Only just a couple of days have gone by, yet with the passing of each hour, desperation clawed deeper and deeper inside Talbott's soul. It had dug itself with its retched claws, as each location was being crossed off the map with a hasty scribble of a quill, however there was still no sign of Talia. It felt as if he could hear the sand inside the hourglass draining, each grain of it sounding like nails dragging against a smooth blackboard surface.
The fear bubbling in his gut was simmering dangerously close to a breaking point as his eyes scanned the last location on the map. Dark clouds brought with them high winds alongside the promise of a ruthless thunderstorm and there was no telling now much time they had left. It could have been mere seconds, a few minutes or an hour at best. The moment the first lightning struck, Talia's life would be snuffed from existence forever, her flame burning out completely.
Sharp eyes lifted to stare at the forest as his mind worked. It was far too vast, every element working against them. While him and Mirunna did manage to get Jasper to reveal the locations they were planning on using for the ritual, there were too many, spread way too far apart between one another, several teams having worked around the clock in order to scout.
While in Azkaban, Talbott decided to try his luck and went to visit Josephine Crane as well, see if he could pin her against Constantine for leaving her to rot in that cell. However as the door opened to the poor lit room she was kept in, he understood why that was the case and once more life reminded him that he had rotten luck to begin with.
Crouching near her, he found a woman with sunken pale cheeks, bones far too prominent to indicate she was in a healthy state. She rocked back and forth, muttering something under her breath as she stared at the wall in front of her with manic wide empty eyes. Talbott's brows knitted together as his ears picked up her words, lips pressing together in a tight line. She was talking to the wall as if it was a person reflecting from it, some words hushed, some more audible "Have you killed her yet Constantine, have you found that child?" she repeated it like a mantra, over and over again, in a never ending loop.
As Talbott got up, her head snapped to him, eyes taking him in and for a moment he actually believed there was a glimmer of realization sparking inside her brain "Have you found her? Have you killed her yet Constantine?"
"I am not Constantine." The woman nodded as if understanding his words, however the next thing she uttered was a repeat of her previous questions.
Snapping his mind back to the current events, he nodded as Moody pointed to an area on the map him and Bill would search. The group was not that large, a couple of Aurors that could be spared, the Ministry losing their patience with the resources wasted that always came back empty handed, despite the threat Constantine represented. However they never did know the depths of the events that resulted from his actions. The sins of their past mistakes, how they glossed over the entire event, still haunted them up till that moment.
However it was due to their actions that Talia managed to survive under the radar for so long. That uncertainty of whether or not she was alive bought her a few years.
Bill and Lazlo joined on their own accord after Tonks decided to ask. There was no hesitation and the more they had to help them, the more their chances of finding her increased. Mirunna and Moody of course were in it from the very beginning, however he could see the hope in their eyes dying out. If Jasper sent them on a wild goose chase, then all would be lost.
Why would he not at the end of the day? The only person his rotten infested soul ever cared for was taken away from him by someone carrying the Crane name. It mattered not if that child was a result of malintent. She still carried inside her skull the same cold eyes, turquoise depths reminding the world that another one of them walked the earth, another potential threat. Another cursed one carrying the Crane legacy.
However Talbott wanted to believe, that somewhere inside his dark soul, there was still some good and that he would associate that part that he tried to bury with all his might to Talia. Talbott desperately needed to believe that if he still wanted to maintain a modicum of calm.
Yet it was not long until that single logical feeling evaporated.
At the first touch of rain against his skin, he could feel inside his chest, not one, but two hearts beating frantically, breaking underneath his ribcage. Sucking a long breath of air through his teeth, his pupils skunk in paralytic fear. Glancing over at Bill, there was only determination lighting up his orbs "I need to scout from above. You will know if I find anything." With that being said, Bill's mouth flung open as Talbott morphed in his Animagus form and flew above the tree line.
To Hell with it all was the last thought that dared to form inside his brain.
Following his ascent into the cool air, darkening clouds could be seen approaching out in the horizon. Words did not make their way inside his ripe mind, they were not needed. Why would he need them anyway? For them to spell fear? Horror? Misery? What purpose could they possibly hold right then and there?
Tree lines appeared to morph together in a straight dark green line that soon appeared to be black with the heavy dark clouds above. The rain appeared to pour down relentlessly bringing with it, not the smell of fresh rain but of death.
It had not been once that Talbott Winger thought of death. How it would find him, how he would react in the face of it? He had always figured it would be in order to serve a higher purpose. All his life he worked his damn hardest to reach the point of becoming an Auror in training and a few years down the line a full fledged Auror.
However as his sharp eyes tried to pick up anything down below he felt as if that ending was far closer than he had ever believed it to be. He would rush in head first at the very sigh of something odd. He would not stop to think about it, he would not dwell on a logical variable, no. He would plummet through the sky if he had to, right on top of his enemy if so be it, anything to ensure she would live to breath another day.
He could still see her eyes, searching his face, as she glanced at him for a few moments in Nockturn Alley, ensuring he was still with her, seeing her. All that worry, all that suffering was now engraved inside his mind and would follow him for as long as he would live.
Talia Hayes, or whatever name she carried, would forever leave a mark on him.
Leaves and more leaves, grass and more grass, that was all that stretched for miles. Green and luscious and untouched by man.
Leaves and ever more leaves, grass and more fucking grass, burned grass.
"Burned?" circling around, his eyes were not deceiving him. There was an area below that appeared to be burned by fire.
The atmosphere felt heavy with electricity and for once he could not decipher if it was due to magic or nature playing a trick on his mind. However there was one thing he could always rely on, his eyes, his vision had never betrayed him, it was fresh, it was new and raw.
He had to be close to a magical barrier. The air did not feel the same, the winds appeared to go around it, something was happening right below him.
One chance, one opportunity.
Midair, he allowed for the transformation to take place, as he launched through the air red sparks, alerting his team mates of his location. Under his feet a few more chants were cast under his breath before feathers once more took over as he dove further.
Below the tree line, he could see several henchmen spreading out in order to intercept the incoming party, yet he payed them no mind as his wings continued to carry him to his only target.
His eyes picked up the gruesome scene before him, heart feeling as if it stopped beating. A crimson painted hand extended, small hatched being placed in it, almost loosing its grip on it due to the thick coat of blood. Talia's eyes were not focused on anything anymore, her blinking slowly, trying to just keep her eyes opened.
He did not think, he just attacked, sharp talons digging into Constantine's skin, drawing blood, his grip faltering as the hatchet dropped from his hand. As he managed to pry him off, Talbott morphed back into his human form casting Diffindo on one of Talia's hand binds before focusing back on his opponent.
With one hand free, Talia lifted her eyes slowly, trying to discern what was happening a few feet away from her. It felt as if she was not even there in person, everything appearing much farther away. All around her the faint sounds of fighting happened, yet she was still trying to discern events.
The only real thing remaining for her was the pain, the all too real flesh tearing pain that was radiating through her body, vibrating violently, the only reminder that she was still alive. Glancing at her other hand that was still bound, her mind could not come up with a solution on how to untie herself, her eyes casting back to Talbott fighting.
His moves were precise, however he was fighting differently. The way he carried himself spelled anger, how his eyes shinned whenever a spell illuminated his face showed he wanted to strike down Constantine at all cost.
"Do you think your cheep tricks can take me down boy?" the sound of her father's voice broke against her eardrums, far clearer than the rain pouring down on her.
In all the commotion she felt a pair of hands frantically trying to untie her ropes, Talia recognizing Karol. He was hurt, he was shaking, his wand was no where to be seen, yet he was trying to free her. He did not glance at her once, teeth gritted and lips pressed together tight as he struggled to keep himself together "What are you doing?"
The moment he heard her speak and his eyes travelled to her, every bit of composure he held dissipated as he turned in order to let out the acidic vomit bubbling in his stomach. Yet the binds loosened, Talia managing to wiggle her hand free. She refused his help, yet he still hoisted her up, placing his blouse over her head, the material immediately soaking up the crimson blood coming out from her broken skin "This changes nothing."
All Karol provided was a single nod as he secured her good hand over his shoulder, holding her upright. Of all the people that could have or would have helped her, he was the last she expected to turn around. He had always hated her, hated how his brother suffered after her. Despised how she carried herself, everything about her, but there he was, scanning the terrain, looking for a way out.
As lighting struck the very place Talia has been bound to, they both jumped, Constantine yelling at the top of his lungs. Talbott did not waste a moment, sparks flying from the tip of his wand, hitting him with brute force. Picking up his wand, he quickly immobilized Constantine, a vicious glare lighting up his eyes. However, he just laughed "You think this is over? As long as she is still alive, it will never be over."
"I know." Turning to Talia, he pointed his wand at Karol "On your knees, now." Slowly, he walked towards Talia, extending a hand out to take her into his embrace, hand immediately securing her waist as he pulled her close to his body. Pressing a kiss to the crown on her head, he exhaled slowly as he watched Karol get on his knees, Talbott immobilizing his too.
They had won, however nothing comes for free.
The moment Talia was in a stable state, interrogations took place. Why her? Who was she really? Why did Constantine target her? However she kept up the same façade as usual. She knew the story she had to tell, the web of lies to spill that would perfectly align with the camp incident.
All eyes were on her, yet she remained impassive, unaffected, cold.
Too cold.
But one event managed to change that for her, one single person being caught in the aftermath. When authorities entered her hospital room once more, she schooled her face to not reveal too many emotions, shutting down slowly.
Only that day they were not there for her "Talbott Winger you are under arrest for being an unregistered Animagus. You are to come with us and await trial for sentencing." It was then when all emotions burned inside her.
Seeing him just lower his head as he allowed for them to take him away without even uttering a word. All because he exposed himself, all because he came to save her.