Lady Midnight

Chapter 45

'The Pursuer of the Dead'

"Well, I'm Walter's dead brother." Lincoln clarified.

"I'm supposed to be burning in hell now, but Zia had other plans." Tumingin kaagad si Blu kay Zia dahil sa sinabi ni Lincoln. "Oh, come on. He's too pretty to die." Pasimpleng sagot ni Zia at tiningnan si Lincoln.

"So, are you alive or are you dead?" Even Blu knew that his question sounded stupid.

"In the middle," sagot ni Lincoln at inayos na ang pagkakatali ng roba niya saka hinaplos ang buhok ni Zia noong dumaan ito sa gilid niya para kumuha ng isang tasa ng tsaa. "I'm in my flesh because Wilder broke the rule of speaking to the dead." Kumunot ang noo ni Blu sa narinig niya.

"When we went back to get the gem of Ecclesia." Mahinang sambit ni Zia na parang naghahanap na naman ng libro na babasahin. Blu looked at Lincoln who sat on top of his table and saw him doing some dark magic on his tea.

He knew it was dark magic because of the black smoke he was using. Blu then remembered what happened at Ecclesia. Wilder spoke to Walter, which led to speaking to Lincoln and Luce. Wilder talked to someone in the past.

"Why does that connect to you coming back to flesh?" Blu asked.

"The rule itself. If you talk to someone in the past, who happens to be dead already, he'll come back to flesh," sagot ni Lincoln.

"Flesh. So, you don't have a soul?" Blu asked again. "Bingo." Nakangiting sagot ni Lincoln at tiningnan si Zia.

"She found me in hell. Dinala niya ako rito at ginawa akong alila." Agad na natawa si Blu sa huling sinabi ni Lincoln.

"Tito Lincoln! I did not make you my servant. I just wanted you to help me read hundreds of thousands of books to save your nephew." Zia protested. She was referring to Wilder when she talked about Lincoln's nephew. "Gaano na po kayo katagal rito?" Blu was full of questions and Lincoln didn't mind. Sa tagal niyang nandito sa library ay halos wala na siyang nakakausap kaya mas nasisiyahan siyang sagutin ang mga tanong ni Blu.

"Quite a while. A few months after Wilder talked to me in the past." Sagot nito at sabay silang tumingin sa mga libro doon sa gilid na kumakalampag. Agad na lumapit si Blu kay Zia at siya na ang nagdala ng mga librong pinipili nito.

Lincoln looked at the two of them.

"I asked him to visit Tito Walter pero ayaw niya." Zia said, sulking a little bit.

"Zia, I'm not a member of the family. It's been so long since I died. And besides, wala akong kakilala sa mga kaibigan ni Walter. Also, I'm not even familiar with this Keya Phield that he married." Sagot ni Lincoln noong marinig niya ang sinabi ni Zia.

"Tito, you need to go out there. I'm gonna die after the Blue Night. Sino na po ang mag-aalaga sa 'yo?" Both Lincoln and Blu looked down at what she said pero iniangat kaagad ni Blu ang tingin niya kay Zia na busy parin sa paghahanap ng libro.

"Do you want to bet, my lady?" Zia froze for a bit at what he addressed her. Tumingin siya kay Blu. She gave him an intrigued look. "Hmm?" she added.

"If you don't die at the Blue Night and if I save you at the Blue Night—"

"Van Saint, you're the one who's going to kill me. What do you mean save?" natatawang tanong ni Zia sa kanya. Blu smiled while he was trying to carry the stack of books that she picked.