Are we visiting the library now?

- So... - Sebastian started softly, observing her quiet steps - Are we visiting the library now?

Gabriela took in a silent deep breath. She wasn't ready, not emotionally anyway. She already took in all the magic around and couldn't do anything else to be prepared for the next step. It wasn't that she was scared, not really. More than she was apprehensive of what could be found and how it would affect everything. Her life, her family, and her relationship with Sebastian. Not that she had one at the moment, she mused, but there was a feeling that he was important to her. How was it still in question? This is why she was threading lightly around him.

This got her thinking of all the things she had learned in her life. She lost her parents early but was lucky enough to have loving grandparents, who gave her all the love a child could need. Family was important, and hers, dare she say, was even more so because of the family dealings. She loved her life, loved what she did. All the art around her celebrates life and magic. She was living a child's dream, full of magic and creativity. She had true friends who loved and supported her. They were part of her world and knew all of her. She was living an easy life as some would say. There were setbacks, but none were too bad. They only confirmed how blessed her life was. This here would be her first real challenge and for a second guilt sept through. Her challenge came with the cost of the life of a family member and that made her sad and guilty. She should remember that her uncle's sacrifice was what would change and shape her in the future. She knew that with certainty, given her small fortune-telling abilities. So it was normal for her to be apprehensive of her situation and even slightly wary. No true change is easy. And knowing that hers was about to come filled her with emotion. Taking a deep breath she steadied herself.

- We might as well - she responded and looked behind her shoulder to him. He was standing right behind her, looking at her with understanding and patience. Of course, he would be acting like a grownup, she mused. That was not attractive in a man, no it was not. Note the sarcasm. Why did he have to be so damn attractive, she asked herself. Couldn't he be a middle-aged, belly-holding uncle? No, he had to be an attractive, smart, and tentative man to whom she would love to give her time. And some other things too added to her hormonal body. Shaking her head slightly she placed her hand on the doorknob.

She took a pause. There was a different kind of magic there. More potent, more sinister, and much much darker. Her stillness made him worry. Perhaps she was having a panic attack, he asked himself.

- Are you ok? - he asked her and lightly touched her shoulder to gain her attention and calm her if needed.

- Yes, yes - she responded quickly but kept holding the door.

- Are we going in then? - he quirked an eyebrow towards her, noting the door as well.

- Sure, just give me a second - she answered and slowly opened the door, feeling around with her magic. The bad feeling kept coming at her, but there was no difference from before. Her shoulders slightly relaxed, as her body continued being on guard. Her reaction was not lost on Sebastian, who had spent the last few hours observing her closely.

- You do not have to be on guard - he tried to placate her - the police had already cleared the house and we spent the last two hours on the premises. If there was a threat, the detectives would have found it. - he told her calmly while looking around to make sure he was correct and there was no actual threat.

The room was big and somewhat bright. Or at least should have been with the large window at the end of the room, framed by a small bridge between two stories of shelves, full of books upon books. There were many small and big pieces of art complementing the dark wood and the antique desk with a dark leather chair. It was a librarian's dream, that is what it was, he thought. He could spend hours upon hours here, relaxing and reading. Only a feeling of forlornness was making him uncomfortable, besides the beauty surrounding him. Perhaps people were correct when they talked about crime scenes having a sinister air about them. He was feeling the same when he inspected the gallery after the death of his employee. It wasn't a nice feeling, but he knew it would go away eventually and people would continue with their lives.

- There is no threat or disturbance I can see right now - he told her, gazing back at her.

- Yeah – Gabriella responded, still looking around, looking for the reason for her unease. Perhaps a locator spell, she thought to herself stepping further into the room to try just that – Then you wouldn't mind if... – she suddenly stopped. She frantically searched around. There was something in the air that wasn't supposed to be there, that was absent moments ago. Or was counselled well enough for her to not notice until she stood further into the room? The rapid increase of dark magic, the feeling of something sick and sinister. The house itself was feeling ill and trying to remove the threat from itself. Something had entered the protected areas and that was not good.

- What's wrong? – he asked scanning the room again, looking for the threat.

- Shhh! - she hissed at him, hand raised towards him to shush him up. With a startling speed, she leapt towards the middle of the room, opening the doors and window wide with her magic. Air would help the magic move, like a current, and help her locate the abnormal cluster of darkness. Sebastian followed her trying to figure out how she had opened the windows but decided to think about it later. He took out the weapon he had taken from his safe in the morning and quickly stood half in front of her in a shielding manner.

Gabriella had her eyes closed, palms slightly up, magic probing cautiously around her. There was something sinister in this room. And that something was aware of their presence and trying to move undetected. This was starting to look more and more like an ambush, she thought to herself.

The surrounding magic was too much for her to make it out. The black aura of the crime from the night of the party, the presence of dark magic, and the feeling of malice. It was all jumbled up in a big cloud of confusion. Ilusion magic maybe? She was not sure. Also, a bright void of darkness was swirling at one point, indicating a creature of the dark. There was a ward as well, not a part of the property ones. A ward inside of the room. She probed at it and started to unravel it. A trapping ward, they were both trapped inside until they were released by the one who put the ward there or until the magic wore off. That was not good at all. It seemed the ward was stretching the entirety of the room, so that was good for their survival. If it was only half and they didn't know the boundaries it could easily harm them when trying to cross it.

So they were trapped in a warded room with a dark creature, that was using illusion magic to conceal itself. Not alarming at all. And only she knew of this. Sebastian was standing next to her, scanning around. Would he believe her or peg her as crazy? Well, she was about to find out because in no way was she letting him in the dark here. Their lives were at stake.

Sebastian threw a glance at her but quickly looked away, trying to ignore the pale light coming from her palms and her shining eyes.

- That's crazy - Sebastian said to himself quietly, shaking his head.

- Quiet – she warned him – there's something here... - She thrust her palms towards the desk and a ball of blue light shot out and landed into the air, striking something invisible.

Seconds later, Sebastian realized that the same ball had exploded at least ten centimetres in front of the desk. There were ripples in the air, just like a stone would disturb a pool of water. He began to make out a low silhouette. It was the strangest creature he had ever seen.

A small brown creature resembling a winged monkey with intelligent huge eyes and an evil gaze. Two small horns protruded from its head, and around its waist was a small leather girdle. Its mouth was full of small sharp teeth, and the sharp claws of his hand gripped a medium-sized, strange-looking but oddly familiar book.

This site was so strange and unreal that he couldn't even react for a few seconds. Then the silence was broken by his angry shout.

-What the hell is that thing?