescuer’s darker colors. She was at Anoush’s bedside in moments and shaking her awake. “Shhh, baby girl,” she cooed softly as the girl began to stir. Little hands smoothed over Anoush’s brow, and then down over her shoulders until she found even tinier hands than her own and tugged. “Come on, up, up. We have to go now.”
Dark eyes blinked up at the blonde woman she’d grown close to, but Anoush was still tired and peevish at being awakened. “Go where, Reesey? ‘m sleepy.”
“We’re gonna go home,” she whispered as the little girl slid out of bed. “But no words or tears or songs until we’re away,” Reese said as she linked her fingers with Anoush’s hand held her other hand out toward the source of the blue-green colors.
“Home?” Anoush whispered, fingers tightening on Reese’s hand as her eyes darted to the guard. He was never very nice and he’d never helped them try to go home before. She was scared, but she let Reesey lead her toward him.
Anthony eyed the little girl warily. From what he knew of children, they were loud. There was no way they were sneaking out. This was going to be a messy escape. He fingered the extra wands in his pockets as he decided, and then pulled out Klaus’ wand, keeping Wolff’s to himself for their exit through the wards.
“Here, you should have this. It’ll be better if more than one of us has a wand.”
Reese felt magic sizzle in her when he put the wand in her hand. It wasn’t hers - she’d likely never see hers again - but it was a conduit, and the first she’d held in over a year. If the situation weren’t so urgent, she’d bask in the feel of it. As things stood, however, her mind was racing with how to keep the wand and keep up with the blue-green man.
“Anoush, don’t let us fall behind. Reesey can’t see everything right now.” But she could see colors, and she knew hexes. She could certainly shoot at anyone tinted black.
And like that, they were off. Two pairs of bare feet padding almost silently behind Anthony as he wound through the halls.
Anthony strode quickly down towards the stairs. He had his wand at the ready, sure they would meet someone on their way out. The man he’d put under the Imperio spell had likely been doing safety checks and when he hadn’t checked in for so long, they’d sent another. It was only a matter of time before they came for them.
Sure enough, he heard the slightest of noises, someone trying to come quietly up the stairs. He motioned behind him for the girls to step aside, hoping the small one would direct Reese. He raised his wand and sent a killing curse to the man leaning around the corner. Anthony missed, and cursed as he saw there were more than one.
“Petrificus Totalus!”
Reese could only hear a body drop and the the curses of others as they tripped over it. And then silence after the blue-green man followed her Body Binding Curse with two rapidly fired Killing Curses. Two black lights blinked out.
Anthony was glad he had given a wand to Reese. He’d thought he might regret it, what with the the loss of her eyesight; it was quite dangerous. He figured they were in a dangerous situation already though, getting worse by the minute, and they needed all the help they could get.
He motioned them along, quicker now. Peering around the corner to the bottom of the stairs, Anthony jerked his head back fast as a spell broke a piece of the wall of next to him. Breathing heavily, he splayed his arm protectively across Anoush, pushing her into the wall. He reached around and shot off hexes in the direction of the guards. From the sound of it, he knew he had hit one, but that still left the other two he had spotted.
Anoush’s eyes were wide and a quiet whimper escaped her as the colored lights shot past.
“Just hold tight,” Reese said to the little girl. She squeezed her hand in encouragement.
She shifted to see around the blue-green man then. “There’s four black lights,” she told Anthony. Fear was fraying her nerves, but Reese didn’t have the luxury to indulge in it right that moment; she hadn’t had the luxury to indulge in it in a long time. But it was especially important right now. She had to be strong for Anoush, and she had to be strong for herself. “There’s another black light coming,” she said.
She looked up at the swirling, dark blue and greens of the man shielding them at the top of the stairs. “Do you know anything with fire? Fire likes to eat everything in the way.”
Anthony looked down at her in concentration. Fire would work, but it was a tricky thing. It wasn’t as if he had any better options, though. They were pretty well trapped at the top of the stairs with no other exit he could think of.
He let out a frustrated grunt as he made his decision. “Where are the majority of them located?” He didn’t know how she could see them since her eyesight was supposedly impaired, but he didn’t really have the luxury of time on his side to question her about it.
Reese pointed off to the right. “They’re coming from that way.” She didn’t know where ‘that way’ was, exactly, but it’s where all Lukas’s guards were gathering. The black tainting their colors betrayed every last one of them to her.
“Alright,” Anthony said as he swallowed nervously. He’d never really tried this before. Raising his wand around the corner, he pointed and said, “Incendio.”
Fire shot out from his wand and his hand jerked back a little from the force of it. Immediately, he heard a few men scream and the scuffles of their feet as they tried to get away. He peered around the corner to get a better view and shot a few more bursts of fire in the guards direction, careful not to obstruct his path to the door.
Reese could feel the heat of the spell even from behind him and squeezed Anoush’s hand as much to reassure the little girl as herself. This was it. Either the fire would work, or it wouldn’t, and if it didn’t... Reese didn’t like to think about that. She would hurt, but she would live. She couldn’t say the same for Anoush or the blue-green man though, and it hurt Reese’s heart to think of their colors being snuffed.
“Reesey,” the young girl whined, fear in her voice. The fire was blazing and men were screaming like animals as it reached them. She didn’t know where the bad man who kept Reesey in a cage was. “I want to go home now.”
“Me too,” Reese said, her grip on Anoush’s hand too tight now. But she couldn’t help it. Black lights winked out, but more were coming, and the heat of the spell made her skin burn almost unpleasantly.
She only moved closer to the blue-green man though, fisted her hand in his shirt. “You have to use a bigger one. More fire. Others are coming,” she told him. Fear made her words clipped and tense.
Anthony knew of one other spell that had the effect she was talking about, but it was incredibly dangerous. A big part of him didn’t want to risk it, but as he took a quick glance around the area they were stuck in, it was obvious they didn’t really have a choice.
He sighed in frustration. “Alright, but you have to stay close to me. We’re going to have to make a run for it as soon as I do it, and I mean fast. This spell is particularly volatile.”
He waited for their nods before he raised his wand again, his arm wavering slightly. This was a really bad idea.
“Fiendfyre.”
It was hot. Before Reese could fully process how hot it was, or worry about being burned, the blue-green man grabbed her hand and they were running. She was only vaguely aware that she’d lost the wand he’d given her; it didn’t matter. She could hear the rush of the fire, like a windstorm, and the screams of Lukas’ men. Reese only squeezed Anoush’s hand tighter and tried not to trip. One foot in front of the other.
Anoush stumbled along, her shorter legs straining to keep up with the long stride of the guard. Glancing backward, terror gripped her at the sight of the huge flames licking at their heels, filling the space behind them so completely that she couldn’t see anything else. Tears blurred her vision and she screamed, clutching at Reese’s hand so she wouldn’t be left behind.
Anthony glanced over his shoulder as they ran down the front steps of the manor to check on the girl. The fire was gaining on them and she was slowing them down. He turned quickly and picked her up with one arm, trying to keep his wand arm free.
“Hold on tight!”
Reese did. There was stone first, and she was sure she would be bruised and scraped from stumbling down the stairs, but then they were on the lawn and her bare feet raced.
The fire at their backs made her exposed skin burn, as if it was only moments away from eating them up too. Before she could send her goodbyes into the atmosphere and hope Kiss heard, however, the pressure around them lessened with an almost distinct ‘pop’ and then it felt as if she was being pulled by her navel through time and space.
Because she only had one kind of vision, she didn’t see the city manor engulfed in flame or understand the blast that pushed them through the Apparation faster was the life she’d lived the past year blowing to smithereens.
SUMMARY: Anthony rescues Reese and Anoush. Nothing goes to plan.
“I want you to stand outside of Klaus’ door and keep anyone from entering or exiting. No matter what happens, you stay there and keep that door shut.”
“Okay,” the man said, voice gruff.
Anthony watched him walk down the hall to the door, turn, and cross his arms. Feeling a little bit better about leaving the room, he turned to the door in front of him, opened it and slid in.
Reese’s pulse jumped; the turn of the slightly creaky door knob always caused her heart to stutter, then beat much too fast. It was mostly fear, but there was also anticipation laced in the adrenaline. Reese hated that she yearned for company - even that of her captor.
But when the candles in the room did not spring to life, when a person did not immediately announce themselves, the fear completely overtook any anticipation that may have lingered.
Reese did not like when Lucas played these kinds of games. They always hurt.
She shifted from the bed she’d made of cushions to the back of the gnarled, wooden cage, and her quick, panicky breaths filled the silence of the room. That she couldn’t see his colors made the suspense worse.
Anthony let his eyes adjust to the darkness inside of the room. The moonlight shining through the window gave enough light to note that he appeared to be in an office of some sort with a large object in the middle of the floor. He squinted in it’s direction, confused, as it looked rather like a large birdcage with someone inside it. He looked around the room one more time and felt certain there was no one else with him in the room except the figure in the cage, which he assumed had to be Ashley.
He took a few steps closer and recognized the outline of the girl at once from the pictures Bletchley had offered him. He observed her for a few moments, taking in her still form that he knew resulted from fear. He wasn’t sure yet if fear would work in his favor or not, he hadn’t been on many rescue missions. Knowing it wasn’t wise to waste time at such a crucial stage of his plan, he decided to get a good look at the cage she was being held in, hoping it didn’t have a complicated lock.
“Lumos.”
Reese shied away from the light, but several blinks later and she found herself looking at one of the more cruel guards. He had never been assigned to her, however, which meant that he wasn’t supposed to be here.
Her pulse fluttered rapidly as she watched him stride purposefully toward her and little hands fisted into the blanket as fear buzzed through her. That she could not see his intent in his colors made her all the more fearful. If he touched her, Lukas would kill him. It was no consolation though; she would have already been violated.
She did not think about the daily violations of her mind and body. She’d fall apart if she did.
He only spared her a brief glance, however, and a long minute passed as he inspected the latch of her cage. As the silence stretched, the tension in Reese eased somewhat. This guard was not known for his silence; if he was here for what she had feared, he would have been taunting her and leering. Instead his brow was furrowed in concentration and an uncharacteristic patient stoicism seemed to emanate from him. She wished more than ever she could see all of him.
Reese was not aware of shifting toward him. “Who are you?”
Anthony had forgotten for a moment that he was wearing someone else’s skin. After a slight pause he decided to ignore her question. “Does this latch have a warding spell on it? Will it harm me if I try to undo it?”
Her gaze flicked to the latch and she shook her head. “He just opens it. Nothing bad happens.” Green eyes ticked back to the guard. Something about him wasn’t right. “Don’t come inside though, or it’ll steal all your light,” she added.
Anthony gaze met hers suddenly. He wondered what that meant, ‘steal all your light’. What an odd thing to say.
Giving her a puzzled look, he turned his attention back to the latch. He didn’t really have time to test it, so he’d have to trust her. Anthony brought his hand to it hesitantly, and pulled. The door swung open.
Reese just stared at him, pulse beginning to speed again. She hated being in the cage, but if he wasn’t going to come in then maybe it was safer to stay put.
Even as she watched him, however, his hair color began to change from blonde to a dark, inky color, and his face rippled and began to thin. Her green eyes widened, and without thinking, she pushed to her feet and moved toward the door. The blanket fell away and the air was cool against her skin, but Reese paid no mind as she stood just at the edge of the opening.
“I didn’t think you were him,” she said, eyes shifting to his when they changed from blue to brown. “You’re becoming you now.” Her head tipped to the side slightly and for the second time she asked, “Who are you?”
Anthony’s hand flew to his face as he swore quietly. He had forgotten to take more of the polyjuice potion. Pulling out the flask at his hip, he took a quick swallow and grimaced. He still wasn’t used to the foul taste of the potion. After a moment, he felt his features shift.
Tucking the flask away, Anthony turned his attention back to Ashley. “It doesn’t matter who I am. I was sent here to get you out.”
“...to get me out?” The world seemed to stop in that moment, hold it’s breath as Reese processed what the man had just said. Out. Free. The concept was foreign to her; she’d long since forced herself to stop thinking about getting away as the likelihood was very slim.
She blinked at him, then again as shock rippled through her, but on the third blink Reese started breathing again and all but flung herself out of the cage. Slim arms caught the man around his middle in a hug, but before she could babble the slew of thoughts and questions, Reese was nearly choked by her magic as it came back to her and blinded by thick presence of the man’s colors. The longer she stayed in the cage, the more jarring it was to her system to come out of it. As Lukas has been out of the house for days and had yet to come for her, her stay in the enclosure had been longer than normal.
Little hands fisted in the man’s shirt, more for support than gratitude, as her body sagged. All she could see was a midnight blue as dark as the darkest of nights and a green as dark as the forbidden forest, and her magic sizzled through her, burning in an almost painful way. She’d been devoid of it all and now she felt full to bursting.
Anthony looked down at the girl, shocked. He never would have imagined this. As she started to fumble, he reached down and caught her, holding her to him in support. Just then he flashed on a girl much similar in size holding him like this years ago. His hands tightened their hold on her unconsciously as his sister’s tinkling laughter rang through his head.
Coming back to himself, he gazed down at the girl questioningly. “Are you hurt,” he asked, taking in her bruised skin. “Do you need anything?”
“No... I,” she squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them as she tipped her face up toward his voice. “I can’t see,” she explained, “and the magic hurts when it comes back after being away for so long.” She blinked a few more times, hoping that the realities would mix back together so his colors would be superimposed with his physical body, but it did no good.
“You’re colors are dark,” said absently as she released his shirt and traced her hands over him, stuttered over to his arm, and then latched onto one of his hands with both of her own. “They’re filling up everything right now, but it’ll get better in a little while.”
“You can’t see?” Anthony frowned. That wasn’t going to make this any easier. He looked down at her hands over his; an image flashed through his mind of his little sister giggling as she ran from him in a game of tag. As he studied the Ashley girl, he noted their features were similar.
He took a deep breath. “Do you want me to get you some water?”
She shook her head. “No, no, we should go. We have to get Anoush, but we have to hurry. Lukas has plans for plans for plans, and if he finds us...” Reese shuddered and goose pimples pebbled her skin.
“What are you talking about?” Anthony looked down at her in confusion, her words not making much sense. He was glad she was in a hurry though; at least he didn’t need to make that point clear.
“And you shouldn’t need to worry about Klaus. He’s secure at the moment.”
“Then we should get Anoush,” she said again, tugging at his hand. Now that the shock and excitement had worn off, urgency pumped through her veins. She trusted this man who had no black in his colors, who’s hands had been gentle when she needed them, and she trusted that she shouldn’t worry about Lukas. But she couldn’t help but be afraid. Lukas had made it clear what he would do to her if he caught her trying to escape again, made it clear what he would do to Anoush, to Kiss.
“What’s Anoush? Whatever it is, it’s not as important as your life. We don’t have much time here. We’re in a very precarious situation.” He let her pull him towards the door, but he didn’t really know why. The plan had been to get her out of here quick, and if she made any noise he’d gag her or put her to sleep. Somehow he wasn’t sure that was much of an option anymore.
“Anoush is a little sunshine girl, and Lukas will hurt her if she stays, or kill her, or sell her with all the other little girls, somewhere where he won’t get in trouble for selling a pureblood,” she said in a rush, one hand letting go of his to blindly reach for where she thought the door should be. After another few steps, she felt the wood and blindly looked for the handle.
“Well, hold on.” His hand covered hers on the doorknob, making her stop. “We can’t just go rushing out into the hallway. We don’t know who’s out there.” He took a short breath, shaking his head in aggravation. This was going to get them into trouble. You stray from the plan and that’s what does you in. This definitely wasn’t part of the plan.
“Where’s her room,” he asked, resigning himself to the fact he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, though he wondered why.
“Just down the hall. Five doors and two tapestries, and it’s on the opposite side of this door.”
Her brows furrowed as the rest of what he’d said ticked through her mind, how they would have to look out for danger, and she looked down where her hands clasped one of his; she couldn’t see anything just that moment, but it was habit to look all the same. “Do I have your wand hand? I shouldn’t, you need it more than me.”
“No, you don’t. Be quiet,” he said in hushed tones before he muttered ‘Nox’ and opened the door a sliver. He gazed out into the hall and saw no one on either side. “It’s clear,” he said to her. “Keep beside me.”
He led her down the hall opposite from Klaus’, making sure the guard was still at his door. Walking at a brisk pace, he stopped suddenly at a shuffling ahead of them. He shoved Reese to the wall beside him protectively and pushed her down to the ground as he whipped his wand around to the man coming around the corner.
“Avada Kedavra,” he said in a gruff voice, trying to stay silent.
Reese heard a body hit the floor and her eyes widened. It wasn’t the worst thing she’d seen or heard at this point, but it was sudden and terrible all the same.
Before she had time to process it all though, she heard a door click open and the sound of a body being drug across the carpet. Crawling toward the sound, Reese almost fell nose-first into the floor when she found the legs sticking out into the hall. Revulsion shuddered through her, but she just held up her hand blindly and whispered, “help.”
Anthony quickly drug the man the rest of the way through the doorway and slung him towards the side. He reached out to Reese and helped her to her feet, closing the door behind her.
Reese didn’t need anymore help after that. Despite her temporary blindness, Anoush’s rosy pink and dewy yellows were like a spring bloom in the gloom of her rescuer’s darker colors. She was at Anoush’s bedside in moments and shaking her awake. “Shhh, baby girl,” she cooed softly as the girl began to stir. Little hands smoothed over Anoush’s brow, and then down over her shoulders until she found even tinier hands than her own and tugged. “Come on, up, up. We have to go now.”
Dark eyes blinked up at the blonde woman she’d grown close to, but Anoush was still tired and peevish at being awakened. “Go where, Reesey? ‘m sleepy.”
“We’re gonna go home,” she whispered as the little girl slid out of bed. “But no words or tears or songs until we’re away,” Reese said as she linked her fingers with Anoush’s hand held her other hand out toward the source of the blue-green colors.
“Home?” Anoush whispered, fingers tightening on Reese’s hand as her eyes darted to the guard. He was never very nice and he’d never helped them try to go home before. She was scared, but she let Reesey lead her toward him.
Anthony eyed the little girl warily. From what he knew of children, they were loud. There was no way they were sneaking out. This was going to be a messy escape. He fingered the extra wands in his pockets as he decided, and then pulled out Klaus’ wand, keeping Wolff’s to himself for their exit through the wards.
“Here, you should have this. It’ll be better if more than one of us has a wand.”
Reese felt magic sizzle in her when he put the wand in her hand. It wasn’t hers - she’d likely never see hers again - but it was a conduit, and the first she’d held in over a year. If the situation weren’t so urgent, she’d bask in the feel of it. As things stood, however, her mind was racing with how to keep the wand and keep up with the blue-green man.
“Anoush, don’t let us fall behind. Reesey can’t see everything right now.” But she could see colors, and she knew hexes. She could certainly shoot at anyone tinted black.
And like that, they were off. Two pairs of bare feet padding almost silently behind Anthony as he wound through the halls.
Anthony strode quickly down towards the stairs. He had his wand at the ready, sure they would meet someone on their way out. The man he’d put under the Imperio spell had likely been doing safety checks and when he hadn’t checked in for so long, they’d sent another. It was only a matter of time before they came for them.
Sure enough, he heard the slightest of noises, someone trying to come quietly up the stairs. He motioned behind him for the girls to step aside, hoping the small one would direct Reese. He raised his wand and sent a killing curse to the man leaning around the corner. Anthony missed, and cursed as he saw there were more than one.
“Petrificus Totalus!”
Reese could only hear a body drop and the the curses of others as they tripped over it. And then silence after the blue-green man followed her Body Binding Curse with two rapidly fired Killing Curses. Two black lights blinked out.
Anthony was glad he had given a wand to Reese. He’d thought he might regret it, what with the the loss of her eyesight; it was quite dangerous. He figured they were in a dangerous situation already though, getting worse by the minute, and they needed all the help they could get.
He motioned them along, quicker now. Peering around the corner to the bottom of the stairs, Anthony jerked his head back fast as a spell broke a piece of the wall of next to him. Breathing heavily, he splayed his arm protectively across Anoush, pushing her into the wall. He reached around and shot off hexes in the direction of the guards. From the sound of it, he knew he had hit one, but that still left the other two he had spotted.
Anoush’s eyes were wide and a quiet whimper escaped her as the colored lights shot past.
“Just hold tight,” Reese said to the little girl. She squeezed her hand in encouragement.
She shifted to see around the blue-green man then. “There’s four black lights,” she told Anthony. Fear was fraying her nerves, but Reese didn’t have the luxury to indulge in it right that moment; she hadn’t had the luxury to indulge in it in a long time. But it was especially important right now. She had to be strong for Anoush, and she had to be strong for herself. “There’s another black light coming,” she said.
She looked up at the swirling, dark blue and greens of the man shielding them at the top of the stairs. “Do you know anything with fire? Fire likes to eat everything in the way.”
Anthony looked down at her in concentration. Fire would work, but it was a tricky thing. It wasn’t as if he had any better options, though. They were pretty well trapped at the top of the stairs with no other exit he could think of.
He let out a frustrated grunt as he made his decision. “Where are the majority of them located?” He didn’t know how she could see them since her eyesight was supposedly impaired, but he didn’t really have the luxury of time on his side to question her about it.
Reese pointed off to the right. “They’re coming from that way.” She didn’t know where ‘that way’ was, exactly, but it’s where all Lukas’s guards were gathering. The black tainting their colors betrayed every last one of them to her.
“Alright,” Anthony said as he swallowed nervously. He’d never really tried this before. Raising his wand around the corner, he pointed and said, “Incendio.”
Fire shot out from his wand and his hand jerked back a little from the force of it. Immediately, he heard a few men scream and the scuffles of their feet as they tried to get away. He peered around the corner to get a better view and shot a few more bursts of fire in the guards direction, careful not to obstruct his path to the door.
Reese could feel the heat of the spell even from behind him and squeezed Anoush’s hand as much to reassure the little girl as herself. This was it. Either the fire would work, or it wouldn’t, and if it didn’t... Reese didn’t like to think about that. She would hurt, but she would live. She couldn’t say the same for Anoush or the blue-green man though, and it hurt Reese’s heart to think of their colors being snuffed.
“Reesey,” the young girl whined, fear in her voice. The fire was blazing and men were screaming like animals as it reached them. She didn’t know where the bad man who kept Reesey in a cage was. “I want to go home now.”
“Me too,” Reese said, her grip on Anoush’s hand too tight now. But she couldn’t help it. Black lights winked out, but more were coming, and the heat of the spell made her skin burn almost unpleasantly.
She only moved closer to the blue-green man though, fisted her hand in his shirt. “You have to use a bigger one. More fire. Others are coming,” she told him. Fear made her words clipped and tense.
Anthony knew of one other spell that had the effect she was talking about, but it was incredibly dangerous. A big part of him didn’t want to risk it, but as he took a quick glance around the area they were stuck in, it was obvious they didn’t really have a choice.
He sighed in frustration. “Alright, but you have to stay close to me. We’re going to have to make a run for it as soon as I do it, and I mean fast. This spell is particularly volatile.”
He waited for their nods before he raised his wand again, his arm wavering slightly. This was a really bad idea.
“Fiendfyre.”
It was hot. Before Reese could fully process how hot it was, or worry about being burned, the blue-green man grabbed her hand and they were running. She was only vaguely aware that she’d lost the wand he’d given her; it didn’t matter. She could hear the rush of the fire, like a windstorm, and the screams of Lukas’ men. Reese only squeezed Anoush’s hand tighter and tried not to trip. One foot in front of the other.
Anoush stumbled along, her shorter legs straining to keep up with the long stride of the guard. Glancing backward, terror gripped her at the sight of the huge flames licking at their heels, filling the space behind them so completely that she couldn’t see anything else. Tears blurred her vision and she screamed, clutching at Reese’s hand so she wouldn’t be left behind.
Anthony glanced over his shoulder as they ran down the front steps of the manor to check on the girl. The fire was gaining on them and she was slowing them down. He turned quickly and picked her up with one arm, trying to keep his wand arm free.
“Hold on tight!”
Reese did. There was stone first, and she was sure she would be bruised and scraped from stumbling down the stairs, but then they were on the lawn and her bare feet raced.
The fire at their backs made her exposed skin burn, as if it was only moments away from eating them up too. Before she could send her goodbyes into the atmosphere and hope Kiss heard, however, the pressure around them lessened with an almost distinct ‘pop’ and then it felt as if she was being pulled by her navel through time and space.
Because she only had one kind of vision, she didn’t see the city manor engulfed in flame or understand the blast that pushed them through the Apparation faster was the life she’d lived the past year blowing to smithereens.
SUMMARY: Anthony rescues Reese and Anoush. Nothing goes to plan.