The Necromancer Trilogy - Black Magic

Chapter Five - The New General

“Eat up,” Storm clapped Matt on the shoulder. “Meeting with Mr Boss, huh? Don’t want to talk to him on an empty stomach.”

Matt shivered and nodded, forcing himself to swallow bites of toast that were scraping his throat raw.

“What do you think he wants?” Storm mused, aloud. “I mean, if he wants talent, well, he’s totally got the wrong guy. And if he wants concealment, why isn’t he choosing Jeffers?”

Matt shrugged, though he’d been wondering all of this himself.

“Maybe…” Storm started to say something, but stopped himself.

“You were going to say, maybe it’s about Eleanor,” Matt finished for him. “Yeah. I’ve been thinking that.”

Storm looked suddenly, unexpectedly, worried.

“Matt, mate, you’ve got to be careful. El was one of their favourites. She was amazing, unheard of. You’ve got to…you’ve got to not say anything that will give them a reason to kill you.”

Matt looked up at his friend in surprise. “Kill me?”

Storm nodded seriously. “Dude, you’ve missed this part of life. I’m a listener, remember? Well, they talk about Eleanor all the time. Sometimes…sometimes there are interchangeable names. And they talk about our purpose. Our future. Our loyalty. Our strengths and weaknesses.”

“Well, we get that one,” Matt tried to make light of it but, for once, Storm wasn’t joking.

“No, I mean it. Like there’s some greater plan. They speak about the future like…like they’re going to do something big. Something scary. And they are always talking about Her.”

“Eleanor?” Matt frowned, though he was almost certain that wasn’t who Storm had meant.

Storm shook his head. “I don’t know who they mean. But when they say it…you can practically hear the capital letter. And they’re angry and resentful and mocking…but under that, they’re afraid. You can almost smell it. They’re terrified of her.”

Matt turned this new information over in his mind, considering.

“And they speak of Eleanor all strange,” Storm frowned, as if trying to remember. “They talk about her like…like she’s something they miss but also something they want to forget.”

“Well, I’d quite like to forget her as well.”

“No, I mean, like they feel guilty. And…and they use three different names for her. And they’re so ashamed. It pours off them.” Storm’s eyes were wide, whites showing all round. “There’s something big happening, Matt. Something bigger and scarier than we ever guessed. And we’re part of it.”

Matt bit his lip. “Storm...you know why we’re here.”