Shadows of Deception: Necromancer Chronicles (Erotic Fantasy) Book 2 Read online

  I wasn’t using limbo either, if it was a real fight I’d use everything I had, but right now I was determined to become the toe to toe equal of my mother and demons alike.

  “You ready?” my mom asked in a no nonsense tone, she was in battle mode herself.

  Instead of answering I moved toward her as fast as I could, my feet barely touching the ground as I flew across our backyard and swung my blunt sword at her leg. She parried and we began a series of lightning fast sword strokes. It was so fast, and despite the focus and magically increased speed, it was almost beyond my perception so a lot of it was guess work as to where to move to parry, block, or dodge.

  I lasted a few seconds, which is pretty good considering how fast we were going, when she disarmed me and sent me flying with a hard kick to the stomach. Her foot of course was encased in solid white armor.

  My sword turned to light then dissipated as soon as it left my hand. Another thing I didn’t know about the manifested weapons until it happened, I had to be touching them to channel enough magic to keep it going. It was the reason really for the sword and armor in the first place. I couldn’t make anything that strong and throw it at an opponent.

  It was also the reason the demons did the same thing, just making the blades part of their arms instead of a separate weapon.

  The limitation seems obvious in retrospect, but I hadn’t known it then.

  I casted the glyph with a thought and got up off the ground with my new blunt sword, it was time to try again. We spent about two hours training, considering the speeds it was probably equal to human sword training for a day or two straight. My arm was sore as hell and I was exhausted when I dropped battle focus.

  My mom smiled and ran some healing energy through me, “You’re getting better daughter.”

  I snorted, “Yeah, I only ate three mouthfuls of dirt today.”

  She snickered, “Maybe, but I’ve been ramping up you know. I actually had to work hard to win a few times today instead of concentrating on going slower.”

  I shook my head at the back handed compliment, “Thanks, I think…”

  She laughed lightly, “Seriously, you’re probably good against all but the truly well trained demons and angels right now. You have a lot of work left though, so don’t get overconfident.”

  I giggled, “With you pounding me into dirt? Not likely. I’m way too competitive to quit until I introduce you to the ground a few times.”

  She shook her head, “Yeah, I can see that, you were always stubborn. I couldn’t be more proud of you, I love you Hope.”

  I felt a lump in my throat but said, “Nice try, you’ll still be eating dirt soon old lady.”

  We both laughed and headed into the house. I took a quick shower and got ready. We were doing a mother and daughter night out before I went back to Harvard for morning class. Ours were rather unique since we looked so much like sisters now, appearing the same age. Tonight was going to be a blast…

  Elisha’s first lesson

  Ugh, my babysitter Kathy was such a… I sighed, trying to not even think the bad word. My mother was on another date, I wished she would just let me stay at home alone, I wasn’t a baby anymore. I was almost ten… well, I would be in six months. Still, I wanted to watch something on TV, and Kathy took it over and told me to bug off. She didn’t feel like a bad person really, just completely selfish.

  Things had gotten strange for me when the sweet blonde lady had taken me and my mom from the hospital. I was pretty sure the same was true for my mom, but she never used the pretty green stuff. She was afraid of it really, but I wasn’t sure why. I could do all sorts of neat stuff with it. I never showed off though, something told me the other kids would get angry.

  I didn’t understand why, but I picked up from the adults around me that being different would cause problems. I also noticed adults lied constantly, and I wondered why I always got in so much trouble when I did it.

  I sensed someone here, and reached out. It was just great Grams. I couldn’t see her, but I could feel her, and talk to her in a way.

  “Hi Grams.”

  I could feel her smile. I didn’t hear her voice out loud, but in my head it was quite clear.

  “Hi little one, having a good day?”

  I opened my mouth to complain, but thought better of it. I’d probably get a lecture if I started to complain. I’d rather get a spanking than get a blistering lecture on how good I had it. In her time she had it much worse, or so she claimed. I had my doubts because she talked about walking uphill both to and from school and that just didn’t make sense.

  “It’s okay, I just can’t wait until I’m old enough to not need a babysitter. Why can’t you do it?”

  She chuckled, “I’m afraid not, that wouldn’t work so well.”

  I frowned and said a little too loudly, “Why not?”

  She sighed, “Because I’m a ghost, and human laws don’t count ghosts. You can’t be alone for three more years.”

  Kathy yelled from the next room, “Who are you talking to? Are you on the phone?”

  I yelled back, “No one and no!”

  I felt a little guilty for lying, but telling her the truth would be worse. I closed my eyes and let my magic out, asking it to spread out through the building. I wasn’t reading minds, I tried not to do that so much since it made mom mad. But I could feel their auras, their moods and all that. Playing with the pretty green stuff was better than whining to myself about Kathy and the TV.

  I felt a weird aura walk by the building and I took a closer look. It was a man and in his aura I could see stuff like my green stuff, but it was grayish and felt icky. I could also tell he was a very bad man. I didn’t want to feel it anymore so I pulled back, but before I broke contact I sensed him stop and look up at the building.

  I kept my stuff away from him, but I kept it by the door to the apartment building. I ran over to the corner of my room and sat down against the wall. I was kind of afraid and hoped he would go away. But I felt him again as he entered the building.

  Grams asked, “What’s wrong, you’re shaking.”

  I told her what happened. She disappeared for a moment and came right back.

  Grams said in a scared voice, “I’ll get some help.”

  Why did she sound scared when she said that? “What is it?”

  Grams sighed, “A necromancer, and not a nice one.”

  I asked, frozen now, “What’s a necromancer?”

  She said, “I’ll be back, do whatever you have to do to keep safe, even if you have to hurt him, he won’t hesitate to kill you or your mother.”

  “I’m just nine, why would someone want to kill me?”

  She answered, “For your magic, it’s very unique and if he kills you he can use both you and it. Enough questions, I’m going for help.”

  I gasped, “My green stuff is magic?”

  She didn’t answer, she was gone and I was alone. I started crying and pulled my magic back again, but I knew it wouldn’t be long until he found me. I could feel the cruelty and greed in his aura as I felt him get closer, riding the elevator up. I felt presences surround me, like great grandma, but a lot of them, I screamed!

  I could tell he was on our floor now, and that broke me out of my frozen state. I wasn’t sure to where, but I knew I needed to run. I ran over to my window and pulled it up. There was no fire escape, so my widow locked after an inch or so. I told my green stuff, my magic, what to do and with a loud crack the window opened all the way.

  I climbed up on the windowsill and looked down into the alley below. I froze again as I felt a little dizzy. I had played a game with my magic where I pushed myself up away from the floor, and then around my room by pushing against the walls and my furniture. It was a lot of fun to float around.

  But there was a big difference between a few inches and twelve stories. I heard the door splinter, and knew the man was here, that broke me out of it and I jumped. I had never been more scared in my life, not even in the hospital when I w
as dying. I didn’t jump evenly, so when I slowed myself pushing off the ground, and the walls of the alley, I started to move toward the open street.

  There was nowhere to push against in that direction, and I knew landing in the road would be very bad, so I stopped pushing so hard and fell to the ground fast, pushing down hard at the last moment. I sort of bounced in the air, and then landed hard on my feet. My feet stung a little, but I was safe, sort of. I felt the ghosts surround me again, leading the bad magic man to me.

  I wasn’t supposed to watch mommy on her dates, but this was an emergency. I found her and it was pretty far away, so I started running out of the alley. I stopped short of the street when a pretty golden light appeared followed by the blonde lady from the hospital. I started shaking not sure what I should do, run to mom, or chance the nice blonde lady would help me.

  Her magical aura seemed good, but it was so… strong that it scared me.

  She said softly, “Elisha calm down, I’ll take care of this, stay here with your Grams.”

  She disappeared again with another flash of light. I could feel her up in my apartment with the man. I don’t really know what happened, all I know is his aura went away, and shortly after that all the ghosts except for Grams were gone. She came back and took me up to the apartment. Kathy was sleeping on the couch, and I felt a little guilty for leaving her behind.

  She stayed with me though, and played magic games with me until my mom got home later that night…

  A week later…

  I’ve had lots of fun this week. I met some new friends who have been teaching me about magic and all the other stuff I’m not allowed to talk about with the kids at school. Even my mother is learning to use hers too.

  At first though, there had been an argument. I didn’t really understand it all, but the blonde lady, Hope, said that us having the pretty green magic was her fault. She said that she had never teleported with humans before, and that action while being surrounded and protected by her magic had broken an… enchantment, or something like that.

  She also seemed to be angry at great Grams for not telling her about the magic despite not having orders for it. Then she said something about ghost lawyers, mixed with looks of both frustration and amusement. I didn’t get that one at all. I heard my mom calling me from my room in my mind, which made me wonder if her using magic would be a good thing after all…

  Bree’s Day Off

  It felt so strange as I walked out the door of our apartment... alone. Hope was in one of her fourth year med classes and I could feel she was just fine through our bond. Trina and Daniel were watching her since both Tammy and Tony had moved on when their ten year contract was up two years ago. Still, I felt very uncomfortable about not being there.

  I had been by her side constantly for the last twelve years, the last four of them as a ghost only when I couldn’t follow with my physical form. I had never been more than a room away from her for longer than a minute or two.

  I had made such a mess of my life, and made a lot of stupid mistakes. Then I had tracked down Hope, and she had helped me free the other women that shared my dark circumstances, yet still had life. At first, I had been beyond grateful, and awed at the power and kindness in her spirit that far outshone the not inconsiderable physical beauty she possessed. It hadn’t taken me long to fall in love with her after that.

  It had taken time for her to notice that in me, but the last four years have been more than I could have asked for. She treated me as an equal, never as a servant or something beneath her. Still, she was my life, so I never left her side. Until today that is.

  I smiled wryly; Hope had pushed me into this. She wanted me to have my own wants and needs separate from her, that I was always welcome with her, but she wanted more for me. She wanted me to have a life. I didn’t think I particularly deserved it. After all, I had already lived my life. Did I deserve her love and the endless youth and beauty she had given? I didn’t think I did, maybe that’s why I never left her side, perhaps I was trying to earn it through service.

  She was concerned however that if our relationship was to last, we needed to root it in equality. I finally said yes last night, that I’d take a day off from following her around and try to find joy or purpose in the world around me outside of her. It wouldn’t be easy.

  I stepped outside, the sun was bright, but it was still cool this late in March. I took the car and drove down to the closest mall. I thought I might stop in Victoria Secrets and pick up some lingerie, things Hope would like me in. It wasn’t lost on me that this wasn’t what she had in mind, since I was still focused on pleasing her, but I figured as long as I was away that maybe I could surprise her with a new sexy ensemble or two. But I had promised I would do something just for me.

  The thought that Rafe would almost certainly be enjoying the outfits as well soothed my conscience and I walked into the store. Rafe was good for both Hope and I. He treated us well, and loved us. He gave no demands, had no jealousy, and merely wanted our love in return. Nothing else seemed to matter or make a difference to him.

  Sometimes I felt like he had discovered the secret of life. I had a feeling it was part of being so old, he had literally done everything so many times that he had discovered what was most important. Live your life to the fullest with those you love… and don’t sweat the small stuff. I was sure he wouldn’t mind adding to our bed, or not, but so far it had just been the three of us.

  That was fine with me.

  After the incident with Elisha, Hope had tried shielding all of us human ghosts, trying to get us connected to our magic. I was intrigued and hopeful at the idea, but it didn’t work. We weren’t sure why, but apparently to gain back our magical birthright, it had to be done when alive. Maybe because ghosts were outside life, and the change of the soul to embrace our magic would need to be done when our souls were still being molded into who we would be.

  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed, having magic would be wonderful. But really, I was happy and already had more than I ever dreamed or thought I deserved.

  We didn’t see Vinnie, Alicia, and Kristi much more than once a month being on the East coast. But we were still close, and looked forward to all being in the same area again soon. Both Vinnie and Kristi were getting their doctorates this year, if their thesis passed muster. I wasn’t really a math and science person, but they were both excited about it. Alicia seemed to come into some position of authority in the pack, I didn’t fully understand their hierarchy but I knew it was important, especially to her.

  A lacey white bra and panty set caught my eye. It also came with a sheer negligee. I grabbed it along with a red one and tried them both on. I looked… really hot actually. I grinned, when Hope had made me this body she went overboard. I looked a lot like I did when alive, but the small changes she made and the slight flaws she added to make me look real, and just different enough not to be recognized, worked together perfectly.

  I bought the lingerie, thought guiltily of my promise to find something just for me, and headed out into the mall. I wandered around the stores, but nothing really spoke to me. Why did I need a hobby for myself? Why did I need something I could call only mine? It was frustrating. I understood it really, but I didn’t feel it. Nothing attracted me. I walked by a yarn store and when I found myself looking in and considering it, I snorted and headed for the parking lot.

  This would have to be enough progress for one day, being away from Hope was hard enough.

  I had my keys out as I walked to the car. There was a minivan parked next to me, but I barely gave it a glance. When I went to unlock the door, the minivan door slid open and two guys grabbed my arms and started to drag me inside. I looked around quick to see if anyone was looking before I took these guys apart.

  I may have looked like a beautiful and helpless young woman, but I wasn’t. I was a revenant, strong enough to pick up their minivan and toss it like a ball. Fast enough to snap their necks before they could blink. I may have been beau
tiful, but I was extremely dangerous, and men like these had taken my life, I had no qualms about stopping them.

  No one was watching, and I started to react when another thought popped into my head, staying my hand. How many other women had they done this too, and were any of them still alive? I started to ineffectually squirm and pretend I was trying to escape. I felt something hard hit my head, and I lolled my head as if I’d been knocked out.

  “Finally, I thought that bitch would never be alone.”

  The other guy grunted, “Yeah, just wish we could have bagged the blonde at the same time.”

  “To dangerous, one of them might have gotten away, we’ll get her though.”

  It would be a cold day in hell these two would ever get Hope, but I remained motionless. They had me tied up in the back and I couldn’t really see. They went on, discussing plans on snagging Hope. Apparently they had been stalking us both for weeks.

  The drive was a good thirty minutes, we had long left the suburbs and were now in a rural area when my kidnappers, or so they thought, pulled off the road on a bumpy dirt driveway. It must have been a mile long or so, it took a few minutes before the minivan stopped.

  I heard them get out and come in the back. The hatchback door opened and one of them slapped my cheek lightly.

  “Get up.”

  I got up slowly, as if I was having trouble with my hands tied behind my back and took a look around. There was a small house about three quarters of a mile away, we were parked in front of a red barn. The red was washed out with age and some of the wood looked rotten and split. They led me into the barn and kicked some hay out of the way, revealing a ring to a trap door. They pulled it up and pushed me toward the stairs.