“Not the dogs I’m worried about, but the farmer with the gun.”
“He can’t hurt them either.” But I knew Alex could easily spread the werewolf virus with a single bite. There was nothing for it now, whatever happened, happened.
Erik shook the gas can for the last few drops and I screwed the cap on and hopped onto the back of the bike. Erik jumped on the kick start and the engine rolled over perfectly.
“LIAM!” I yelled as we sped away from the driveway. Within moments Liam and Alex were again running beside us.
And deeper into the night we drove looking for the necromancer who would either help us save Milly and Pamela, or help us bring back what was left of them if we took too long.
Please let it be the first and let the second be decades away.
The dark of the night didn’t bother him, nor did the engine spitting out stinking fumes, or even Alex tackling him from time to time out of sheer boredom.
No, he was more bothered by the sound of Rylee’s heart beat, completely out of whack, sounding more like a humming bird than a human. It only made his own heart clench harder. He would have to tell her soon; she had to know what was going on so she could deal with it. Especially if he wasn’t there by her side.
He let out a long, mournful whine at the thought, unable to keep his emotions in check. Alex bumped up beside him, pressing the length of his body against Liam’s.
“I here. Don’t be sad,” he panted as they ran, and amazingly, Liam did feel better. This was not the time for sad, this was the time to make things right, so when he was finally gone, Rylee wouldn’t be alone.
She would still be safe.
They ran so long that even he began to tire, so long that the rain eased and finally stopped. And that fatigue caught him off guard, leaving him unaware of his surroundings. The scent of rot and death was heavy in his nostrils before he realized what he was scenting. And where they were.
“Stinky rotterrrrrrsssssss!” Alex howled out as the first zombie dove toward them. The dead bastard was fast, grabbing Alex by the tail and jerking the werewolf to a sudden stop. Alex snarled and turned, his teeth clamping down on the zombie’s hand and biting it off. Spitting and gagging, he ran to catch up.
Liam had more pressing concerns though. A wall of zombies stood ahead of them.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Rylee snapped as Erik slowed the bike. Erik’s voice wavered.
“Are those …”
“Yes, they’re zombies. They can’t turn you with a bite, that’s an old ass wives tale full of shit. But, their bites hurt like a son of bitch and they will take chunks out of you.” She slipped off the bike and took swords from her back, and Liam caught a glimmer of a smile on her lips. “At least they aren’t demons.”
Beyond the wall of not-yet-moving zombies sat a house on top of a rolling hill. Lights lit the home, making it a beacon. Yet it was surrounded by zombies. He didn’t need Rylee to tell him where the necromancer lived.
“What do you think, we rush them and try to break through?” Erik asked, though to Liam’s ears, the man did not sound all that willing. More like he wanted them to break through and he would follow them.
“No, there are too many, at least a hundred.” Her eyes scanned the group ahead. “I’ll try to call him out. See if he’ll talk to us.”
She took two strides closer and the zombies began to groan and shift. Apparently that was close enough.
Liam scented the air, picking up only zombies. Nothing else waited for him that he could tell.
“Necromancer.” Rylee’s voice rang clear on the air that still clung to the night. “I need your help. Will you talk with me or are you going to make me burn through your fucking pets?”
Liam cringed. For her, that was down right polite. But for everyone else on the planet, not so much.
No answer. Wait, not quite true. The answer came in the form of the zombies shambling and running toward them.
“Ah, fuck.” Rylee bolted forward and he knew what she planned. He ran beside her. If they could break through a thin part of the ranks, they might be able to make it to the house. But like always, Rylee wasn’t thinking too far ahead. She only saw surviving this instant, not what would happen when the necromancer saw her charging up the hill with her swords and two wolves at her side.
There was nothing for it.
They hit the line of zombies hard. Rylee’s blades flashed and he barreled into those coming from her right flank. Teeth and claw slashed into the dead flesh, skin and bones busting with ease. But there were so many of them. A set of teeth sunk into his hip and he spun, shaking the zombie off, but not before it took a piece of him with it.
Growling and snarling, he fought, his wolf loving the rawness of the battle, the sheer love of being by his mate’s side and keeping her safe. Of fighting for her and protecting her.
The zombies didn’t break, they kept coming, but from one breath to the next, they were through the line.
“Erik, run!” Rylee shouted, blood dripping from a deep scratch down her neck, and what looked like teeth marks scraping her arm. The older man didn’t question her, just bolted for the house. His eyes, so reminiscent of Rylee’s, were wide with a fear hard wired into every human. Finding out the dead could truly walk and were a hazard to your health when controlled by a less-than-friendly necromancer were something of a blow to the human psyche. Even one who rode a dragon.
Liam loped behind them, keeping himself between Rylee and the zombies, who were only now figuring out they’d lost their prey. Alex, seeing where he was, dropped back beside him.
That was when the ground rumbled and a hand shot out of it. A hand big enough to grab them both and squeeze the life out of them without even trying.
There was no warning, just an explosion of dirt behind us. I spun mid stride to see Liam and Alex caught up in a dead, rotting hand that could only be a giant’s.
A zombie giant. My brain stuttered over the image and I didn’t know if it was even possible. Yet, here it was, happening.
“Holy hell,” Erik breathed out, stumbling backward, fear clinging to his words.
Yeah, those were my thoughts exactly. I ran down the hill, slipping and sliding as the earth continued to shift and the giant fought to emerge from the dirt that had held it for who the fuck only knew how many years.
Alex screamed a high pitched shriek that hurt my soul, but Liam was quiet. All I saw was black fur, legs and one tail sticking out between fingers. They weren’t far above ground and I jumped, driving my sword up through the wrist of the dead giant. Pain wasn’t going to work here. I had to cut the hand off.
“Erik, help me!” I screamed and moments later he was at my side. Below us, the smaller and suddenly harmless seeming zombies continued up the slope. A minute, maybe two, was all we had before we were surrounded and the giant was fully out of the ground.
Erik stood on the uphill side of the wrist and slashed downward as I stood on the downhill side and slashed up. The wrist began to tip as we hacked, and my breath came in sharp bursts as fear and panic drove me.
Screaming, I gave a final furious slash and the wrist dropped off, the fingers relaxing enough for Liam and Alex to wriggle out. A hand grabbed me from behind and I spun, driving my elbow into rotting teeth.
“Get off me, you dead motherfuckers!”
I bolted forward, taking in the way Alex limped, the crooked angle of his front leg. “To the house! Now!”
The giant was pulling itself out of the ground with a draining, slimy stump and a hand; its head finally broke the surface.
Fuckity fuck fuck. This was not going to end well. The four of us ran, each dragging in air as if that breath would be our last. At the top of the hill the house lights flicked off, all at once.
I didn’t give a shit; we were going in.
One way or another.
The front door opened with one kick, and I stepped inside, the three boys following me closely.
“Shut the door, bar
it with a chair. That’ll keep them out for a minute or two.”
Liam shifted and let out a groan. I handed him clothes that were tucked inside my jacket. He dressed quickly. “I understand how bad the rib crushing you took was now.”
I put a hand to him, worry streaking through me. “How bad?”
“They’re healing already.”
That was enough for me. I checked Alex’s leg. The break was clean and though he whimpered when I touched him, like Liam he was healing. Perks for being a werewolf.
“Erik, you okay?”
“For standing in the pitch black house of necromancer, a horde of zombies outside and a dead giant wanting to grind my bones, I’m doing bloody peachy.”
“Good. Because we aren’t done yet.” I took in a slow breath. “You two smell anything?”
Alex grunted and snapped his teeth together before answering. “Stupid necromancer.”
“Nothing but the one person.” Liam said, his voice low.
But I wasn’t about to be quiet. “Necromancer, we need your help.”
The floorboards upstairs creaked and then a man shouted down to us, but his voice echoed and bounced around, like a ventriloquist throwing it.
“So explain to me why you are such a rude little bitch? Hmmm? You ask for help and then a foulness of cursing flows out of your lips. That does not seem to be a smart move when begging for help.”
“I’m a Tracker. Foul language isn’t personal. I didn’t tell you to fuck off or kiss my ass. That would be personal.” I stepped closer to the stairs. I could see better in the dim light. I took a chance, hoping that blunt honesty and begging would get our point across. “Please. Our friends are trapped within the deep veil and Orion is going to kill them. Or worse, he will take possession of the baby my one friend is carrying. Damn it all to hell and back, we are desperate. You think we would face down a zombie horde for nothing?”
The wood above us creaked again and there was a scuffle of a footstep, and then front door knob rattled. I spun as did Liam, Alex and Erik. In the windows along the house stood zombies. Waiting for the signal to come in and finish us off.
The necromancer’s voice boomed, though his tone was slightly less threatening. “I should have known you were a Tracker. Do you know Jack? We worked together once, many years ago.”
I gritted my teeth and took a slow breath before answering. If he wanted to reminisce, I would play along. Anything that might help us win his help.
“Yes. I knew Jack. He got cancer and died.” I didn’t really want to mention he’d been brought back to life and was a vampire. Doran told me necromancers and vampires didn’t like each other. I could only guess the reason and didn’t want to stir things up.
“Pity. He was a fun chap to have around.” More protesting wooden stairs and then a figure limped into view. Tall and thin, he seemed as skeletal as some of the zombies outside and I wondered if perhaps he was like Anna, living for hundreds of years past his natural time. “Perhaps I will help you. But there is a price to pay for the help of the oldest living necromancer.”
“Done.”
“You agree so easily to a deal you know nothing of,” he said, his head tipping to one side, reminding me of Eve when she was contemplating. And indeed, he had a bird-like quality about him, like a stork strutting about on the upper landing watching us.
“I would do anything to save my friends. To spare them.” I spread my hands. “Tell me what you want, what you’d have of us, and I will make it happen.” Fuck, I had to. There was no other choice.
Erik leaned into me. “What about the other one, the necromancer in the south?”
Above us, the necromancer laughed. “That one, a mere child in ability. He would not be able to open the veil that deep. He would lose his mind. If you hadn’t killed Anna, she could have opened the veil for you.”
Wait, if he didn’t know who I was, how did he know I killed Anna?
“You knew who I was when we called out to you, didn’t you? Otherwise, how do you know about Anna?”
He chuckled. “You have caught me. I do not do well at deception.”
My face warmed. “Is that why you thought I meant you harm, because I took her head?”
“I am not yet convinced you do not mean me harm, Tracker. But yes, it seems an obvious connection. Besides, I’m not particularly fond of company. Most people want something for nothing. Particularly when they show up late at night.”
Again, my face warmed and I felt the need to defend myself. “Anna asked me to end it for her. I was ready to spare her life.”
He let out long, blowing sigh and the lights flicked on. “That sounds like Anna. She was always my favorite student.” With a limping, slow gait he walked to the edge of the stairs and then slowly down. “She had great talent; if her mind had not broken at the loss of her child she would have surpassed even me in ability.”
The tension settled and Liam touched my elbow, turning me to the window. The zombies were gone. I gave a slow nod and turned back to the necromancer. “She was free of the madness for a little while at the end. That was all I could do for her; all she wanted from me.”
He took the last few steps and then stood in front of me. He towered over me; he had to be almost seven feet tall. His pale brown hair was slicked back over his skull, accentuating every line. I stared into his eyes—they were a startling indigo, a blue so dark that in the right light you might call it black. My impression of a stork held firm as he held out his hand, his long fingers extended to me. “You may call me Thomas.”
I put my hand out, covered in dirt and blood and zombie bits, and grasped his fingers, unashamed. “I’m Rylee. This is Liam, Erik, and Alex.”
“You hold an eclectic company, Rylee. A werewolf trapped in his shape, a guardian who is more than a guardian, and you.” He faced Erik. “I am not sure what to make of you just yet. Your aura hides from me.”
Erik frowned at him. “Human and Slayer. That’s all I am.”
Thomas gave a slow nod. “Perhaps.”
I didn’t like the direction he was going, but I held back my comments.
Thomas tucked his hands behind his back and led the way into what I assumed was the parlor. He snapped his fingers and candles bloomed on nearly every surface, giving the room a warm and welcoming look. I wasn’t fooled though. This was a negotiation; he would give us nothing if we did not find for him what he wanted. Or give to him what he wanted.
He motioned to the chairs, but none of us sat. “We’re covered in filth,” Erik said. “I’d not like to add a cleaning bill to whatever it is you’d have us do in exchange for your help. Where Rylee goes, we all go.”
I shot him a glance and his eyes crinkled up at the edges. My heart thumped hard, and I felt for the first time he really was with us. He was my uncle and here to help, not just be an ass.
“Touching. There is only one thing I want that I cannot find, and I have searched all of Europe.”
Oh, shit, that did not sound good.
“Does it exist?” Liam asked, “Or is it a wild goose chase you would send us on?”
Thomas lowered himself into an oversized chair obviously custom made for him, the soft cushions barely giving under his minimal weight. “I do believe it exists, I do not have the energy any longer to find it. I am old, coming to the end of my days and there is only one thing I don’t have. I did have it, but you, Rylee, ended her life.”
I swallowed hard and guessed that Anna was more to him than just a pupil. “You want a new wife?”
He threw back his head and laughed, his Adam’s apple huge and bulging in his scrawny neck. “Ah, no. I need no ‘love connection.’” His deep indigo blue eyes sparkled as he looked me in the face.
“No, Anna was my best pupil and nothing else. She was to be my heir, if you will. That is the only way we are ever remembered, by the ones we leave behind.”
I glanced at Liam and lifted my eyebrows. If what I thought Thomas was asking for in exchange for getting Milly and Pame
la out was what he wanted, we fucking well scored.
“You want an heir? Someone to teach?” Liam squinted his eyes. “That’s it?”
Thomas gripped his chair, and he snorted. “That’s it? Guardian of the lands you might be, but you are blind. Do you know how rare it is for necromancers to be born and then survive past the age of twelve? They cannot control the dead they call forth by their very blood and most are killed by their own zombies by accident.”
“Let me be very clear.” I held up my hands, stalling them both. No need for Liam to blow the very lovely big fat ace we had up our sleeves. “We find you a young necromancer to teach, bring him here, and you will bring our two friends out of the deep levels of the veil?”
Thomas’s eyes drooped. “For every young necromancer you bring me, I will bring one of your friends back. And to be sure you mean no harm, one of you will stay with me here as insurance.”
I didn’t even hesitate. “Done.”
Erik let out a strangled squawk. “And who do you propose we leave behind?”
Thomas looked me straight in the eye, holding me with his gaze. There was only one person he would allow to stay with him. Fuck, might as well get it over with.
I shifted my weight, cocking one knee and crossing my arms. “That’s simple. I’ll stay.”
Chapter 14
A CHORUS OF ‘NO’S’ ripped out of all three boys at the same time. I ignored them, staring at Thomas. “That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
His lips quirked up. “You read me very well, Tracker. Why is that?”
Truth was, I was good at reading people and had a knack for knowing what they wanted. Maybe not always the why, but I could usually dredge at least the ‘what’ out of them. “You won’t settle for anyone else. You want to know what I know.”
Erik and Liam argued behind me but I ignored them. Thomas continued to hold my gaze. “You hold the prophecies in your head. The books that Jack would never share with me. I want to know what you know now that he is gone, and the books are destroyed.”
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