by Brea Essex
This time I did laugh. “How am I supposed to help?”
“You’re a witch.”
I nodded. “Yeah, you said that, although I’m still not sure I believe you. But what does that have to do with being able to find dead—or vacated, whatever—bodies?”
“Only special classes of witches can see spirits.”
“You’re not helping any.”
“You’re a necromancer, Rhi. Necromancers can see the spirit realm more clearly than anyone... with the exception of the Zayin.”
“Okay, now you’re just throwing words at me.” I wished the waitress could see me so I could order a drink. I could definitely use a soda—or coffee. Coffee would be better.
Zac snapped his fingers in front of my face and I jumped. “Let me try to explain it better. A Zayin, which is what I am, has to astral project out of his or her body to fight off the wraiths. The wraiths—demons, if you will—pull humans into nightmares. There they can possess their bodies. The human will be trapped in the nightmare forever, while the wraith walks around in their body. Follow me so far?”
“I guess...”
“It’s the job of the Zayin—our destiny—to destroy the wraiths and pull the humans out of nightmares before they implode and their souls are lost forever.”
“The humans implode?” I interrupted.
“No, the shade does. It’s what you would call a nightmare. A shade is exactly what it sounds like—a shadow version of the real world. When humans get drawn into them, they don’t know the difference. They feel as though they are living their regular life. If something seems odd, they dismiss it. If the wraith isn’t destroyed, the human will be trapped in the shade forever, while the wraith lives out the human’s life. This is why the Zayin hunt the wraiths. We destroy them so that the humans can have their lives back.
“But as soon as we destroy the wraiths, the nightmare becomes unstable. We must pull the human’s soul out immediately, before the shade implodes. If we don’t, the human will be lost in a hell-like place.” He shuddered. “That’s even worse than being trapped in the shade forever. At least there, they have their delusions. They don’t know what’s going on. But if we don’t get them out in time...” he trailed off.
“Then why not just leave them in the shade?”
He gave me a withering look. “Imagine walking down the street, and you can’t tell who’s human and who’s a demon in a human body. The wraiths will destroy anything they touch in the real world. We have to kill them before they ruin our world and everything in it.”
“Why not just go to wherever they come from and destroy them there?” It seemed simple enough to me. “Then they won’t even make it to our world and no humans will be in danger.”
“We don’t have access to the demon dimension. Humans generally live in one world: the real world. Zayin can access the real world, and the realm between worlds... but not the demon dimension.”
“So, are you saying you’re not human?”
“I’m human, but not in the way you think. Zayin need years of special training in astral projection, among many other things. Astral projection is the only way to reach the realm between worlds—the realm I’m trapped in now.”
“So, how am I here? You said I’m not dead.”
“I’m not entirely sure,” he admitted. “All I know is that you’re a necromancer and that enables you to see what others can’t. You haven’t always been like this?”
I shook my head no. I’m sure I would have noticed if random ghosts—or whatever Zac was—just started walking up to me on the street.
“Then your powers must have been triggered somehow.” He paused to think, his brow furrowed. “Why were you in the hospital?”
I grimaced. “I had... an accident.”
“What sort of accident?”
“I fell. I was rock climbing. I wasn’t tethered properly. I think I hit my head pretty badly when I hit the ground. I don’t really remember what happened.”
He snapped his fingers. I looked around, remembering our earlier transport. We hadn’t moved. “That must be it! Head trauma.”
“Huh?” I asked intelligently.
“Your head trauma must have somehow released your powers. That’s why I was drawn to you.” He leaned in close, gesturing for me to move in as well. I could feel his hot breath washing over my face, something I found extremely pleasant.
“I’ve been lost for so long,” he admitted. “I’ve been wandering, trying to find my body. No one could see me or hear me to help. Until you. You were like a beacon, lighting up in the night, drawing me to you. I couldn’t believe my luck. When I saw you...” he trailed off and shook his head. “No matter. Just thank you for agreeing to help me. You don’t know what this means.”
I stared into his ocean blue eyes, which glittered like sapphires. I felt as though I could see straight into his soul. Could ghosts have souls? Of course, he wasn’t really dead. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, drinking in his scent. How could he have an aroma if he wasn’t really there? It was inexplicable. When I opened my eyes again, he was smiling. “I’m glad you found me,” I said at last.
He reached over and took my hand. To my surprise, it didn’t pass through. I wove my fingers in between his. “How are you able to touch me if you’re not really here?”
Now the smile lit his eyes. He leaned even closer, until our faces were so close that I could feel his breath. “I’m not sure. I surprised myself earlier, when I was able to take your arm and transport us both here. Being with you is like magick... our own personal magick.”
He swiftly closed the little space remaining between us. His lips were cool and firm against mine, a sharp contrast to the heat that was flaring up between us. My free hand wound around his neck, and I pulled him closer. He was like a drug I couldn’t get enough of. How could I feel such a strong connection to someone I had just barely met hours earlier, someone who had told me insane things that I wasn’t entirely sure I believed? All I knew is that I felt I would die if I were ever apart from him.
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I jerked away from Zac. I wasn’t that girl: the one who would die if her boyfriend broke up with her. I didn’t need a guy—I was stronger than that. However, I knew at that moment I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life without him.
He frowned. “I’m sorry. I thought you wanted me to.”
“I-I did,” I stuttered. “It’s just...” How could I explain this to him? That I had felt such an instant connection to him, a bond even, that I didn’t ever want to let go?
“Magick,” he repeated. “I felt it too, Rhiannon. I know we just met—and with me not even in my body—but what we have between us is powerful. I feel as though my soul would sear if we were ever apart.”
I nodded. He had phrased it so much more eloquently than I ever would have been able to. I had never been one to buy into the whole love-at-first-sight thing. In fact, I hadn’t even felt this for him when I first saw him standing over the bed in my hospital room. It had only happened when he spoke of the magick, and I felt his breath on my face...
“Did you put a spell on me?” I asked sharply.
He was obviously taken aback. When I saw the pain cloud his eyes and wash over his chiseled features, I knew I had made a mistake. “Why would you ask such a thing?” he whispered.
“I’m sorry. I’ve just never felt anything like this before. I know that sounds cliche, but it’s true. I just didn’t realize how I felt until you kissed me.”
A smile returned to his face, but it didn’t quite clear the lingering pain from his eyes. I hated that I had caused that. “I didn’t fully realize it either,” he said. “Rhi, when I saw you in your hospital room, it was as though you were all that existed for me. I nearly forgot why I had come. I looked for you to help me, but instead I found something much more. I found you, and I never want to be parted from you, even if it meant never finding my body.”
I shivered at the implication. “But you nee
d to find your body, so...” I broke off, realizing where my train of thought was taking my mouth. I hoped he hadn’t noticed. I glanced at him. A smirk graced his features. He had noticed. “So you can fight the demons,” I finished lamely.
“I can fight the wraiths from this dimension,” he said. He reached out his hand and lifted my chin so I was staring directly into his eyes once again. “But I want to find my body so I can be with you fully. Always. Make no mistake, Rhi; I want to do the whole dating-and-meet-the-parents-thing for you.”
I couldn’t help but smile and wonder if my parents would like him. They probably had thought that I was crazy for going on and on about him at the hospital when they couldn’t see him. “Oh my gosh, my parents!”
Zac gave me a confused look. “What about them?”
“They’re going to freak when they come back to my hospital room—that is, if they haven’t already—and I’m not there.”
“It will be fine, Rhi. Don’t worry.”
I wasn’t pacified, but I fell silent anyway because someone was approaching our table. We would have to move fast if it was someone coming to sit at the table. To our surprise, he didn’t sit down. He stood next to the table and looked straight at us.
“Hey, I’m Ty,” he said.
We tried our best to remain unfazed. How could he see us?
“Zac.” Zac pointed at me. “Rhiannon.”
Jeeze, he sounded like a caveman. “You can call me Rhi,” I told Ty.
Ty laughed. “Seriously?”
We stared at him. Obviously we didn’t get the joke.
“You know, like the trend of celebrity couples splicing their names together? ZachaRhi? No?”
We got it, but it didn’t seem very funny. I rolled my eyes at him. “We’re not a couple.”
“Really? Could have fooled me.” He gestured at our still-entwined hands.
Zac and I hastily pulled apart.
Ty laughed. “Mind if I join you guys?”
I looked at Zac. He didn’t look happy, but I didn’t want to be rude. “I guess.”
Ty sat down next to me and scooted close. Zac glared at him. I slid closer to the wall.
Ty turned to me and grinned. “Thanks, Love.”
I grimaced. “Don’t call me that. You don’t even know me.”
“Anything you say, Darlin’.”
This guy just didn’t get it. Zac stood up before I could say anything. “Actually, we were just leaving. Ready, Rhi?”
Ty made no motion to move so I could follow Zac. In fact, he moved even closer. “Now, wouldn’t you rather stay with me?”
“Ummm... I don’t really know you,” I said.
“Are you sure you know him?” He jerked his head toward Zac.
I bristled. “Of course I know him.”
“How long have you known him?”
I wasn’t about to admit that I had only met Zac that day as well. There was something about Zac that made me want to trust him, whereas Ty just seemed... off. “Long enough,” I answered evasively.
“Rhiannon, are you coming?” Zac asked, a hint of anxiety coloring his voice.
“Yes.” I pushed against Ty’s arm. To my surprise, he moved this time.
He stood next to Zac, and I marked the physical differences between the two as I climbed out of the booth. Ty was a few inches taller than Zac. Where Zac’s sandy hair reflected even the dim lighting that surrounded us, Ty’s inky hair was so dark that it felt as though all the light in the room was being sucked into it. I shuddered a little at my own analogy. No, I definitely didn’t trust this guy.
Ty stood, smiling a smarmy-looking smile after us as we left. His feet were planted shoulder-width apart, arms crossed at the chest, like he was ready for a fight. He made no motion to follow us, or sit down again. He just stared.
“Zac, let’s get out of here,” I muttered under my breath as quietly as I could.
Zac nodded and took my arm. We threaded our way through the crowd, never touching anyone. I didn’t understand his glamour, but it certainly worked. I knew he couldn’t be touched or seen because he technically existed in another dimension, but I wasn’t sure how his glamour worked on me. I couldn’t be seen or touched by anyone but him...
A thought hit me as we reached the doorway. “Zac!” I hissed as we exited the club. “How is it that that Ty guy was able to see us? Does he have the same glamour on him that I do? How was I able to touch him when I tried to push him out of my way? Is he a necromancer, too? Or, just a witch? Can other—things—do glamours too, or would they need a witch?”
Zac held up a hand. “Whoa. A lot of questions. One at a time, okay? The truth is that I’m not sure why he could see us or what he is. I just know that I got a bad feeling from him. I don’t trust the guy, even though we just met him. No, you don’t have to be a necromancer or a witch to cast glamours. The Zayin can do them. It’s necessary to our survival sometimes. But you could be a regular human and do them. They wouldn’t be as good, though.
“Regular humans can only make someone see something that’s already there, but differently. They can’t make something—especially not a person—invisible. They can’t make something appear that’s not there—only alter the appearance. Humans definitely can’t alter form—like you not being able to touch anyone but me... and apparently, Ty. Although, even an ordinary human can have a necromancer or witch cast any sort of glamour on them. The corrupt ones would do anything as long as the price was right.”
“What about Zayin? Are any of those corrupt?”
He hesitated. “Not that I know of.”
“Not that you know of? Does that mean you think there might be one?”
He stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk. People passed through us (which was pretty creepy and felt a little weird) but he didn’t notice. He grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him, then clasped his hands behind his back. “There have been rumors.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“Well... we don’t speak of it.”
I barked a short laugh. “Then how are there rumors if you don’t speak of it?”
He looked decidedly uncomfortable. “There is one that may have been corrupted.”
I nodded for him to continue. “And?”
“We don’t know where he is.”
Talk about beating around the bush. “Okay...”
“I don’t know his real name. He’s only referred to as The Necrovorst.”
“What does that mean?”
“Prince of Death.” He lowered his eyes for a moment, as if trying to decide whether to say more. “They say he’s after something... some ancient weapons. I’m not entirely sure what, or what he will do with them when he finds them. That’s why it’s so imperative that I find my body so I can join my people in defeating him.”
“Why can’t they do it themselves?” I asked.
“It’s my responsibility to help them!” he insisted.
“Okay, okay. Got it. So, what do we do? Where do I come in?”
He brightened a little. “You can help me research.”
Great. “Research what?”
“What he wants. I know that there are ancient weapons he’s after. They probably have special powers or something. I think he’s looking for a group of objects that we refer to as the Seven Relics. They’re historical objects. And we need to find someone who can train you in the use of your powers. We can’t hope to defeat him unless we know what he’s after and unless we can fight him.”
“How are we going to find someone to train me? Don’t I need to stay under the glamour? You know, so I can talk to you without looking crazy?”
Zac laughed. “Well, yeah I guess so. But necromancers can see through glamours. That’s who we need to find.”
“How are we going to find one? Didn’t it take you a long time to find me?”
He sighed. “Yeah, that’s the problem.” He offered me a forced smile. “I can teach you what little I know. Other than that, we can go to a librar
y until we can find you what you need.”
“What is there like a necromancer library or something? I hardly think that a regular library would have what we need.”
This time, the smile was genuine. “Actually, no. But there is a witch’s library.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously. You want to go there now?”
I looked at the dark sky. “I doubt they’d be open.”
“Rhiannon, it’s a witch’s library. They get most of their business at night.”
Four
The library was overwhelming. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. It was even quieter than regular libraries and was extremely dark. Before we went in, Zac repeated the chant that rendered me invisible.
“I thought witches could see through glamours?” I asked.
“Some witches can if the invisibility glamour isn’t strong enough. The witches here aren’t powerful enough. If they had a necromancer working here, they would see right through you. But there’s no way a witch of that caliber would be working here. Necromancers are too rare and valuable.”
“You make them—us—sound like an antique.”
“Well, you sort of are. I can’t remember the last time I came across a necromancer as young as you. Usually they don’t come into their powers as young as you have. Your head trauma must have accelerated things.”
“So what exactly are we looking for?” I asked to change the subject. I really didn’t want to discuss my accident.
“Anything that helps.”
We wandered between the shelves, hoping to find something on ancient weaponry, mythological artifacts... anything. We weren’t exactly sure what The Necrovorst was after. We pulled a couple of books down and took them to a table. While paging through them, I began to feel as though my head was in a fog. I blinked and shook my head, but it didn’t clear.
“Jeeze, I need some coffee,” I muttered.
Zac frowned at me. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t concentrate. I feel really... strange.”
“Are you and Aislinn twins?”
What a strange question. “Yeah. Why?”