by Dahlia Lu
“What is this I hear about incidents following you?” Noctis inquired.
Rounded grey eyes met his again, but only very briefly. “You mustn’t listen to—”
“I know how to differentiate,” he interrupted. “That being said, I want to hear it from your own lips.”
She took her time in formulating an answer. When she looked up to speak, he lifted an impatient brow at what she was about to tell him. She read the sign and swallowed.
“What do you want me to say? Do you think that I am somehow in control of my own fate? I’m mortal, and that’s what mortals do. We die. Some sooner than others, but we’d all die in good time.”
“You do not appear to be disturbed in the slightest.”
“It’s not like I have unfinished business or tons of regrets that I need to amend.”
“You have ‘unfinished business’ with me,” he reminded her in a low, all-too masculine voice. “You are not permitted to die before it is dissolved.”
“Maybe it’s difficult for you to accept this fact, but there are things that even you can’t prevent.”
“We shall see, wont we?”
“I didn’t mean to make it sound like a challenge,” she spoke softly. “I really didn’t mean to.”
He knew.
“I know there are a lot of misunderstandings between us that I couldn’t explain even if I wanted to, but you must know that it was never my intention to… what I meant is… everything is circumstantial and I’ve done the best I could with the hand I was dealt. Choices had to be made.”
“Indeed,” he said coldly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. “Get some rest,” he said to her as he rose to his feet.
“You’re not going away again, are you?”
He heard a trace of disappointment in her voice. That had been his intention, but he realized it may not be a good idea to leave the property. It would be wiser of him to be somewhere he could keep an eye on her. “I will be in the study.”
He lowered his gaze upon her when she reached out for him. Slender fingers were lightly tugging on the sleeve of his shirt to prevent him from departing. He waited for her to speak, but she simply looked up at him. Her lucid grey eyes were questioning him with unspoken words. It seemed she was asking if he would stay.
Her shy gesture made him feel warmer on the inside. Even if it could not melt the ice that was progressively encasing his dark soul, it was slowing down the process. Despite their time apart, his desire for her was stronger now than it had ever been. She appealed to his male needs like no other woman ever did, and if he had stayed like she had requested, she would know exactly what that meant. Nevertheless, he was a man who could weigh what he should and should not do.
He couldn’t deny that at some level, he was angry with her, although he had no solid reason to be. His head was running on suspicions that he couldn’t get rid of, but he didn’t have the heart or the courage to ask her. He was afraid that the truth would irreversibly change what little bond was left between them.
He had made an oath to himself that he would never again take her to his bed while he was emotionally unfit to control his anger. He had made that mistake once before and he would never have a repeat of that complete disaster.
“I have work to do,” he said solemnly. “Dry your hair before you retire to bed. I shall be in the study should you need me.”
“You must be thinking the worst of me…” she spoke softly and slowly.
Her grey eyes were capturing the light like they always did. He could see them so clearly even when there was little lighting in the room. His hand involuntarily reached for her face like a fool trying to capture the reflection of the moon. She always seemed to be within his reach, but perpetually unobtainable. Realizing this, he withdrew and returned his hand to his side.
Once there was a time when it was habitual of him to give up the things that he wanted for the good of others because it was demanded of a man of his stature and it was the right thing to do. None of it mattered to anyone when he was left in a dungeon cell to rot. He no longer gave a damn about anyone anymore and he could not care less about doing the right thing. He decided that he would live for himself in the pursuit of the things that he wanted from life.
And he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he wanted this woman looking up at him.
It was wrong of him to try to obtain something that was never meant to be his; he had known that. He had done her wrong by keeping her against her will; he had known that too. Even so, he would not and could not let her go even if he had to sacrifice everything he had to live without.
He thought he had turned to stone when he saw the look of guilt in her eyes again. Of all the things, why guilt? She never had any obligations toward him to feel guilty in the first place.
“I expect nothing from you,” he said.
“You never have,” she replied softly with trace sadness in her voice. “You don’t need to remind me. I still remember.”
He went on to finish the sentence she had severed, “…because I am very clear on where you and I stand in our covenant. I cannot give you back your freedom, but I will give you back your peace of mind. You needn’t worry about conceiving another child that you have no intention of mothering.”
She looked on speechless as he closed the door on his way out. That was that.
Amara remembered that there was a night like this not so long ago. It was a night of numerous shining stars hanging from a cerulean sky. The stars had appeared so close that she had once foolishly thought she could pick one out of the sky if she would just reach up. But she didn’t. She had been clinging on to his broad shoulders as he made love to her amidst the tall blue grass. It had felt so incredible that even all of the beauty of the cosmos couldn’t tempt her to let go. She had caught a glimpse of his face when he lifted his head to look upon her. It was the first time she had seen the warmth of a lover in his eyes and she had seen shadows of it every time they made eye contact since.
A moment ago, the cold look in his eyes had solidified her. Only when it was taken away did she realized it had been there in the first place. Even if she hadn’t frozen up, what was she to say? Was there even a right way to respond to him? Perhaps she had really done it this time. And perhaps he was fed up with her, with everything with her name on it.
She was torn between what she was feeling and what she should be feeling. She should be content with the way that things were going. She should be glad that she had gotten away with her deception. She should be happy that he hadn’t turned his wrath against Raya and the baby. And she should be ecstatic that he had given her back her ‘peace of mind’. Instead of all of those things, she felt guilt tearing at her conscience. She felt hurt. She felt abandoned.
Amara purposely distracted herself from all of those negative emotions to the puddle of water that was further invading the bedroom. If she failed to see to it now, the water would leek down and damage the structural integrity of the already aged mansion. It had been kept in good condition up until now and she intended on keeping it that way for a long while.
She wrapped herself in a bathrobe and then ran out to the closet in the hallway for a mop. She returned to the bathroom to clean up the mess. As she was mopping up the floor and draining the water into the bathtub, she heard a light knock on the door. She looked and saw the Necromancer standing there. He was wearing a frown.
“What happened here?” he asked.
“I uh… left the water running.” She didn’t feel like explaining the whole evening to him so she summarized.
“I was referring to the redness of your eyes and the tearstains on your cheeks.”
Amara pressed her free hand against her cheek and turned away from his gaze. “It’s nothing.”
She heard him inhale deeply. “Did that man hurt you? Did he force you?”
“What?” Amara sharply turned to him and gave him a stunned look. “No, of course not! Why would you…?” Amara followed his worried gaze to the bathrob
e loosely tied at her waist. She pulled it properly together and secured it once again. “He’s not that kind of person!” She found herself defending Noctis.
“Amara…”
“I was just trying to shove out some negative thoughts. I’m not used to dealing with them.”
“Okay then,” he said softly even though he didn’t believe her entirely. “Know that I’m here for you. You just need to say the word, Amara.”
It was so unlike him to say something like that so seriously. She was touched by his concern, but she also felt slightly awkward about it. They were like two guy friends who would rather jump in front of a car than to say anything sentimental to each other. “Don’t you give Lizzie any wrong impressions,” she warned him. “She would worry needlessly and right now, she needs to concentrate on getting better.”
“I know.”
“Are you heading off again?”
“Yes.”
“Couldn’t you stay for a few more days?”
“I’m so close to collecting all ten thousand souls, Amara, and Death knows it. What I’m doing is against the natural order of things and Death will do everything in his powers to stop me. I can’t slow down now and I can’t stay in one place for too long or risk being caught. Besides, the solar eclipse is approaching. If I haven’t collected all ten thousand souls by then, I would have to wait another 360 years for the next one.”
“Can it only be done during a solar eclipse?”
“A total solar eclipse,” he corrected her. “That is where all of my predecessors before me failed. Necromancy has a lot more to do with location and timing than with talent or skills. It’s ritualistic. If I am to succeed, I need three critical elements. The first and obvious is the ten thousand souls that I must gather. The second element is the location directly on top of the earth’s power veins.”
“What is that?”
“Haven’t we gone over this once before, apprentice?”
“I don’t think so...”
He sighed. “The earth’s veins are the pathways in which the source of life flows through. Each individual vein is usually no more than several meters wide and incredibly hard to locate if you don’t know what to look for. All of these veins are connected at three points on the earth’s surface. These points are the earth’s power veins. So far, I’ve only located one.”
“I see. If that’s the case then the power veins must be around here somewhere,” Amara guessed. “Now I understand why you linger around here.”
“Why can’t you focus the way you are now during my lessons?”
She shrugged. “I don’t really care about reanimating the dead.”
“I’ve taught you other things, too.”
“Anyway, so the last element you need is a total solar eclipse?”
“Correct. However, a total solar eclipse can only be seen at any surface point on earth once every 360 years. Since there are three power veins on earth, there is an opportunity every 120 years if you know the location of the other power veins.”
“In theory, a powerful Necromancer would appear every 120 years.”
“In theory,” he chuckled mockingly. “The last person to succeed was born in the BC.”
“Whatever happened to him?”
“I don’t know what happened to her.”
“The Necromancer was a woman?”
“The books said that she was a nameless Egyptian priestess who served Osiris, the god of the underworld. In Egyptian mythology, Osiris was dismantled by his brother, Set, and the pieces were scattered across the land. The part that most people don’t know is that the priestess was tasked to find the missing pieces of her god by the goddess Isis, wife of Osiris. Isis asked the priestess to collect the souls of 10,000 dead before the summer solstice of that year. When the priestess returned with the souls of 10,000 dead, Isis used the souls to make the priestess an immortal. Together they set out to find the missing pieces of Osiris. Once they found him, or most of him, the priestess used her powers to resurrect the dead god.”
“… Did she succeed?”
“Yes. Osiris was brought back to life and he conceived a child with Isis. The priestess was never mentioned in the text again.”
“What do you think happen to her?”
“Isis probably sacrificed her in the process,” he hiked his shoulders. “I don’t really care. She was just Isis’s tool to resurrect her dead husband. The important part is that she had the powers to resurrect a god! That’s the kind of powers that most people couldn’t even begin to fathom.”
“I suppose it’s too late for you to stop now. After you’ve accomplished all you want to accomplish, you should spend more time with your wife.”
“Amara… I know I haven’t expressed myself before but… I really… appreciate you taking care of Elizabeth and my daughter in my place.”
“Do try to be careful. Gemma needs a father.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “But if something were to…”
Amara furrowed her brows in annoyance. “Stop leaving a will. Just be careful.”
He gave her his signature wolfish grin. “Good night, apprentice.”
“Happy hunting, Shiran.”
After Amara cleaned up the mess in the bathroom, she went straight to bed. She just wanted to get some shut eye. As soon as she closed her eyes, she was disturbed by a loud, obnoxious motor noise. When she opened her eyes again, it was already daytime. She felt like she hadn’t slept at all.
She lazily got up from the bed and pulled up the curtains to let light into the room. She raised her hand above her brow to block out the stinging sunlight from hitting her eyes directly. She looked outside and saw a crew of people working on the land. The yard was being mowed, the weeds were being pulled, dead flower bushes were being replaced by fresh live ones, and the exterior of the mansion was being restored. She had been so busy trying to keep the interior of the mansion livable that she didn’t have the time to take care of the outside. The mansion was simply too big for a single person to keep maintenance and she hadn’t been able to get anyone to come by for months. Noctis must have paid them a fortune just to show up, she thought.
Amara glanced at the digital clock and decided that she should warm Gemma’s baby formula ahead of time so the baby wouldn’t have to cry for her breakfast. As she was about to slip into her sneakers, she felt something strange moving at the tip of her toe, and instinctually withdrew. She jumped onto the bed when she saw something was crawling out from the inside. It was black and had many legs—
She shrieked.
Noctis materialized in the center of the room and then marched toward her. His eyes followed the direction her finger was pointing. There was a black spider with a red spot on its back crawling out of her sneaker. He moved quickly and squashed it beneath his black boot. He turned to her in a blurred motion and grasped at her ankle.
“Were you bitten?” He asked urgently while he was inspecting each of her feet individually.
“I… I don’t know.” She nervously swallowed. “I don’t feel any pain so I don’t think so. I think I pulled my foot away before it could strike.”
He inspected them once again, closer attention this time, and then met her gaze. She thought he was going to say something, but he remained silent. When the fear rush went away and her heart became still again, she gave him a small smile because she acknowledged that he still cared for her.
He sighed and then asked, “It is essential that you answer the truth. Have you practiced necromancy?”
She had never messed with the dead so she could give him a conscience clear answer. “No,” she said.
“Are you certain?” He pressed on.
“Yes! I admit that I used to practice summoning art, but never necromancy. Shiran said it wasn’t the same thing. I haven’t collected a single soul or raised any dead.”
“Used to?”
“It exhausted me and gave me terrible headaches. Sometimes I couldn’t get out of bed for days. Shiran said my p
owers were growing exponentially and my body couldn’t handle that kind of abuse. I only make use of it in desperate situations nowadays.”
He was staring into the distance, so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn’t even blinked. There was an expression line between his brows that enhanced his already intimidating presence. His lips thinned and curved into a barely noticeable frown.
Amara held her breath when his gaze returned from a far journey and set upon her. She had an irrational fear that he would notice she was studying him. She smiled at him once more, but this time was to hide the embarrassment that was burning at her cheeks.
But he had noticed.
Amara intentionally diverted her gaze and turned her attention to anything but the blue of his eyes. The most eye-catching thing in sight was the blood red tattoo-like seal around her ankle. It was partially blocked from view by the hand still wrapping around it. Realizing that he was following her gaze, she diverted her attention to something else. She began looking for anything that would not induce a damn heart attack.
“You are confined to this room until I figure out what is going on around here,” he issued an order.
“Confined? You can’t make me stay in here. I have a lot of chores to do.”
“You should not be doing chores in the first place.”
“But Lizzie and the baby…”
“I will have someone see to them.”
“How long do I need to stay in here? This is no solution.”
“No,” he said as he left the bedside and pressed his palm against the surface of the wall. A barely visible film that spread like liquid quickly coated the entire room before it disappeared from view. “It’s a stalling tactic until I pinpoint the problem and come up with a solution.”
Amara was surrounded by uncannily silence and stillness. She couldn’t even hear the lawnmowers running anymore. Even the sunlight shining into the room seemed strange. Usually she could see the nano-particles dancing festively in the light rays, but now they were frozen in their place. It was then that she realized that he had time-sealed the room.