Legacy of the Necromancer [Legacy, BK1 - Completed]

Chapter 4:2

For two weeks, I walked up to the Vault every day to study with Poe. We concentrated on meditation until my strength fully returned, and then, slowly, I started working on accessing my Talent. The power had built up in my body over the weeks since my test, to the point my temperature hovered around 105 and I wore t-shirts and shorts on my walks even as the snow continued to fall on the mountain.

Mom fretted at first, thinking I was going to catch my death, but after a while she left me alone. I didn't talk about what I did up there, only mentioning I was trying to figure out how my Talent worked. That seemed enough for them to leave me be. Things between my 'parents' and I had been different since my Test. And no one wanted to bring up the herd of elephants that had stampeded into the room.

For my physical training, Poe started with the basics, some of which I'd already knew from my training with Dad and Liam from when I was younger. Necromancy used to be just about using Talent, but with enemies out there, now you had to know how to defend yourself as well.

"Like this," Poe said repositioning my hand. "Faster now."

I stepped through the sequence of moves he'd taught me again, sending a steady stream of punches and kicks his way.

"Now, summon your beast," he said, blocking my attacks.

I bit down my panic. I'd been practicing summoning since we'd started training in earnest, but I'd never tried to do it while I was fighting.

Poe threw a punch back at me, and I blocked it, side stepping out of the way as I concentrated on my power.

"Vershala tulian das lo berruas." I started the spell, but as I turned to block another attack, I caught movement in the doorway of the Vault.

"Ezra!" Dad's voice echoed through the stone interior as he rushed in. I could feel his own power building, like a cold breeze through the heat that was my own as it reached out to the graveyard.

I broke away from Poe, planting myself between them. "No, Dad, wait!" I tried to drop my own power, releasing it before I'd finished the spell. Pain shot through my mind, forcing me to my knees. It felt like a thousand needles were being pressed through my skull.

"What did you do to him?" Dad rushed past me, to grab hold of Poe, pushing up against the wall.

"I did nothing," Poe said simply.

"Dad, let him go!" I stood on weak legs, trying to keep my balance. The pain blurred my vision. "It's not what you think."

"Not what I think?" He didn't take his eyes off Poe "I come up here and find you're being attacked by a stranger in the Vault! Who are you? How'd you even get in here?"

"Dad!" I yelled, taking a step forward, but decided against more movement. The room was spinning too fast. "That's Poe."

He and Poe stared at each other for a long moment, before Dad stepped away, releasing him.

I let myself sink back to the floor, unable to stand on my own.

"Ezra, are you alright?" Dad asked, still refusing to take his eyes off Poe.

"It's a reaction headache. He has too much power built up," Poe said. I could feel his eyes studying me, calculating.

"I'm fine," I said, attempting to stand again. The last thing I wanted to do was be forced to 'rest'. I wobbled on my feet, and caught Dad's arm as he reached out to me.

"Meditate tonight, and practice those exercises I taught you. They will help you ease the pain. We will continue tomorrow."

I nodded, ignoring Dad's gaze as he watched us. Poe gave a nod of his own to Dad. "Mr. Stanwood."

He took off, running a few steps before jumping into the air. Poe's form shifted, until the black raven came circling around. He did a pass, then flew out into the night. Coward.

"Why didn't you tell me about Poe?" Dad asked, releasing my arm once I was steady on my feet. "That he could-"

"What, like you told me I was adopted?" I turned away from him, heading for the door of the Vault. By the time I got there, I had to grab the edge of the stone to keep from falling again. The pain blurred my vision and made me feel as if I was trying to walk on a ship in the middle of a hurricane

Dad came up beside me, looping one of my arms around his neck for support.

"Here, hang on to me," he said.

As much as I hated not leaving the Vault on my own, I did as I was told, grabbing hold of his jacket as he wrapped an arm around my back.

The Vault door closed silently behind us after we'd left, walking through the graveyard. We walked in silence as we started down the mountain, and the last words I'd snapped to him echoed in my mind. I regretted saying them, but there wasn't any way to take them back now. I wasn't sure I wanted to, just because I regretted them, didn't mean they weren't true.

By the time Dad was helping me up the front steps to the house, I was starting to feel a little better. Like there was only hundred needles pressing into my head.

The screen door slammed behind us, and mom came out of the kitchen drying her hands on a dish towel.

"There you two are..." She stopped, taking in my prone state. "What happened?"

Dad helped me through to the living room, "He just wore himself out. No need to fuss."

"I'll fuss as much as I want to," she snapped back, and turned to me. " Don't you move, I'll be right back with something for you to eat." She disappeared back into the kitchen and I looked up from where he'd dropped me on the couch.

"I just want to sleep," I moaned.

Dad sat in his recliner, reaching for his newspaper. "I believe Poe gave you homework to do, and it wouldn't hurt to humor your mother right now."

"She's not my mother," I mumbled, throwing my head back against the couch.

"Excuse me?" Dad said in that dangerous tone. "I must not have heard you right."

I sat up straight, sick of the pretending. "She's not my mother. You aren't my real parents!"

He set his paper down. "I'm going to tell you this once." He voice was quiet. "We might not be your birth parents, but ever since I found you, we've treated you just like one of our own. We didn't know if you'd be a Necromancer and maybe we should have told you that sooner, but there was nothing we haven't done for you that we didn't think was in your best interest."

I pulled myself to my feet and left without another word to him. Why did they have to wait until was I about to take the test to tell me? What if I had turned out to be normal? All that studying, all that time learning about necromancy would have been wasted. I could have died in the Test.

I passed mom in the hallway.

"What about your dinner?" she said, holding the plate of food in her hands.

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry." I tried not to notice how red her eyes looked or how she frowned up at me as I turned to climb the stairs.

Safe in my room, I sat on the edge of my bed wishing the world would stop spinning. I thought of the lessons Poe had taught me. I held up my hand, focusing my will on my out-stretched palm. Red energy formed, sparking between my fingers. I willed it into a shape, forcing the power into a ball of crackling red light. Sweat broke out across my forehead, and I sighed, releasing the power. It vanished in a wisp of smoke. My skin didn't feel quite as hot, the room didn't sway as much as it did as when I walked into it. I sighed, pulling my legs up onto the bed, as I stretched out.

Why didn't they tell me?

I held up my hand toward the ceiling and started the exercise again.

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Thanks for reading! Comment, vote, and fan if you haven't yet done so to stay up to date with chapter releases! Chapter 4:3 will be posted 2/1/2016. <3 J.D.