Necromancer For Hire- Arc 8

Arc 8, Chapter 28

The Slumber

Morena’s hands trembled as she stared down at the letter, hot fear coursing through her veins. She scanned through its contents once more, like she had been doing for the past half hour.

Tears welled in her eyes and she pressed her hands over her face, choking down a sob. No, she couldn't do this.

Morena caught another glimpse of the paper from between her fingers, focusing on the drops of blood staining its surface. The grisly sight served as a stark reminder.

She didn't have a choice.

----

Victor tugged a shirt over his head, his hair already halfway dry. He found that was a perk of having short hair- it didn't stay wet nearly as long.

“Victor, are you done in the shower?” Morena called.

“Uh, yes, hold on, please!” Victor squeaked back, cheeks red. His phone call with Pilate had consumed more time than he had meant it to. He hoped Morena hadn't been waiting on him for too long.

Pulling on a pair of shorts, Victor rushed out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, where Morena stood behind the counter.

“I hope I didn't take too long,” Victor said meekly, sitting at the table.

Morena shuffled through her pantry, her facial expression almost strained. “Of course not, kiddo.”

“Are you okay?”

Morena’s vivid eyes gazed up at him, “I'm fine,” she said, her body stiff.

“What's our next lesson going to be?” Victor asked, propping his elbows on the table.

Morena blinked, turning away from him. “You've made a lot of progress, Victor. You're an incredibly talented necromancer. I'm proud of you.”

Morena placed a glass of coke in front of Victor, a soft smile forcing its way onto her lips. The drink was cloudy, but Victor knew it wasn't his place to complain. “How about we celebrate a little?”

Victor frowned. “Dad doesn't let me have caffeine after dark.”

Morena chuckled, putting a finger to her lips. “Then we won't tell him. You'll need a little energy for our lesson tonight.”

Bringing the glass to his lips, Victor sipped on the drink slowly, pointing at a crumpled piece of paper on the table. “What's that? A letter?”

Something dark flickered across Morena’s eyes. “It's nothing,” she said curtly, pocketing the paper.

Morena tapped her fingernails on the table, watching Victor as if she was waiting on something. “Victor, how well versed are you in communicating with and summoning spirits?”

Victor shrugged. “Pretty good, I guess. I think that's my specialty. It feels right.”

“That's good,” Morena’s voice seemed to crack.

Victor caught his eyes start to droop, his head slipping down his palm and edging closer to the table. He shook his head, hoping to clear the drowsiness.

“Is that our next lesson?” It was hard to form words, a fog having fallen over Victor’s mind. He swallowed, the glass of coke he had drank threatening to lurch back into his throat.

He didn't give time for Morena to answer, pushing himself out of his chair. “I’m sorry, Morena, I gotta go to the bathroom, I don’t feel so well-” Immediately, his head spun around him, sending him to the floor. He weakly reached out to Morena, trying to grab her ankles.

Morena knelt down to face him, cradling Victor’s head in her lap. She frowned, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes.

“I'm so sorry for this, Victor.”

Author's Note- AHAHAHAH AG AHAHAHAHAAHAHAGAGA :^)