“You’re right, it does,” Leesa said. “And yes, we’re friends enough that I should tell you more of what’s going on. Then you can decide how much of a part you want to play in all of it.”
Jenna smiled, clearly touched. “Thank you,” she said softly.
Leesa took another swallow of water and then explained about the black waziri and the Necromancer. She told Jenna how they were trying to break the seal between the living and the dead, and how even now the three black wizards were tracking Dominic through his magic.
“Dominic is the only true waziri left, and thus the only real obstacle to their plans. He knew he couldn’t do it alone, but if he imparted his magic in the normal way—to a young male child—the black waziri would have quickly found and destroyed the boy. Instead, he chose an unborn female child—me—in the hope that would change the magical vibrations enough that the black waziri would not be able to sense the magic. He was right. The black waziri cannot sense that I have magic, even when I use it. Even Dominic cannot sense me unless he is very close. That’s why he was unable to find me until recently.”
Jenna listened intently, without interrupting. Every now and then she nodded her head, but otherwise her expression never changed.
“So, to wrap all this up,” Leesa continued, “if I’m to be of any help to Dominic, I need to gain as much control over my magic as I can, as quickly as I can.”
Jenna smiled. “From what I witnessed from my perch, you have already been a big help to Dominic. Do not undersell yourself, child.”
Leesa shrugged, uncomfortable with praise, as usual. “I guess. But it took me, Dominic and Rave to defeat Josef. I’ll need to be a lot more powerful if we are to have any chance at stopping three black waziri.”
She scooted up to the edge of the bed. Her face was now barely twelve inches from Jenna’s.
“We would welcome any help your magic can give us,” she said. “But I understand if you don’t want to get involved. I’m very thankful just for the help you are giving me now.”
Jenna sighed.
Leesa could see that the witch was struggling with the request. Getting involved in something so dangerous went against Jenna’s very nature, Leesa knew. She didn’t press it.
“I’m not sure how much help I could be,” Jenna said at last. “The wizards are far more powerful than I am. But I will think on it, and see what ideas I might come up with.”
Leesa nodded. At least Jenna hadn’t refused outright.
“Thank you,” Leesa said. “And I meant what I said. Even if all you do is help me practice, I’ll be very grateful.”
“That I can do,” Jenna promised. “At the very least.”
“I have one other tiny favor to ask. Since you can’t shape-shift right now anyhow, would you let me buy you a cell phone, so I can get a hold of you if I need to?”
Jenna hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of having a phone. Leesa was pretty sure she knew why, and it had nothing to do with blocking Jenna’s shape-shifting, which she was unable to do now anyhow.
‘We’ll get a prepaid one,” Leesa said. “I’ll buy it and do the paperwork. I’ll be the only one with the number, so it won’t threaten your privacy at all. And I’ll program my number into it for you, in case you need me.”
Jenna breathed out a deep sigh. “Okay. I guess that would be alright. But when my magic comes back, I won’t be able to carry it with me. But at least I’ll have it at home.”
Leesa was thrilled. Finally, someone with magic was going to have a phone. “Deal,” she said.
“Are they expensive?” Jenna asked. “Can you afford it?”
Leesa smiled, thinking of the money and gold Dominic had given her before he left.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it.” She got up off the bed. “There’s a place that sells them right here on campus. We can walk over there now. You don’t mind a bit of walking, do you?”
Jenna shook her head. “Not at all. Without my wings, I’ve been doing quite a lot of walking lately.”
32. DEADLY SUCCESS
An ocean away, two of the people Leesa and Jenna had been talking about sat in a horse-drawn carriage outside a tiny Romanian mountain hamlet. The specially built coach had reinforced springs, but it still tilted noticeably to the left, courtesy of the Necromancer’s immense bulk. Viktor and Jordan sat opposite him. Rafael was perched on the driver’s seat outside, wrapped in a heavy cloak against the night’s cold, his gloved hands gripping the leather reins. The trip here had taken the better part of two hours, but the Necromancer didn’t like practicing his black arts too close to his castle—unless he was practicing them inside the castle, safe from prying eyes. Usually, he would send one or more of his waziri in his stead on any mission away from the castle, but tonight’s test was a big one. To be successful, it would need his personal attention and magic, so he was making one of his rare forays outside his home.
The village was an old one, consisting of about a dozen wooden homes with thatched roofs flanking a packed dirt road. Most of the walls were whitewashed, though a few had been painted a pale rose color. The village was slowly dying, as first one then another of the young men left for the city, seeking work less taxing and more lucrative than farming the rugged countryside beyond the homes. Fewer than twenty-five people now remained in the town, mostly older couples far past child-bearing age. This late at night, they were all asleep in their beds. Not one light shown from any of the dwellings.
The carriage was parked on a ridge about one hundred yards above the village, opposite an old graveyard. The citizens had been burying their dead in the crude cemetery for so many centuries that the gravestones outnumbered the living villagers by at least ten to one.
The size, isolation and age of the hamlet had all been factors in the Necromancer’s choice.
“It is time,” he said.
Viktor and Jordan stepped out of the carriage on the side of the graveyard. Dressed in black, hooded cloaks, they were almost invisible in the moonless night. When Rafael saw them exit the coach, he climbed down from the driver’s seat and joined them. Viktor left the door open, so that his master could participate from inside—the corpulent Necromancer stood on his feet only when absolutely necessary. Tonight, he could do everything he needed from inside the carriage.
He opened a sturdy wooden chest resting on the seat beside him and withdrew a round, gold-framed mirror twelve inches across. The surface of the mirror was made of the same black material as the table in his castle. It served as a portable version of the table, far less powerful of course, but quite useful nonetheless. He held his palm over the black surface and began to chant in a low voice. A dozen floating eyes began to appear inside the mirror, growing steadily brighter with every word he spoke.
When he had activated the magical talisman to full strength, the Necromancer eased his huge bulk forward until he was sitting on the edge of the seat, his hairless head framed in the open doorway. The cold night air seemed to have no effect on his exposed face and scalp.
“Let us begin,” he said to his henchmen.
All four of them began to chant a special summoning spell in low, sing-song voices. The incantation, strengthened by the power of the waziri imprisoned within the mirror, caused faint, almost invisible beams of dark power to extend from the mirror’s black surface. The beams lengthened and spread, moving in a twisting, wriggling fashion, shooting slowly into the old cemetery, where each stream of dark magic sought out the ground beneath a gravestone.
The Necromancer and his servants continued to chant. The black magic steadily weakened the seal that kept the dead from entering the world of the living. Tiny volcanoes of dirt began to sprout atop the graves. Soon, fingers and hands poked up through the ground as the dead began to slowly claw their way to the surface.
Ten minutes later, more than three score reanimated corpses stood atop their graves. Some were so ancient they were little more than skeletons, and with no tendons, ligaments or skin to hold them toge
ther, they quickly collapsed into piles of bones. The Necromancer ignored them—they were of no use to him. The rest of the bodies were in various stages of decay. The oldest were more bone than anything else, but still possessed enough of their former shapes to hold them together. The Necromancer knew from experience that such creatures were weak and slow, so he let them collapse as well. He was left with nearly two score suitable zombies, more than enough for his plan.
He crooked his sausage-like index finger, beckoning them toward him. The gruesome army lurched forward, the stench of their decay growing stronger as they drew nearer. The Necromancer pointed the mirror down the roadway toward the village, and the zombies dutifully turned toward the hamlet. Bits of rotting cloth and decayed flesh fell from some of them as they walked, but they paid no heed. One thing, and one thing only, drove the mindless creatures—the need to feast on human flesh.
33. A LETTER IN THE MAIL
Monday afternoon, Leesa received a letter in the mail. It was handed to her by Missi, a sophomore from the second floor who delivered the mail to each room in the dorm. Leesa looked down at the envelope in surprise. Receiving personal mail was a rare occurrence. She didn’t get very much mail to begin with, and what she did get was mostly junk. Her whole time here at Weston, she could recall receiving only one other letter. That one had been sent by her aunt and uncle soon after she moved in. She thanked Missi and reached to close the door.
Missi turned to leave. She was wearing a dark gray sleeveless shirt, and Leesa found her eyes drawn to a blue tattoo on the back of Missi’s right shoulder. The tattoo was heart-shaped and looked like it was fashioned out of blue flames. The blue fire immediately made Leesa think of Rave. She hadn’t seen him in over a week, which was at least a week too long as far as she was concerned. If she ever got brave enough to get a tattoo, she decided she would get one similar to Missi’s. A heart made out of blue fire would be the perfect symbol if her love for Rave. She smiled as she wondered what kind of tattoo Rave could get to display his love for her—something that depicted wizardry and grafhym blood would be difficult to design. They would probably be better off just getting matching blue flame heart tattoos.
She closed the door and looked down at the letter in her hand. It was an ordinary white envelope, addressed in an unfamiliar handwriting, postmarked from Massachusetts. There was no return address. She didn’t know anyone in Massachusetts, as far as she could recall. She carried the letter over to her desk and sat down.
Sliding her finger carefully under the sealed flap, she tore the top of the envelope open. Inside was a single, folded piece of white paper. She could see the dim outline of writing inside the folded page. The first thing she looked at when she opened the letter was the signature. What she saw made her heart leap. The letter was from Rave!
The note was a short one—only five or six lines—but Leesa didn’t care. She was amazed to get anything at all from him. She wondered if he had ever sent a letter before in his entire long life. She was willing to bet that he hadn’t.
Hoping that everything was okay, she looked up at the top of the page. As she began to read, her heart began to beat even faster. Rave had gotten permission to see her, if she could meet him at park near Springfield where she had practiced her magic with Dominic a month or so ago. Rave had written “so if you can spare a day away from your classes and can find a way to get up there” he would be waiting in the park on Wednesday from sunrise on.
Her mouth curved into a wide smile. If she could spare day away from her classes—of course she could! If she could find a way to get up there—she’d start walking right now if it was the only way to get there by Wednesday. Surely he knew her well enough to know she would be there. All he really needed to have written was that he would be at the park on Wednesday and would love to see her there. That would have been more than enough to get her there. She loved how cute and considerate his note was, though.
She loved the way he ended the letter even more—“All my love, Rave.”
After reading the letter a few more times and enjoying every word, she carefully folded it back up and returned it to its envelope. She placed it in her desk drawer—a letter from Rave was a definite keepsake! She knew she might never get another.
She moved to her computer and logged on. It was time find out about renting a car….
Stars still sparkled in the predawn sky when Leesa turned onto the I-91 and headed north toward Hartford, and to Springfield beyond. Rave had said he’d be at the park at sunrise, and she was determined to arrive as soon after dawn as possible. Getting up so early was no big deal when it meant having extra time to spend with Rave.
She could barely keep her foot from pressing the gas pedal to the floor and seeing just how fast her little rented Ford Focus could go. She managed to restrain herself and keep her speed at seventy miles per hour, which kept her even with the few cars sharing the highway with her. The cost of a speeding ticket didn’t bother her—not when she was on her way to see Rave—but getting stopped by a cop would delay her trip, and that was not something she wanted to risk.
She had rented the car yesterday afternoon, not caring about the expense of an extra day, so she could leave Middletown before dawn. Printed directions to Robinson State Park lay on the passenger seat beside her. She thought she would probably remember how to get there, but she was taking no chances.
Since it was still at least an hour before rush hour clogged the freeways, she sped through Hartford with no trouble. Twenty minutes later, when she crossed the Massachusetts state line, the sun was just beginning to paint the eastern sky with wispy fingers of gold and orange. The clouds were small and thin, portending a beautiful day.
Leesa smiled. She wouldn’t have minded if the day was going to be filled with thunderstorms—in just a few minutes, she would be snuggling in Rave’s arms.
Just south of Springfield, she turned off the interstate, exiting onto a local highway and heading west. She watched in her rearview mirror as the sun climbed over the horizon, heralding a new day. The cost of the rising sun was the rapid fading of the beautiful colors that had painted the clouds a few moments before.
Following her directions carefully, Leesa finally turned into the entrance of the riverfront Robinson State Park. Even at this early hour, there were at least half a dozen cars parked in the lot along the river. Leesa could see two joggers running on the riverside walkway, and she guessed there were more runners farther up along the path.
She turned left, away from the river, toward the less popular parking area and grassy field where she and Dominic had practiced magic with Rave watching. The parking lot was empty, but as she brought the Focus to a halt at the edge of the lot, she saw Rave, Bali, Dral and Bain standing together on the grass, about fifty feet from the paved area.
Leesa switched off the engine and flew out the door. She raced across the grass as fast as her limp would allow and leaped up into Rave’s arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He caught and held her easily. She scarcely noticed the cold morning air on her face and hands.
For a moment, she just hugged him tightly, her cheek pressed against his. Rave’s skin was far less warm than normal, but she didn’t care. She was just happy to be holding him.
Finally, she pulled her head back and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
“Hi, handsome,” she said, smiling.
“And a good morning to you, gorgeous,” Rave said.
“I’ve missed you,” Leesa said, and then snuggled against him again. After a few moments, she pulled her head back and looked at the other volkaanes. They were all facing away from her and Rave—whether it was to give them some privacy or to watch out for any signs of danger, she didn’t know. She guessed it was probably a bit of both.
“Good morning to all of you,” she said, still keeping her arms and legs wrapped around Rave.
Balin turned and smiled. “It’s good to see you again, Leesa.”
Dral and Bain twisted
their heads around and gave her quick “hellos,” then turned back to keep watch on their surroundings.
Leesa pulled one hand from around Rave’s neck and placed her palm on his cheek.
“You’re still not very warm,” she said. “My magic has not returned to full strength, either.” She looked at Balin. “Has anyone figured out how long this might last?” she asked him.
Balin shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. All we can do is wait.”
Leesa frowned. “I don’t like waiting—not when it means you all have to stay so far away.”
She finally unwrapped her legs from around Rave’s waist and he lowered her to the ground. She entwined her arms around one of his, staying close against him.
“Did I mention that I’ve missed you?”
Rave grinned. “I kind of got that idea from your greeting. I’ve missed you, too.”
“So, how long do I have you for today?”
“All day,” Rave said. “We have to leave at sundown.”
Leesa smiled. “Awesome—a whole day!”
“What would you like to do?”
Leesa pulled her hair out of the ponytail she had gathered it into this morning and let it fall free over her shoulders.
“First, how about you give me a ride through those trees over there,” she said, nodding towards the woods that bordered the grassy field. “It’s been way too long since I felt the wind blowing through my hair.” She rose up on her toes and kissed Rave’s cheek. “Then, as long as your heat is still so low, we can talk about doing some kissing. I’d ask to do that first, but I don’t want to seem pushy or overeager.”
Rave laughed. “No, you wouldn’t want that, I know.”
“And then when we get those things out of the way, I have some stuff to tell you, and I’ll want to hear all about how you volkaanes are doing up here in Massachusetts.”
“Deal,” Rave said. He turned to his volkaane companions. “C’mon guys. We’re going for a little jog in the woods.”
Fearless (The Blue Fire Saga) Page 18