prologue
“We should turn back,” Kraazucs urged as the piles of bodies grew closer. “This is dangerous without backup.”
“Do the dead frighten you?” Anagorim asked with the hint of a smile.
Kraazucs paid no attention to the bait. He’s worked with Anagorim for 15 years now. By now he was used to the unique personality of his colleague. “Yes. I am frightened”, he said “Dead is dead. But I have no plans on joining them any soon”.
“Guys I don't know about this,” Nico asked softly. “I mean, what killed them?”
"See! Look! Even the so-called Expert here has no fucking clue what killed all these people! Im telling you Anagorim, this is too advance for us. Let's go back and let the goblins handle this mess.”
Nico signed knowing they would drag him into their argument sooner or later. He just wished it had been later than sooner. “I agree with Kraazucs, Anagorim. I've never seen this before. Not even in the records...this is new territory, we should leave and let the goblins deal with this,” he said.
No. Don't be afraid of a few dead people. Besides if this really new territory then think of what we find. For all, we know this could be Merlin's tomb or maybe King Author’s Tomb. Think of what we’d find. We would-be legends in the Wizarding community! Maybe even greater than Albus Dumbledore!” Anagorim replied enthusiastically.
Both Nico and Kraazucs exchange a long look.
” Well we have a long walk ahead of us,” Kraazucs said hesitantly.
“And by the looks of it, the night is falling.” Nico put in.
Anagorim glanced at them before looking up at the sky with disinterest.”It does that every day, but no matter. We can spare some daylight. Come treasure awaits us!.”
Nico could see the clenched jaw on Anagorim's mouth, barely suppressing the annoyance in his eyes under the thick hood of his robes. Anagorim had spent 20 years in the Cure Breakers Work, apprenticeship and to becoming a barrister himself. Both Nico and Kraazucs were already accustomed to being affected by Anagorim’s thievery tricks already.
Yet this time was different. This was a completely new territory. This wasn't just a simple cave where you got your basic removing curses, hexes and jinxes from illegally bewitched objects nor even the usual tasked with disabling and countering curses in ancient tombs or other historical sites in order to bring back gold and other treasure for the greedy goblins.
Nope. not at all. Sure it looked like a tomb. But in reality, this place was… there were no words to describe this. Nothing like this was ever recorded in the Archives. And there even go back even further than the Founders of Hogwarts were said to have been born.
This was different. something new. And something very old.
Anagorim, Nico, and Kraazucs instincts screamed at them, almost like a loud alarm. Whatever was in this place, made the hairs on their bodies stand up. Telling them to get the hell out. And get the goblins themselves to Ward this place to such degree so that no one could ever enter this place again.
But at the same time, Anagorim sounded insane. And under all the excitement and greed, Nico could sense something else in his colleague. You could taste it, a nervous tension that came close to fear.
Nico shared his unease. He had 5 years on Anagorim. The first time he had felt this kind of fear was his first mission as an apprentice. It was supposed to be a simple mission, break a jink of a few objects. But it turned into a total disaster. What he witnessed that day made his stomach turn to mush. He had laughed it off afterward, never telling a soul about what truly happened. The Ministry of Magic had made sure of it. Made him swear an Oath and all.
He was a veteran now, with the experience that would make one jealous enough to kill for. He’d seen it all. Dark Magic. Blood Magic. Pure Magic. Both Old and New Magic. Each and everyone twisting in different ways with each other had seen the worst and the best it could offer. He does not fear the Shadows anymore.
Until tonight. Something was different tonight. There was an edge to this darkness that made the hair on his arms rise. Nine hours they had been here. Going through every corridor they could find, going further and further from the exit. Each second in here had been worse than the last. All-day, Nico had felt as though something was watching him, something cold and dark. Kraazucs felt it too. Nico wanted nothing so much as to get the hell out of here and to the safety of home but didn't voice out his concern. Nico was sure even if he did it wouldn't be acknowledged. Not the way Anagorim was now.
Anagorim was the oldest son of an ancient house. He was a handsome man of 40, blue-eyed and graceful and slender. Towered over both Nico and Kraazucs, he wore black dragonhide boots, black dragonhide pants, black dragonhide gloves, and of course a fine dragonhide coat. His robe was his crowning glory; think, black, and soft satin.
Muggleborns like him and Kraazucs didn't respect the man. It was hard to take orders from a man that would sneer in their direction you so much as look at him, much less talk to him.
“Druneakz said we should scout these ruins, and we did,” Kraazucs said. “We’ve finished the mission. It's not our job to be here. Let's go back, it would be too dangerous for us to continue. Besides what killed these people could come back to kill us, Anagorim.”
Anagorim didn't seem to hear him. He studied the bodies in a half-bored, half-distracted way. Nico had been with the man long enough to understand that it was best not to interrupt him when he was like that. “Tell me again what you see, Nico. All the details. Leave nothing out.”
Nico had been an apprentice of a Magizoologist before being transferred to a Cure Breakers business. His master had two choices of who he wanted to continue to teach. Obviously he went with the apprentice who was an heir to an ancient family and not with the no-name muggle-born.
“I've never seen anything like this before, Anagorim. There's no type of animal or creature that would be able to do such a thing.” Nico said, examining the recent bodies.
“What do you think might have killed these people, Kraazucs ?”
“I don't know... Dementors?”
“No. Dementor victims tend to have Stretch marks around the neck and mouth area. There are no marks whats so ever on them.” Despite himself, Nico shivered.
Kraazucs looked back at the bodies for a moment,” Maybe it was the cold...”
“The cold would've been mercy then.”
‘The cold would've been peaceful than this,’ Nico stared at the woman on the floor was lifeless. Lifeless. Her auburn hair was scattered in multiple places, stained with dried blood; crimson. Her emerald green eyes were wide open, but her jade irises held a sudden sadness. Her clothes, a lime green tunic, and some black capris were bloody. Her body was slumped over, half-sitting, half-laying on the cold linoleum floor. And the smell. Nico turned away as his stomach heaved, nostrils filled with the smell of rotting meat. Without eyelids, the milky green eyes stared into the frozen sky while the lip-less mouth hung open. It was a blatant her bowels had been released, and all too soon.
Anagorim smile turned cocksure. Nico knew from that look that he could no more change Anagorim mind than he could persuade the dawn not to come. In less than an hour, the world will be unveiled from the blanket of the night and he will set forth further into the ruins. Nico has rehearsed his parting every minute of the night, but he doesn't know what to say. Speaking with him is so pointless right now.
So he doesn't.