The Necromancer's Secret, page 14
‘Nika,’ said Javi, nudging her.
She rolled her eyes. ‘Necromancy is dangerous. Having children with other magical beings is about more than just power. It’s also about protection.’
‘From what?’ Javi and I chorused.
‘Every time a necromancer uses their powers to impact someone’s life essence, it takes a little bit of theirs, too.’
‘Life essence? What is that?’ I asked. ‘Like their soul?’ Exhausted and knowing we were only just getting to the meat of the conversation, I sat on the edge of the bed again. My ribs were sore and my head was starting to hurt, too.
‘More like their energy. Magical beings naturally have stronger life essences because they’re more powerful. The fainter a ghost, the less life essence they have. It’s not impossible for them to recharge, but it’s difficult.’
‘That’s when they’re floating orbs with no human-like form?’
She nodded. ‘That’s right. Necromancers can control that life essence, but even if they know how to use it, it’s dangerous to do.’
‘What happens if they use it too much?’
‘It doesn’t end well.’
‘That doesn’t answer my question, Mum.’
‘It drives them mad,’ she said.
Wasn’t that just great? My daughter had a power that could drive her mad.
‘It never affected Javier because his powers were never awakened. Perhaps someone bound his powers before he was adopted, and only death unlocked that binding. Either way, it seems like recent events have opened that door for Edie.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I spoke to her privately recently, and she mentioned that she used her powers to borrow someone’s life essence.’
Borrow felt like one hell of a euphemism, but that wasn’t what bothered me.
‘You spoke to Edie without me?’ I said.
‘She had questions, I had answers.’
‘How much did you tell her?’
‘Only what she asked,’ my mother replied. What did that mean? How often was she talking to Edie without me around? ‘I’d like to keep my private conversations private, if you don’t mind.’
Oh for goodness sake. Was it my mother’s mission to drive me insane, even from the Other Side?
‘And what did you tell her?’
‘That her powers have awoken. I had a feeling when you mentioned she could interact with ghosts, but my conversations with her confirm it. She may have been able to sense life essences before and never noticed it because they come from everyone. But anomalies like your mummy friend and your comatose friends make sensing life essences more obvious because of the uniqueness of their situations. And what she did to that boy in the park is further confirmation.’
I’d almost forgotten Edie had nearly killed someone with her powers in the park. She’d been trying to protect Tilly and me, but that wasn’t the point. What would’ve happened if I hadn’t stopped her?
The whole situation was getting to painful levels of complicated and I didn’t like where it was going. ‘How do I stop Edie’s powers from driving her mad?’
‘Simple. Don’t let her give or take life essence. Don’t let her heal people, including herself. And don’t let her hurt people.’
Was that why Edie had been so arrogant about the guy from the internet? Was that her powers affecting her common sense? Had it healed her back as she’d drained him to get away?
‘That’s it?’
‘Yes. And no. Once her powers are awakened, the lure to use them is…strong. And, while the witch DNA you possess would’ve protected you a little from the aftermath of using your powers, had you had them, Edie has less of that protection because she’s further away from the last witch in our line. Whomever Javier’s birth parents were, they were very strong necromancers, and I doubt that they had very much of anything else in their bloodline.’
‘But she can cast spells,’ I said.
‘Probably from our side. The magic from Javier’s side would boost her spell casting ability because the source of the magic is still the spirits around you.’
‘So not everyone can cast spells?’ I said.
My mother furrowed her brow. ‘No. Why would you think that?’
I scowled at her. ‘You taught me that.’
I glanced over at Javi, who was floating behind her, quieter than usual. It seemed he was as unaware of most of what she was saying as I was, so was taking the time to digest it all. Hopefully he could spot any holes she left in her vague answers and get us some more answers when they returned to the Other Side, since they seemed so pally over there.
‘Did I? Hm. You know, you may blame me for a lot of things, Niamh, but what I did was to protect you. I didn’t want you craving power you couldn’t have.’
‘That didn’t mean you had to make me feel inadequate for not having it!’
‘That was never my intention,’ she said. Like hell it wasn’t. She’d spent her whole life making me feel like a failure because of genes she’d given me, and now she was dropping these bombshells from the Other Side, where I couldn’t murder her? Not fair.
‘We’ve gotten off track,’ said Javi from his spot just outside of the circle. ‘How do we stop Edie from wanting to use her powers? She’s obviously curious.’
My mother nodded. ‘Talk to her. But be careful warning her of the dangers. You don’t want to make her afraid of herself.’
‘What does that even mean?’
‘How would you feel if you had something inside of you that you couldn’t control? That could cause you more harm than good?’
The way she described Edie’s powers made it feel like a mental health condition. Like an addiction that would only get worse the more she used her powers.
‘Can she do other stuff still? Like exorcisms and spell casting?’
‘Yes. They’re unrelated to controlling life essences. They’re more about being a conduit, if you will. She should be fine with that. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a game of Roulette to get back to.’ She disappeared before I could say anything else.
Javi sat beside me, reaching out and hovering his hands near my lap. ‘Are you OK?’
I sighed. ‘I wish I could say yes. But after that? I don’t think I’ll ever be OK again. I’ll never be able to look at Edie without worrying about her using her powers when I can’t protect her, or someone trying to get her to use her powers. What if someone found out what she could do and tested her somehow? And that unlocked the addiction?’
‘It won’t happen,’ said Javi. ‘We won’t let it.’
‘In the nicest possible way, what can you do? You’re a ghost, and one who’s crossed over at that.’
‘Edie can touch me, which means I can touch her. It gives me more power over her,’ he said.
‘Let’s just hope it’s enough.’
21
Edie
How dare Mum speak to me like that? Like I was some stupid child who didn’t think through what I was doing! I was practically an adult. Almost eighteen. And she was trying to tell me what I could and couldn’t do with my powers? That wasn’t her choice! She was just jealous her powers were useless anyway. She’d never be able to do even half of what I could. It wasn’t her fault, but still.
I’d stormed out of the house without any real plan or direction. And, to make things even worse, it was raining. It was that really horrible, fine rain that seemed to get into everywhere from your eyeballs to inside your ears. I was probably going to look like a raccoon by the time I got anywhere.
It wasn’t like I really had anyone I could call. But I couldn’t keep walking forever. The rain was going down the back of my coat and soaking my jumper, and the bitter wind was blowing water into my face.
At least my back felt a bit better, although I didn’t know why. Walking that much, on top of the gokarting, should’ve made it worse again. Not that I was complaining.
I called the only person I knew who was likely to actually answer. And who had a car.
He answered right away. ‘Hey Edie. Didn’t think I’d hear from you again so soon.’
I smiled at the sound of his husky voice. ‘Are you up to anything? I just had an argument with Mum, but—’
‘Say no more. Where are you? I’ll come pick you up,’ he said.
I grinned. It was like he could read my mind. I liked not having to explain everything to him; he just got it.
Dominic pulled up outside a shop we’d agreed to meet at a few minutes later. I slid into his car, my hair and clothes dripping with rainwater. ‘There’s a towel in the glove box,’ he said as he drove away. It was the first time I’d been in his car. He didn’t use it much because it was cheaper to get public transport. I appreciated him picking me up more than he realised.
‘Thanks.’ I went in and grabbed the small towel, patting at my face and neck to try to absorb some of the water.
‘Want to talk about it?’ Dominic asked after a couple of minutes.
‘I did something she didn’t approve of and she gave me an earful because of it. I was just trying to help a friend! It wasn’t my fault the guy got all creepy.’
Dominic’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. ‘Did someone hurt you?’
‘No, no. He tried to, but I got away. Isn’t that what counts?’
His jaw tensed as he kept his gaze in front of him. And I was pretty sure it wasn’t because he was concentrating harder to drive in the rain.
‘Dominic? Isn’t that what counts?’ I repeated.
‘You have to be careful, Edie. You don’t know what kinds of people are out there,’ he said ominously. What was that supposed to mean? Did he think I was in danger, too? ‘I would’ve worried about you, too.’
‘Oh. Well. Thanks, I guess.’ That wasn’t the response I’d expected from him. I couldn’t work out why he would’ve worried about me, but in that moment, I didn’t really care. It was just nice to have someone who wasn’t a relative actually care about me again. Especially when I’d had to walk past Josh and Tessa’s PDAs in between what felt like every class for the last week.
‘Do you want to go anywhere in particular?’ said Dominic.
‘Not really. Just somewhere warm,’ I said.
And that was how we ended up back at his apartment. It was above a shop which was currently up for let. I could hear a ghost or two mumbling inside, but I wasn’t in the mood for people, living or dead, so I ignored the noise and followed him up into his flat.
Dave was asleep by the storage heater on the wall. He looked up when he saw me, the fur on his face fluffed up from how he’d been lying. Apparently I wasn’t interesting to him, so he lowered his head back down and returned to sleep.
‘Don’t mind him. He’s not a very sociable dog,’ said Dominic. Like dog, like owner? Was that why he had a dog? So that he didn’t have to deal with people but still had company? I was pretty sure that was why Mum had a dog a lot of the time.
‘Sorry for the mess,’ he said. ‘Can’t really afford much proper furniture.’
‘It’s fine. It’s nice,’ I said automatically. It wasn’t really that nice, though. The living room consisted of a sofa and a TV. The unit the TV was on was too small for it. Random bits and pieces were scattered along the threadbare carpet. The pattern continued into the tiled floor of the kitchen, with pots and pans all over the table and in the sink instead of in cupboards. Mum probably had nightmares about places like that.
‘Drink?’ he offered.
‘Please.’ I was still holding on to the towel he’d given me, which was now as soaked as my hair. I’d have to wash my hair when I got in, but I didn’t care enough in that moment. Dominic was being nice to me and hadn’t commented on my appearance. Did that mean he really liked me, or he didn’t like me at all? Why were people so complicated?
He opened a cupboard above the fridge. ‘I have tea, hot chocolate, coffee, water, or orange juice.’
‘Hot chocolate, please.’ It felt like the kind of day that required a comfort drink. Bad mood? Check. Bad weather? Check. Bad day? Check. Definitely time for a hot chocolate.
‘One hot chocolate coming up,’ he said.
‘Do you mind if I use your bathroom, clean myself up a bit, please?’ I said.
‘Sure. It’s back through the living room on your left. Door’s open so you can’t miss it.’
‘Thanks.’ I went back through the living room and found the bathroom opposite. It wasn’t the nicest or the cleanest bathroom I’d ever used, but it was better than nothing. Maggie had the nicest bathroom. She kept it to five-star standards at all times. Anything else was unacceptable.
Wow, I missed her.
I splashed some water on my face, then looked up at my reflection in the mirror. Pretty much all my make-up had bled down my cheeks, some of it going as far as my chin. It had faded to a mottled grey that just made me look even more haggard. There was no way Dominic could like me if he’d seen me look like that. Not with how red and splotchy my eyes were, too.
I wiped off most of my make-up, then re-examined my reflection. My face looked plain without it. A reminder that I could look normal, if I wanted to, but I’d never be normal on the inside, no matter how hard I tried.
Did I want normal? Or did I want to want it?
My head was a mess and I did not have the energy to unpack all of that.
I dumped my soaked towel into the laundry basket in the bathroom – careful not to take a peek, since I wasn’t the kind of person to snoop – then went to find Dominic. He was sitting on the sofa, our hot chocolates balancing on a pop-up table. Dave was still lying by the heater. I didn’t blame him. The apartment wasn’t that warm.
‘Left one’s yours,’ said Dominic.
‘Thanks.’ I picked it up and sat down beside him. Just holding it and inhaling the sweet, creamy smell of chocolate made me feel a little better.
‘Have you thought any more about if you’re coming to the party night?’
I shifted my weight so that there was less pressure on my coccyx. It had become a habit ever since Tessa had pushed me over. But, as I shifted, I realised I didn’t need to. My back felt fine! Why was that? ‘I haven’t really had the chance yet.’
‘I think you’d like it. You never know. You might meet more kindred spirits.’
I met his gaze. ‘Is that what we are?’
‘Isn’t it?’
My heart fluttered. He thought we were kindred spirits! And really wanted to introduce me to his friends! He had to like me if he invited me to the party and had brought it up again already. Why else would he keep mentioning it?
22
Niamh
I stayed up late that night, attempting to read a book until Edie got home, but too worried to focus.
She got in around one. I had no idea where she’d been or who she’d been with. A part of me was tempted to go ask her, but I had a feeling it’d just turn into another argument, so I stayed away.
She left early for college the next morning, so I didn’t even get to see her then. I had no doubt that she was avoiding me.
Then again, it wasn’t like I’d left my room since Edie had gotten home. So wasn’t I avoiding her, too?
Arguing with Edie, and dealing with Dan, had drained me of what little energy I’d been running on since bruising my ribs. Maybe Doc was right. Maybe I did need to rest.
But resting was boring.
Every time I started to feel like it made a difference, I’d get up and do something only to feel pain again. Could I ask Doc for stronger painkillers? Probably. But I was also too lazy to call him and didn’t want to bother him when he had more pressing injuries and ailments to deal with. My body would heal eventually.
Ben came over at lunchtime, bringing blessed groceries. I really needed to start online shopping, but that still meant I’d have to put it away. If someone picked it up for me, they’d also help me sort it. Take that, online deliveries.
‘How are you feeling?’ Ben asked as he put a bag of mixed vegetables into the freezer.
‘Like I’m being stabbed every time I move,’ I said from my chair, which he was refusing to let me move from. ‘Every time I think it’s improving, I swear it goes backwards again. Is that a thing?’
Ben stood up from the freezer and went into another bag. ‘Are you taking your painkillers regularly?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Like at four to six hour intervals.’
‘No…’
He chuckled.
‘What?’
‘If you’re not taking them at regular intervals, they’re not going to be as effective. One dose every so often is unlikely to be enough to make a real difference.’ He took some milk from the bag and put it in the fridge.
‘So what you’re saying is I have to become a zombie to not feel pain?’
‘Why, did he give you morphine?’
My ears pricked up in excitement. ‘No. Do you think he would?’ Now there was something that would help.
He chuckled at my reaction. ‘Doubtful for a bruised rib. Stronger painkillers or a higher dose, maybe.’
Fiddlesticks. Healing the old-fashioned way it was. ‘None of that sounds appealing. Bastard poltergeist. And stupid genes. Why can’t I be a fast healer?’
‘Sod’s law,’ said Ben.
‘Damn straight,’ I agreed.
The front door slammed. What was Edie doing home so early? She stomped into the kitchen, stopping abruptly when she saw us. ‘Oh. Hi.’
‘Hi,’ I said.
Ben glanced between the two of us. I’d briefly told him about the argument last night, needing a live grown up to talk to and take my mind off things. He couldn’t help much on the parenting side, but he was good with the distraction side. ‘I’ll leave you two to it. It’s mostly just cupboard stuff left to put away.’ Meaning it would be fine left in the bag for a little longer. He kissed my forehead then walked out.
The tension grew stronger. Tilly hadn’t even come in to greet Edie, which suggested even she knew it was bad.
