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Chapter 58
JOHN
I opened my eyes and found the ceiling above me familiar, but I had trouble placing it. My body ached, all the way down to my bones, and to the point that I was afraid to move. I rolled my head to the side, casting a lazy glance around the room I was in, and quickly realized that I wasn't at Ezra's.
Tamner was grinding something in a stone bowl on the other side of the fire, his form wavering the heat. Noise from next to me caused me to turn, and I found Hunter sitting, his back leaning against the rough packed dirt wall. A pose I'd seen Ezra in so many times when we were last here with Poe.
Hunter's eyes were closed, dark circles under them standing out in the light from the fire.
"He worries for your health," Tamner said softly, coming closer to me with the stone bowl. "First he sleep since you came. Day before last."
I turned back to Tamner. "That long?"
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Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 59
EZRAI stared at the fire in front of me, feeding small sticks to it, poking at the logs with the longer one. It hadn't taken us long to get settled into a routine with the village. The older grandmothers and ladies of the village had taken Mom under their wings. The language barrier was nothing as they showed her how they cooked, the herbs they gathered from the jungle that surrounded them, and how they kept all the men in line as Mom liked to put it.Anissa and Tessa had fallen in with the warriors like they'd always been a part of the village; training with them, joking and even fending off some friendly advances from the more eligible bachelors.Dad split his time between the Chief's hut and me. We didn't talk much when he and I sat together. In the first few days, I'd told him about my experiences here in the village - first with just Poe during my Test, and then later as Poe and I had escaped from the
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 60
JOHNI sat in Tamner's hut, digging through my backpack. Avery had been kind enough to hold onto it for me, making sure to bring it through the portal with everyone else's. I thought briefly of opening one of the packets of dried fruit but decided against it. I'd save it for later.It had taken two more days of rest before Ezra and the others were ready to leave. I, on the other hand, was still weak and unsteady on my feet. I wouldn't mention it to them, though. I didn't want to hold them back, and I was anxious to get moving despite my weakness."Here," Tamner said, ducking in from outside. The old man held a tall staff, similar to the one that Suon had given Ez the last time we left the village. Of course, he knew I was wobbly on my feet. He may be old and have a hard time with English, but nothing got past him. "Use this to stay up. Keep balance."The length was cut from dark wood, like ebony, with a portion of the top wrapp
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 61
EZRAWe'd been walking for a few hours, following Suon on a thin trail through the dense jungle. I was towards the back of the line, only a pair of warriors walking behind me, with my eyes focused ahead on John. He leaned heavily on the staff he carried, not completely steady on his feet as he had assured me earlier in the day.I turned, speaking briefly to the warriors in their language the little that Suon had taught me in the past few days. The younger of the two nodded, and took off, running ahead to relay my message to Suon.Quickening my pace, I caught up with John. Sweat beaded on his forehead, gathering in his hair enough to make it look wet along his hairline. He glanced at me but didn't say anything. I wasn't sure he could with how hard as he was breathing."Let's slow down a bit," I suggested. "We'll be stopping for a break soon anyway."He gave me a dark look. "I don't need any special treatment.""I d
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 62
JOHNThe demon slammed into to me with the force of a train, taking me to the ground and forcing the air from my lungs. I didn't have time to think, just react as I pushed the staff between us, struggling to keep its gaping mouth and sharp teeth away from my face. Pain flared across my chest as its claws sank into the front of my shoulders. Desperately, I reached for my magic, straining against the invisible wall that separated me from it.Someone was screaming and it took me a moment to realize that it was me.The demon froze, its muscles quivering at the sudden lack of motion, its attention focused above me out in the thick of the jungle. Seconds passed, my heart beating painfully against my sternum as I fought against the demon's weight to breathe.Like a giant pissed off cat, it hissed at whatever it saw before it turned tail and ran, bounding off in a different direction altogether.I stared off after it for one dis
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JohnI shot up, my chest heaving with every gasping breath I swallowed. Wiping at my face, I fought against the lingering images from the nightmare and struggled to clear my mind of teeth and claws.The fire had died down to a low flame, and everyone else slept soundly nearby. Even Hunter, who was rolled onto his side, facing me. His eyes were peacefully closed, all the strain gone from his features.Watching him helped to calm me the most. I imagined what life might be like if we were together, what it would be like to kiss him and to hold him close. Just his being there chased the uneasiness of the dream away, though it left another kind of tension in its place.I stood and, after a small wave to the warrior standing guard, walked off into the trees to relieve myself. Afterward, I didn't feel ready to try to sleep again. I walked instead, staying where I could just see the light of the dying fire through the leaves, working my way slowly a
Necromancer's Legacy Chapter 64
EZRAThe 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
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."
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