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Chapter 64
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2024-10-29 19:42:56EZRA
The suffocating heat woke me. After being in the Halfworld for almost a week, I still hadn't adjusted to the hot, humid air or the way it made my clothes stick to my skin.
Sounds of the camp coming to life urged me to open my eyes and glance around. The twins were just getting up, stretching. They were probably going to train with the warriors as they had all the previous mornings.
Avery's hand brushed my back, and I rolled over, taking in her glorious tangle of bed head. She smiled at me, her eyes still heavy with sleep.
I glanced up past her and saw that John wasn't on his bedroll. In fact, I couldn't see him at all. Sitting up, I fought with the sudden dryness in my mouth. Hunter was gone as well.
Suon chuckled from where he sat, feeding the fire to bring it back to life. "There," he called to me, nodding to a thin patch of trees with a smile.
Through them, against
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Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 65
EZRAKaylee stared at John with star-struck awe. Her father wrapped an arm around her shoulders and looked up at me with what I thought was hope in his eyes. "Has the war ended then?""No," I said, shaking my head. "It's just become more complicated. I don't even know where to begin.""But you really are a witch?" Kaylee asked, peering around her father to look at John. "Can you show me?"John glanced down at his hand that was intertwined with Hunter's. "I wish I could, but it's complicated. I can't reach my power anymore. "Benji's gaze swung back and forth between John and I. "How is that possible?"The fire crackled between us as I tried to find my words. "The witches have developed a new weapon. John took a shot that was meant for me during a fight. It's part of the reason we're still here in the Half World."No reason to mention that it was my brother who'd tried to poison me, or that he was why we had
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 66
JOHN"Close your eyes and reach inward," I said, watching Kaylee followed my directions. She was so eager, so excited that at first, she couldn't sit still. The energy seemed to radiate off her as we settled near the tree line away from the others.I started with some basic centering exercises, simple meditations to calm her, and she took to them like a fish to water. Now, with her focused, we could tap into what we needed in order to find her alignment.Witch children tended to take after their parents, but that wasn't always the case. I was a great example of that. With Kaylee's mother being a spirit witch, there was a strong chance she would follow her's mother's alignment if she hadn't taken after her father's Necromancer power. And that didn't seem to be the case.Birds called above us as they flew through the jungle canopy.Taking another deep breath, I focused again on Kaylee. "Fall deeper into your center."
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 67
JOHNHunter and I followed Ezra through the trees, and even though Ezra was walking fast, he wasn't in the same hurry everyone was in when Kaylee ran off into the jungle. Impatiently, I wiped the sweat from my eyes. The heat had built to an almost unbearable temperature, the humidity climbing even higher. Almost as if I was breathing water.Ezra slowed, glancing back to motion at us with a finger to his lips. "No sudden movements either, I don't want to startle them."I frowned, not knowing what to expect as we pushed past the last of the bushes. On the other side, a large demon was stretched out on the jungle floor. I recognized it immediately. It was kind of hard not to, since it had tried to kill me yesterday.The demon was like a giant black panther with two saber tooth like teeth protruding from its mouth. It stretched out on the ground, tail twitching back and forth with Kaylee curled up next to it, as if it were nothing
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 68
John"Thanks, John," Benji said.I turned back to Kaylee and frowned. She'd nearly exhausted all of her power, the glimmer of magic within her growing lighter. She probably didn't realize how close she was to passing out. I needed to warn her, but that also meant I'd need to get closer to the demon.The wounds on my shoulders ached at the thought. Even still, I moved forward slowly, slower than even Hunter had moved. I kept my eyes on the cat-like demon and stepped up between Kaylee and Hunter. I rested a hand on Kaylee's forearm, drawing her attention to me."You've got to stop now. Let go of what's in your mind and break the connection between you and the demon."She shook her head. "She's in too much pain. I can't. She'll go into a rage if I don't keep it up. "The demon's head shifted towards us and I froze, not wanting to encourage any more movement from
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 69
EZRA"Are you sure?" I asked Anissa as I fed another handful of sticks to the fire. She and her sister were sitting on the opposite side, their expressions serious. The rest of our group were gathering our things and taking down most of the camp in the late morning light. Everything except for what Benji and his daughter, and the twins now, too, would need for another day or two.Anissa nodded. "Yes, Tessa and I have decided we would like to stay with Benji and Kaylee if he will let us. He can help us just as well as you can.""Perhaps, even better," Tessa said, as she reached up to tie her braids back, "since he trained with the family before they were all killed."Benji let out a sour laugh. "Barely, I was hardly more than a kid."He sat to my right and Kaylee still slept curled next to him. From what John had described about her powers yesterday, and how she'd he
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JOHNOn the other side of the door Amna had led me through was a large cavern-like room, its ceiling vaulted up to a small circle of what could only be clouded glass. The skylight allowed just enough light into the room to see that the walls were painted and decorated just as the corridor had been on the climb up here. Full of jungle landscapes and great battles with demons were just as common as scenes showing them living alongside the monks peacefully.Only one piece of furniture stood in the room. A single, long stone table that reminded me of the Avery's Family Altar. He'd helped her and the other men in the Manser line move the giant relic last summer after Nathan had shown his true colors. And the table before him could have been the exact same one."Come," Amna insisted, walking over the mosaic floor comprised of small stones and crystals set in concentric circles that wound tighter and tighter to di
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 71
EZRAI closed my eyes as John let loose another scream of pain that ripped through the room and my soul with raw agony."How long will this take?" I asked, looking over that Amna. She'd come out of the room shortly after the chanting started, trading places with the older monk who'd questioned us."As long as it does," Amneh said gravely. "You are welcome to wait here, near your friend. I can show you where you may bathe if any of you would like to wash the long journey from your skin while you wait."Avery gave my hand a quick squeeze. "I like the idea of a bath.""I'm not leaving," Hunter said quickly, with his hands wrapped tightly across his chest. He'd started to pace outside the archway, getting as close as he could to John, without actually being in the room with him."I'll send food and drink up here while you wait," Amna said before lea
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 72
EZRA"Hello, Ezra."I stared across the room, convinced that all the stress and fatigue of traveling through the jungle and across realms had finally gone to my head. Poe was dead. Nathan killed him in a fight months ago. There was no way he could be standing here in front of me now.Lightning struck again, the flash sending a shadow of Poe's form across the murals along the wall. He was haggard-looking, with his dark, tousled hair and an unkempt beard. With the exception of his clothing, he was just the same as when he first appeared to me in the Stanwood Vault nearly a year ago."You can't be real." I felt rooted to the spot as Poe took a step forward. "I thought-" I choked on the words as they caught in my throat. "I thought I'd lost you."Poe reached out, his thin fingers pressed against the center of my chest. There was substance behind his touch. "You can't lose me, not really. I'm always right here, inside you."
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EZRA I stepped out onto the deserted street, looking both ways. Plowed snow had been pushed aside into small mountains on the edge of the sidewalks. Steam rose from manhole covers, a car rolled past at the end of the street. I'd never been to New York City before, and even with all my traveling between the worlds, I'd never seen a city like this. Vasco shifted his weight on my shoulder, and let out a soft caw. "It's alright," I said, reaching up to steady him. The crow-like demon had nearly doubled his size since I'd first found him weeks ago. Now, he was nearly the same as a full-grown raven. I hoped he didn't get too much larger, or carrying him around on my shoulder was going to be a problem in a number of different ways. "Settle." Taking a deep breath of the cold air, I focused on the last of my missing family, turned, and started walking. I'd wanted to do this weeks ago. I needed to have it done months ago. But things kept getting in the way. I turned a corner, pulling my jac
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HENRYEverything was harder back then. I was young and naive, and I didn't get along well with the other children my age. I remembered the day when everything changed, even though it was years ago nothing could make me forget. The day had started like any other. There was morning work to do on my family's patch of land but by the time the afternoon sun was burning up her head, I'd slipped into the woods. Often, I tried to find a hollow or a stream to explore on my own, just to avoid the others, but the peace never lasted long.I was not favored among the small group of my peers. I was the smallest of the boys, and therefore I was usually the one most picked on. Francis had a flair for creating games that often ended in me being humiliated for the other's enjoyment. And everyone had always had a good laugh. Except for Mary. She was nicer and would try to defend me when she could.But that day was different. Most of the others had trave
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 93
JOHNBreaking the surface of the water, I gasped for breath before pushing back my hair. The stone room was brighter than before. Brackets were added to the cave walls while we were gone, allowing more torches for light. And that wasn't the only change. The monks of the Temple had added more storage chests, another bench, and a rug. There was even a table and chairs. And yet, despite the attention to detail, it still felt off. Wrong.I felt wrong.Sinking into the water's embrace again, I concentrated on the way it drew the feeling of death from my body, the way it tried to leech the chill that had set into my bones. The night had been long, our escape from the camp nearly flawless, or so I overheard Benji tell Ezra.I was like I was disconnected from reality. I could remember parts of the last six hours. Hunter pulling me away from the greenhouse. Anissa fighting hand to hand with a witch I didn't recognize. Going through Benj
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EzraLiam could have dropped an 'F' bomb and caused less shock than that sentence. I glanced at my Dad. His expression was stern.This wasn't right, Liam going against Dad. What the hell had happened to him while we were gone? What nonsense had Nathan convinced him of now? Thinking of the war camp on the other side, waiting for Nathan to bring them over, the Gods only knew what that mad man wanted to do next."Oh, don't look so worried, Ezra. I've plans for you, too," Liam said, bringing my attention back to him.Kastem growled and was echoed by another roll of thunder. The wind was howling through the trees now, and it was only a matter of time before the rain fell with force."I'm not worried about that," I lied to him. "I'm just trying to figure out what I'm supposed to tell Mom."Surprise flickered over Liam's features. He lifted the knife and pointed it at me. "You won't be telling her anything."Before I could figure out what to
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 91
JOHNMy power spread from one plant to the next as it wove its way through the connected root system. Then, like a wave of death, the plants shriveled and fell, decayed and useless, to the earth in a spreading circle around me."No!"My father's scream echoed through the plastic enclosure."John!" Hunter's voice was a relief to hear. In my rush to grab the plants, I hadn't cared about the roar or what had pulled my Dad off me. Now, I could clearly see as I sat up, Mai, Hunter's panther-like demon growling over my father."Are you hurt?" Hunter knelt down in the dirt next to me, reaching to help me up.Shaking my head, I took stock of myself. Besides the dirt on my hands and clothes, and the relative trauma of physically fighting my dad, I was fine. I still had the power Poe had given me. Still could feel the essence of the plants I'd killed.In the skin of my hands, the dark designs appeared, the swirling patterns tracing their way up
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 90
EZRAThe portal opened exactly where I'd pictured John earlier. Unfortunately, it'd taken longer than I'd wanted to get everyone together. Hunter and Benji stepped through first, then Dad, Anissa, and Tessa. Once the six of us were through, I closed the portal down and looked around, trying to get a bearing of where we were and which way John had gone."It's too dark. I don't see anything," Benji commented.Hunter didn't waste time, summoning his demon there on the spot. Anissa and Tessa did the same. I focused first on which way John had gone, knowing he still had to be here, and sure enough, as soon as I'd opened up to my power, he was there on the web, easy enough to find now that I knew what to look for."He's east of here, not too far-"I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I was tempted to leave it, but the thought of Avery home with our moms and as well as Thea and Kaylee had me pulling it out of my pocket. If there
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 89
JOHNThe forest was dark as ink as I came through the portal. I'd opened it right on the edge of the camp I'd spent many summers at when I was younger. Camp Meadow Creek was a compound of over one hundred acres in the Cumberland mountains outside of Louisville.In front of me were the main entrance, the Community Hall, and the fifteen smaller cabins the earth witch trainees stayed in when they were here.The main area was lit up with outdoor lighting attached to the buildings, showing off the yard. Memories made me pause. The hot summers eating popsicles on the lake dock. That time I fell off the top bunk and sprained my wrist. The first time I made a tree grow from a pine cone to a full towering pine in a matter of minutes. The nostalgia rocked me hard, but it was all bittersweet now. The friendships, the lessons I'd learned. They all seemed tainted by what I knew now.A whisper of feeling brushed by, and I turned, expecting E
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 88
EZRAThe house was quieter when we returned. Benji and the others had yet to come back, but I found Kaylee and Thea curled up together on the couch in a nest of blankets with the baby demon between them. Kaylee had offered to look after it while we investigated Lyssa's house and I'd let her.It chirped softly at me, flapping its wings in a way that could only be described as a 'pick me up' motion. I obliged, before the demon decided it was upset and screeched."Shh," I whispered to it, cradling it in my arms. There was no need to wake the entire house."William, is that you?" Mom's voice called softly from the kitchen. Avery and I followed Dad as he went to find Mom. Her eyes watered as soon as she set eyes on us, as if she already knew what we'd found."How bad is it?" Mom whispered."We think Nathan took her-""No, we're p
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 87
JOHNThere was none of the dizzy vertigo like when I travelled through Ezra or Benji's portal. It was more like a long step through a doorway that led me right back where I was only weeks ago. The freshly cut grass left a thick scent in the air that brought back many memories of family barbecues and parties.I turned back to the portal. Cameron and the other Witches still appeared awestruck, but Hunter looked as though he wanted to jump through after me, the pain clear on his unhappy face."I'm sorry," I said, and shut down the portal.My chest throbbed. Part of me had wanted Hunter to come, because I didn't want to face this alone. What if we were caught? On my own, I would at least have a chance to escape again, but after what'd happened after they'd caught Ezra, they probably would kill Hunter on the spot.Facing the house, I distracted myself by focusing on the details. New cushions covered the patio furniture and ne
