Secrets of the Dead

by Becca Vincenza

  “Tsk. So stubborn. The more you use your power, the more painful it will become.” The necromancer had a sly smile on his face.

  Giving up, I allowed my magic to settle, but the pain remained at the same level. Barely tolerable but better than the unexpected spikes.

  “What exactly do you want?”

  Hopefully he wasn’t looking for Rowan or wanting to use me against her. I had to trust that Indigo kept true to his word and protected her. I doubted she was here. I didn’t feel her power nearby, but then again, I couldn’t feel much more than the pain rushing through my veins.

  “For you to tell me exactly where your sister is because she’s completely disappeared. If there’s anyone who would know where she went, it would be you.”

  “I’m glad she’s gone.”

  Hopefully she was with Indigo, and they were on the run.

  “You won’t be if our allies catch her first. It’ll be much better if we have her in our clutches. And since you formed a bond, you’re useless for now. But there are ways to break the bond.”

  I’d endure anything I had to in order to protect Rowan. If the bond with Acacia protected me to a degree for the time being, then I would find a way to escape before they broke it.

  “Take him away.” The necromancer jerked his chin in a different direction.

  Hands wrapped around my biceps, my muscles locking up as the person tugged me upward. My joints seized with pain, but I managed to stand on wobbly legs. I kept my chin up as high as I could, but I could barely move. The person shoved me ahead and I stumbled, unable to keep myself straight. My powers, which had been slightly unpredictable since my birthday, spiked in that moment, blinding pain shooting through me.

  For a moment, I blacked out, only to come back to being dragged to wherever they were taking me. My vision was blurred and unfocused, but the harder I tried to get a grip on what I could see, the more my head swam.

  Whatever poison they’d injected me with had a strong hold over me. Instead of fighting any longer, I relaxed into it, allowing it to take over.

  The scraping feeling of the uneven flooring faded away, the blinding pain bleeding out of me.

  For a moment, I felt peace.

  ****

  Fingers hooked into my skin, nails biting in deep, and while blood should’ve seeped out, all I felt was pain. The pain of them dragging me further and further down. The deeper I sank into darkness, the colder my blood ran. Eventually, a chill I thought would crack me in half slowed my heart down until it barely beat, coiling around me like a snake suffocating its prey. I felt powerless to fight back, the darkness around me tangible.

  “Let go,” came a whispered caress against my ear.

  It’d be easy to allow myself to get lost in the sensation. There’d be no more pain, and in the end, Rowan would be safe. They couldn’t use me to get to her.

  “Control, Abel. You have to gain control,” a stern voice scolded me. Memories of lessons poured into my mind. Memories of my father teaching me, reminding me of the control I needed to harness. It meant safety, strength, and ultimately power.

  I needed to gain my control back.

  Forcing myself past the gripping fingers, I free-fell backward into the abyss. The sensations were all familiar as I tumbled farther and farther back into the Other Side. I needed to take advantage while I could; once there, I’d be able to contact Horace or another ghost I could pass a message to.

  My only option would be my parents. While their intentions had been good keeping us hidden from the dangers of the Mystic world, it had also cut us off. Very few other Mystics could see or even talk to ghosts. We had no other necromancer allies that I’d been aware of. I would have to go to my parents even though I didn’t completely trust them.

  Despite their decision in the past, I had to trust that they would do their best to protect Rowan now. She had to be missing.

  The necromancer’s words came back to me. He had no idea where Rowan was, and he needed me to find her. Hopefully, Indigo had gotten her far away from here. I wouldn’t risk a ghost leading anyone in Rowan’s direction.

  As soon as I broke through the veil between the two worlds, I searched for Horace. The ghosts in the plane wandered aimlessly, most too far gone to travel between the different worlds.

  I walked through the undead land with no signs of any ghosts strong enough to pass over into the land of the living. What happened to the livelier ghosts who littered this world before?

  The farther I traveled, the weaker I felt. I stopped at a lone tree, resting against it as I wondered why my muscles felt like lead. Did I weaken the longer I stayed in here? Or had whatever the other necromancer used on me affected me here as well?

  I blinked hard, my eyelids becoming heavier by the second. I shook my head and tried to push through the feeling; falling asleep here would be too dangerous.

  “Abel.”

  A voice echoed in my ear, and I realized I’d fallen asleep, into a quiet abyss.

  “Fffuuu….” My head swam.

  “Abel, you must wake up.”

  The voice jarred me awake once again, and I gritted my teeth. Why couldn’t I stay awake?

  “Abel?”

  Ahead of me, the voice started to fill out to a body. Horace took shape in front of me though he looked see-through like most ghosts. Had he started to let go?

  “Abel, you have to focus.”

  I tried, but Horace started to flicker out.

  “What’s happening?”

  “I don’t know. Tell me exactly what you remember.” Horace’s voice was disembodied again.

  Rolling my head back, I explained about the drug that was injected into me then how I got into the Other Realm. The more I spoke, the easier it was to stay awake.

  Horace started to come into view. “You shouldn’t have come here. You’re overexerting yourself, and the drug may be killing you.”

  “I can’t leave yet. I need you to get a message to my parents.”

  “Abel, I can’t.”

  “The necromancer who has me is after Rowan. My parents need to be warned. And if Rowan hasn’t left with our friend yet, she needs to get out of there.”

  “Abel, I can’t see my brother.”

  “This is more important than my dad not coming to you in the first place or whatever tore you apart.”

  “It’s not that simple, Abel. Listen to me. I can’t go to my brother. I can’t see my family.”

  And then it clicked into place. His first encounters with me had been vocal only; he had the strength of a ghost to appear, but he just couldn’t. The more powerful I became, the easier it was for us to communicate. Whoever had my uncle tethered to him had demanded he never see his family or communicate with them. How had I not seen the signs before?

  “Tell me who your master is. Once I’m free from here, I’ll come for them. I’ll set you free.”

  “It’s not that simple, my nephew, but one day I do believe you’ll live up to that promise. For now, I’ll pass your message along. Be safe. Don’t do anything reckless.” With that, Horace disappeared.

  I needed to return to my world. Without Horace here to keep me alert, it would be easy to fall back into the place I couldn’t escape.

  The return was much slower and tedious than the previous times. I had to sum it up to the drug still coursing through my veins. Once I returned to my body, I would need to come up with a plan of escape. Rowan needed to be protected first; as long as she remained safe, my safety came second.

  Light burned at the backs of my eyelids, and I cringed, realizing I’d played my hand too early and my captors would know my secret.

  “Well, this is certainly interesting indeed.”

  As I blinked, the world came into focus around me. The necromancer from before stood at the doorway, shining a light directly into my eyes.

  Yes, he saw too much.

  Chapter 17

  “Bring him.” The necromancer waved in my direction before turning on his heel and leavin
g. A taller, thicker version of him stepped into the room. His brother maybe? His eyes were cold and detached.

  “If you give me any trouble, I don't mind kicking your front teeth in.” The other necromancer stepped into the room and crossed his arms. I stood on my own two feet, wobbling first, unable to get my balance until I straightened my back and glared ahead.

  The other necromancer sneered at me.

  “If you so much as touch a hair on Rowan’s head, you’ll wish you were dead,” I declared.

  “Funny, I heard she said the same thing about you. What is it about the Hayes family that makes you all so damn noble?”

  “Judson!” the first necro called.

  “I won’t forget, Judson.”

  Anything he did to me, my family would respond twofold—Rowan probably tenfold. If there was one thing in this world I could trust above all else, it would be Rowan and her loyalty. She loved fiercely, and she would do just about anything for those she loved. They may have been very unconventional means, but she would get it done.

  I trusted sparingly, and those who earned it from me very rarely lost it. Acacia had been a perfect example as to why. She’d betrayed me as I’d suspected she would.

  Judson led me forward, pushing my shoulder roughly and randomly. When I tensed for his abrupt move, he would back off, and then the moment I started to relax, he’d knock me once again. Instead of trying to anticipate his movements, I focused on the ins and outs of the building. Mostly we walked through a dimly lit hallway, the hardwood floors lined with runner rugs.

  The walls looked sturdy and built with care. The floors didn’t creak under our weight, and my hope for an older house with easy escape routes went out the window.

  The necromancer in front of us stopped, digging at the neckline of his shirt and pulling out a key attached to a chain. Once he’d unlocked the door, my power surged in my blood. No pain accompanied it, and I realized I felt stronger, more normal.

  The drug, whatever they’d used on me, had burned out of my system. Had it worked that quickly? Or had I been knocked out that long? Briefly, I entertained the thought that I’d burned through it more quickly by entering the Other Side.

  The room we entered was as sparse as the last but bigger. The concrete floor had a drain at the center of the room with dark rust colors around it. Bracing myself for the worst, I stepped inside as Judson pushed me forward once again.

  “I’m assuming you won’t be cooperative,” he sneered.

  “I’m assuming even if I were, you’d still want to torture it out of me.”

  “Prissy Edward? Nah, he wouldn’t touch you, but I’m more than looking forward to doing this.” Judson shoved me forward again.

  I gritted my teeth, but at least I had names to go with my captors now.

  “Just get the information we need, Judson,” Edward ordered. “Then we’ll work on breaking the bond with his vampire bitch.”

  In the center of the room hung two chains. At each end was a cuff, probably where I’d be hanging if I didn’t fight him off. Escaping now felt foolish since I didn’t know enough of the building to get out, but giving up wasn’t an option.

  Judson took a step forward, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him lift his arm again. I moved quickly, pivoting on my heel. Sliding my foot back, I grabbed Judson’s arm, throwing him over my shoulder by using my weight as my anchor. He hit the ground hard with a loud huff, a dazed look sweeping over him.

  Turning, I faced Edward to see him lift a gun at me and fire.

  Twin pinches hit me a second before electricity shot through my body, making my muscles seize up. I dropped to the floor, unable to stand any longer. The current didn’t stop until someone gripped my wrists, dragging my body across the floor. Then another bolt of electricity shot through me, and I managed to glare in the direction of Edward.

  Coward.

  “Make sure he’s too exhausted to try to run again.”

  “Done,” Judson gritted out. Apparently, my attack had been enough to scorn him as well. His wounded ego wouldn’t help my chances.

  Even through the pain of the taser, my powers stirred inside of me, and no pain followed the sensation. I allowed it to build, trying to get a ghost or even do a possession. Necromancers were known for keeping dead bodies nearby to use them as weapons.

  “Edward, get the onyx.”

  Judson pulled my arm over my head to cuff it. The muscles that had so recently been seized up screamed in agony, the pain jarring me away from my task. My concentration was shot, but I refocused my attention, filing the pain away. Seeking out the presence of a dead body was easy. The problem would be moving my Control Lines subtly enough that it wouldn’t give away my plan.

  As my lines sprouted out of me, they crept forward, seeking to latch on to something, someone. My family’s lines had always been variants of shades of red, but the lines that sprouted out of my fingertips were clear. If I couldn’t feel the power twining through my fingers and outward, I wouldn’t have even known they were there.

  Judson pulled up on my other arm and pinched the skin between the latches of the cuff. The pain barely registered, but it proved to me that my lines were more psychic than tangible. If he didn’t try to knock me out for using Control Lines, then he couldn’t see them. The same could be said about how he didn’t even recognize the magic I was using.

  Edward came crashing through the door he’d shut after my attempt to free myself. His eyes latched on to me, rage burning bright in his glare.

  “You fucking idiot. Did you not feel the surge of power?” Edward stomped forward, his power already built inside of him. I felt his Death Lines slashing around, trying to cut mine off.

  Before I could get my lines anywhere decent, the pinprick of the needle hit my neck again.

  “This one isn’t diluted with a sleeping tonic. This time you get a full dose.”

  Edward pushed the plunger down, and the hot poison burned into my skin. My cells felt like they were being torn apart piece by piece. The needles in my blood intensified, but through all the exploding pain, I remained awake. It would’ve woken me from a dead sleep like an exposed nerve that had been attacked repeatedly.

  Whatever pain they inflicted on me wouldn’t compare with the onyx in my bloodstream.

  Judson stepped around and stood next to Edward. “He won’t be able to talk in this state. You used too much.”

  “Exactly. Make sure he’ll want to speak when he’s able. Bring him to the brink of death. I want him to suffer.”

  Envy shone through his eyes as he stepped forward.

  “I’ll find a way to extract your powers from your very essence and use them as my own,” Edward promised before he stormed from the room.

  “You’ve got a long day ahead of you, Hayes.”

  Judson disappeared, allowing me to simmer in the pain of the drug. The moment I released my hold on my power and smothered it down, the pain decreased but only to the point of just bearable.

  Judson returned a few moments later with a cart full of torture devices. On top was a whip made from coarse rope, knots tied into the strips at various parts. Judson stepped forward with a dagger and brutally cut down the back of my shirt, not minding that he sliced into my skin. My blood welled and seeped down my back, pooling onto the fabric of my jeans.

  Judson left the room again, returning with a bucket. Instead of focusing on him, I kept my attention on keeping my powers locked up tight. Any time they spiked, the pain increased, and I had a feeling I’d need fewer distractions.

  “Ever do those asinine human challenges? My favorite? The ice bucket.” Judson dumped the bucketful of freezing water over my head, and my muscles cramped up once more. The cuts he’d just etched into my skin stung, and I arched my back forward at the sensation, but I kept my scream to myself, gritting my teeth and waiting it out.

  He pulled out the rope whip and stood behind me. The anticipation of it all was the most jarring part. Unable to see him and refusing to glance over my
shoulder, I had to wait for the moment the rope hit me.

  A lightning-fast crack was my only warning. The mixture of the coarse rope biting into my skin and the knots hammering against my tense muscles had me wanting to scream.

  Judson seemed tireless and spent what felt like hours turning my back into mincemeat. I had grabbed the slack of my chains to hold me upright, but eventually my tight grip loosened. The pain was indescribable as he continued to use the same weapon over and over, lashing against the same spots repeatedly.

  After the first couple of hours, I lost my grip on my powers, and they exploded outward. The onyx in my blood made my vision darken to the point I thought I might be blacking out.

  Judson took a break after that, coming back with food and water. He ate while I tried to regain control over my powers once again.

  The rest of the day went the same. By the end of it all, Judson stepped around me, staring down at me with disgust. I wanted to scoff in his face. Let him try to take this torture for hours on end.

  The door to the dimly lit room opened, allowing more light to enter. The body silhouetted in the doorway stepped forward, a frown on the man’s face. Edward glanced at the blood splattered around the room and slowly draining toward my feet.

  “Who did you speak to when you entered the Other Realm?” he asked.

  “No one,” I mumbled.

  “How did you even enter the Other Realm? You had no supplies, no way to make runes.”

  When I didn’t respond, Edward’s face twisted with rage.

  “Strappado him.”

  Edward left the room, and Judson stood up, walking behind me. I could hear the clinks and clangs of chains. My arms rose a little higher above my head, and I was forced to stand on my feet.

  Judson’s footsteps came up from behind me and grabbed my cuffs, linking them together until I was pitched forward, the joints in my shoulders burning. I stood straighter, trying to relieve the fresh pain that shot through me at the new position.