by Terri Lane
Where Ra was confident, Charlie was hesitant. Clearly, he did not meet people on a regular basis. He stood up from the chair, standing awkwardly, waiting to see what she would do. He was an observer, much like Nessa. She smiled. She liked him already.
“Hello,” Nessa said. Ra’s clothing was contemporary fashion—a well-cut oxford shirt and jeans. Charlie was dressed in a black t-shirt, and what appeared to be plaid pajama bottoms. He wore no shoes. She looked for his hands, but they were both in his pockets.
“Hi,” Charlie replied. He shrugged his shoulders. “We’ve met before. Although, you weren’t awake.”
“I see,” Nessa said. “What happened?”
“I asked you to come,” he said. Nessa couldn’t recall this happening. “You promised that you would.”
“I don’t remember,” she said. He smiled.
“Most people don’t,” he assured her. “Do you want me to show you?”
“Yes,” she said. He walked over to her. He held out his hand. It was covered in a soft, white glove. Nessa stared at it.
“Go on,” he said. “Take it.” He smiled at her. He was kind, she could tell. Nessa reached out. The second that her hand touched his, she felt a jolt of electricity. The room with the books faded away. She was suddenly in a place—it was like being inside of a thundercloud, lit with blue. Charlie was there, holding her hand.
“It was right here,” he said.
“What did you tell me?” She asked, a sense of unreality overwhelming her.
“I told you that there would be a coming storm,” he said. “I told you that I had seen you in a vision, fighting at the forefront.”
“Why me?” She asked, and he cocked his head to the side, smiling.
“You know your inner strengths. You’ve wanted to try spirit magic for a long time,” he said. “Your chance is coming. You are special, but you know that. Just like I am special, and Ra.”
“How am I special?” She asked. She knew that she was talented, but special?
“You are the only one who can manipulate spirit magic without being taken over, Nessa,” he said excitedly. “You can control it.”
“Am I a Necromancer?” Her heart was pounding.
“You are,” he said.
“How do you know?” she asked. His only answer was a smile.
“Let’s go back. Ra will be wondering where we’ve gotten to.” He reached out his hand, and Nessa took it. They were back in the tower room.
“Did you tell her?” Ra asked. Charlie nodded.
“Of course.” Ra nodded and turned to Nessa.
“Officially, you will be working as a contractor for the government. We don’t need this to get out unless the other Necromancer threatens society as a whole. We also don’t want it to get out that we are condoning the use of spirit magic. We don’t need others to begin to experiment with it.”
“How am I a Necromancer?” Nessa asked. “Isn’t that a genetic ability?”
“Your parents were known Necromancers. They worked for the government,” he said. “I told you this.” Nessa thought back to all of those parties that were held. She thought back to all of the money that they’d always had. She frowned.
“How did they die?” The brothers looked down at the floor.
“They didn’t,” Charlie said. “They’re still alive. On the spirit plane.”
“What?” Nessa’s stomach was roiling. This was far too much information.
“They went in to get this Necromancer. We believed that she had been killed with them,” Ra said. “However, she must have survived. They needed to take down her entire fortress. It collapsed.”
“You’re sending me to finish what my parents failed to do,” she inferred.
“Yes,” Ra replied. “They were the most powerful Necromancers in the world. Until the rise of Ravenna. She has returned. She has your parents. She is feeding off of their powers. You’re the only one who can stop her and get them out of there.”
“Then what do I need you for?”
“Charlie is a powerful seer. He can help you get there. I am the stronger dragon,” Ra explained. “I can protect you.” Nessa sat down in one of the armchairs. She felt deeply overwhelmed. She looked at Charlie, who was studying her curiously.
“So, they just call you Charlie?” she asked him.
“Yep.” He seemed pleased with this.
“How do you not have any fancy titles?” she asked him.
“I was born a few minutes too late for that,” Charlie replied lightly. “I was the gifted one, however.”
“I got the titles,” Ra said. “Charlie got the talents.”
“Oh?” Nessa glanced back and forth between them.
“I am a sensitive,” Charlie explained with a shrug. “I am a seer.”
“What happens when your gloves aren’t on?” Nessa asked. Charlie’s smile faltered.
“He can’t control it as well,” Ra supplied quickly. Obviously, something had happened, Nessa reasoned. Charlie’s powers were stronger gloveless.
“Are you really dragons?” She asked, tactfully changing the subject. “Or is that a myth?”
“No,” Ra replied. “That’s really true.” There was a fiery gleam that shot through his eyes. His pupils turned to reptilian slits for a moment—it was so quickly that Nessa felt like she might have imagined it.
“All royals are dragons,” Charlie explained. “It’s so that we can protect the country should the need arise.”
“I told you this on the way in,” Ra said.
“Yes, but I thought you were making things up,” Nessa replied. “There’s a fine line between myth and tradition.”
“Always the academic,” Ra stated wryly.
“Have you ever—” Nessa began.
“Not yet,” Charlie replied. “But the time for that is coming soon.”
“So what do I get for agreeing to help you?” Nessa asked.
“Your parents returned to you,” Ra said.
“If she has been feeding off of them, then they will not live much longer,” Nessa replied.
“What do you want?” Ra asked, ever the politician.
“I don’t know,” Nessa replied. “What are offering?”
“A queenship?” He said.
“I don’t want that.” Nessa could feel herself cringing at the thought.
“Gold? Jewels?” He tried. “The key to the royal treasury?”
“No,” she replied.
“She wants to be free to use spirit magic,” Charlie said, smiling. “It is her birthright.”
“You want to be above the law,” Ra remarked, his eyebrow raised.
“I want to be free of it,” she explained. “I won’t misuse it. I want to see what good can be done with it. I want to study it.” The two brothers looked at each other.
“I can help her,” Charlie said. “I can make sure that nothing bad happens.” Ra nodded slowly. He looked over at Nessa.
“You may study it for academic purposes only,” he said. “And only with Charlie to assist.”
“Agreed,” Nessa said, thinking of all of the possibilities.
“Excellent,” Ra said, standing. “You will move into the palace immediately. There are requirements that come with living here. You must also attend a certain function this evening.” Nessa sighed.
“What is it?” she asked mournfully.
“A ball,” he said simply. He glanced over at his brother. “Mother expects you to attend, as well.” Charlie nodded. He looked tired. Nessa felt disappointed. She wanted to begin to try spirit magic, not spend an evening rubbing elbows with the court.
“Must we go?” Nessa asked.
“Yes,” Ra replied. “You are employed by the court. We must show them that the chosen person is someone that they can trust.” Ra left the room. Nessa looked over at Charlie.
“I’m guessing you don’t want to go, either,” she said.
“Not really. It’s very hard to keep from getting inside of people’s heads when
you are surrounded on all sides,” he explained. “I much prefer my books and my tower. However, duty calls. We’ll survive.” He gave her a sobering smile. Nessa looked down at Charlie’s hands.
“If you can take me other places with the gloves on, then what happens to people when you touch them without the gloves?” She asked. A cloud seemed to pass over Charlie’s face. He opened his mouth to answer. Before he could, the door to the tower opened, and a palace maid peered in. She had a perfectly done chignon, and she wore a simple black dress.
“Hello, Professor,” she said. “I’ve come to show you to your rooms and to help you prepare.”
“I’ll see you in a little while,” Charlie said gently.
“Okay,” Nessa replied, following the maid out of the room. She glanced back at Charlie, who smiled at her.
***
In a short while, the maid, Sophia, had helped Nessa prepare. Nessa’s rooms were not far from Charlie’s tower. It was a room with cream-colored walls and large mullioned windows that overlooked the palace lake, which was a deep blue. The bed was large, and had a pile of soft pillows and a plush down comforter on it. Nessa looked at herself in the full-length mirror. She barely recognized herself.
The gown that she wore was a deep emerald color. It had a full, satin skirt and a tight-fitting bodice. Her hair was pulled into a neat chignon, and her makeup was flawless—gold eyeshadow, a touch of bronzer, pale pink lipstick. To top it off, Sophia brought out a simple diamond teardrop pendant on a gold chain. Nessa placed her hand on top of it. It was delicate, the perfect accent. Nessa felt the soft satin of the dress, hugging her midsection tightly.
“You look marvelous, my lady,” Sophia said.
“You certainly can work some magic, Sophia,” Nessa replied. There was a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it,” Sophia said, walking to the door. She opened it, revealing Charlie, who looked rather flustered. He wore a black tuxedo, his hands covered in white silk gloves.
“Don’t you look charming, your majesty,” Sophia said.
“Ah, thanks,” Charlie said, clearly uncomfortable. “Can I come in?”
“Certainly,” Nessa said. He entered, rubbing the back of his head so that his hair stuck up in the back. “Is everything alright?”
“Ah, yes. No. You look… fantastic,” he said in rapid succession. Nessa smiled at him.
“So do you,” she replied. “Do the gloves help?” He looked down at his gloved hands.
“A little,” he said. “Sometimes visions are activated by touch. Other times, it’s just by proximity.” Nessa studied him for a moment.
“Can you read my mind?” She asked. He laughed, a sharp bark.
“No,” he said. “I can just feel the alternate fabrics of the universe.”
“How so?”
“There are threads which weave the fates of the universe together,” he explained. He was staring at the carpet as he thought about it. “I can see the way that they fit together. I can see the way that they are being affected by different things that are happening. I can see how they are being manipulated by different individuals.”
“That is quite a gift,” Nessa said.
“It’s a bit of a curse sometimes,” he said, looking at her. She could see how exhausted he was—how apprehensive of going out and being among people he felt.
“If you want, you can stick with me,” she offered. He smiled.
“I’d like that,” he said. “They’re all really awful, you know.”
“I expected as much,” Nessa replied. “I know how power can go to people’s heads. I do work at the university, you know.” She placed her hand on Charlie’s arm. She could feel tendrils of electricity emanating from his touch. He was holding it back. He had a strong control over his gift. But she could tell that it was a constant battle for him.
“Wait, miss!” Sophie cried out. “Shoes!” Nessa laughed.
“Of course!” She exclaimed. “I am so nervous, I almost went barefoot.” Even Charlie was able to crack a smile at that one. Sophie placed a pair of gold satin slippers on the floor before her. Nessa stepped into them, and then she and Charlie left her tiny room.
As they walked along the halls, Charlie pointed out different tapestries, explaining to her what had happened. They stopped before a tapestry of a golden dragon, poised above an army of what looked like the dead. The figures of the army were all pale, blue. There was one figure who stood above the army, tall and dark. The figure had no skin on his face—instead, there was a pale, grinning skull, bright red eyes glowing from the sockets.
“This was when the Death’s Head Necromancer attacked the castle in 1885,” Charlie explained. “The king shifted into dragon form, and met his dead army on the fields of battle in the realm of death.”
“How did he win?” Nessa asked, her stomach roiling with nerves. It was likely that she would have to face this new Necromancer. Charlie shrugged.
“The king never returned. The Death’s Head was defeated by Spot two years later,” he said. “I am worried that the same demon is trying to return.” Nessa nodded. She was beginning to think that perhaps she should have asked for something other in return. It was likely that this was a suicide mission.
“Don’t worry, Nessa,” Charlie said. “I’ll be with you the whole way. And Ra is strong. He doesn’t show it, but he is strong as a dragon.”
“What about you?”
“I can shift into dragon form, but I am something else.” That much was true. Nessa wasn’t entirely sure what Charlie was. It was uncommon for someone to be both a shifter and a powerful seer. Charlie was more than he was letting on. They walked to the ballroom of the palace, standing by the door.
The room itself was cavernous and exquisitely designed. It was lit by a massive candelabra, which hung and blazed brightly from the very center of the ceiling. There were large, ornate mirrors covering the walls, making the space seem larger than it was. The ceiling was painted with a large mural—surrounding a circle of pure, blue sky, were cherubs in the clouds, and paintings depicting mythical characters. The floor was made of pure marble—dark black rectangles surrounded by a border of pink and green.
It was crowded with people, all dressed to the nines. Silks and satins rustled as ladies walked, and all of the men wore dark suits in elegant cuts. A string orchestra was playing light music in the corner. The courtiers merely milled about, talking. It seemed that everyone held a delicate champagne flute. Waiters made their way through the crowd, ensuring that everyone had something to drink. Ra walked toward them, dressed in a tux almost identical to Charlie’s but with a bright crimson sash across his chest. He wore an elaborate golden crown upon his head. He bowed to Nessa. He held out his hand.
“May I have the honor of this dance?” he asked.
“I don’t know how to dance,” Nessa responded. She looked at Charlie, who was grinning.
“You don’t have to,” he said. “Ra will show you.”
“I promised…” she began, but Charlie waved her off.
“Too many people are looking at us,” he said in mock complaint. “It’s better if I slink off alone. I can disappear into the shadows without a pretty woman on my arm.” Stung, Nessa took Ra’s outstretched hand. He led her to the middle of the room. Her heart was pounding. What Charlie had said was true—all eyes were on her. She raised her chin, straightened her back—anything to appear more confident and graceful than she felt. She glanced over at Ra. He was smiling at her. She felt her heart almost stop. He was gorgeous. He moved toward her, placing his free hand on her hip. He pulled her in close to him. She could smell his scent—it was spicy, masculine. It made her heart pound harder. He pressed his hand into the small of her back, bringing her closer as he held her other hand aloft.
“It’s going to be a waltz,” he explained in an undertone. “Just follow my lead.”
“Okay,” she said breathlessly. His face was close enough to hers that, should he lean in just a fraction more, they could kiss. She
looked at his lips, which were full, bee-stung. His teeth were perfect, white. Nessa bit her lip. She was just here for a job. It would be no good to fall for a prince. Especially the crown prince. That would entail duty and… things. Things which Nessa did not want. Like attending balls and having a bunch of courtiers watching her. Judging her every move. It was almost painful.
The music began, the four-string orchestra playing a light tune. Ra began to move, guiding her through the steps. Her long, voluminous skirt hid the many mistakes that she made with her feet. Ra spun her around the marble-floored hall with ease. Nessa looked into Ra’s eyes, which shone.
“You’re doing magnificently,” he said proudly.
“It’s easier than I thought it would be,” she replied coolly.
“There’s nothing to it,” he said, smiling. Nessa could feel the many eyes of the court on them as they moved to the music. She felt the weight of Ra’s hand on her lower back, pulling her in closer to his body. She felt so conscious of it—he was solid and warm. He placed his cheek up against hers. She inhaled sharply, breathing in his scent. Her heart hammered in her chest. She could feel the edge of his lips curving upward against her cheek.
“What?” she asked.
“Hmmm?”
“You’re smiling,” she accused him. He laughed.
“Is that a crime?” He asked.
“I suppose not.”
The dance finally ended, and Ra led her off of the floor, into the crowd. The courtiers looked at them curiously as they passed through them. Nessa could see them all whispering to each other as she and Ra passed them.
“Is your life always this much on display?” she asked.
“Always,” Ra said.
“Does it get exhausting?”
“Eventually, it becomes nothing,” he replied simply. She looked over at him. His look was impassive, yet confident. This was just another day at the office for him, she realized. If it wasn’t her on his arm, then it would be someone else.