Necromancer Revealed
Stones of Amaria Book 3
by
Lindsey R. Loucks
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Stones of Amaria
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
About the Author
Copyright
Necromancer Revealed (Stones of Amaria Book 3) © January 2020 Lindsey R. Loucks
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: ALL rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
COVER: Design by Definition
Editing: Heather Hambel Curley
Stones of Amaria
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT the other authors’ series in the Stones of Amaria world! You don’t have to read them all to understand what happens in this one, but you might as well because books! ☺
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Chapter One
AWARENESS SEEPED IN slowly. I drifted underneath it while floating on a lazy river, content, because beyond it was heartache and failure and horror. I'd had enough of that, thanks.
But a long, low creak tugged me toward reality. I'd heard that sound before. My heart stalled. Dread unspooled from my mind and speared lost memories directly into the backs of my eyelids. I snapped them open while the rest of me froze in terror. The creak continued like a lid on a coffin opening. A pale hand snaking out. And from out of the coffin stood Ryze, back from the dead.
Because of me.
I was reliving it as my own personal hell for punishment. But even as my eyes registered my surroundings, I rejected that idea. I would punish myself for eternity after Ryze was gone again.
Still, the creak continued. It came from the large wooden door across the room, the door that was slowly opening. I had no idea where I was—or who that could be coming inside. Was it him? Was it Ryze, here to finish me off?
I tore myself away from the bed I was lying on, but my body had gone limp. I flipped sideways, and I fell and smacked hard against the stone floor. My hip hit first and then the side of my head. My teeth crashed together, and stars zipped across my vision.
I couldn't draw a breath to groan or scream. Because now I could see under the bed and a pair of boots creeping inside.
Oh, gods. Panic churned my blood faster. I reached toward the dagger in my boot, but I wasn't wearing any. Only a thin white gown covered me to my knees. But I wasn’t defenseless.
The boots pivoted around the door and crossed toward me. I had magic, but all the Latin I knew had scrambled and melted in my fuzzy brain. I could run. No, I couldn't even haul myself up onto my elbows.
"Dawn?" a voice called.
I knew that voice. It sounded so gentle and loving.
I blinked hard. "Dad?" I tried to say, but only a squeak came out.
Then he appeared around the side of my bed with my mother a few steps behind him, both their jaws hanging open and concern tightening their blue eyes. They were here, with me, dressed in their spring leathers and wearing bright healing charms like jewelry. I swept my gaze around the room at the torches on the walls decorated with necromancy symbols and skulls. My parents were here at Necromancer Academy instead of White Magic Academy where I should've been.
"Who put you on the floor?" Dad crossed toward me, scooped me easily up in his arms, and settled me back in bed underneath the blanket.
“Did you hurt yourself?” Mom murmured a healing spell, and like always, she made everything better.
I kept staring at them both, seeing glimpses of Leo in my dad's jaw and the old me in my mom's bright blue eyes and even brighter blonde hair. I hadn't told them I was here, yet seeing them now, after everything that had happened, filled me with so much relief, I burst into tears. The relief eclipsed the shame I felt for lying to them. For now. That was coming, I was sure of it.
They let me cry while Mom stroked my hair—blonde like hers; someone must’ve washed the coal out—and Dad awkwardly squeezed my toes in his large hand.
When I finally collected myself, I asked, "How long have you been here?"
"Since you fell into mage's oblivion," Mom said softly. "Three months ago."
I sagged into the bed and let that news crush me. Three months. Three months I'd been unconscious while Amaria suffered under Ryze's return.
I didn't want to know, but I had to know. "How bad is...everything?"
Mom shared a look with Dad and grimaced. "It's...not good. Magic has gone a little haywire since he’s come back."
"Did you know?" I asked them, my voice warbling. "Did you know it was me who brought him back?"
"Dawn," Dad said gently, "we know what happened, and not an ounce of it was your fault."
I was shaking my head before he'd even finished because he couldn't know. There had only been four of us in the infirmary—Professor Wadluck, Morrissey, Ryze, and me—and of those four, I wouldn't believe three of them if they told me water was wet.
"We do know," Mom said, taking my hand. "You had the magic dampener clutched in your hand when you took it to the gym before slipping into mage's oblivion. The dampener was deactivated and returned to White Magic Academy."
"I mean before that," I pleaded. I needed them to understand so they'd shout at me, tell me how disappointed they were in me. "I brought Ryze back. Me. Because my magic went gray. Because I came here"—my voice cracked—"to avenge Leo’s murder."
Heavy silence blanketed the room, thick as the jagged hole in our lives Leo had once occupied. His death had devastated me, but it had completely destroyed my parents. I knew this, and yet I'd acted selfishly by lying to them and coming here with killing on my mind.
"I'm sorry," I croaked, though that wasn't enough. That would never be enough.
“We know why you came here.” Mom bowed her head as she gave my fingers a reassuring squeeze.
"You do?”
"That nice boy Ramsey sent us a raven after you went into mage's oblivion."
He'd told them I was here. I couldn't even be mad, though, because I was so relieved to see them. Still, Ramsey a nice boy? Infuriating, yes. Impossible, yes A killer...definitely not. But nice? I hadn’t given it much thought.
Mom nodded. "When we arrived, he and Headmistress Millington filled us in. On what they could, anyway."
Dad sat on the bed next to my feet. "After the onyx stone was activated, Professor Wadluck was found in the infirmary petrified next to an open casket. The Ministry of Law Enforcement reversed the spell and interrogated him. He admitted everything."
"Including your role, Dawn,” Mom said. “He used you for the color of your magic. You didn't play a willing part, and no one at all bl
ames you for this."
"It doesn’t change anything, though, does it?” I pulled the blanket tighter around me. “Ryze is still back."
"He'll be dealt with.” Mom smoothed her hand across my cheek, her touch like a balm to my soul. “That's not for you to worry about right now."
"Have you forgotten, Mom? I worry about everything."
She huffed a laugh. "Well, you wouldn't be my daughter if you didn't."
"But aren't you angry with me?” I asked, but it sounded like I was begging. “Disappointed? I lied to you. I came to this academy to kill someone because I thought he killed Leo. Please just yell at me so we can get that part over with."
"We're angrier at ourselves.” Dad shook his head and looked into the far corner of the room absently, his mouth pursed. “We weren't there for you as much as we should've been after Leo's death. We didn’t come together. You felt angry and alone and..."
Mom glanced at him and then fell silent a moment before she met my gaze again. "None of us saw what you saw the night Leo died. You were hurting. We all were. You dealt with it the only way you saw how, and while it wasn't right, you didn't make it wrong either."
"Ramsey’s still alive,” Dad reminded me. “He explained to us why."
Mom patted my hand and grinned. "He's a really nice boy."
I huffed and shook my head.
"You don't think so?" she asked.
"He makes me want to light myself on fire." Although, that wasn't entirely true, was it? It was often true though.
Dad snorted. "Sounds like your mother when we first met. I drove her insane."
"Oh, you still do," Mom said, smiling at him. "That hasn’t changed."
Gods, I’d missed them and how easily they loved each other, and me, despite making it hard for them.
"I haven't been there for you, either, these last several months,” I admitted. “I've been too wrapped up in...myself, really."
"So let's change that, hm?” Mom said. “All of us."
I nodded, feeling the knot in my throat tighten. If I had killed Ramsey, I seriously doubted they'd be this forgiving. I still thought I deserved to be shouted at, but maybe I could do that myself when I wasn't figuring out how to stop Ryze.
“Dawn,” Mom said, her voice low as she peered at the skulls on the walls. “How do you stand it here? The angles are all wrong, it’s freezing, and it’s so...dark.”
“I got used to it,” I admitted.
She shivered and then wrapped her arms around herself. “How?”
A light knock sounded on the door, and a head of dark hair poked inside. At first, I had no idea who it was, but then stormy gray eyes connected with mine and held there for several charged heartbeats. He looked so different—taller, broader, his hair a little longer. He wore all black, the arms of his shirt rolled up his thick forearms. His haughty eyebrow looked less severe now, worn down slightly by the passing of time and balanced out with deep circles under his eyes. He appeared to have not been a fan of sleeping while I'd done nothing else.
He blinked, his grip on the door tightening as if that was what held him upright. "Hi."
"We'll just..." Dad pointed to Mom and then to the door.
"We'll be right outside, okay?" Mom lifted my hand and kissed my knuckle.
They left in a hurry and closed the door behind them.
Then it was just us staring at each other. I didn't know what to say suddenly because of a number of things. One, I'd tried to kill him. Two, he'd kissed me. And three, I bet I looked like I'd returned from the grave myself.
"You're awake," he said softly, hovering by the door.
"I had to see how big of a mess I made," I said. "Where's Morrissey?"
He stalked closer, his size crowding the room, and twirled a nearby chair around to sit next to my bed. "Gone. Not a single trace of her. Professor Wadluck refused to give up names, but we figured out her involvement by your missing tooth and her disappearance afterward."
I probed the empty space in my mouth with my tongue and nodded. "There was a green gas inside the fake one that changed my words and said the necromancy spell. The dampener was also inside."
"The Ministry thought that might be the case,” he said with a sigh. “It's the perfect size. Clever."
“Deceptive,” I corrected. “She was my friend."
"I know." He frowned as he held my gaze for a moment. "You want to know about Seph."
It wasn't a question because it didn't need to be one. I just wasn't sure if I was ready to hear the answer.
"Is she here?" I croaked.
"Right next door in the infirmary hall. Your parents have been trying to heal her since they arrived. I told them how much she means to you."
I nodded, tears stinging my eyes. He didn’t have to do that, but of course he had.
"You're angry that I told them everything, aren't you?” he asked. “You were in mage's oblivion, and I had to at the very least send them a rav—"
"No. I'm not mad."
He studied my face like he always did, likely reading everything there and so much more. "But you're still thinking about lighting yourself on fire because of me."
"You heard."
A crook of a smile. "I did."
"Eavesdropper," I muttered. It was so easy to fall into this relaxed way of speaking to each other, like rapid-fire sarcasm. It felt as natural as breathing, but I needed to get moving. I folded back my blanket.
"The door was open, and I was right outside." A slow, devious grin parted his mouth and revealed his dimples. "It's nice to know my effect on you has changed, though. You don't want to kill me anymore, right?"
"I never said that." I quirked my eyebrow and held out my hand, not trusting my body from flipping sideways again.
He took it, his warmth and strength a shock to my system. "I'm still going to consider that progress... What are you doing?"
"You're taking me to see Seph," I said, swinging my legs over the side of the bed.
“Right now? Dawn, you just woke up from mage's oblivion."
"Exactly. I'm awake now." I squeezed his hand and stood on unsteady legs. "So it's time to get up and get stuff done."
His mouth fell open, and then he shut it with a smile. "It's good to have you back."
"Yeah, yeah, you missed my face." I took a wobbly step, and then two. On the third, angry tingles charged up my legs. I stumbled into Ramsey and braced my hand on his chest.
He wrapped his other arm around my waist to steady me, pulling my body flush with his. His heart slammed hard against my fingertips, and I looked up to see if he was okay.
He gazed down at me, and his breath feathered over my heated skin. "I missed more than just your face."
Something passed between us, a spike of energy that connected us in even more places than we touched.
I pulled away, needing some distance, but not too far so I wouldn't bounce against the floor. "You're thinking about kissing me again."
He chuckled as he opened the door, his hand still gripping mine. "Would you like me to?"
I wasn't going to think about that right now.
My steps faltered as I moved through the doorway while my head and stomach spun in opposite directions. It probably wasn’t the smartest decision to be up and around so soon, but nothing could keep me away from Seph.
"Okay?" Ramsey asked. "Do you need a pail or something?"
Shaking my head, I breathed through the nausea as we stepped out into a hallway I’d never explored before. Mages and a few Necromancer Academy students crowded the hallway, either passing through or visiting in small clusters. A few gazed over at Ramsey and me, but I ignored them. My parents stood across the hall talking to the healer, and they both looked over and took in our clasped hands. Synchronized smiles lit up their faces. It was weird, but it would’ve been weirder if I’d dropped his hand and faked innocence, so I didn’t.
Right outside the room, a low wooden bench sat against the wall with a pillow and blanket on top.
"Who's been sleeping here?" Not my parents since there wasn't enough space.
Ramsey cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck as we slowly made our way down the hallway.
"You?"
He shrugged. "I gave up my dorm for some of the mages who came to help clean up after Ryze’s return, okay?"
"You look like you haven't slept in ages. Sleeping outside my room... That can't be comfortable. You need a bed."
He slid me a knowing smile. "You're concerned about me now?"
"There's no reason to torture yourself," I grumbled.
He looked away, but not before I saw a grimace pass over his face. I'd said something wrong—or right. He was torturing himself.
Another bench sat next to Seph's door with a pillow and blanket, only this time with a blond head poking out and soft snores coming from underneath.
"Jon," I breathed.
He was probably just as twisted up with worry for Seph as I was. The poor guy had it so bad for the princess. I was glad to see he was okay after—I swallowed hard—that night.
The gym had been soaked in blood, with Seph floating over the dead bodies, the glowing onyx stone gripped in her hand. I shivered and rubbed at my eyes in an attempt to dig out that memory and stomp on it.
"Ramsey." We paused in front of the door, and I had to squeeze out the next few words. "How many died?"
"Six injured. Twenty-four dead." His face hardened as he moved ahead to the door, the rigid line of his shoulders filling my view. "I'm the last of the Diabolicals because I was too late."
Because he'd been with me. Protecting me. Kissing me. I forced a breath. No wonder he was torturing himself. He'd lost all of his friends.
I had the sudden urge to reach out and try to smooth away some of the guilt he was surely carrying on his tense shoulders, but he opened the door into Seph’s room and stepped inside.
Chapter Two
I WASN'T SURE WHAT I expected when I walked in Seph’s room, but I really, really hoped I'd find Seph asleep with Nebbles the Undertaker, her familiar cat, lying on her face and that all of this was a nightmare we could put behind us.
Necromancer Revealed: Book 3 Page 1