Legacy of the Necromancer [Legacy, BK1 - Completed]

Chapter 7:4

John was asleep when I returned to the hut, which was probably a good thing since I didn't know what to say to him. I took an empty spot on the floor where the rugs and furs seemed thicker and lay down. As tired as I was, I still had trouble going to sleep. I was exhausted yet my mind kept running in circles. I kept trying to think of ways to get home, or ways to let Avery know I was still alive.

Instinctively, I reached out, testing our new connection. Felt ghostly, like the impression furniture leaves on the carpet after you move it. I could sense where it should have been but that was all.

Closing my eyes tightly, I took a deep breath and another, trying to keep my panicking emotions in check. What I was supposed to do now? There was so much going wrong, I needed to find something positive to focus on.

I was still alive. Poe was still alive. Even if he was injured, he would recover eventually. And John was safe from his family.

Those thoughts finally allowed me to drift off to sleep.

The sun shining in my face woke me the next morning. Tamner stood in the doorway, tying back the rug that had kept the light at bay. I winced, sitting up slowly.

"Bright morning, Hasim." The old man sat next to me, handing over a bowl of brightly-colored chopped fruit I didn't recognize. It looked like cubes of watermelon, but had the texture of a banana. I eyed it wearily.

"Eat," he said, picking up his own bowl.

I wiped the sleep from my eyes, glancing over at Poe. Tamner must have sensed my worry. He set aside his own bowl. "He is still resting, Hasim. It may be a while before he wakes again."

"Where's John?" I asked, changing the subject. I noticed he wasn't in the hut.

Tamner shrugged. "He is a strange one. He is not like you, Hasim. I do not think one such as he has ever come here ."

Of course not, I thought. I don't think necromancers and witches have ever been civil long enough to broach a conversation, let alone travel together. "No, I doubt any of his people have crossed over here before."

I chose to focus on my food, taking a tentative bite. The fruit was slightly sour and tart, reminding me of cranberries. I finished the bowl rather quickly, and Tamner handed me another.

After I ate and cleaned up in the little river near Tamner's hut, I wandered the village. Women and children worked and played outside their homes. Some were cooking or skinning meat from animals I didn't recognize. I passed one group of boys, older than the other children playing between the huts, but not quite yet in their teens . They sat together, weaving baskets of dried reeds.

I tried to talk to a few of the women, but they only giggled, speaking a few words I didn't understand and shied away. It seemed Tamner was the only one who spoke English.

I continued through the village, and came across the men, older boys, and even a few of the women of the village sparring. They fought with spears and knives. I hovered, watching them from the edge of the clearing.

One of the older men noticed me, and after laying his opponent in the dirt, came over to join me.

"Hasim," he said with a bow, then pointed to himself. "Suon, son of Tamner."

"Hi," I said awkwardly. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll leave," I said, and turned, but Suon stopped me.

"No. Join us. You Hasim. You fight, yes?"

I felt a little unsure of myself. I'd only been training with Poe for a few months, but I was itching to do something besides sit, walk, or think.

I accepted Suon's invitation and started spending my mornings with the men. I'd never fought with any kind of weapon besides my power before, so when one of them handed me a spear, I looked at it with a bit of apprehension. Trying to use one while sparing with the men had them rolling with laughter. They set the younger boys to teach me the spear and the proper way to hold a knife with a lot of pointing and miming.