The Necromancess

From the perspective of Chase Cringle.

Though devastated and grief-stricken, Brandon had ultimately collected enough motivation to stand on both two feet.

"You'll be okay?" I asked Brandon.

"Not really. I just witnessed Jeriah get murdered. That's the second person to die in less than 24 hours."

"We'll get him fixed like brand new, hopefully. With Austin, and the necromancess he's bringing back, we should be able to restore Jeriah."

"I don't think that's such a great idea."

"Why not?" I asked.

"I feel this sadistic presence. Maybe it's just me. I just don't know. Since I awoke, I've been having these sick thoughts of murdering everyone around me. I can't help it. Not only that, Jeriah's blood wasn't enough. Where am I going to get more blood? Where? Can you tell me? Am I just going to ask for someone's permission to let me drink their blood, or am I going to have to murder people from now on to get what I need?"

"We can hunt small game for blood, as soon as we get Jeriah back."

"Do you honestly think I'm just going to drink animal blood for the rest of my undead existence, unable to quench my thirst for wine and soda and liquor? Unable to taste home-cooked meals again? Unable to love again? Unable to live like a human again? All because I became a vampire. It's all thanks to you."

I told Brandon my honest opinion. "If I had let you survive, you would have never walked ever again. You would be a vegetable. Or would you rather have been put out of your misery?"

"If I hadn't met you, maybe none of this would have ever happened."

"It's all in the past now. We need to focus on saving Jeriah."

"We can't do anything for him! Not until Austin returns with his friend! What else can we do, Chase! Please, explain!"

"Couldn't you find another vehicle for us while I wait here for Austin to get back?"

Brandon finally calmed down. "Actually, we may both be needed when Austin gets back. Maybe I should just stay here."

"Good idea," I agreed with a nod.

"So, why are you taking help from a stranger? How do you know this Austin guy?"

"Austin? He made me a vampire. I don't remember how. All I know is that he is responsible for me being what I am. I didn't watch him do it. I was already dead."

Brandon heaved a heavy sigh. "What are we gonna do after Jeriah comes back as a vampire? What's the agenda?"

"We're not delivering any diesel, that's for sure. We both belong to the Hart Clan. Recruiting vampires for the Hart Clan is my main objective. I intend to do my job to the best of my ability. Technically, you are my first recruit. Jeriah, he'll be my second."

"That's fucked up, what you did. I never took an oath. Jeriah didn't either."

"Brandon, what if you died, and if you were stuck in limbo, and some vampire lord offered you a way out of limbo? Now let's say that vampire lord said you can be a vampire and that to be in his clan all you have to do is recruit new members into the clan. Wouldn't you do as the vampire lord said?"

"Yeah. I guess I would."

"Then don't criticize me. Ever."

"Fair enough."

I glanced down at Jeriah's lifeless body. His eyelids were eerily ajar, gazing at the pale blue morning sky. He was totally unresponsive, detached from this world. What terrors were haunting him on the other side, assuming he was in the Nether Realm?

Surprisingly, Austin strutted past me with his necromancess friend following behind. Neither me nor Brandon saw where the duo came from.

"When did you guys get here?" Brandon asked.

"Just now," Austin replied with a chuckle.

The woman carried with her a warped wooden staff, engraved with strange, arcane symbols. At the top of the staff sat an eyeball-sized violet and pink marbled orb that radiated a mysterious hair-raising aura. A promethean orb? I wonder what it does.

The necromancess appeared older than all of us, her skin thin and tanned with some wrinkles. Her natural silver hair was clasped together in a bun with long, sharp metallic needles. She wore a brown leather corset studded with polished malachite beads, and below her waist she wore a brown leather skirt and brown leather moccasins adorned with exotic malachite-green feathers. She stood as erect as a statue, very confident, but not proud. She also wore oval lens glasses with a wispy sea-green frame. The necromancess's eyes were the last thing I noticed. Her eyes were a dull gray and without color. Maybe she was blind? Who cares? I thought. Though the necromancess seemed as if she was hundreds of years older than I was, I was attracted to her in more ways than one. She looked old enough to be my mother, but I didn't care. I thought devious thoughts of romancing her, but I quickly stopped daydreaming once I remembered why she was here with us.

I had to mention her eyes. "Don't tell me. You're--"

"Not all witches are blind. I was born blind, born to be an oracle, but I fled my homeland to become a witch. My name is Dorothy Nethers, but people call me Ms. Nethers. I never had a husband. I never needed one.

"You must be Chase Cringle. I didn't know your parents, but I did know the last generation of Argentums, your forgotten ancestors from your mother's side of your family. The Argentum Tribe was a vampire tribe that existed for thirteen-hundred years, then suddenly disappeared from the history books."

Ms. Nethers pointed at Brandon. "That skinny asian boy over there is a descendant of the Cuprum Tribe. I can tell by his aura."

Ms. Nethers then lowered her head toward Jeriah. "This boy that lay dead. He has Aurum blood in him. I suppose he is the one I am to heal. If I revive your friend, there is a great possibility of reviving The Great Feud. But I will do what I must. What exactly happened to your friend?"

I summarized what happened. "My friend, Jeriah, was shot dead. The bullet tore a hole in his chest. He died about a minute later."

Ms. Nethers continued with her questions. "He must have been in tremendous pain and suffering. What happened before that?"

"Orrus, the vampire that shot Jeriah, he made us play a sadistic game. We had to toss a live grenade to each other until it exploded. I chose not to play. Brandon and I might've survived being blown up, but not Jeriah. So I threw the grenade at Orrus. Orrus shot Jeriah because of me."

"Okay. We can either take the long road to recovery, or the short road to recovery. Both roads lead to the same outcome."

"We'd rather take the short road to recovery, miss," Brandon intervened.

"Then we take the short road. If all goes right, your friend will be back to normal in no time. This process will involve advanced magic, a ritual designed by ancient necromancers. It's a simple ritual. Not so simple for a fledgling, though. But simple enough for me. Allow me to prepare the necessities for the ritual I will be leading. I will need all three of you young men to help me, once I have done my part."

"What do you need to do first?" I asked.

"First, we must fix the wounded heart. There's no need to procure a new one."

"No need?" Brandon blurted.

"No need at all. You, skinny asian boy, you stand over here. This spot right here."

Brandon was a little slow to get into position, but he did as he was told, and he moved into position between me and Austin in a circle around Jeriah.

The old lady reached her hand down to help me up, and I accepted. I then went to stand on the spot between her and Brandon.

"Austin, let's have you stand next to me," Ms. Nethers said.

"Sure," Austin replied.

Ms. Nethers sauntered toward Jeriah on the pavement, his blood soaking the pavement and trickling down the side of the street and through a grate and into the sewers below. Ms. Nethers somehow knew where to step to avoid staining her moccasins, utilizing her staff as a cane.

"Austin. You have a knife on you, don't you?"

"I do."

Austin revealed a serrated dagger hidden underneath his black robe and pulled it out of its sheath.

"Austin. When I say the words, you must draw my blood by cutting into the palm of my hand, then you must throw the knife to the ground, then return to your position in the circle. Don't worry about hurting me. I've become numb to physical pain over the centuries."

"I can do that," Austin assured Ms. Nethers.

"Okay, then. At my command."

Ms. Nethers clung to her staff, steadily lifting it up high above Jeriah. She shut her eyes in concentration, and she spoke deeply, in Latin, a phrase that sent my spine crawling and my body shivering. "Surge, custos." I knew what Ms. Nethers said, as if Latin came naturally to me. Strange. The witch was summoning some kind of guardian.

I was already cold and lacking body heat, but the cold I'm speaking of is a spiritual and mental coldness that affected my body and spirit. I felt frozen, as if I was hopeless and helpless both.

Austin, at the que, grabbed Ms. Nethers' right hand and cut deep into her palm and blood trickled down her hand. Ms. Nethers then walked over to Jeriah's body, held out her right hand over Jeriah's wound, and she allowed her blood to drip into the wound.

Ms. Nethers spoke even more Latin, this time louder and more stern. "Sanandum."

A pulse of energy escaped the promethean orb mounted upon Ms. Nether's staff. Time seemed to stand still. An invisible force began to repair Jeriah's wound, regenerating his lost flesh and blood. The wind howled as a squall formed overhead, the wind blowing and rushing and weaving around us as the wind itself and all its energy and dust and debris was siphoned into Ms. Nethers's promethean orb. The orb began to glow red hot, and the orb outpoured a twisting, turning stream of shiny red particles that was absorbed by Jeriah's wound. The chaotic wind whipped and veered, bellowing terrifying howls. Lightning streaked across the darkened sky as the sharp, agonizing whistling of the wind tormented my ears. Ms. Nethers, though, never faltered, never moved an inch. None of us vampires dared to move from our position.

Over the potent whistling from Ms. Nethers' dreaded staff, Brandon screamed, "WOMAN! WHAT HAVE YOU SUMMONED!"

Ms. Nethers' eyelids opened to reveal bright, flashing silvery-white eyes. She formed a wide grin in response to Brandon

"WOMAN! END THIS SORCERY AT ONCE!" Brandon shouted.

The roar of the wind and lightning grew louder, deafening everyone around me. Unable to grab onto anything, I was helplessly pulled toward Ms. Nethers' staff. Then Austin came soaring, his arms stretched out over his head. Finally Brandon came skidding on the pavement, marching against the pull of the orb. Brandon lost his footing and slammed into Austin while yelling several inaudible curses. We all seemed to scream, hoping to get Ms. Nethers' attention, all of us huddled together, crammed next to Ms. Nethers' staff. But Ms. Nethers couldn't hear us. She seemed possessed and zoned out. All the while Jeriah's body lay recovering, tissue and flesh regenerating in the void in his chest. A new heart, much more powerful and efficient, was forming within him. He would be as good as new, I hoped.

Once finished with the procedure, the blood-red aura subsided, and Ms. Nethers passed out, drained, her eyes shut; I moved to catch her. I then laid her down gently on the concrete sidewalk.

Jeriah lay, still very much dead, but his body was restored. He appeared as if he was in a deep slumber.

"That was wild!" Austin shouted, on his feet, staggering in circles.

Brandon was on his knees, bent over, his pupils dilated while he clawed at his face. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck."

I slapped Ms. Nethers cheek as gently as possible to wake her.

No response.

I tried slapping Ms. Nethers again with more force.

Ms. Nethers awoke with a shriek. "CHILD! Don't ever startle me like that again!"

I attempted to calm Ms. Nethers. "It's me, Chase."

"Oh, Chase. I must thank you for not letting me fall and hurt myself. Could you help me up? And have that skinny asian boy fetch me my staff."

"Sure, I said. "Brandon, pick up Ms. Nethers' staff and hand it to her, please."

Feeling obligated, I helped Ms. Nethers to her feet, and Brandon returned the staff to Ms. Nethers.

"Thank you very much, skinny asian boy," Ms. Nethers praised Brandon. "Thank you too, Chase. Now that I have my staff, I feel much better, and I can stand on my own."

I interrupted Ms. Nethers to ask, "Is Jeriah ready for the transformation? Will he survive?"

"'Yes. Definitely. Just do what you need to do," Ms. Nethers replied.

Ms. Nethers turned toward Austin. "Austin, you know where to find me if you need me."

Austin replied with a hearty laugh, "I always know where to find you, darling!"

"I have to go so I can get back home and cook lunch, kiddos," Ms. Nethers said. "You're always welcome at my place! See ya' around, boys!"

Ms. Nethers tossed a handful of obsidian-black ashes at the ground beneath her, then she vanished, leaving no trace of her presence.

Austin pierced the silence. "So, guys. Ready to make goldilocks a vampire?"