The (Weird) Life Of A Teenage Necromancer

Unexpected Surprise

Getting Tanya to Nuriye's realm proved to be a bit harder than previously thought.

"It's one of Nuriye's techiniques to keep potential enemies out of her kingdom." Kate explained as she gazed at the gate, practically invisible by the evading vines and shrubs.

Tanya glared at the dark opening with arms crossed. "But you can get in. I can't even get a foot within the gate!"

"Nuriye approved our magical signatures but your signature is not only foreign, it's also tainted by black magic." Asraen said.

"Well what now?"

"We just wait." He answered. "Your multiple attempts at entering no doubt would have set an alarm off. It shouldn't take long before someone comes to inspect things."

"Couldn't you guys just go in and get someone?" Tanya asked.

Kate shook her head. "We may have found the gateway but we still don't know the way. It's all underground tunnels. Most likely we would just get lost."

They all settled in silence, leaning against old hidden stone. Asraen gazed up at the sky, a pure blanket of bright blue. "It won't be dark for a couple of hours."

"How long have we been gone?" Kate asked.

"At least for two weeks." He answered.

Kate winced. "We've been overdue for at least a couple of days."

"Then it shouldn't take them long. They're probably expecting us to arrive at any  moment." He gave Kate a sidelong look, one in which she quickly shut down. "Stop staring at me like that. If you have something to tell me, do it now."

His lips twisted into a scowl as he gestured towards Tanya. "As I've said before, we will have this conversation....in private."

"Puh-lease," Tanya rolled her eyes. "As if I wanted to hear your little quarrel."

Kate tuned out the bickering and leaned her body against once of the pillars, mostly worn away by rain, wind and age. Some rays managed to break through the thick emerald canopies, splattering specks of sunlight on her cheeks and forehead. She closed her eyes basking in the warmth and in the crisp forest hair. When was the last time she had just been like this?

Memories of herself, a eight year old with dark brown hair and a face smudged with chocolate pudding her mother had missed, popped into her mind. She was on a bright purple bicycle with matching pink and purple streamers sprouting from the handlebars. She remembered the way the bike swayed precariously from side to side as she went down the block, the way the air rushed past her face and the sunlight that warmed her back.

Her moment was shattered as a voice broke through her memory. "If you're tired, you should take a nap. Maybe that potion took more out of you than I imagined."

Feeling slightly annoyed by the intrusion Kate opened her eyes to stare at Tanya. "It's called relaxation. Something you're obviously not familiar with."

Before Tanya could retort back the shuffling of footsteps caught her attention. Asraen was already at attention, one hand on the hilt of his blade. The edges of his outline flickering from human back to shadow. They all stared at the dark entrance, muscles coiled in anticipation to any possible danger.

Kate relaxed as she caught sight of Isana's figure seeping from out of the darkness but her muscles tensed again as she caught sight of another tall slim figure walking towards them. A burst of red appeared in the light and Kate stood still, unsure of what to do. As far as she knew, Queen Nuriye rarely went this close to the surface....except for when she would go off into battles.