She drudged behind the beast with a sack slung over her shoulders as she followed it near the base of the mountains while the ghost sat on its back, making a mix of snide and warm remarks while trying to force her to pace herself on words alone.
How long ago was it?
When did the Ghost join her?
Seven years ago.
Why did he join her?
He despises her yet loves her?
Hush and I will tell you the story of the Ghost and Reena.
A soft breeze in the warm air as soft steps land in the dry airy soil. Rain was sorely missed as clouds of dust puffed from her path, and despite the parchedness of her tongue, she hummed a soft, blithe tune. Her familiar was sprawled out upon its back as its wings fell down the sides of her head that it used as a bed.
A cold breeze bit them as it rushed by, kicking up the dust, forcing her to shield her eyes while her lungs expelled the unexpected debris, and the familiar vanished.
“What’s this?” a voice smirked as the rush of air ceased, but the cold remained. “A mage?” his voice toyed with her nerves as his words slipped down her spine. “Not just a mage, huh?”
She cleared her eyes while looking to him. Onyx scales, grey skin, and eyes of fire. A devil of a dragon leered at her with sinister intentions before he vanished only to appear directly behind her with a claw tracing down her spine, threatening to tear it out.
“Tell me,” he cooed, “How old are you?”
“Wh-why?” her voice trembled, and his clawed hand paused, adding pressure as he began to make good on the threat with his other hand grabbing her throat.
“Did I say you could ask questions?” he growled in her ear, making her jump with a whimper, “Answer me, girl.”
“Ei-eighteen!” she gasped.
“What a pity. So young,” he sighed before smirking, “That’s what they’ll say if they ever find your corpse.”
“P-Please don’t kill me!” she chirped with fear rising in her mind.
“And why shouldn’t I?” he laughed before forcibly spinning her to face him, maintaining a tight grip on her throat as he looked into her tear-filled eyes. “Fear… What a beautifully pathetic sight…” he sighed in annoyance.
“J-Just let me g-” she tried to beg but his hold was too tight with his claws beginning to puncture her neck.
“The only thing I despise more than humans is their damned begging.” he scoffed while pulling back his free hand, pointing his claws forward like a spear. “None of you are worth your pleas.” he growled as his hand plunged towards her chest.
A sickening crack filled the air and warmth coated his fingertips as pain contorted her face with a smirk finding his lips, but only for a moment. He froze. His gaze fell to her body. Bones encased her as a ribbed armor, he had merely pierced the surface of her skin through her shirt. The crack was his own hand, broken by the force of it crashing into the armor of bone.
“H-How?!” he snapped before tossing her aside, and the armor vanished, “How did you summon it without speaking?!” he growled before glaring at her only to find her fleeing.
She sprinted through the arid forest away from the devil, but he was faster. He quickly gained on her, lunging just for her to dodge with a breath to spare.
“DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE ME GIRL?!” the devil roared at her as she continued her mad dash. “YOU CAN’T OUTRUN ME!” he shouted as he chased after her, and in a fluid motion, she spun to her side. She seamlessly drew her sword and slashed it across his back. “YOU BITCH!” he roared in pain as she tried to run again, but he tackled her to the ground, pinning her on her back. He slashed his claws at her, hitting her arm that held her sword, forcing her to throw it. “I am going to fillet you for that!” he promised with a hand on her side, his claws beginning to tear into her as she squirmed, crying in pain.
“I’ll do it! Just tell me what to say!” she pleaded as his rage consumed the confusion that flickered at her words. “Miasma of decay! Death will not delay. Forever never!” she cried desperately before holding her breath as black smoke erupted from her.
She didn’t dare breathe while her lungs begged her to, and violent coughing sounded from the devil that scrambled off of her. Once she was free the smoke dissipated, and she gasped, drawing in copious amounts of untainted air.
“Wha-what did you do?!” the devil demanded an answer. Rotting shreds of flesh were sprayed by his mouth as he coughed with a stench more foul than death.
“I-I!” she panicked as she looked to him in fear, unsure of what exactly she did, and an overwhelming amount of sickening laughter sounded from the voices in her head.
Soon the devil collapsed, attempting to wheeze for air his lungs could no longer draw. Slowly life left to leave a corpse, and a blinding light flashed over him.
‘I’ll fucking kill you!’ he vowed as he rose without his corpse, his appearance bearing an opacity that gave a hazy view of the world behind him. Her arms flew up in instinct as he rushed her with her eyes screwing shut, however, all she felt in the following moments was a cold breeze and a chill down her spine. ‘Wha-What did you do to me?!’
“I-I don’t know!” she chirped as she scrambled away, looking at him with large eyes.
‘Did you fucking bind me?!’ he snapped with a deep hate that made her flinch.
“I-.... I didn’t mean to…” she whispered with a look of shocked horror before his ghostly hands flew to his head.
‘What are all these voices?!’ he growled, unable to ignore the slew of whispering comments that sang of his death, binding, and her stupidity.
He could hear?
He can hear us?!
He can.
His soul is hers. He shares her burdens and his gifts.
Gifts?
Possession.
The beast came to a stop as the Ghost vanished, and the beast looked to her with the crimson ice coating the fatal wound she had inflicted upon it. She looked around for a moment before pointing to a spot, and the undead beast lumbered to it before setting to work, tearing through the ground with its razor-sharp claws.
She carefully placed the sack on the ground before rooting through to retrieve a human skull from it. She grunted with a sharp pain as she righted herself before she stood, waiting for the beast to finish. She watched in a perfect stillness as she took shallow breaths to avoid more pain while her numb fingers mulled over the skull.
Tell another story of her.
Yes! Another. Tell us of our Masters’ pet.
Tell us of the Unworthy.
Hush! She’ll hear you!
We want to knowwwwww.
No one will speak of the Un-
I will.
Four years ago, a light found a forgotten darkness that was only remembered in fear. There was a spark that ignited a passion that would not lessen, but it was not invincible.
She made her way through the shops of the town with a small smile. There were no whispers of necromancers or accusing glances as her money changed hands for her goods. She headed into the bakery of the town, happily looking over the fresh breads with the scents of herbs, spices, and sweets warming the air. After a few smiling moments, she had made her selections and she began to pay for them.
A sharp whisper behind her back with the familiar sense of dread stirring awake with the taunting warning, flaring silently in her mind. She hastily took her items, abandoning her due change before she rushed out with her heart beginning to race.
“Necromancer?”
“She’s reeks of death!”
“I don’t smell anything…”
“I think she cursed me!”
Her gaze was stuck to the ground as she tried to ignore it. She knew her words were worthless.
“Hey now…” his voice sighed as though he was scolding a close friend for the thousandth time while she felt his warm gentle grip on her shoulder, and her eyes flew to him. “What did I tell you about skulking about?” he teased as though he had known her all of his life, but this was the first time she had met his golden eyes. “Did you get the soda bread? Or the change?”
She was lost in his eyes that rivaled the sun’s magnificence, and her voice hitched in her throat with her breath as her cheeks mimicked a pink sunset. His hand slipped from her shoulder to rest on the small of her back as though it had always belonged there.
“Come on hun,” he smiled as she found herself guided back into the bakery by him.
Awe had settled in her face as she couldn’t help but watch him retrieve the change she had run from and purchase a round loaf of bread that was dotted with raisins and sweetly aromatic. He turned to her, gently taking her hand as he placed the change in it with a kindness settled in hisr face that she never wanted to be without, and once again his hand was guiding her from the shop. No one whispered of necromancers now, and the child that had started it was being enlightened of the danger of falsely accusing someone.
“Did you get everything you needed?” he smiled kindly to her again as her blush flared to nearly match his shaggy crimson locks that came to an end at the top of his neck. “Good to see I still have that effect on you.” he teased with a laugh that made her racing heart flutter while she continued to follow his gentle lead without question, and before she knew it the two of them were on the edge of town, away from the people. “Are you ok, miss?” he questioned with a hint of concern, and after a moment she managed a meek nod, earning a sigh of relief from him. “Good.” his smile was warm like the sun, “I was beginning to worry I’d overstepped back there, but I couldn’t let senselessness consume them.”
“Th-Thanks?” she managed to chirp as his eyes widened slightly at the mix of fear and appreciation in her eyes of the night sky.
“Don’t…. Uh, don’t mention it.” he gave a shy smile as he awkwardly moved his hand from her to rub the back of his head before shaking it clear, “If you’d like I could walk you home?” he offered with his confidence of the sun quickly returning.
“N-No!” she blurted before bolting.
Her feet struck the ground as her lungs began to burn, and her heart tore against her chest. Panic filled her as the whispers fueled it. It was not long before she reached the abandoned hovel of a house that she called home came into view. She threw open the door, slamming it shut behind her as she pressed her back against it, sliding to the floor, panting to catch her breath.
Time slipped by and she calmed to find her reason. Kindness had found her today, and she could smile for that. After a moment she gathered her things before putting them away and preparing herself a meal with bread, venison, melted butter, and cheese.
The golden butter melted into pools of the sun that rose a blush in her cheeks as she thought of the man. She shook her head clear as she thought ‘what if’ she had allowed him to walk her home. It could have been the start to her story that her mother promised she’d have; a loving husband that would be welcomed into their family.
But her family was forever lost, never to welcome another to it.
That isn’t to say that she could not have the future the stories she read promised her. She was hopeful to fall in love, and to find happiness in the company of another.
However, the others had yet to welcome her for more than weeks, and sometimes only mere days.
Her mind drifted with innocent fantasies as the meat sizzled in the pan. She was lost in the thought of his touch; so gentle and warm with care flowing from it. Her heart fluttered as she began wondering when she would see him again. Soon the meat was nearly finished and she placed two slices of bread in the pan beside it while placing strips of cheese on top of the meat.
She watched it melt, wondering if he could make her melt the same way, or if he paid her a second thought after she ran from him.
The cruelty of her whispers and mind began to sway her. She began to fear seeing him again, and the morning came with a splintering knock.
“Necromancer!”
“Face your crimes for the slaughter and the unlawful rising of the dead!”
Lies were shouted at her hovel as she panicked, gathering what she could as smoke assaulted her lungs. Desperately she covered her mouth before bursting out the front door to be surrounded by knights in black matte armor.
“Knights of the King.” the trembling words fell from her mouth with her hope.
“There it is!”
“Restrain it!”
A black aura flashed with a suffocating oppression that left glowing black bindings around her wrists and ankles, forcing her to the ground with a sickening drain on her mana.
“Are you ready to repent?” one of the knights chuckled while stepping towards her before another stopped him.
“Don’t get near it while it’s still conscious, Chadsworth.” he warned, “You don’t want to end up like Georgia,” he added before Chadsworth shrugged him off.
“Shouldn’t it be unconscious by now?!” Chadsworth growled while looking to her as she continued to struggle, “I’m ending this!”
“Wait! It needs a trial!” the other tried to stop him as he started to swing his sword down at her.
“PLEASE! DON’T!” she desperately begged before bones erupted from the ground around her as a jagged cage that impaled the knight.
“Chadsworth!” the knight shouted.
“Please! Let me go! I don-”
“KILL HER!” the knight ordered before Chadsworth’s corpse began to move, pulling itself free.
She cried in her bone-cage as the corpse fought to protect her, and with each knight that fell another corpse rose to fight for her. Soon, the only noise was her quiet breathing and the shambling corpses.
“Thank you….” she whispered as the monstrosities collapsed, their lifeless souls escaping.
Her cage turned to dust, and she rose onto shaky legs, looking to the corpses, and she slowly started to back away. She spun on her heel, breaking into a dead sprint with tears streaming down her face. Another home lost. Another town abandoned.
Comments (6)
See all