The Necromancer's Secret, page 1
Contents
Title page
Copyright
Also by K.C. Adams
1 - Niamh
2 - Edie
3 - Edie
4 - Niamh
5 - Niamh
6 - Edie
7 - Edie
8 - Niamh
9 - Edie
10 - Edie
11 - Niamh
12 - Edie
13 - Niamh
14 - Edie
15 - Edie
16 - Niamh
17 - Edie
18 - Niamh
19 - Edie
20 - Niamh
21 - Edie
22 - Niamh
23 - Edie
24 - Niamh
25 - Edie
26 - Edie
27 - Niamh
28 - Edie
29 - Niamh
30 - Edie
31 - Niamh
The Ghost Hunter's Haunting
The Witch's Sacrifice
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Keep in Touch
Also by K.C. Adams
The Necromancer’s Secret
Afterlife Calls
K.C.Adams
Copyright © 2022 K.C.Adams
ISBN: 1230005466238
All rights reserved.
This book or any part of it must not be reproduced or used in anyway without written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations used in a book review.
First published in 2022.
Cover design by 100 Covers.
Also by K.C. Adams
Afterlife Calls
The Mother’s Lesson
The Ghost’s Call
The Mummy’s Curse
The Necromancer’s Secret
The Mean Girl’s Murder
Writing as Kristina Adams
What Happens in…
The Real World (free prequel about Liam)
What Happens in New York
What Happens in London
Return to New York
What Happens in Texas (free blog series about Astin)
What Happens in Barcelona
What Happens in Paphos
Spotlight (What Happens in… spin-off about Cameron and Luke)
Behind the Spotlight (runs alongside What Happens in London and Return to New York)
Hollywood Gossip (What Happens in… prequel spin-off about Tate and Jack)
Hollywood Gossip
Hollywood Parents
Hollywood Drama
Hollywood Destiny
Hollywood Heartbreak
Hollywood Romance
Hollywood Nightmare
Nonfiction for Writers
Writing Myths
Productivity for Writers
How to Write Believable Characters
1
Niamh
The front door slammed. The house shook. Ben and I jumped apart. Not that it mattered. Edie stormed upstairs and banged her bedroom door shut. Tiny feet echoed up the stairs behind her, and when they found her door shut, their owner started whining. Poor Tilly. The little dog just wanted to comfort Edie. She didn’t understand Edie wanted to be alone.
Our ghost cat, Spectre, didn’t care so much. He was floating above a kitchen cupboard with his usual expression, which was somewhere between judgment and indifference.
Ever since Ben had kissed me the night before, we’d been acting like teenagers and hadn’t been able to keep our hands off each other.
Well, aside from a brief respite where he’d gone back to his place to sleep. He’d come back early, bringing breakfast. It lay forgotten on the table.
Edie had gone out early, I assumed to see her hospitalised boyfriend, Josh. Her vendetta against doors wasn’t a good omen.
‘I should go check on her,’ I said.
Ben nodded. ‘I’ll let you have some mother-daughter time.’ He kissed my cheek, grabbed his coffee from the side, and left.
I contemplated taking a coffee or some food up for Edie, but I wasn’t sure if I could carry something up the stairs with my injured ribs as painful as they were.
Or if she’d even have an appetite if something bad had happened with Josh.
If? What was I saying? She wouldn’t have slammed the door so hard if something bad hadn’t happened.
Tilly was sitting outside Edie’s room, whining for attention, when I reached the top of the stairs. I scratched behind her ears, then knocked on Edie’s door. There was no answer, but I could hear snivelling. Fiddlesticks. What had that boy done to her? How many limbs did I need to break? I’d take the extra pain in my ribs that would come from hurting him. It was worth it for revenge.
Mentally preparing myself for the mess I was about to walk into, I slowly pushed the door open. Edie lay on top of her red quilt, curled up in the foetal position. I couldn’t see her face, but she was hugging a box of tissues. Crumpled, discarded ones circled her.
Several limbs were going to get broken. I didn’t care if Josh was my best friend’s son. Or that a ghost had already damaged several of my ribs and given me a black eye. Josh was going to pay for breaking my daughter’s heart.
Tilly scurried to the edge of Edie’s bed and jumped at the side of it, too short to jump on to it, but desperate to comfort her. Edie rolled over, ignoring her. She never did that. They were besties.
‘Edie? What happened? What’s wrong?’
I didn’t want to make assumptions. I was still clinging on to the vain hope that she was upset because of something else, but what looks like a broken heart…
She snivelled again, then grabbed another tissue from the box beside her to dab at her eyes. ‘He dumped me.’
Just saying the words aloud turned her sniffling into Niagara Falls. The last time I’d seen her cry so much was when her dad had died. Josh had been through a lot recently, and some of that was related to us, but that didn’t mean he had to take it out on my daughter.
Could I set a ghost on him? Maybe Javi would be up for some light torment?
I picked Tilly up, immediately regretted it because of the shooting pain in my ribs, and put her on Edie’s bed. After a few deep breaths to calm the pain, I lay behind Edie. Edie curled into me, while Tilly hopped over Edie and sat in front of her, licking her favourite person’s tears away.
Even in her distraught state, Edie laughed at the cuteness of our westie. She put her arm around the dog and continued to bawl. Tilly kept licking her tears away.
Helpless to do anything, I stroked Edie’s black hair, waiting for her to open up to me or ask me to do something.
It killed me inside knowing she was heartbroken, but there was nothing I could do. Heartbreak was an inevitable part of growing up, and I had a feeling her breakup with Josh was for more complicated reasons than most.
It felt like an age the three of us lay there. Slowly, Edie’s tears and breathing slowed. She sat up and blew her nose on the tissue she’d been clutching in her hand. ‘Do you know what happened to them? When they were comatose?’
‘Vaguely,’ I said, sitting up as well. Edie helped me manoeuvre myself as I tried not to anger my ribs. ‘Why?’
Edie snivelled. Tilly pawed at her lap. Edie stretched her legs out and the dog sat on them, facing the door as if on guard. ‘They were tortured by demons that looked like us. You and me. He can’t even look at me, Mum. Every time he tries, it’s like he’s afraid of me.’
Demons could do that? We’d encountered one demon, but not one that could look like us. If they could do that, what else could they do? And why were they targeting us and our friends?
I tried to stay calm for the sake of Edie, but inside, I was spiralling. ‘He’s been traumatised. Give him time. I’m sure he’ll come around.’ I hoped.
‘Are you sure? I’ve never seen him look at me like that before. What did those demons do to them?’
I wanted to know, but I was also afraid to ask. I hadn’t spoken to Maggie about her experience yet, and I didn’t think I could speak to Josh without wanting to punch him. But getting answers from them was the first step to finding out who was behind their ordeal. And taking them down.
It meant asking them to relive their ten-day trauma, though. Who knew how long it would’ve felt like to them? If they were on a different plane, it could’ve felt like weeks, months, or even years.
‘They want to cut us out,’ Edie continued.
I wrinkled my brow. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Josh and Maggie. They blame us for what happened. Their solution is to cut us out.’
‘No. They wouldn’t do that. We’ve been through too much. They’re probably just saying that because they’re still upset. Give them some time to cool off.’
‘I hope you’re right,’ said Edie.
So did I.
*
Edie’s words played on my mind for the rest of the morning. I wanted to give Maggie time to rest, so I didn’t try to ring her right away. It was unusual that she hadn’t texted me when it got to late afternoon, though. Usually she’d have said something by then, even if it was just sending a cat meme.
I looked over at Spectre, who was sitting on the coffee table. Maggie had never been able to see him, but she’d always asked about him. That was just the kind of person she was.
Surely she wouldn’t stop speaking to me without giving me a chance to explain things? This was the person who’d reacted to finding out that I could see ghosts by helping me defeat one. Her default was problem-solving m
I waited until after the first set of visiting hours to ring her, figuring her husband and daughter would be visiting when they could now that she and Josh were awake. Distracting myself while I waited hadn’t been easy, but I’d given her space in the hopes Edie would be wrong or that Maggie had just overreacted.
I had no idea if the doctors planned to keep her and Josh in hospital for another night or not, but I assumed they’d want to observe them to make sure their miraculous recovery stuck. It wasn’t like the doctors would get answers from running any more tests. Maggie and Josh had been in supernatural comas. That sort of thing didn’t show up on any sort of medical test.
The doctors would never figure out that Maggie and Josh had been in a curse so dark, breaking it had caused Ben to pass out
We still didn’t know who’d cast it, or if any of us were still in danger. Which meant we probably still were.
My hands shaking, I called her. I had to speak to her. To prove that Edie had been wrong or misheard them somehow. Maggie wouldn’t throw our friendship away just like that, would she?
My phone rang. And rang. Then it cut off, mid-ring.
Had she just hung up on me?
I tried again. This time, it cut off right away.
Oh my god. She had.
A few seconds later, a text came through: Leave me alone.
Edie was right. Even though we’d helped break them out of their comas, it didn’t mean anything to them. They blamed us for what had happened to them. Almost forty years of friendship gone. For something that wasn’t even our fault.
2
Edie
‘Edie?’
I opened one eye. My grandmother hovered in front of me. Ugh. I so didn’t want to deal with people. Or ghosts. And I especially didn’t want to deal with someone who lacked empathy for just about everyone whether they were living or dead.
It was Sunday afternoon. The sun was already starting to set, causing an eerie orange glow across my room. I would’ve appreciated it if I hadn’t felt so crappy.
Would it be rude to roll over and go back to sleep? I could deal with her later. Or not.
Mum had taken Tilly for a walk, so I couldn’t even fob Gran off on her. Although, knowing Gran, she was too smart for that to work anyway.
Unfortunately.
Her spectral form hovered in front of me, her hands on her hips. She was so vivid, she almost looked like she had when she was alive. Short but stood tall, with her hair in a tight white bun and wearing a stern expression.
It was almost an instinctual thing that I knew she was a ghost. That and, you know, I knew she’d actually died.
That didn’t mean I wanted to see her. But something told me she wouldn’t go away, even if I wanted her to.
‘What?’ I said.
‘I think it’s time we open the box.’
‘What box?’
‘Come on.’ She floated to my closed bedroom door and hovered by it, as if she was waiting for me to follow her.
‘Not right now, Gran. I’m not in the mood.’
Gran floated back over, sitting on the edge of my bed. Well, sort of. She couldn’t literally without a physical form. It was more like she hovered above it in a sitting position. ‘I’m sorry that boy dumped you. A human like him will never understand our world.’
‘Granddad was human.’
‘He was a believer before we met. Was Josh?’
‘He was open-minded,’ I said, feeling defensive. Gran didn’t even know Josh. Who was she to say he wasn’t a believer?
‘Was he?’ Her penetrating gaze saw right through me.
‘I thought he was, but his reaction makes it seem like he wasn’t. Maggie had to explain everything for him to believe me,’ I confessed.
Something tugged at my heart just talking about them. I’d barely gone a few hours without talking to them and I already missed them. They’d been such a big part of my life for so long, I didn’t know how to live without them.
Gran pursed her lips. She reached out and touched my leg. I put my hand on top of hers. Her skin was icy, but her touch still made me feel a little better. ‘I know it hurts right now, but there are more people out there for you. If he’s right for you, he’ll realise what he’s missing.’
‘But how can he? He was tortured by a demon that looked like me. How can anyone get over that?’
Gran lowered her head. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t know the answer. Either he can, or he can’t.’ She stood back up. ‘Come on. I know what’ll cheer you up. Or at least take your mind off things.’
This time, I followed her into the corridor. Then she gestured to the loft hatch.
‘I’m not going up there.’
‘Why not?’
‘The step ladder is in the shed,’ I said.
‘So go get it.’
‘There’s no light.’
‘Your mother has an extension cord that will reach.’
Why was she so desperate for me to go up into the creepy loft? I hadn’t been in since we’d moved in, and I wanted to keep it that way.
‘There are spiders!’ I said.
Gran rolled her eyes. ‘You can suffocate people to death without touching them and you’re afraid of a spider?’
‘They look funny!’
‘So does your concentration face. Doesn’t mean people are afraid of you!’
‘Thanks, Gran. You do wonders for my confidence,’ I said.
‘Do you want to know what’s in the loft or not?’
Harrumphing, I stomped down the stairs to get the step ladder from the shed.
We never went in the loft. Correction: I never went in. Regardless of where we lived, Mum went in twice a year: to get the Christmas decorations out, and to put them back in.
Any magical supplies we needed were stored in Mum’s room or the office. I’d always assumed they were all out. Then again, Mum hadn't exactly wanted to use most of them until recently.
Gran followed me through the house, as if she thought I’d chicken out or something. Sheds were just as gross and spider-filled as lofts. And I really couldn’t be bothered. So maybe she had a point.
I hesitated, my hand hovering over the door handle.
‘Oh, for goodness sake!’ Gran floated through the door, emerging a second later. ‘No spiders. You’re safe from the tiny creature you could kill in a second with a shoe. Or your powers.’
Phew. I opened the door. Right inside it, hanging off the door, was a massive spider. I screamed. Gran cackled. Why did she hate me so much?
Shaking, I knocked the spider off the door with a broom that was resting just inside the shed and watched it scurry away. Gran was still laughing.
‘Are you finished?’ I said.
‘Oh, that was funny,’ she said as her cackling slowed.
Sadist.
I returned the broom, then examined the step ladder. Mum must’ve cleaned it recently, so it wasn’t covered in dust or rust or anything else gross. I grabbed it, locked the shed back up, then carried it upstairs. It was bulky and taller than me, and I hit the wall multiple times. Gran’s help consisted of eye rolls whenever I hit the wall, rather than warning me before it happened. Now I knew why Mum had always complained about driving her places.
Reaching the top of the stairs, I opened the ladder and placed it under the hatch. Ignoring Gran trying to tell me what to do and how to do it, I found an extension cable in Mum’s room, borrowed a desk lamp from my room, then hooked them up. The damn thing had better be bright enough for the loft. I was not putting my hand in a cobweb.
Gran watched as I shoved aside the flimsy MDF hatch and pushed the lamp through first. I swear I heard her ‘tsk’ at me, but whatever. It wasn’t like she was even trying to help. If she had enough power to show up unannounced, she had enough power to help.
I poked my head through the hatch. Mum had boarded the floor so that it was solid, but beyond that, there wasn’t much to look at. It was just boxes after boxes stacked on top of each other. Most were labelled, although the ink had faded on a few.
Gran hovered over to a cardboard box at the back. The loft was so small I couldn’t really stand up in it, so I crawled my way over to her. The box was smaller than the others, but it was labelled ‘Mum’s stuff.’
