by Rye Brewer
All I need is a necromancer.
My heart started hammering in my chest at the thought of getting to see my mother again after almost ten years. I was certain, in the very pit of my stomach, that she would be able to tell me exactly what was going on.
Perhaps she could even tell me more about my dad. Maybe this disease was genetic, after all.
I stared at the wall, my mind going a mile a minute.
Technically, speaking to dead relatives was frowned upon by the magical community. Even in our world, we respected death as the final passage into a different realm and holding on to anyone who passed on was considered taboo. Sure, necromancers were known to help a variety of individuals send messages to dead loved ones on important dates, but those were special situations.
In general, convincing a necromancer to summon my mom from the depths of the afterlife merely so that I could ask her why I had an itch on my back would likely be mission impossible.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason I wanted to see her again.
And, after all, I was Moira Bloodworth. I didn’t take no for an answer.
But where would I find a necromancer that I could trust?
8
I spent most of the next week trying to figure out which of the necromancers I could trust to help me in my new endeavor to speak with my mother. I did it mostly when I was alone in my bedroom or studying alone in the library, and I started with making a list of all the necromancers at Under Realm Academy.
We were a very small school, which was great for building a tightly knit community of magical beings, but not so great for things like secrecy and subtlety.
Also, part of me felt guilty for keeping this from my friends, especially Kendra. It wasn’t that I thought Talia and Kendra would think less of me for wanting to do something as taboo as speak with my dead mom. Rather, I just didn’t want them to worry about me.
Revealing the details of my unknown sickness felt like too much to dump on them during one of the most important years of our lives. Talia and Kendra had their careers and their entire futures to think about. They didn’t need to deal with my issues. When everything was figured out and my situation was no longer a mystery, then I would tell them.
The thing about speaking to the dead is that necromancers don’t learn the finer details of it until junior year. That helped me cross out all the freshmen and sophomores.
Then, I took it a step further and crossed out all the juniors. Though I was sure there was a talented necromancer in the junior class who could effectively help me communicate with my mother, I wanted to be sure that they at least had as much experience and practice as possible.
There were only about a dozen senior necromancers, so my list was fairly narrowed down at that point. I crossed out the names of those that I didn’t speak to very often. After all, I wanted to be able to trust the person who helped me communicate with my mother. Although they didn’t need to know why I was desperate to speak to her, I did want to be sure that I knew them well enough to not go spreading the word that Moira Bloodworth was enlisting necromancers to pathetically speak with deceased relatives years after they’d passed into the realm of the dead.
I was left with only a handful of names. I crossed out Maude Sanders, not because I was petty and didn’t like that she dated Calder last year, but more so because she was a known gossip. I also deleted Ava Lopez’s name from the list because, although she was very sweet and was always nice to me and Kendra at mealtimes and school events, she wasn’t particularly bright. Rumor had it that, during midterms, she was told to summon and speak with the ghost of an old Under Realm professor, but she ended up speaking with his son instead, who was three when he tragically died and could barely form complete sentences.
That left me with two options.
Luca Romanov and… Aidan Grimsbane. Ugh.
I frowned from where I sat in a corner of the library, tapping my pen against the notebook page with the necromancers listed on them.
I was sure that Luca was both smart enough and trustworthy enough to help me, but I still hesitated. He and Kendra were officially dating, so he spent a lot of time with my friend. If I was keeping this a secret from her for now, I certainly couldn’t except Luca to also keep it a secret from her, especially because they were now a couple.
Furthermore, I didn’t want to take Luca’s time and attention away from Kendra. She was so taken with him—like, absolutely head over heels—and he clearly was crushing just as hard. They were adorable at dinner, giggling and blushing at each other while the rest of us attempted to keep our food down at the nauseatingly sweet displays of affection.
I was happy for her. I really couldn’t insert myself in the middle of her first proper relationship; it didn’t feel right.
So, of course, that left me with only one other option.
An option that turned my stomach.
The tiny voice in the back of my mind had been trying to scream at me this entire time that he would end up being my final and only option.
After all, it made perfect sense. He was the most talented necromancer in his year. He was mysterious and secretive. He hated gossip. He was rebellious enough to agree to anything that was taboo or vaguely illegal.
I groaned quietly, dropping my head onto the dense oak table and ignoring the sideways glances from the other students doing homework around me. Talia was at one of her creepy late-night demon classes probably sacrificing a goat to Satan—not kidding—and Kendra was, of course, studying—making out—with Luca in the senior lounge.
It was probably for the best that my friends didn’t have to witness me losing my mind at the realization that Aidan Grimsbane was my only hope.
Stupid Aidan Grimsbane and his stupid talent and his stupid all-knowing smirk and stupid charming dimples. He frustrated and annoyed me like no person ever had before.
Did I trust him?
No, not generally.
But did I trust him to keep a secret?
Honestly, yes.
The thing was, he hadn’t told anyone about our strange encounter in the hallway when I burst out of the bathroom after experiencing my eyes turning black and my spine turning to liquid fire. While he seemed far too interested in inserting himself between me and Calder’s potential romance, he didn’t seem that invested in talking crap about me behind my back in other ways.
He was difficult to figure out.
Speaking of Calder, we had plans that Friday night to go to the astronomy tower and stargaze. There was supposed to be a meteor shower and I was excited for the opportunity to show off my witchy knowledge of celestial beings. Not only that but being alone with him at night under the stars sounded so romantic.
I sighed dreamily, allowing myself to space out for a few minutes before I snapped back to attention.
Where was I? Oh, yeah.
Stupid Aidan.
I supposed I had nothing to lose. The worst that could happen was that Aidan would say no to me asking for help and then I would have to revisit the drawing board. If that happened, I would simply have to reevaluate whether to tell Kendra about everything so that I could justify enlisting Luca’s help.
Well, maybe that wasn’t quite right. The actual worst thing that could happen was that Aidan would make fun of me for even thinking I could ask for his help and then go out of his way to make my life even more miserable than he already did.
I thought about the disturbing symptoms of my illness and the uncharacteristic way that my aunt completely shrugged off my questions and concerns.
Even if Aidan said no and bullied me through to the end of senior year, I figured it would be worth it. I needed to at least try to get help with this.
I stood up with a dramatic sigh, earning me a few more glances, and then packed up my belongings. I hurried out of the library to look for Aidan, determined to get it over with before I lost my burst of bravery.
I knew much more about Aidan’s activities than I cared to admit. From my conversatio
ns with Calder and Talia, and rumors overheard from Maude and the other senior necromancers, Aidan didn’t spend much time in the dorms. I also knew that he didn’t study in the library, because I was there nearly every evening and I never saw him.
Given our unexpected encounter in the hidden hallway a couple of months ago when he falsely told me that Calder wasn’t interested in me, I also knew that he tended to skulk around in parts of the castle that didn’t get much traffic.
I tried a few different places before I got lucky. It was late in the evening, but Under Realm students were night owls, so the likelihood of him having already gone to bed was slim.
He wasn’t in the alcove by the necromancer classrooms. He wasn’t on the crumbling stone steps leading up to the abandoned West Tower. He wasn’t in the oft-forgotten passage hidden by an ancient, dusty tapestry in the senior lounge.
I was just about to give up when I wandered into the maze-like garden in the castle’s southern courtyard and found him perched on a marble bench with his nose shoved into a small book that was definitely not a textbook.
Weird. I didn’t know school bullies read for fun.
Moonlight poured into the courtyard with a silver glow, casting the wilted winter flowers in a pale, hushed light.
I took a deep breath and marched toward him without hesitation. If he sensed fear, then he would definitely say no.
“Hey,” I said.
Aidan glanced up from his book and raised his eyebrows at me. He clearly hadn’t expected whoever had decided to interrupt his reading to be me, his favorite victim.
“What do you want?” He glanced over his shoulder.
We were alone in the courtyard. It was cold outside and not many students ventured past the thick stone walls of the castle past the last few weeks of November.
Feeling bold, I sat down on the bench beside Aidan. His inky black hair was getting longer and curled gently like a cherub painted on a church ceiling. Everything about him on the surface seemed enchanting and incorruptible, which was part of what made his dark personality so shocking.
“I need your help with something,” I told him.
Aidan snorted and put down his book, scooting back to put a few inches between us.
Jeez. He really can’t stand to be in my presence.
So far, so not good.
“You need my help? With what?”
I bit my lip and glanced away from him. My gaze fell on the moon, nearly full and hanging low in the sky. The full moon was a time of month that was important to most magical creatures, but especially witches. It was the time of year when our powers were strongest. They’d explained why at some point in Witch History 101 freshman year, but of course I didn’t pay attention.
Still, just seeing the moon nearly at her plumpest filled me with confidence.
“I need to speak to someone,” I told Aidan. “Someone dead.”
Aidan scoffed and grabbed his backpack, clearly about to walk away from me. However, it seemed that something within him couldn’t let it drop that easily. He turned back to me, a single eyebrow raised.
“Why would you ask me? Of all the necromancers at Under Realm?”
If he was looking for compliments, I certainly wouldn’t be able to stomach that.
Still, I owed him the truth.
“You’re the best one in our year,” I said, practically through gritted teeth. “And you don’t gossip.”
Luckily, he remained sitting beside me, seemingly deep in thought as he mulled over my request.
“So, which dead person are you trying to talk to? A benefactor of Brayton Academy? Trying to bribe your way into an acceptance?”
I frowned, pursing my lips at him. He really did go out of his way to be a brat to me. I wondered if I would ever be able to figure out what it was about me that made me so unpleasant.
“No,” I told him, narrowing my eyes. “I want to talk to my mom.”
Strangely, Aidan seemed to soften immediately. The malice in his eyes melted away at my words and his smirk morphed into a much more somber expression. I hadn’t necessarily wanted to admit that to him, but it clearly had a positive effect. For the first time, Aidan Grimsbane looked almost human.
After a few moments of silence, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.
“You know I don’t work for free,” Aidan said, speaking mostly to the frozen ground beneath our feet. “Especially not for witches.
“I don’t expect you to,” I told him, perking up at the prospect that he might actually agree to help me. “What do you want?”
He sighed and glanced at me over his shoulder. Surprisingly, the look wasn’t full of the usual disdain that I had gotten used to from him.
“That’s the thing,” he replied. “I don’t really want anything from you.”
Though it was kind of a mean sentence, his voice was, for once, devoid of meanness.
“Well… I am really good at brewing potions,” I offered. “I could make you whatever you want.”
Aidan sighed loudly and sat up straight. “Fine. I guess we can work something out.”
“Really?” The question popped out of my mouth before I could stop it.
The corner of his mouth quirked up at my surprise.
“Sure, why not,” he replied, shrugging. “It’ll be good practice for final exams.”
I nodded, daring to give him a smile.
“Thank you,” I told him.
He flinched at the sound of it and shook his head.
“Thank me after I summon your mom up from the depths of death.”
“Sure,” I told him with another nod.
“Oh, and one more thing,” he added as he stood up and flung his backpack over his shoulder.
“Hmm?”
“I don’t want anyone to know I’m helping you with something like this.” He frowned sternly.
I rolled my eyes. “Obviously.”
And with that, Aidan turned and walked into the castle.
I looked up at the moon, thanking her for the good luck she washed down on me just then.
I was going to get to see my mother again soon. I would get to talk to her.
And, hopefully, I would get to the bottom of whatever bizarre illness had taken me as its victim in recent months.
Aidan Grimsbane was the most unlikely ally. Though I still didn’t trust him, a tiny soft spot for him opened up in my heart. I just prayed that it didn’t end in disaster.
After all, Aidan and I were still sworn enemies.
9
When I woke up the next morning, I felt terrible.
“Ugh,” I moaned, shoving my face into the pillow. My entire body ached as if I’d suddenly become sick with the flu and my skin was covered in a layer of sweat. It was like the fever that had struck me a handful of times that semester had come back to attack again, but this time, to claim my entire body as victim.
I kicked off the sheets, desperate to feel cool air on my skin, but it didn’t help.
Rolling out of bed, I stumbled to the window and threw it open, gulping in the cold, harsh December air.
My spine felt like it was aflame, fire traveling down the length of my back from the nape of my neck to the small of my back. It stung, as if it my skin were really on fire.
That didn’t seem right. As a fire witch, it was very difficult for me to get burned.
With a huff of frustration, I moved toward the mirror hanging off the back of my door and pulled off the t-shirt I wore to bed the night before.
Twisting to see the reflection of my back in the mirror, I cursed loudly and stumbled back at the sight of what was on my back.
No. Oh, no, no, no…
Up until today, the strange itching and burning that occurred between my shoulder blades had happened without any real marks on my skin. It was as if the discomfort was a figment of my imagination.
But that had suddenly changed.
Right between my shoulders, a strange scar-like blemish had appeared. It was sli
ghtly raised and bright red. Though it was only a few inches long, it looked like a violent wound, but without open skin or blood.
What the hell was going on?
I thought about asking one of my classmates to ask Nurse Dahlia to come to my room, but something told me that this type of ailment was far beyond what even a soul reaper could assist with.
Reaching back with one arm, I timidly touched the mark on my skin. It was fiery to the touch and oddly rough and scaly. It felt as if it weren’t even a part of my body and I had to shriek at the horror of touching something utterly foreign protruding from my spine.
Suddenly, a knock on my bedroom door caused me to jump.
I lunged forward and locked it before whoever it was could walk in on me and see the creepy deformity on my back.
“Moira? Did you just lock the door? Are you okay?” It was Kendra. Confusion colored her voice. It was admittedly very weird for me to lock her out of my dorm, even if I was only half-clothed. We were as close as sisters, after all.
“Yes,” I called through the closed door, trying to make my voice sound as normal as possible. Still, no amount of faking could disguise my ragged tone, as if I’d just smoked an entire pack of cigarettes. “I’m just getting dressed.”
“Uh, okay… well, I don’t want to be late, so I’ll meet you in class,” she replied.
“Okay,” I yelled back. I pressed my ear to the door, listening for the sound of her retreating footsteps. When I was sure that she was gone, I collapsed onto the floor.
The rough carpet against my back fell like fingernails digging into a sunburn and I hissed loudly pain before rolling over onto my stomach.
“What is wrong with me?” I whimpered aloud to the empty room.
Part of me questioned whether I should write my aunt another letter and explain that I was literally incapable of getting up from the floor due to my entire body being on fire and a flaming growth between my shoulder blades.
But she would probably just try to dodge the issue again. Either that, or she would just not reply. Ever since she ignored almost the entire content of my letter last week, I no longer felt like I could fully trust her.