Legacy of the Necromancer [Legacy, BK1 - Completed]

Chapter 2:4

My heart pounded in my ears as my eyes fought to see anything in the darkness. What was supposed to happen next? I turned in a circle, feeling as if the darkness was closing in on me. Poe shifted on my shoulder again, letting out a soft caw.

"Hello?" I called out. My previous thought of the test not trigging came flying back to my mind. I'm Talentless, I'm not even technically a Stanwood. What if I wasn't supposed to be here?

I tried to slow my hectic breathing as the blackness around me closed in. If I couldn't take the test, the door to the vault wouldn't open until it was time for the next test, or the next member in my family died.

I spun around, trying to feel around for anything, a wall, the door.

Pain shattered my panic, forcing me to concentrate on the sharp, sudden bite on my earlobe. Poe squawked loudly.

Reaching up, I felt for his feathers, gently laying a hand on him. "Thanks partner." Poe had cleared my mind enough for logic to take over. The door had opened for me. It recognized me. That had to mean it would give me the test- The bird cawed softly, then launched himself into the air.

"Wait, POE!" Fear gripped me all over again. How could he see to fly in here? What if he hit a wall or the ceiling and hurt himself?

Light flooded the small space, blinding me. Spots danced in front of my eyes. The sound of rustling cloth reached my ears, but I hadn't moved.

"Who's there?!" I forced my eyes open, trying to see past the glaring white that had replaced the darkness. A figure stood before me. I focused on him, willing my eyes to adjust faster. "Who are you?"

The man was haggard looking with an unkempt beard and long raven black hair to match. He wore a black suit, a black duster coat. Even his eyes were black.

"Who are you?" I asked again, a little louder.

He shrugged. "Who I am isn't important here."

I stared back at him. "What's important then?"

"Who are you?"

This had to be a joke. I turned for the door - and it wasn't there. Unbroken white space surrounded me. I spun around to the guy, but he was gone as well.

My heart started pounding in my ears again. I forced myself to take deep breaths. There was nothing but white around me.

"Who are you?" The man's voice repeated, echoing in the nothingness that surrounded us as he appeared again.

"I'm Ezra."

"You are the adopted son of William Stanwood." He smiled at me, and it wasn't a nice one.

My stomach dropped. "How do you know that?"

"I know a lot of things, Ezra."

His matter-of-fact tone was really starting to piss me off, and on top of everything else, he wasn't answering my questions. The man before me shifted his stance, the set of his shoulders squaring a bit more. It was almost as if he'd read my thoughts.

"The young Manser girls are right. You do have talent."

His words hit me with what felt like a physical blow. "How do you -"

He tilted his head at me like a curious bird inspecting its morning meal.

"Right, you know everything." I glanced around, the white glaring space was still harsh on my eyes. I couldn't see Poe anywhere. "How do I even know that I can trust you?"

"You don't have to trust me, but you do have to learn to trust yourself," he said, taking a step closer. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silvery length of chain. He held out his closed fist to me, the chain dangling. "The reason your Talent has yet to manifest, is because you've not had the proper tools nor the right training."

I didn't understand. "But I've studied everything my family has, I've spent countless hours trying-"

"Ezra, your power is not the same as your family's. The Great Ones have decided to resurrect the powers of the fifth Necromantic Family to help guide the Quadriad through the difficult times ahead."

"Wait, what? What difficult times? I don't know who you are or whether to believe any of this."

He turned his hand over, the pendant a swirl of five lines that met with a stone in the center rested in his palm. "That's not important right now. What is important is that you pass your test. This will help you reach the end of the path they've set you on-"

A gong sounded, loud enough that I could feel the vibrations along my skin.

"What was that?"

The man in front of me looked grim, scared even. "Our time is up. I can not stall the test any longer." He shoved the pendent into my hand.

He turned and ran away from me, his duster coat flapping wildly behind him in a wind that was non-existent. The man jumped into the air, his form twisting until a bird emerged from the tangle of cloth. Poe glided through the air, and all I could do was stare at him.

I'd just spoken with him.

He wheeled around, coming to land on my shoulder once more. I'd known he was special, but I had the sneaking suspicion that I still hadn't seen all he could do yet.

"You're more than a familiar, aren't you?" I said, reaching up to smooth some of his feathers down. It was like the founding story, the raven coming to guide the first Stanwood to the Vault, to offer him access to the power that he'd had inside of him all along. But what confused me was that I really wasn't a Stanwood.

I felt like my head was going to implode There was too much to try take in and process. I wasn't a Stanwood, but I was still a Necromancer. I had known, somewhere very deep down, that Avery was right, but to finally know for sure. That I did have power, and I wasn't Talentless. I could do something but what exactly? What was it that the fifth family could do?

I looked down at the pendent in my hand. The swirling design was familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd seen it before.

Poe nibbled gently on my earlobe, then turned his attention to our right. A portal stood by itself in the whiteness. It's silvery surface reflecting light into the room.

The bird shifted his weight on my shoulder. I craned my neck to look at him. He took off, flying through the portal. I guess I was supposed to go through it, too. I followed with a silent prayer that I would make it though this alive. For Avery.