"They already know," Adrian whispered, dread tightening his voice, his eyes wide with something close to fear.
"No—!" Amelia shouted. "Get back!"
But it was too late.
Adrian convulsed—
and then he burst.
Not with fire or smoke, but with a violent pulse of cursed blood. A red mist erupted outward, expanding in a shockwave of rot and searing pain.
Amelia moved instantly, throwing herself in front of Caelum, her arms wrapping around him as a shield charm flared to life just in time.
Even so, the force of the blast hurled them across the room, slamming them into the far wall as the corrosive mist spread wildly through the air.
The Aurors outside burst in at once, wands drawn, voices rising as they cast spells of containment.
Caelum coughed violently, the taste of iron thick in his throat. His lungs burned as he struggled for breath.
Amelia lay beside him, unmoving.
Her left side was badly burned, her breathing shallow and uneven.
"She's alive!" one of the Aurors shouted, dropping to her side. "We need to get them out—now!"
…
Standard procedure kicked in. Apparition was impossible within Azkaban's wards, so the Aurors had to moved quickly. Two of them lifted Amelia's unconscious form, while another caught Caelum as he staggered, his body wracked with violent coughs, blood staining his lips.
Together, they moved the pair out of the interrogation wing, down the spiralling inner tower, and out onto the outer landing platform.
The wind howled across the sea cliffs, sharp and biting.
Above them, Dementors circled like vultures—drawn to the disturbance, searching for the source of the chaos within their prison.
…
Once on the open stone landing, an Auror drew his wand. "Hold on, I'm taking us to St Mungo's—"
But nothing happened.
The Auror tried again. Still nothing.
"What—?"
Another Auror paled, eyes darting between Caelum and Amelia.
"It's them. The explosion marked them—some kind of curse interference. It's disrupting their magical signatures, it is imposible to bring them using apparition."
"What about Portkey?" someone asked sharply.
"Same problem," the lead Auror snapped. "It'll rebound or rupture. We can't move them magically."
A grim silence settled between them.
"Then we do it the hard way," one growled. He raised his wand high. "I'll summon the carriage!"
…
From the fog and mist, the thundering of hoofbeats echoed across the air as a Ministry-enchanted thestral carriage surged toward the landing, drawn by sleek, skeletal beasts.
The Thestrals hissed softly as the Aurors secured Caelum and Amelia inside. One of them raised his wand at once, muttering rapid incantations as pale light spread over them—sealing wounds, slowing the worst of the damage, buying them precious time.
The carriage surged into the night air, cutting through the misty winds over the open sea outside the dementors territory.
For a moment, all seemed still.
Then—
CRACK.
A sharp sound of Apparition—several, rapid and precise—shattered the calm. The sky above flashed with curses as hooded figures dropped down from the darkness, robes billowing like shadows unfurling in the wind.
"Ambush!" the driver shouted. "We've got company—hostiles in the air!"
A green curse streaked past the front of the carriage, grazing one of the thestrals. The creature shrieked and twisted, nearly toppling them into a spin before regaining control.
Caelum pushed himself up weakly as the stabilizing magic flickered under the strain. "They're here…" he whispered, his voice hoarse.
The carriage door exploded outward as two masked wizards landed on the platform, wands raised. One of the Aurors lunged forward, shielding the entrance with a blast of defensive spells.
"Get them out of here!" he yelled, holding the attackers back with a fiery whip of magical light. The air sizzled with tension as dark spells collided midair.
A vampire dove down from the clouds—pale and lean, eyes glowing crimson. Its nails glinted like blades. It struck one Auror from the side, knocking him into the sea below.
The carriage veered sharply, as it slammed by a concussive hex. Another thestral screeched, and the carriage dropped in altitude.
Inside, Caelum could barely move. His limbs were numb, his veins still thrumming with aftershocks from the blood-curse explosion. He turned to Amelia—
But she was unconscious, her breathing shallow.
He reached for her, but then the carriage slammed into the treetops.
Branches shattered against the frame, the impact hurling them violently from their seats as the world spun into chaos. A second crash followed as the carriage hit the ground, wood splintering, metal groaning under the force.
Outside, spells flared—sharp bursts of light tearing through the darkness.
Aurors scrambled to form a perimeter as more vampires and dark-robed figures closed in.
"Run!" one of them shouted at Caelum. "Take the underpath trail—go!"
Before he could react, a jet of red light slammed into the Auror's chest, hurling him backward.
Caelum lunged for Amelia, trying to pull her with him, but another wizard stepped into view at the edge of the wreck, wand already raised.
Then a figure dropped between them, a vampire, with a cruel hiss, she swept Amelia aside like a ragdoll.
"No—!" Caelum shouted, scrambling forward, reaching for his magic—but it slipped through his grasp, wild and unsteady, a sharp blow struck him from behind.
Darkness clawed at his vision.
The last thing he saw was a figure, cloaked in shadow and blood-red eyes, reaching for him—
And then, nothing.