All Of The Dead (a necromancer story)

Chapter 21: A darker side

Esmeralda

Getting in the car, I was right, Lucan stayed cold and distant, it had been a while since he’d been like that, but halfway through the drive he couldn’t keep it up. Every so often I caught him looking over at me almost dreamily. I wisely didn’t laugh this time and pretended I didn’t know what he was doing.

It felt nice, I was really enjoying Lucan being all over me, being loving and clearly attracted to me, I wasn’t second guessing everything like I had before when Dana was around a lot more, and they were sort of flirtatious with one another, maybe Lucan was right about making me his priority and hanging around Dana less, maybe it wasn’t selfish of me to enjoy having him to myself, they were friends, but he was right that they shouldn’t have been so flirty and playful with one another and until Dana could stop being like that with him, it was probably for the best they kept a distant, I knew she wasn’t doing it on purpose it was just habit but still.

I did miss her, though, I’d have to find a way to hang out with them separately until Lucan felt more comfortable around her. I was so happy lately, I was scared it was too good to be true and something would happen to come and ruin everything.

I was so lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t realized we arrived until Lucan got out and came around to open my door for me. Smiling up at him, I let him help me to my feet, not needing his help but enjoying it and knowing he also enjoyed doing it.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“It’s a small town on the edge of St. Helens city,” he said.

As we walked along, I decided to be brave and make the first move for once and slipped my hand into his, I was still so shy around him. With his fingers laced through mine, he lifted my hand and kissed the back of it, making me blush.

As we walked through the busy town with shops and stalls, I noticed that nearly every single woman stared at Lucan dreamily, clearly his looks didn’t just affect us vampires.

He led us through the crowd and then took us down a small alleyway, on the left there was a small shop for palm reading and spells. He pushed the door open and we went inside.

It was small and dark and dusty but cozy at the same time. There was a small wooden desk and in front of that there was a small round table with two chairs either side, it looked like any typical psychic shop. There were jars lined up on a shelf behind the desk with different spells, some said love spells, others trusts spells, and then I saw curses and hex spells too and knew this was a dark witch. I looked at Lucan and he said, “yes, it’s going to take dark magic to even just maybe be able to trace her.”

“It doesn’t bother you that’s it evil magic?” I asked.

He looked at me then and said, “I’m dark myself, my necromancy comes from dark magic Esmeralda.”

“Oh,” I mumbled, feeling awkward.

“Yeah, oh, do you think I’m evil?” He asked with some ice to his voice, clearly I’d offended him.

“No, you know I don’t,” I mumbled.

Usually, he wouldn’t have lightened up so easily, but he sighed and kissed the side of my head. “I know, sorry, it’s just a touchy subject for me.”

“I’m sorry too, I didn’t mean for it to come across the way it did.”

“I know,” he smiled softly.

“Why is it a touchy subject for you?” I asked.

He sat down on one of the chairs at the round table and gestured for me to do the same, when I frowned, he said, “she won’t come out until she’s ready and wants to.”

When I was sitting he said, “back in my time, anything that was even a tiny bit different would have people calling you a witch or evil or a devil worshipper, so you can imagine their reactions to me with my strange tattoos and if they ever caught me using my necromancy, well, I was almost killed more times than I can count from humans wanting to rid the world of people like me, never did I think there would come a day when they would embrace people like me and our gifts.”

I reached my hand out to him, and he gave me his to hold. I would have said something, but then the witch came out from the back.

Lucan stood up to greet her and lifting her hand, he kissed the back of it and bowed to her. “My lady.”

My eyes grew wide when she slapped the side of his head and tutted, “get up, Lucan, there’s no need for all that in this day and age.”

Lucan rolled his eyes but smiling he stood up.

“I was hoping you could—”

She cut him off with a wave of her hand, “oh, I know why you are here, you want me to trace a witch for you.”

My eyes grew wider, and Lucan smiled at me as if I were a child. “She has visions,” he whispered.

Cool. I looked at her as she sat down where Lucan had given up his seat for her. She didn’t look like a witch at all, she looked like a sweet mother, she was wearing a plaid shirt, some jeans and trainers, her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, her shirt even had stains on it like a child had kept her busy.

My thoughts were confirmed when a little boy no older than five came running in. He stopped in front of Lucan and stared. The witch whose name I still didn’t know rushed over to him and said, “no, Johnathan, not now sweetie, ok? Go play or color in your coloring books I put out for you, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

He stared at Lucan In awe and whispered, “warrior.”

The witch caught my look that time and said, “the gift runs in the family.” Then she guided him out back again.

When she returned, she got to work without a word. She closed her eyes concentrating, and I thought she would do a spell or something, but no, I felt a presence in the room and saw Lucan looking at something or someone I couldn’t see. The presence felt dark and the witch’s eyes flew open, only the whites showing, and she spoke in a deep dark voice, a masculine voice that held power. “Lucan, are you ready to join our side?”

“No, Astoroth, you know I won’t pick a side.”

I didn’t know who Astoroth was, but he stared at Lucan a few seconds longer and then said, “very well, as you know, without a big offering I will not tell you exactly where to find your witch, but I will tell you where she is. Three hours drive from here, up south, you’ll find a busy city called fables town and that is all I shall share, unless you wish to provide a decent offering to me?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have any chocolate on me nor jasmine essence and I’m not willing to give my blood, but you’ve still been very helpful, so I thank you very much for that Astoroth.”

Lucan bowed to what I was nervously suspecting was a demon, and Astoroth gave a nod in acknowledgment. “We enjoy talking with you Lucan, Patricia’s offering will do and if you change your mind about joining us you know where we are.” Astoroth laughed at that, and then he was just gone from Patricia’s body.

Patricia slowly came back to herself, looking a little disorientated but otherwise unharmed. What the hell?

She looked at Lucan and said, “did you get what you needed?”

“Yes, thank you.”

He paid her for her help, which by the looks of how much he gave was not cheap, and then she stood up and said, “ok, go find your witch and good luck, I need to go back to my son.”

Lucan nodded, thanked her again, and then we left.

When we were in the car, I asked, “you guys work with demons? Aren’t they dangerous and evil?”