The Necromancer Trilogy: Prophecy

Chapter Fifteen - Insane Plans and Insane People

Celia was lost in a world of pain. A steady core of logical thought remained, surrounded by screaming and panic and insanity.

This isn’t what I thought, that remaining logic mused, It’s purple and green, not red and black like I had expected.

Wave after wave of pain had twisted Celia’s body and mind without relenting even for a second. She knew it wasn’t real, knew there would be no bruises or blood. But her mind was bruising, her mind was bleeding.

  Far away, her own screams echoed dimly into her burning world. They were surrounded by laughter that grated on everything. Celia couldn’t remember, couldn’t think. It was just that it hurt. Oh, how it hurt!

 “Stop! Enough!”

The shout was far away, far enough away for Celia to dismiss it as another attack from her deluded mind.

“Enough!”

The pain, blissfully, let up for a moment. Celia let out a soft cry as the desperate arrowhead of pain was blunted, no longer fresh, now just everything she’d already felt. Somewhere, far away, someone was shouting.

“Celia?”

The voice was nearby, almost directly beside her head.

“Celia, are you alive?”

No, Celia tried to say but couldn’t remember how to make her mouth work, No, I’m not alive. No, I’m not ok. No, please, don’t save me. Living hurts. Please. Let me go.

“For god’s sake, Karn! Open your eyes!”

Celia tried to remember which muscles opened her eyes and failed. They’d been closed tight for so long, closed so that she couldn’t see that face.

  The memory of Maria’s laughter made her scream again and the pain was still there, still very tangible. She was wounded, wounded in her mind. They couldn’t cure that, could they? They didn’t have pain killers that worked for that.

“Celia Karn, open your goddam eyes right this minute!”

She knew that voice. She was certain of it. But she couldn’t remember the name. Just a face, floating in and out of focus.

 The voice swore repeatedly and Celia tried to work out who it was. Who did she know with that voice? Who was it?

  That was a voice with a young face, but a face older than her. It was a voice with gold skin, gold hair, dark eyes. The voice had a sarcastic smile but a sincere laugh. The voice was taller than her, by quite a lot. The voice…the voice…the voice…

“Celia,” the voice despaired. “Please, don’t die on me.”