by Jonah Hewitt
“Lucy,” she said at last.
Lucy turned slowly and looked up at Amanda. She was numb and she could tell Amanda was emotionally drained as well, as if at the end of a very long journey. They locked eyes and Lucy felt she finally understood her, both of them really, Amarantha and Amanda, and then Amanda spoke, as much to herself as to Lucy.
“If you thought you had the power to stop that horrible fate for even just one person that you loved, wouldn’t you try? Aren’t you obligated to try?”
She opened the door and nearly left, but turned back to speak one last time, “It’s your choice, Lucy. I’ll be waiting downstairs when you make your decision, but before I go…a peace offering.” She pulled open the door wide to reveal a small boy in a baseball cap and shorts.
“Yo-yo!” Lucy ran across the room, and Yo-yo ran to her and they embraced. When she pulled away from him to look back, the door was already closed. Amanda had gone.
Lucy turned back to look at Yo-yo. His eyes were a bit red, but he looked fine.
“Are you ok? Did she hurt you?”
“No…no, I’m ok.” He said rubbing his nose on his arm.
“Did she treat you ok?”
“Well…she was kind of scary at first and yelled a lot but then she got real nice.” He reached into his pocket a pulled out a bright, stainless steel Yo-yo. “She even got me a new transaxle butterfly. I lost my imperial in the woods back at your house. Check out the wicked balance on this thing!” He instantly rolled it off his fingers as smooth as anything and had it spinning ‘round the room like a satellite in seconds.
Lucy smiled at Yo-yo as he put the new treasure away. “Yeah, that’s Amanda for you. Hot and cold.”
Lucy had a mad thought, “Yo-yo, can you disappear here?!”
“Nah, I can disappear, but I don’t go nowhere. I always wind up right back where I started. It’s this place, it’s really off, somehow.”
“That was an understatement,” thought Lucy. She sighed. She should’ve known that Amanda and Hokharty would have cut off all escape routes with some vile spell.
“Hey! Did you see those skeletons?!” Yo-yo said earnestly, partly horrified and ecstatic. “Wasn’t that creepy?”
Lucy smiled but didn’t feel much like talking. So they just sat on the edge of the desk, their legs dangling and said nothing. After a long while, Yo-yo spoke.
“So…that’s your mom down there?”
Lucy didn’t bother to look at him.
“Yeah.”
“She’s pretty,” Yo-yo said, looking a little embarrassed. Lucy smiled and tried to force back another tear. She swayed on the desk and bumped shoulders with him affectionately.
“So, is it true what she said…that you can bring her back to life?”
Lucy turned to look at him.
“She told you?!” Lucy was a little hurt by this, though she didn’t know why – it wasn’t his fault, after all, that Amanda had told him. Still, it was a little too personal.
“Yeah,” Yo-yo folded his legs up underneath himself Indian style and grabbed his toes nervously. He paused and then said, “If I could bring my mom back, I would do it.”
Lucy turned away, took in a deep breath and tried to think.
“So what are you going to do about it?” Yo-yo asked a half minute later.
Lucy dangled her feet over the edge of the desk and leaned her head to rest on Yo-yo’s shoulder. She felt more like a little kid than she had in ages.
“I don’t know, Yo-yo. I just don’t know.”
“I miss my Mom,” Yo-yo said simply, “If she were here, it would make everything feel better.”
“I know what you mean, Yo-yo.” Lucy put her arm around him and hugged him around the shoulders. “If my Mom was here, she could make everything right.” And Lucy genuinely believed it too, which is why the note in her pocket made no sense to her.
“Don’t you dare double-cross me again, Hokharty!”
Lucy and Yo-yo had tiptoed cautiously down to the large staircase from the upstairs library, careful not to make any noise. Lucy was surprised there had been no guard at the door. Amanda either trusted Lucy or she was certain she wouldn’t or couldn’t run.
“Mistress, at the time it seemed prudent…”
“PRUDENT?!”
She was holding hands with Yo-yo sitting on a broad stair, carpeted in a ragged and ancient red runner. They had stopped on the last landing before it opened on to the large ballroom. Two people were arguing. The staircase was carrying the sounds of the argument all the way up from the ballroom. The first voice was Amanda’s. The second one was Hokharty’s.
“You were only trying to secure Lucy for yourself!”
That was the stern, cold Amanda for sure, which Lucy guessed was really Amarantha all along.
“If there is only one key, Mistress, then it is wise to make sure you have it securely in hand.”
“What possible reason could you have for extra leverage when you had the stone?”
Hokharty didn’t answer. Lucy wasn’t sure about the rules about summoning dead Necromancers. It was clear they worked at their master’s orders, but it was also clear they could interpret those orders rather freely.
“You could have fetched her sooner, why did you delay?”
“I was gathering the minions, Mistress.”
“You don’t need the minions to open the gate. And you weren’t gathering an army either. What were you really looking for?”
“Answers, my Mistress.”
“Answers to what?”
“Answers to questions, Mistress.”
Amanda groaned. She nearly lost her temper with him by the sound of her voice.
“You can evade all you want, you old bloodsucker, but you know I will figure out what you are up to in time.”
“In time…you will find all the answers, Mistress.”
Lucy looked to Yo-yo, who had that far off stare of his. It was seriously creepy when he did that. When he noticed she was looking at him, he just shrugged. Whatever Hokharty’s answer meant it must have been equally cryptic to Amanda, because she said nothing in return.
Eventually, Hokharty spoke, “And what of the boy, Mistress?”
Yo-yo and Lucy exchanged looks and Lucy squeezed Yo-yo’s hand a little tighter.
“The boy is under my protection, that is all you need know.”
“And the girl, Mistress?”
“What of her?” Amanda said coolly in reply.
“Can she open the gate for us?”
“Lucy is an intelligent, brave, talented and strong girl. I know that she can open the gate.”
“But will she?” Hokharty sounded annoyed but then respectfully added, “Mistress,” to soften his tone.
“I believe she will, but why don’t you ask her for yourself. She’s sitting in the stairwell now.”
Lucy went rigid, but didn’t dare move. She had a wild impulse to run back up to the room and pretend she was never there, but she knew that would never fly. The familiar clack of Amanda’s high heels came as far as the base of the stairs. Amanda leaned into to the stairwell and looked up at the two eavesdroppers. Yo-yo’s hand tightened on Lucy’s.
Amanda smiled at Lucy. “Heartbeats, remember?”
“Of course,” Lucy thought, “Necromancers can hear heartbeats!”
“I can teach you how to shield your heartbeat from others, but in the meantime.” Amanda held out one gloved hand. She didn’t seem angry at all that they had been eavesdropping.
Lucy came down the last flight of stairs holding Yo-yo’s hand the whole way. She reached up and cautiously took Amanda’s hand. Amanda walked the two of them across the ballroom. It was empty. Only she, Hokharty and Graber were left. Hokharty was standing there to the left of her mother’s body. Graber was standing behind it.
“I sent everyone else away. I thought you would want some privacy,” Amanda said simply. She led Lucy up to the dais.
“Give her some room, you vultures.” That was Amarant
ha’s voice, cold and fearsome and for once, Lucy was glad of it. She didn’t like those two hovering over her mother like that. They bowed slightly and backed away to a respectful distance. Amanda walked her up on to the dais and then held back herself and let go of Lucy’s hand.
“Go on,” Amanda said softly. Lucy looked back at her and then at Yo-yo, who was looking on encouragingly. Then she let go of Yo-yo’s hand and raced to her mother’s side. For a moment, she just stood there looking down at her mother lying on the lounge. She looked just as she remembered her. Lucy had been to funerals before. She hated them – especially open casket funerals and viewings. The bodies never looked right. They looked like mannequins, stiff and lifeless. But her mother didn’t look like that. She looked like she was only sleeping, like she could wake up at any moment. Lucy fell to her knees and brushed the stray strands of dark brown hair from her mother’s face. There was a small gash above one eyebrow, but other than that, she looked flawless with her white skin, her petite features and dark hair with a single streak of grey. As hard as it was to believe she was actually dead before this, seeing her like this made it almost impossible. Lucy caressed her face and began to cry, sobbing deeply.
Hokharty moved as if to get a closer look, but instantly Amanda moved to stop him. She already had her glove off and extended a bloody finger. Lucy hadn’t even seen her prick it. She didn’t have to bite her knuckle.
“Back off, you monster,” Amanda said in a low voice. Hokharty bowed respectfully and backed away.
Lucy felt strange. She was suddenly glad Amanda, even the scary Amanda, was there. Amanda was being so protective of her, like an older sister, an aunt, or even a mother. And she knew Amanda could handle herself. Lucy remembered what Amanda had said just now while she was eavesdropping. That she was intelligent, brave and strong, but did she really mean it? Amanda had known Lucy was listening after all. Lucy really wanted to believe in Amanda and believe that everything she said about her mom and her powers were true.
Amanda let Lucy grieve in peace for several more minutes. When Lucy had finally stopped sobbing she spoke.
“Fetch him.”
Lucy heard Graber lumber off to the other room. In a few minutes he returned dragging someone. From the sound of it, he was treating him rather roughly. Lucy didn’t look up; she didn’t have to look to know it was Moríro. He instantly began swearing in Spanish from the moment he entered the room. A large thud meant that Graber had dropped the ancient Necromancer unceremoniously on the floor.
“The stone,” Amanda said simply.
It sounded like Graber practically ripped the coat off of him to get to it. Lucy looked back to see it. Graber held forth his fist and dropped the stone into Amanda’s hand. It glowed fervently, like green fire, and was unlike any stone she had ever seen. Amanda’s face lit up in maniacal glee when she looked at it, but Lucy could tell it burned far dimmer for her than it did for either Nephys or Moríro.
“It’s true,” Amanda whispered in mixed emotions of wonder and delight.
Lucy turned back to her mother’s face. Her tears had fallen on her like drops of dew. She carefully wiped them away and then leaned over and kissed her on her forehead. She was cold. Lucy stared at her mother’s face and desperately wished for the eyes to open.
“Time is pressing, Mistress,” the cold accountant-like voice was Hokharty. He had meant to whisper it to Amanda, but in the stillness of the room it carried all the same.
“Be quiet,” came Amanda’s hushed but stern reply, but Hokharty would not be deterred.
“The preservation spell will only last so long. If she is to be returned…”
“Heartless monster!” Amanda spat back at him, “Let her have a moment, for pity’s sake.”
“Mistress, if she is not revived by morning, all of this will have been for nothing.”
There was a loud smack. Amanda must have struck Hokharty, hard, and with the back of her hand from the sound of it.
“We’re not like you, Hokharty!” Amanda said sternly, “We can’t just shove our loved ones down into the grave like cattle to the slaughter. We can’t shut off our emotions like bureaucrats and machines!” Then her voice became soft, “We need time to grieve. Give her time. In time she will do the right thing. I know it.”
Hokharty said nothing, but then another voice joined the conversation.
“Todos ustedes están locos,” Moríro muttered.
“Have a seat, Lazlo,” Amanda said coldly. From the sound of it, Moríro was forced into a chair by Graber. “I don’t believe anyone asked your opinion on the matter.”
“You are all insane! MAD! What you are doing is against God and Nature!”
Amanda snorted, “So now you presume to speak for God and Nature as well as Death?” Amanda laughed a dry little laugh. “Trust me, godson. I’ve been to the other side. Had God cared at all, even if he did exist, he would have sent you there long ago.”
“THIS SHALL NOT STAND, AMARANTHA! If I have to drag myself back from the shores of Dis and the pits of punishment itself, I WILL NOT ALLOW IT.”
Lucy had to give Moríro credit. Whatever he was, he was not a coward.
“AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT PUNISHMENT?!” Amanda screamed back at him.
“I know it awaits you when all this is done.”
“INSOLENT GODCHILD!! I curse the day I spared your life.”
They descended into even worse threats and jeers from there, dredging up their entire history together, from Lazlo’s birth to Amarantha’s death. Then Hokharty got into the mess.
“Mistress, is this really the time open old wounds? Time is pressing.”
That just got Amanda riled up for another several rounds.
“Shut your vile mouth, bloodsucker!”
From there the fight went on, with Moríro uttering out curses in every language imaginable, while Hokharty kept insisting on the urgency of the matter. All the while Amanda was lost in a holy rage, but she always defended Lucy against the two of them. Lucy closed her eyes and wished she could make it all go away. As she did so, she realized her eyes were dry and sore. She felt her face. Other than the salty tearstains, there was nothing. She blinked several times, and tried to will herself to tear up, but no more tears would come. She had cried so much in the last 24 hours it appeared she had nothing left. She was done crying, and she was done with all of them too. It was time to do something for herself now. She took her mother’s cold hand and held it one last time. Then she folded it gently with the other hand on her mother’s lap and took a long breath.
“I’ll do it,” she said quietly.
“Don’t you DARE talk back to me you…” Amanda stopped mid-sentence when she realized what Lucy had said. The argument stopped. The room went silent.
Lucy stood up slowly and turned to face all of them.
“I’ll do it,” she said again, “Only…I don’t know how.”
Amanda closed her hand slowly over the stone and then smiled faintly. She walked over to Lucy and put one hand on her shoulder while she gently raised Lucy’s chin with the other so she could look in her eye.
“Are you certain, Lucy?” she asked.
“Yes,” Lucy nodded, “I’m certain.”
“Then I will help you,” Amanda said, smiling faintly.
There was a short moment of reflection before the angry voice of Moríro broke in.
“Have you all lost your minds?! I AM THE NECROMANCER! THE Necromancer. I am Death’s chosen champion in this world. Only I have been entrusted with the power of the stone and only I am entitled to use it. It doesn’t matter how you manipulated this simple girl to do your whims – it is my choice!” Moríro was so angry he had to take a few panting breaths to speak. “And as long as I am living, I will never help you.”
Amanda let go of Lucy and walked over to the small desk where she had left her elegant, black alligator clutch. As she walked she spoke absentmindedly to herself, “Oh, Lazlo,” she said in an exasperated voice, “You always were the most tedi
ous and unimaginative student.” She reached in and pulled out the gun she’d had at the farm, pointed it at Moríro’s chest and fired.
Lucy heard the gunshot and then a scream, but it wasn’t her. Her hands were over her own mouth in shock. It was Yo-yo. He had run to the far side of the hall and was cowering in a corner. It all happened so fast she nearly missed it. Even Hokharty looked stunned and shaken from his usual apathetic demeanor. Graber had a hand on the vampire master’s shoulder, restraining him. Whatever Hokharty’s plans were, he clearly had not wanted this.
Moríro’s chair had been knocked over and he was lying on his back, staring glassy-eyed at the ceiling, but he was not yet dead. His voice was gurgling through the blood in this throat, but Lucy couldn’t make out any words. Amanda strode over to Moríro’s dying body and placed her hand over his mouth and nose.
“No last words, Godson. You wouldn’t listen to mine under that tamarind tree in Mexico and no one is going to hear yours now.”
The muffled sound of Moríro’s last words disappeared into Amanda’s remorseless gloved hand. And then he was gone. The Necromancer who had held the job longer than anyone else in the history of the world was gone.
Amanda stood up and held the stone flat in her gloved palm. Lucy noticed that the stone glowed significantly less bright now that Moríro was dead.
Hokharty composed himself and approached Amanda cautiously. Even then he had to shrug off Graber’s massive hand.
“I did not believe that the Necromancer could be killed against the Great Master’s wishes,” he said in a tentative voice.
Amanda chuckled a cold little laugh. “Death doesn’t care as long as there is a suitable replacement. When it’s their time, The Great Master will toss them aside for another like an old shoe. I learned that lesson a long time ago under a tamarind tree in Mexico,” she remarked spitefully. “Moríro’s clock ran out long ago, the second Margarita was born in fact, and he knew it. He’s just been bluffing all these years.”