Betrayed
Necromancer’s Blight: Book 3
Author: D. L. Harrison
Copyright 2018. This is a work of fiction. Names, Characters, Places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Afterword:
About the Author
Other books by D. L. Harrison:
Book Description
Chapter One
Sub-level six was as quiet as a tomb, because it was one. Sort of. The large marble room was filled with pedestals, and the ashes of those who came before going back thousands of years. All of them Serena’s ancestors.
Serena stood on my left, and was still holding my hand. Even without using my power, the bond at that closeness sent the energy back and forth between us. It was a very pleasant sensation. I was glad that she wanted to take our relationship slowly, one step at a time. Right now, we were close friends, who cared about each other very much, and touched a lot. There’d been a few kisses as well, but nothing more than that.
Regardless, even though I wasn’t obsessed with her sister anymore, and what we could have had, there were still connections there. Pain, regret, and perhaps a hope that I could work through that. Point being, I wanted to take things with Serena slowly, she was perfect for me or so I thought, yet with my head a muddled mess I worried I was fooling myself. After all, rebound relationships weren’t obvious to those in them, not at first.
My life was kind of a mess honestly, and would be at risk soon. Luckily, I already had Serena staunchly at my side, my story of the truth of the past, and the true reason the Blood race had come into being had affected her deeply. I’d like to think her feelings for me came into her decision, and they probably did, but that was only one reason of many. She’d already given her word that she’d kill no more sane necromancers. She also said if it came down to it, she’d stand on my side with the truth, rather than on her father’s side, if necessary.
I hoped it wouldn’t be needed.
Besides my new girlfriend, I had other resources. According to the prophecy, betrayal would follow revelation of the truth, which if I had my way would be running like wildfire through both the witch and Blood races over the next day or two. I still had to find a way to let the shifters know about this, I wasn’t sure how to approach them on it. The Fae… well I’d be happy if they didn’t find out for a long while that the truth had been let out of the bag so to speak. They’d want to kill me, if for no other reason, because I’d crossed them and they were petty.
Those resources were forty-one Blood warriors, but spirits and not the living. When I’d sent out the invitation to cross over to the mortal world to over fifty spirits, eighty percent had answered and came. They’d listened to the truth, and wanted to fight on the right side after giving their lives for a lie.
They’d be our information gatherers, spies, and even guardians. Three of them would be made into something similar to a vampire. I say similar, because I’d spend the power so they didn’t need to feed, I’d also allow them their free will. They would fight beside us and protect us simply because it was the right thing to do. No bloodthirst, or slavering, as far as I knew they’d be intelligent and as normal as the next person, except for the claws, and fangs. I was pretty sure they’d also be able to do the mind whammy things vampires did, which could come in useful at some point.
They would also be my council in this world, there was still so much I didn’t know about this world which was shrouded in secrecy and lies, although I knew slightly more than Carl and the council believed I did, thanks to Macy, although I’d have rather not been tied down for two days as her captive.
Serena asked, “Are you sure this is going to work?”
Leda, Serena’s mother and one of the three replied, “Necromancers have done it before. Our bodies were cremated, but the ashes are still our remains, and the power of death can restore a dead body to the semblance of life. The only exception to that is the enchantments on the daggers, that may not be reversed.”
Yeah, that was going to be interesting, I’d never done something like this, it might have been easier to start with a fresh corpse.
Serena could hear her because I’d already made them wights, they had more than enough power to reveal themselves to any mortal, or cloak themselves to all but a necromancer. They could also drain the energy from a human, or even effect the real world to a limited degree.
Necromancers were the whole point of this, the original race created was greatly flawed, their immunity to the magic of death disappeared by their third generation. Which brought the blight to the world, followed quickly by insanity, and wars with the undead.
That was the focus of all this, and the point. To get the Blood and Necromancers to work together, and for a new necromancer race to rise from the joining. Necromancers like me, but fully immune to the blight instead of merely close. A new necromancer race which would have the strengths of both races. Until then, a bond with a compatible Blood would keep a necromancer safe from the blight. The question on how to accomplish that after thousands of years of the Blood hunting necromancers and butchering all of them instead of just the insane ones, was a mystery so far. But… one step at a time. I had to worry about the betrayal first, then we could figure out the rest.
There would be a lot of other complications as well, considering the other races.
I picked up Jared’s urn first, who was Serena’s great great great grandfather, and approached the marble table and poured the ashes out carefully to avoid an ash cloud. Magic, or energy as I preferred to think of it, since using it always felt a little like standing too close to a bug zapper to me, worked with concentration of will. It obeyed intent. Just like if I intended to scratch my nose, my arm would bend and my fingers would scratch it. I wouldn’t have to think about all the interim steps of muscle usage, or the like, my body simply obeyed my will.
Magic was a lot like that, and mine held dominion over death. I pulled out a small pocket knife and poked the side of my fingertip, less nerves there, and let a drop of blood fall on the ash. That was all that was required for me to be bound to my creation, and feed it magic, so he wouldn’t need blood when he was put back in his body.
Then I looked over to Jared for a reference on what his resurrected body should look like. He was a tall man, wide shoulders, and looked about sixty years old. He had a strong jaw, and a look of determination and ancient wisdom in his eyes, which were green. I was about to start when Leda cleared her throat.
“Serena, you may want to wait outside. He can restore our bodies but…”
Serena blushed, and put down the three sets of clothes we’d gathered, judging their sizes by the size of the ghosts. Right, she wouldn’t want to look at both her grandfathers’ naked bodies. Probably not her mother’s either. It was going to be awkward enough for me. I waited for her to stand outside, thankfully once the bond was formed it could cleanse the magic from a distance, about a half a mile by my reckoning, so twenty feet was nothing to worry about.<
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I looked back down at the ashes, and willed them back into the form of a body. The magic surged, and flowed out of me and into the ashes, and after a short moment I wished I could wait outside too. It was kind of gross as bones, veins, muscle, fat, and organs regrew right before my eyes out of the ashes. It was also impossible, at least to our level of science, which is why I supposed magic did fit as well as energy at times.
It wouldn’t restore true life, but it would reform the body into incorruptible flesh, and anchor the soul as well as animate the flesh. I believed I was also using it for the right reasons, for our ancestors to advise us. The body finished building, and I noticed he didn’t have claws. It took me a minute to realize the obvious, the magic worked on intent, and I hadn’t been thinking about claws, I’d been thinking and picturing the ghost. Which meant vampires only had claws because the necromancers fashioned them that way on purpose with their will, perhaps merely by expectation.
Then I willed his soul into his rebuilt body, the great amount of energy I’d already fed him to make him a wight, served to animate the body. He sat up and moved his body.
“This is so strange,” he muttered as he pulled on a shirt, and then stood to finish getting dressed.
“In what way?” I asked curiously.
He frowned, “It feels more real than I expected it to. My nerves are firing, and it feels like I’m alive again. And though I know my body is cool, room temperature, and that my heart isn’t beating, I can’t tell myself.”
One down, two more to go.
I walked back over to the urns, we wanted the chance to talk to Carl and brief him, before the witches called to plant their own seeds and thoughts about all of this. The three of them would stay down here, just until we’d gotten a chance to explain things, or if it all went sideways they’d join Serena and I quickly. I was pretty sure I could make them see and hear everything I did, Macy had done the opposite with her vampires, she could see and hear what they did. Same magic, just reversed in intent, or perhaps a two-way connection would be possible?
After I was finished, I’d given Leda and Serena a little privacy for a bonding moment. I knew if it was me I’d wanted a moment as well, and probably a hug or two. This was my first time, so the communication link between us through my magic took me by surprise, it was far easier than I’d have imagined. Not only could I easily pass on whatever I heard, they could do the same for me. We could pass on sight as well, but that was a lot more distracting, and we all agreed to only do that if it was absolutely needed.
It was late on Tuesday night, around nine o’clock, a few hours had passed since I’d met Jo and Serena on the roof to get this process of revealing the truth started. It was just a week and half of a day since I’d been released from the Witches experimentations, only to find out Christina and I were forbidden to be partners. So much had happened in the last week, betrayal, grief, the stirrings of new love that were far too soon, not to mention all the fighting, working out, and learning to shoot side arms.
Once again, I was about to debrief Carl, this time my hope, and Serena’s as well, would be if he realized the truth of the true duty that the Blood had, and that he should allow Serena and I to explore what we have. But… I couldn’t help but worry, even Carl’s wife, Leda, had indicated Carl might not be so amenable. There was also the fact that Serena’s new official partner was on the way here, and was expected tomorrow. The man Carl had called for, for the purpose of being Serena’s partner in all ways, including her mate.
That set my teeth on edge, but I trusted Serena’s heart, and loyalty. Maybe that made me a fool since I was burned so badly trusting Christina just a week ago, but Serena wasn’t her sister. Far from it, she had an irrepressible joy and passion for life, that was contained within herself. She was sharp, witty, a bit of a wiseass and flirt, and for the moment, by her own will, she was mine.
She was also stunningly beautiful, in my opinion at least, I’d rarely seen her equal. She had her silken midnight black hair up in a ponytail, revealing the delicate curves of her long graceful neck, and her petite ears. Her eyes were a vivid blue, and framed by long eyelashes, her lips were full, but not overly so, and she had a face that was extremely attractive. Depending on her expression, she could look cute, or devastatingly sexy, but more often than not she wore a look of slight mischievousness which made her eyes dance.
Her body was supple and athletic, yet didn’t stint on lovely curves which were quite pleasing to my eyes as well, and had been a distraction in sparring that had landed me on my back more than once in the past. Her usual workout outfit of a leotard and yoga pants hardly helped. In that moment though, she wore a clingy light blue sweater, and a pair of jeans.
“Where do you suppose your dad is, I’m not usually here this late at night.”
Normally by nine, I’d either be patrolling, or back at my dorm. Not walking around headquarters. Both Serena and I had been taken off duty though, after taking down the rogue shifter last night. We weren’t supposed to be alone, and so far we hadn’t been tonight, except for right now, but I didn’t think walking through the hallways of blood headquarters counted.
Regardless, after hearing the truth, Serena wasn’t fussed at all about her father’s orders anymore. Neither had she been shy with her affection, it was clear in her eyes, the way she looked at me, and in the occasional touch and rare kiss.
She pulled out her phone, and typed quickly, “He was probably in his suite, I asked him to come to the office, Timothy too. I texted Matt and Christina to come in while I was waiting in the hall earlier, I figured we should tell everyone at once.”
“What would I do without you?”
She snickered and said, “Most likely flounder around, hopelessly inept.”
I laughed, and she took my hand and body bumped me as we left the stairs into sub-level two, where Carl’s office was. She didn’t release it until we got to his office. Better to tell the story first, and then explain that Serena and I would be remaining partners. I hoped it didn’t turn ugly, because I honestly didn’t think we’d win that fight if Carl decided to be a stubborn ass…
Chapter Two
Carl looked a bit wary, as the six of us sat in his office.
“What is this about?”
Serena said, “The truth dad, about the past, our race, and the prophecy.”
Carl’s face drained of blood, “None of you are cleared to know about that, I want everyone out of the room except Tom.”
I frowned, I hadn’t anticipated this problem, but I should have. I expected resistance to the truth, perhaps that denial which the prophecy spoke of, but I hadn’t considered he wouldn’t allow me to share the truth with everyone in the room.
Serena said, “It’s a little late for that dad, Tom already debriefed me and Jo, and Christina, Matt, and Timothy deserve to know the truth, and I imagine the rest of the local coven is already being filled in by now.”
Hmm, could truth denied merely mean that others would try and suppress it, instead of active disbelief as I’d thought? That could be a valid interpretation of those words. Instead of suppressing it, they’ll just mark it as sensitive top-secret information and order everyone not to talk about it.
Maybe, it could still be either, or maybe it was both. Only time would tell.
Carl frowned, “Jo?”
I nodded, “Serena and I weren’t allowed to be alone, plus I figured the witches deserved to know the truth anyway. After all, it was partly their plan to end the war, right?”
Carl shook his head, “That doesn’t matter, they aren’t cleared for the prophecy.”
“Why?”
He scowled. I knew why, because they’d be shocked and appalled on how the Witches and Blood decided to give the prophecy a push, and learn the horrible truth of how me and my four predecessors were created. That was one part of the story I hadn’t told Serena, not because I thought she’d look at me differently, but because I’d told her enough horrifying truths in one night.
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I held up a hand, “Never mind. Okay, forget the prophecy then, I’ll just tell the story of what I discovered about the past, and how. We don’t really have to talk about the prophecy to do that, do we?”
Serena said, “It’s part of the story.”
I nodded, “I’m kind of hoping when we get there he’ll change his mind, if not we can skip it for now.”
Carl shook his head, “Any new information would have to be reported up the chain, and then properly classified before being dispersed back down the chain of command to the appropriate levels.”
He turned to Serena, “You will tell no one what you know, until I hear back. If the information isn’t classified, the rest of you will find out soon enough. That’s an order, now clear out.”
I had no idea what to do, I thought I’d wind up arguing at step ten, when we revisited pairing up Serena and I as partners, and how to move forward with the necromancer race. But no, we couldn’t even get to the damned story itself.
The door opened and Leda said, “You always were a strict jackass about need to know and secrets.”
She was supposed to come in at the end, not the beginning, but obviously she had a plan. Or, I hoped she did, because I couldn’t imagine this would go over well without context.
For the second time in this meeting, Carl’s face drained of blood.
Timothy whispered, “Leda?” as Christina whispered in disbelief, “Mom?”
Matt was the fastest to jump to the right conclusion, if not the right context. He glared at me, “What did you do necromancer?” in a cold voice that promised death as he jumped to his feet and pulled his dagger.
Leda snapped, “Sit. Shut up, and listen. Do I look like a vampire to you? Has the fact that Tom isn’t tainted, still, not penetrated your small pea brains?”
I laughed.
Leda looked at me sharply.
“Sorry,” I sent to her head, “But Serena is just like you, or I imagine she’ll grow into it the rest of the way soon. I love that about her, and wondered where she’d gotten it from.”
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