Necromancer Chronicles Pt. 04

I nodded still unsure, but I trusted my mother. I pulled a little energy and forced a bond on the warlock's soul. I felt dirty.

She said in a softer tone, "Sorry Hope. We didn't want you to ever have to do that, but we should have told you. When your life is on the line, there are no rules. Our beliefs and how we treat others is important, but it has no place in war. Someone tries to kill you, they don't deserve that courtesy. Still, you should let him go once we get what we need. Even an enemy shouldn't be denied his after life, but a delay is called for."

Anise continued, "Feed him some energy so I can question him. Steel yourself against the answers, they will not be kind or pretty. You too Vinnie, I'm... sorry. Your childhood is over."

I did as she asked me too, and we got our answers. Or at least, some. There were a small percentage of supernaturals that thought us monsters, aberrations, and abominations. We were beings that should never have been allowed to exist. What was I supposed to think about that?

My mother questioned him relentlessly. We also found out the reason they hadn't attacked before this was another faction was trying to keep us alive, at least for now. Their group had been continually blocked and hampered for years. He didn't know why, but was sure they intended to use us for something sometime in the future.

Maybe I was paranoid, I had no proof, but for some reason that made me think of Talia. He didn't really know much else outside of the fact he was responsible for ordering Alex and Mia to take us out. One of their own had a powerful gift that erased his memories of his comrades before any combat mission. They would have been restored when he returned to the appointed place which was a sporting event. It would be extremely hard to catch them that way.

But what the hell could the second group want from us?

When my mother was satisfied, I released his soul.

Vinnie asked looking confused, "There is one thing I don't understand sis, how did you know Tanya and I were about to be attacked?"

The fact Kristi had magic rushed back to the front of my mind.

I shook my head, "I don't understand how or why, but it was Kristi. She has a magic I've never felt before, and she saw the future."

I knew exactly how he felt as his mouth dropped open...

Chapter 4 - Vinnie

I was a bit in shock I think, but one thing I was sure of, Hope just saved my life. It's almost a surreal feeling that there are people out there that want to kill me. I just didn't know what to do with it, or how to process it. There was no way I'd have felt them coming, I was too... distracted. Oh crap, Tanya... I turned around to make sure she was okay. She looked a little freaked out.

I pulled her into a hug and she broke down at my touch. I turned again so she wouldn't see the bodies on the ground, but they weren't there for long. My sister's familiar power reached out and I watched in morbid fascination as the two bodies quickly decomposed into dust.

Something about a human having magic was tickling my mind, but I was trying my best not to think of Kristi at all right now. I knew I should give her some slack. She had more than enough reason to lash out at me this morning. But still, I wasn't ready to get over it. Something else seemed off too. Mom.

"Mom, what do you know about this? Why didn't you tell us?"

Her face twisted into a grimace and I knew I was on target.

She sighed and explained the strange augury she had received and what they had done.

Anise continued, "But I didn't tell you because there was nothing to tell. There were only questions. What possible difference could it make who was born first, what destiny do you two have where that would matter? Your father and I decided with no specific threat, telling you wouldn't really make a difference. Instead we focused on your magical training and schooling."

Hope looked grim when she said, "We can't face that though, no training would be enough for us to take a demon. I could have taken the warlock easy enough, but..."

Anise replied, "Angels, demons and fae are the most powerful of the races, you will be their equals one day. But yes, we need to figure out a way to offset your disadvantage. You don't have two centuries to train your magic correctly. Even just focusing on the sword and shield it would take you a decade or two."

I frowned. If there was a way to do so, it wasn't obvious, and I wasn't very excited about the idea of running all the time and hiding behind mom's skirt. I needed to rest and meditate, let it all sink in. I kind of wished right now that I could sleep.

"Tanya, I have a feeling my house is in an uproar right now. What did you want to do?"

She shivered against me. "I think I need to stay here. I want to go through the library. Maybe there is some clue how to fight them in there."

My mom said, "There is a way for witches to banish a demon so a warlock can't summon them again for a hundred years. But you'd have to trick it into a containment circle first."

After a short silence I said, "I'll meet you back at the house."

The coven house was relatively close to the grove, on the same land, but a couple of hundred yards seemed far right now. I understood why Tanya wanted to stay, she felt like I did. Helpless. She wanted to find a way to fight so it would never happen again. Still, it hurt a little, the two women I had started to let into my heart both didn't want me around.

Why was I worried about watching someone grow old and die when I couldn't even hold on to them for a day?

It was stupid and childish, so I tried to push the emotion down as I walked her to the door. I gave her a quick kiss and told her to call if she wanted to go to the beach with us tomorrow. I waited until she went in and closed the door before teleporting home.

I felt like even more of an idiot when Kristi practically tackled me and started sobbing.

She whispered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said. I'm just scared, what's happening to me?"

The protective feeling that welled up in me washed all the negative emotions away. Not for the first time today I wished I had a more disciplined mind. It wasn't only important for the magic; I would also need a level head in battle to keep that focus.

I answered, "I'm not sure, but we will figure it out."

She sniffed, "You think so?"

I nodded and kissed her hair, "Yes. I already have an idea about your magic, though it seems unlikely, it also seems to fit."

She craned her neck and looked up in my eyes, "What?"

I shook my head, "Not entirely sure yet, let me think about it for a while first okay?"

My father was looking over with a concerned look on his face, at the same time I could tell he was trying to look not worried at all. My mom still had battle face on, I was kind of glad of that. It was easier to face that then the worry I knew she must have been suppressing.

Looking for some normalcy I said, "I want pie, is there any left?"

Kristi chuckled into my chest and I could feel her calming down a bit. That wasn't the only thing I could feel. I reached out with my magic and brushed it against hers. It felt cool, green, and new. She looked up at me in amazement and I wondered what she felt when I did that.

Strangely it reminded me of a sapling planted in rich earth, reaching for the sun's rays in joy, like it had been boxed, held back, not allowed to grow. That feeling confirmed my suspicions. Still, it seemed so... unlikely. The more I considered it though, the more it all made sense.

She stayed with me when I walked over to the table and got a slice of pie.

I decided to tell the story of the beginning, or at least, the beginning of our recorded history. She would need to hear it as it applied.

I said with a lilt of humor, "So as my mom tells it, and trust me, she knows everything, many thousands of years ago there were wars between realms. Most realms hosted humanoids, many of them were compatible, if you know what I mean."

Kristi half smiled at my joke, her attention was on me. The rest of my family half listened, of course, they already knew this part.

"We look human, and thanks to thousands of years, we are part human. But really, necromancers, witches, sorcerers, angels, demons, and fae are not human. At least, we aren't indigent humans to this world, this realm. So let me get back to the wars. It was fierce and the populations in some realms were completely wiped out, in extreme cases the realms were left barely habitable, unable to sustain life."

I paused to eat a bite of pie and caught mom's look. She looked very proud of me. I guessed at that point I wasn't the only one to figure out where Kristi's magic came from.

"After many years, three of the most powerful races joined together to put a stop to the madness. It was the first and only time those races worked together, especially the angels and demons. The fae are the ones that found your world, probably fifteen or so thousand years ago. Not even my mom was around then."

I shot an impudent grin her way and ate another piece of pie.

"They spread the word that there was a primitive human world that had no magic. They told us, those of us with dying worlds and small limited populations, we could move here safely. They said we could practice our magic in safety, because they put an enchantment over the whole world that wouldn't allow the inhabitants to see or even believe in magic.

"Up until now, until Hope and I existed, no human has ever broken out of that enchantment. Though they could see shadows of it, which may have been worse. In paranoia and fear of what they couldn't fully grasp or see, things like the witch hunts happened."

I took a minute to reorganize my thoughts, I was going a bit afield.

"My point in telling you this, and this is where the speculation starts, is I think the fae lied, or at least weren't entirely truthful. We would have to free more humans from the enchantment to be sure, but I'm almost positive the humans indigent to this world do have magic, that the enchantment did more than just hide our magic from you, it suppressed yours. It sounds crazy I know, but really, it's the only thing that fits."

She tilted her head in thought, it was adorable.

Kristi said in a confused tone, "But why would they do that?"

I said unequivocally, "Fear. I believe human magic is probably equal to the other three powerful races, possibly even more so. Perhaps they were worried the wars would be restarted by your world when you grew and advanced enough. But your race was young and few at the time, unable to fight back. I think they invited us all here as a buffer of sorts, I'm not sure really about that part, but I'm sure they had a reason. They do have the best seers, perhaps they saw something."

She shook her head, "But there are a lot of us now, if we are so powerful why haven't we broken out? It's just too strange, and hard to believe."

I shrugged, "It's easier to fight off someone, then it is to escape after you are overcome and tied up. Same principal. Besides, I am pretty sure some of you are partially breaking out already. That would explain things like mediums, telekinetic abilities, empathy, seers, clairvoyance, psychometry, astral projection, post and pre cognition, etc... You get the idea.

"All those supernatural things that most of you don't really believe exist, even if there is proof it's real, that some humans have extra abilities. I think those people are the strongest of the humans in magic. They are so powerful that just a small shade of their abilities is breaking loose. Imagine what they could do if their magic was released. The spoon bender would suddenly be a lot less of a joke when he started tossing boulders..."

Kristi asked, "So what do we do about it?"

I shook my head, "No idea. Part of me thinks we should free all the humans, that what the fae did was evil. Cutting you off from your magic, I couldn't even imagine what that would feel like. On the other hand your society is non-magical in balance. Can you imagine the damage if all the sudden there were six billion plus breathing weapons walking around? Most people would probably be fine, but all those repressive government regimes would topple in a day, most other governments would follow in months.

"Religions would break down. Even a simple argument between neighbors would cause deaths without the magic discipline we were taught as children, people would kill each other on accident. It would be a blood bath."

She looked startled.

I squeezed her hand, "What we will do is be careful, and not do anything rash. Oh, and try to coax out your power, I doubt pre-cognition is the only thing your magic can do. We'll help you figure it out though."

Hope asked Kristi, "So, are you sorry yet I invited you over for the holiday weekend?"

Kristi's laugh was brittle, "I'll let you know on Monday."

My mind works quickly sometimes, making connections most people wouldn't see. I just wish the same thing would happen with the demon problem. There had to be a way to make up for our inexperience, or was there? Perhaps that was just wishful thinking. As long as I was doing some of that I hoped that maybe we just killed the only warlock in the group that wanted us dead.

We were already good enough to handle witches, sorcerers, and necromancers with our blunt application of magic. Or at least, it was closer to a fair fight. But I knew that was too much to ask for.

I was also trying to figure out what the second group wanted, but I didn't have enough clues to work with. It was still early afternoon, and I had a lot of nervous energy to burn off. It was finally sinking in just how close I was to being killed today.

Mom said as if reading my mind, "I think I should train you two a bit today, it will help focus you on thinking of solutions, instead of the hopeless looks I'm seeing."

I shared a look with Hope, neither of us was enthused by the idea, but we weren't going to get any better ignoring it either.

Mom continued, "Also, Kristi, would you mind working with their father? If you want to get a handle on it, you need to start now."

Kristi shifted a bit, and then reluctantly nodded. She looked nervous with a touch of excitement. I was hoping that was a good sign.

One thing about my parents, they didn't dawdle. Dark shadows rose up surrounding Kristi and my dad, and they disappeared. I got up and started for the backyard, wondering how much this was going to hurt. I was also a little skeptical. Okay, a lot skeptical.

I knew all the basics, the underlying theories on how to form and create advanced magic. All that was really left was working on my mental discipline, and training my magic, until I could actually do those things.

The last few years my training had been for the most part along those lines, mom trying to teach us the various mental disciplines. This would be a colossal waste of time. I could think of better ways to burn off my nervous energy.

When we got out back my mother closed her eyes and a small boulder appeared on our lawn, transported from who knows where. She cast a glyph at it effortlessly and it was surrounded by a solid white nimbus. I raised my eyes at her and she frowned at me. I felt a bit guilty, I was acting like a teenager, not a senior in college.

I asked neutrally trying to push down the attitude, "Why a boulder?"

She studied me for a bit then nodded, "Simple, I have more faith you'll find a way than you do. Also, attacking a boulder, trying to get through that powerful shield, is more likely to happen on the boulder. I'd like to think you would hold back, and maybe your magic would as well, if you were attacking me. Plus, I'll be having fun ambushing you from the sides, to make sure you keep your guard up well enough."

I saw her hand start to glow white and I concentrated enough to get a shield up before she hit me with a pulse of power. It was a low level of power, designed to hurt just enough to make me regret it if I dropped my shield. Hope brought her shield up as well and we started to attack the rock, and maintain our shields at the same time. I was getting frustrated.

Hope and I worked together flawlessly. We had trained together since we were little. We absorbed, dodged, or stepped into limbo to avoid mom's attacks. We also attacked the boulder in tandem, working together. Hit it at the same time from both sides. We also used harassing tactics, leapfrogging attacks from random directions to keep the enemy off balance.

Hope even had her some of her ghosts attacking it.

Still, well trained or not, how could we possibly break through without being able to manifest our magic to a strong physical level that would cut through the strong shields my mother, demons, and other older beings were capable of. It was a waste of time.

I was getting angry and I felt my shield shudder when I was hit with a white bolt. It stung and I was about to quit. We weren't getting anywhere. I popped into limbo to reestablish my shield when I saw my sister do something different. She threw a small ball of energy, instead of a long spike. I watched the boulder explode, my mom's shield absorbing the explosion. It looked like the ball passed right through, like the shield wasn't there.

My sister started laughing and I stepped out of limbo without thinking about it. What the hell did she do?

My mom was equally amazed, which made me suspect she hadn't been as hopeful as she appeared earlier, either that or she had been giving up like I was.

"How did you do that?" I asked.

I almost blushed at the awe in my voice.

She grinned, "What's the one thing our magic is trained to do, the thing we don't have to concentrate on to make happen?"

I blinked, "Step between realms, but what..." my voice trailed off.

She shrugged going for nonchalant. My sister could be a trip sometimes.

She said, "When I threw the ball I simply told my power what I wanted. It moved itself to limbo for a split second to get through the shield. That's why the boulder exploded. My magic reappeared inside the boulder."

It was kind of obvious in hindsight, but still had a multitude of problems.

I shook my head, deeply impressed with my sister despite the brother code. I was also disgusted at myself for not thinking of it. I had considered the movement between realms purely as a defensive thing before now.

"It would be extremely difficult to hit a moving target," I stated the obvious

My pessimism forgotten I turned to mom, "Can you set up moving and dodging targets? I doubt the demons will stand in place for us. We need to practice."

My sister smirked, "I can help with that too, our power has no effect on souls."

She used her necromantic power to make a handful of ghosts solid, my mother wordlessly started to shield them, but it wouldn't work, her magic couldn't link to souls either and the glyph simply unraveled.

This time it was Bree, one of my sister's favorite ghosts that had the answer.

Bree picked up a pebble and then asked, "Can you shield this, but make it big enough to cover me?"

My mother could, and did. We spent about two more hours dodging her bolts and trying to hit moving targets with our magic while at the same time, having it cross realms and back at the exact moment it needed to. It wasn't easy, but we made a little progress. I believed as long as we could hold out long enough defensively, we would eventually get them if we were attacked again.

We would definitely need more training, but this was a huge leap forward for us. We now had some breathing room to learn our powers the right way, and we would get there, eventually...

Kristi seemed excited when her and my father came back. We sat down and ate a light dinner, we were all still feeling the big thanksgiving lunch. After dinner Kristi pulled me and Hope into her room, apparently she wanted to show off.