“Well, you’ve seen your father, haven’t you? Don’t you think it funny that after setting his nets for your mother, he got trapped there as well?”
I grasped it quicker than Innis.
“Did he—”
“Yes. Charm spells are powerful indeed.”
Innis blurted out an entire tirade of swear words, unskilled but earnest in her attempt. I embraced her shoulders, trying to calm her down.
“How do you know about the charm spells?”
“How could I not! Innis, do you know that your mother had an elder brother?”
Innis grew pale.
“Y-yes. But he’s...”
“Disappeared without a trace. Why would Sidon Andago need him?”
I caught the girl so she wouldn’t faint.
“Tell me more, you corpse!”
That tone finally made him pay attention. The ghost looked at me once more, I released my power, and it was his turn to become pale—or, rather, translucent.
“By the Bright! You—”
“Yep. Me. And if you don’t answer me right now, I will burn your chicken coop to the ground!”
The spirit sighed and began telling his story.
He was also a necromancer, who, by a cruel twist of fate, had become a healer. If you make a drawback your advantage, you can heal with the power intended to destroy, that was true. I had never been taught that, but the Andago family seemed no stranger to experimentation.
Anyway, Tidann had died like he was supposed to. But during his lifetime, he had conducted trials in that same laboratory using his own blood. As a result, twenty-three years ago...
Yes, it was exactly twenty-three years ago when Diann Andago, the older brother of Innis’ mother, had died. And he hadn’t died without any reason.
To make it simple, the boy had been knocked out, dragged down there, tied up, and left alone in one of the dungeons where nobody had entered for about a century. They had not had the guts to kill him, but after a few days without water, any man would die, especially a weak and injured one.
That was exactly what had happened.
But his kin’s blood spilled in the dungeon of his family’s temple had awakened Tidann. The boy had managed to regain consciousness right before his death, even if for a little bit, and had cursed his murderer.
Magic had been sleeping in his blood, but it wasn’t even required in that case.
A house built on blood and bones, a martyr’s death, the desire for revenge—all of that had been enough, and the boy’s blood had aroused his ancestors, or, more precisely, Tidann, who had manifested himself in the laboratory, yet, couldn’t leave it.
He could, however, influence Andago blood, even by proxy. There was a good reason why an air mage had thought about necromancy when every mage knows that playing with other powers is forbidden.
And there was the result.
“Who?” Innis almost growled.
“The murderer?” the ghost asked, sneering. “Are you sure you want to know it, girl?”
Innis started at him in surprise.
“You mean...”
I had already figured it out.
“Did Sidon want to become Count Andago that much?”
“Yes.”
The word fell from his ghostly lips, hard and cold. He wasn’t lying or keeping anything back. He was telling everything, especially in the presence of a necromancer. He wasn’t stupid enough to mess with me. I could make him disappear without any trouble.
Innis turned white as snow.
“Father?”
“Yes, unfortunately, your father killed your uncle and fed your mother a love potion.”
“She didn’t have even a latent gift?”
“Rinna was a smart girl, good and kind, but no. Her brother might have grown into his magic later, but the only thing she could do was pass on the Andago blood to someone else.”
I sighed and supported Innis, who was shaking like a leaf. That number of revelations took a toll on her.
“I’ve always thought that the vilest deeds take place in the most decent of families. Sidon Andago secured himself a future and lived happily. But magic has awoken in Innis’ blood as well, hasn’t it?”
“You must know that magic doesn’t want to disappear from the world. The blood calls, and power listens. You’re like that yourself...”
True.
The blood of Radenorian kings didn’t want to disappear in the demonic blood, which is why I have two gifts, why I look like my mother’s twin, why the ancestral palace can acknowledge me...
“Did Ritanna Andago die of natural causes?”
“For that, you can thank the blonde bitch that her father married,” the ghost replied, almost spitting. “Warlock blood...”
Now that was interesting.
There are various kinds of spell-casters in the world. Mages possess elemental powers; witches know the earth; and then, there are warlocks: those who were born with no power at all, but wanted it so much that it hurt.
And those idiots summoned demons and made deals with them, giving them their souls and access to this world and receiving power in return—not the purest kind, but better than nothing, no doubt about that. It was quite enough to cause a mess or two.
It’s because of those scum that necromancers are despised. Both kinds dealt with demons: summonings, bargains...but a warlock next to a necromancer was like a peasant next to a king. The latter would command; the former would beg. I had no need of bargains, I was a power in my own right.
My mother, by the way, hadn’t struck a deal either; Martha had helped. So I was no warlock.
“Does Amorta come from a royal bloodline?”
“Her, her mother, her sister—all of them...”
“And it didn’t start with her mother, right?”
“What are you talking about?” Innis kept turning her head, shifting her gaze from me to the ghost and back again. I sighed and started the explanation.
She was a quick thinker; I’ll give her that. And she immediately became enraged.
“What a...dirt bag!”
“I would even say, dirt bags. See, everything moves in a circle. Once, Sidon did everything he could to marry your mother. He killed her brother, fed her love potions, and now, he’s caught in the same trap. His wife was killed, and he’s drinking potions almost every day. That’s why he looks so bad for his age. Potions either cause tolerance, and the victim soon realizes that he’s being charmed, or ruin health so much you could hardly look at the person.”
“So what am I to do now?”
The ghost and I exchanged glances.
Yeah, there we were talking about magic theory and lofty matters, while women got to the root of the problem. Really though, what?
Innis was almost reading my thoughts.
“On the one hand, my father’s guilty. But he’s my father! Amorta’s guilty, too, but her child isn’t! So what am I to do?”
I considered that for a while and finally proposed the following.
“Innis, let’s solve our problems one at a time. We have Amorta. I think I should be the one to deal with warlocks, will you trust me on that?”
The girl nodded without even thinking. But what was I to do? Well, for starters, spend some time in the castle and watch Amorta. And then...
“But what if they marry me off before then?”
“You’ll become a widow before your wedding night!” we snapped in unison and started laughing. Innis stared at us, wide-eyed, and then probably imagined her fiancé getting a half-demon and a ghost on their conjugal bed on the very first night and started roaring with laughter.
Now that's more like it. So what? Am I that much worse than a bride? I am definitely better at cheering them up!
***
We returned to our quarters only just before dawn. Innis went to her own chambers, while I collapsed onto the bed and fell fast asleep, wanting to get at least a few hours of rest.
They woke me up before breakfast.
This
time around, I got some fresh faces. Besides Sidon, Innis, and Amorta, the dining room contained two more people, both quite unpleasant.
One of them, apparently, was Amorta’s sister, or at least I came to that conclusion based on her thin hair, flat figure, and missing chin. The other one was also a relative. What can I say? Even the late unlamented Ruthina was prettier. That weasel could make even Ak-kvir vomit from indigestion, and having realized that, he lived guided by the “more for me” principle, sweeping the table of everything within reach.
Innis’ face was so murderous that I was seriously afraid for the lives of those around her. She might have just killed them in the heat of the moment.
I bowed and presented myself with all the proper titles. Two pairs of eyes met mine: the weasel looked angry, and the lady, interested. Amorta smiled.
“Alex, let me introduce you to my younger sister Clarice.”
I bowed, kissed her paw, and almost suffocated from the stench of charm potions. Does it run in the family?
“Nice to meet you. Your bloodline is truly graced with beauty.”
Innis snorted into her glass, drawing disgruntled stares.
“My younger brother, Riphar Morales, the fiancé of our Innis.”
I looked at the weasel with such contempt that any real man would have long since splashed his wine in my face or pulled out his sword.
“Cousin, do you, perchance, have six children born out of wedlock? Or are your legs, Saint forbid, hairy and crooked?”
“Not at all!” Innis was offended and blushed furiously.
“Then why have you chosen...this! The youngest son of a baron with no money, lands, charisma, or even honor?”
“What have you said about my honor!” Riphar was beside himself.
I carefully held him by his throat and squeezed the artery so he wouldn’t twitch.
“You can prove that you have it...in a duel. Or should I strip you of your honor literally?”
I pretended that I was about to unbuckle my pants.
All hell broke loose in the dining room. Innis collapsed with laughter, clutching her father. Amorta and Clarice clung to me. Ingor, whom they had dragged to the breakfast, squealed like a neutered piglet, and the servants cowered in the corner.
I released my grasp.
Defeated, Riphar crawled away under the table, and I had just enough time to kick him in the rear. I shook off the women and sat down.
“Cousin Innis, if you’d like, I could take you to the capital. Maybe we could find you a better-looking duke there.”
“No, you won’t!” Amorta shouted, indignant. “Alex Belient, leave this house, immediately!”
“Are you trying to order him around in my home, you freeloader?” Innis didn’t even raise her voice, but everyone heard her anyway. She was an air mage, after all.
I smirked.
“Pack up, Innis. We’re going to the court.”
“What!” Sidon Andago finally left his dazed state. I took a closer look at him. Hmm. What Innis’ father needs isn’t revenge, but healthcare or he won’t last long. “Where are you taking my daughter?”
“Actually, it’s you who should take her to court and find her a suitable fiancé.”
“But Riphar....”
The aforementioned Riphar carelessly stuck his head out from under the table and promptly got conked by Innis, who was holding a plate in her hand. It was Sidon Andago’s turn to wince.
“I think we should all recover our senses. We got too excited,” Amorta declared and left the room. That lady was more dangerous than I had expected. Her sister followed her, and the servants dragged the baby out as well. We were left practically alone, except for Riphar under the table, but Innis had spared no effort in hitting him with the plate, so he was knocked out for good.
I moved closer to Sidon, touched his hand, and sniffed him, momentarily releasing my power.
Oh.
“Your Grace, I believe we have indeed let our tempers get the best of us. Please forgive me for my lack of restraint.”
Sidon nodded so aggressively that one would think the air in front of him was thicker than a brick wall and he was trying to break it with his forehead. I bid him farewell, and Innis came with me.
“Alex?”
“Innie, how much do you care about your father?”
“Umm?”
“At this rate, in two years, you’ll be left an orphan.”
It was funny how Innis’ eyes widened when she was surprised.
“How!”
“Charm potions sometimes have that side effect. This is one such case.”
“I do feel sorry for my father.”
“Maybe Amorta will take pity on him and stop feeding him potions.”
“Or she might not. What did he feed to my mother?”
“I don’t know.”
Innis turned on her heels and grabbed my hand, her icy fingers twitching.
“I want to know, Alex! What happened to my mother, whether my father is guilty... Do you understand?”
“I do.”
If I were her, I wouldn’t be able to live in peace either.
“I have to know everything. Only then can I decide.”
“Fine. I’ll summon your mother’s spirit, and we’ll have a talk.”
“Does she know the truth?”
“That’s right, spirits don’t know everything, but every dead person knows the cause of their death, or they could never haunt the culprits.”
“But my mom didn’t...”
“It’s more of an exception than a rule. Are you sure you want a boring lecture on necromancy?”
“Then tell me an interesting one!”
What a brat!
“Well, if you insist... See, each murder leaves a bad influence on a person, and the kickback might be so strong that you will regret it later. But some murders go against nature especially: killing mages, witches, kings, there are some other categories...”
“What about ordinary people?”
“Ordinary people can also become ghosts! But you would need a lot of spiritual power and an obsession. If a person wants to stay in this world to take revenge or to help...lots of variants, but the main point is clear: your desire has to be incredibly strong, crazy strong, and you need to put all of you into it, your soul, your life, your blood, your afterlife...”
“And then?”
“A ghost appears and does the thing which made them stay in this world.”
“Do ghosts feel pain, longing?”
“It varies. You never know. Some ghosts have a pretty good time in their afterlife, but some dream of moving on. But there’s a problem. After they deal with their issue, they can’t just disappear; someone must let them go.”
“A necromancer?”
“Not necessarily. A blood relative, the one who helped the ghost achieve their goal, a virtuous servant of the Bright Saint—virtue is important.”
“So many requirements...”
“You could say that. Trust me, necromancers, due to their profession, can be quite shifty. Otherwise, they couldn’t bargain with demons and get what they want.”
“With you...oops!”
“Innis, I did swear that I wouldn’t harm you. I will keep my promise. But I need you to swear something, too.”
“What?”
“That you won’t summon any other demons. I will solve your problems, but I don’t want you to suffer further.”
I wouldn’t be beside her then, and who knows what might happen.
“But I can summon you again?”
“Later, I will teach you how.”
I smiled and winked at her.
How? It’s simple. She could send a messenger. I would come and blow everything to smithereens. I just liked that girl.
***
After the interrupted breakfast, we went to visit Ritanna Andago’s grave. Innis chose to leave the house rather than hear whatever Amorta had to say.
She could have just told her stepmother
to shut it, but she wanted to spare her ears that tirade.
Thus, we quietly passed through the kitchen and disappeared into the park. The family cemetery was a twenty-minute walk away, close enough to visit the deceased at any moment, but not quite next to the house.
In a silent pine grove, a white tomb stood with a high, onion-shaped dome—all peace and quiet. It looked so inviting that I almost wanted to lie down myself.
Innis opened the door of the tomb, clearly nervous.
“Alex, can I...”
“Don’t go in.”
I needed something to talk to Ritanna Andago. Innis’ blood would do, but I didn’t want to involve her in necromantic rituals. It was Andago blood, after all. You never knew who might answer the call. Tidann was enough. So, a piece of clothing, a lock of hair...anything I could find would do. The tomb was dry and tidy as if it was cleaned every month. I walked past the coffins.
Ilonna Andago, Laminna Andago...aha, there she was. Ritanna Andago was the last in the row.
I lifted the lid slightly and shook my head. Death didn’t do anyone any favors, but tombs usually preserved them in a better state. In Ritanna’s case, the rot was especially severe.
I carefully ripped off a lock of her long black hair, just like Innis’.
The girl really shouldn’t see her mother like that. She was almost a skeleton covered in brown leather with bared white teeth. Her clothes were in pretty good condition, creating an especially creepy sight.
Well, it was either a hex, poison, or...lots of options, really. Healing a person is hard, but killing? So many possibilities! Evil’s always easier.
Innis was waiting for me by the tomb. I nodded, sympathetic.
“Everything is fine. We’ll talk to her in the evening.”
“Oh, Alex...”
I hugged her lightly, just like a brother would, and curbed the desire which started to awaken inside of me. She was a child! She wasn’t even twenty!
“It’s going to be all right, sweetie. We’ll make it.”
Innis buried her nose in my shoulder, trusting me. How could I leave her unprotected?
***
We weren’t able to return home quietly. Not far from the castle, we were apprehended by Amorta and Clarice.
“Alex!”
“Innis!”
Half-Demon's Fortune Page 7