Not removing his supportive touch, Finn had questions of his own. “The symbols they used on her, they still hurt when drawn on her body. Are they necromancy symbols?”
When Abrams angled his head, the vampire drew a few symbols out of thin air, and as he did, her skin tingled with unease.
“I recognize a couple of them. They’re ancient, old, almost forgotten necromancer. Black magic. It’s invading your body like a disease.”
“Old, ancient. What do you mean?”
“There is some magic that is better forgotten. Necromancers do not have powers of their own, they draw from the dead, and before it settles permanently, it’s gone. The creatures of the night are dangerous but also vulnerable. Centuries ago, necromancers had powers of their own, but it was said that the darkness made them greedy, and they started killing each other, absorbing their victims’ powers until they almost disappeared.”
Vulnerable. The word described her state of mind. “Nothing can be truly forgotten. It’s written somewhere, or someone knows. Old black magic knowledge. Do you know anything or anyone who might know? What about Layla? Do you know where she is?”
As soon as her mentor’s name passed her lips, it felt like thunder inside her head. Pain exploded, and she thought her final hour had struck, but images popped like bubbles instead.
It took a moment, but when she finally opened her eyes, Finn was crouched by her side as her legs had obviously given up. “It wasn’t my blood. They needed more, more people. That’s why I was investigating. Layla was pissed.”
Finn caressed her cheek. “Easy, darling. You’re not making sense. You just blacked out. You’re shaking.”
Violet knew all that but ignored it. For the first time, some of the dark recesses of her mind started to make sense. With a big gulp of air, she pushed through. “I remember. Weeks ago, my contact at the High Council reached out. There had been a series of disappearances, humans, mostly living along the coast. After a while, body parts started turning up on partly destroyed ritual sites assigned to necromancers.
“I followed their tracks and discovered they were humans, wannabe necromancers with the talent and money to kidnap and butcher people. I was getting close. Very close, but I couldn’t pinpoint who they were or where they gathered.
“That’s when I went to Layla for help. It’s high-level magic, but I wanted to do a search spell. She said it was becoming too dangerous, that I needed backup or to ask for reinforcements. I had a fight with her, and stormed off. I decided I’d do it alone. I was so close.”
And now her mind was blank. Finn waited, but she shook her head. “I don’t remember beyond that. A dark night… a door. That’s my last memory before I woke in pain.”
Finn listened in silence until she’d finished speaking. “So, you discovered who those humans were, the ones playing with magic, the ones who kidnapped you?”
“I can’t be certain they’re the same, but yeah. I got their address.” Violet looked at Abrams, who had finally taken a few more steps in her direction. “And Layla?”
“When you disappeared, she went after you. I haven’t seen her since.”
Violet wasn’t stupid. There was a strong possibility Layla had followed the same tracks she had and had got herself captured. “This is a mess. My mess.”
Finn shook his head at her remark, but she ignored him, using his body as a makeshift ladder to stand. Abrams took a step back when she turned to him. “What will happen to me? When the dark magic combines with mine?”
“I don’t know exactly, apart from the fact you will no longer be.”
The enigmatic phrase could be twisted in a million different ways, so she decided to take the worst option, which was her death. If, in the meantime, she regained some of her powers and continued to fight the evil, it might give her enough time to stop those necromancers and save Layla. Her fate was sealed.
“How do we get out of here, Abrams?”
“The same way you came in. From what I feel, you can take it from here. Goodbye, Violet.”
Lights flickered, and the ghoul was gone.
“Damn, I hate when they do that, give you a riddle, and vanish. What did he mean? That we should dig ourselves out of here?”
It was a possibility, but she doubted if that was what he’d meant.
While Finn cursed and looked around, she cleared her mind. Abrams said to leave the same way they came in. The door had appeared when she’d hit the wall. Or more accurately when her blood was shed. The light went on inside the tunnel when she’d nicked her lip on Finn’s fang. Blood was tightly linked with death but couldn’t do anything on its own. That meant it was combining with her magic and underlying wishes. First, to find the door that led to Abrams, second, to have light inside the tunnels.
Rubbing the newly formed scabs on her knuckles, Violet smeared blood on her finger. It felt awkward, and a little bit frightening, but she tried to reach inside herself. Her power stirred for the first time since her kidnapping, but it felt off. Instead of the usual warmth, it felt like singing fire, so she immediately let it go.
“Fuck!”
Finn was instantly by her side. When he leaned in, she shook her head, asking him to remain silent. This was a private battle inside her, one she wasn’t comfortable with sharing.
Instead of reaching out via the usual path to gather her magic, Violet let it go and stood still. Emptying her mind, she opened herself up until she felt something swirl inside her. It was foreign, but it was there—the mark. Was this how it felt to yield the power of a necromancer? It wasn’t scary, but unusual. Both forces inside her wanted to take the lead, but for the first time, Violet decided to betray who she was and immerse herself in this new power. Carefully.
This time, it didn’t burn
