Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

S alima backed away from me, her small frame seeming almost childlike as she pressed herself against the far wall of the tiny room. Her wide eyes were laced with horror, a look that cut through me like a knife. It was as if I had personally signed her death warrant.

Her arm raised slightly, a feeble attempt to shield herself, and the realization hit me hard—she was truly afraid of me. My heart twisted in confusion and sorrow. Why would she fear a guardian? We were dedicated to peace and the safety of our community, protectors sworn to uphold justice and harmony.

"Salima," I said softly, trying to keep my voice calm and reassuring, "We are not here to hurt you."

Her eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape that didn't exist, and she flinched at my words, shrinking further into herself. The fear in her gaze was palpable, a living, breathing thing that filled the space between us.

"Please," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Don't let anyone see that." She motioned to the glowing charm.

I took a step back, giving her space, and held up my hands to show I meant no harm. "I would never hurt you, Salima. And I will be returning the charm bracelet to the vault as soon as we talk. We won't tell anyone about you. Especially your coven."

She flinched, then shook her head, disbelief etched into her features. "Then why are you here? What do you want from me?"

Her questions hung in the air, heavy with suspicion and dread. I struggled to find the right words, to bridge the chasm of fear that had opened between us. "I'm here to find a coven necromancer. My mother told me you aren't dark, but she didn't know who you were. We came here to meet the healer. We had no idea you were the necro," I said, my voice gentle but firm.

Salima shook her head. "I'm not a necromancer. I'm a healer. Your magic bracelet is picking up residue from me working on people close to death. I don't bring them back. I only heal."

I shared a glance with Faith. We both knew Salima was lying, but her fear permeated the air, and I suspected she had a very good reason for keeping her necro talent hidden. "Salima, this is the Guardian's Talisman. It was designed to ferret out certain magics. It doesn't lie. You are a necromancer."

Salima shook her head and glanced at the door.

Faith stood up and held out her hands in a nonthreatening way. "Salima, I have no idea why you are scared of us, but I don't lie, and I don't pull punches. We need your help. Tegan was attacked and we need you to use some necro artifact named the Necromancer's Soulglass to find the Temporal Echo, so we can figure out who is targeting her family. I will give you any guarantee, money, whatever you want if you help us. And just so we are clear, I would douche with acid before I told Lucinda or the council about your ability. The only ones we will tell will be members of our inner circle. The Sacred Sisters and their men."

Salima huffed. "You have no idea what you are asking me."

Faith nodded. "Yes, I do. I grew up here and with what Caton and the rest of the town did to me, I couldn't wait to leave. I was a pariah, so I am more than familiar with what it feels like to be different and not accepted. I never thought I would want to live here, but life is funny sometimes. Everything I ran from ended up being the things I needed to survive. We won't betray your trust, Salima, and I will kill anyone who does."

Salima stared at Faith in disbelief. "You're not lying."

Faith pulled her keys from her pocket and began to slip her fingers around her kubotan. "Yeah, I prefer to be upfront with those I plan to maim or kill."

Salima was clearly undecided about what to do. She stared at the floor for some time. "You don't understand."

"Explain it to us," I said.

Salima's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and for a moment, she looked even younger, more vulnerable. "You don't know what they did?"

My mind raced. What had been done to her to instill such terror? Who had twisted the image of a guardian into something to be feared? I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. "Help me understand, Salima. Tell me what happened."

She hesitated, her gaze flicking to the door and then back to me. "They told me... they told me you would come for me," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "That you would end me."

"Who told you this?" I asked, a cold dread settling in my stomach.

She swallowed hard, her eyes haunted. "The Salem council. They said... that if anyone found out I was a necro, someone would come to silence me, to keep their secrets safe."

My blood ran cold. The council. The very people who were supposed to uphold our laws, to ensure justice and safety, had instilled this fear in her. "Salima, I swear to you, I'm not here to silence you. I'm here to protect you, and so is Faith."

Her gaze softened slightly, the terror still there but mingled now with a flicker of hope. "Why?"

"We judge people based on their character, not their abilities," I said, my voice steady. As soon as I said the words, I knew that wasn't true of Spencer, and I vowed to do better.

She nodded slowly, still wary but no longer trembling. As the tension in the room began to ease, I knew this was only the beginning. The truth behind her fear, behind the council's actions, was a mystery. And it meant that at least one Salem council member knew what Salima could do.

Faith motioned to the chairs, and we all sat down. Faith passed a cookie to Salima and while she took it, she simply held it in her hand. "I will apologize right now for not knowing much about necromancers. So, tell me why your first instinct was to run from us?"

"Because you were looking for me. I don't understand how that charm works, but it's a death sentence to my kind. If there are any of us left, that is."

Faith and I shared a glance.

"My mother is my guide. She is connected to the veil, so she could sense you, but she couldn't pinpoint you, which is unusual considering your gift."

Salima closed her eyes for a moment. "Your mother has passed on. The bracelet is kept in the dark vault. You don't normally wear it."

My eyes widened. "How did you know that?"

Salima huffed. "I have a spirit guide of sorts as well. I am surprised your mother could sense me. She must be very powerful. I have gone to great lengths to shroud my power."

My forehead scrunched. "How can you shroud your power at all times? You would get exhausted."

Faith grunted. "The tats. They aren't just for show. They are a type of ward. I have seen runes with similar symbols on them."

Salima's jaw dropped slightly before she snapped it shut. "I am surprised you could detect that. You aren't empowered and I have a ward for every species on my body."

Faith winked at her. "Tri-bred, remember. You would have had to make one just for me, but I've already seen them and know what you are, so there is not much point now, is there?"

Salima stared at Faith for a moment. "No. You and Tegan have the power to end me. And I don't mean kill me. You simply have to tell everyone about me, and it will be over. I will be cut from my coven and die by the end of the day."

Faith leaned toward her. "That isn't going to happen. We need to discuss a few things, but I want you to understand we won't let anyone harm you."

Salima stared at Faith as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Why did you go to such lengths to track me down? What does this Temporal Echo do? If it's some sort of time travel device, I won't do it."

I shook my head. "I don't think there is such a thing as true time travel. The echo simply allows you to revisit an event and watch it again. I was drugged with Rohypnol, and I want to determine if my daughter or I were the intended target and who placed the drug in my drink. It could have been added magically, but I can cast a spell to trace that in the echo if it was. Events cannot be changed."

Salima sighed. "I am more sorry than you know that happened to you. I honestly would help if I could, but I need authorization from a council member and since I'm not allowed to tell them I'm a necro, that's impossible."

Faith leaned back in her chair. "Nishi is part of our sisterhood, and as of now, so are you. She will ask you officially and we will keep your involvement between us. You didn't tell us, so you have not broken the coven's mandate." Faith moved her fingers around, "This secretive... I am the coven's bitch, life you have going. That is going to change."

Salima's eyes softened. "I appreciate what you are offering, Faith, and it means more to me than you know. I have a knack for lies and you mean every word. You literally would die for the ones you choose as family, but my time on this earth is limited. The council and my coven are one thing, but the dangers of using my power are far more malicious than either."

Faith and I leaned forward. "What are you talking about?"

Salima took a bite of her cookie, but seemed like she did more to collect her thoughts than needing sustenance. "Necro power was never meant for humans. Even the most powerful fae struggle to keep their intentions pure. Using my powers is like giving a drug addict opium. At first it's the best high you can imagine, but it doesn't take long for a necro to realize the road they are on. The more you use it, the quicker you lose yourself. I have never summoned without supervision... except the first time."

Faith rubbed her lips. "How did you find out you had necro powers?"

Salima looked down at her hands and her finger traced a tattoo of a sleeping cat. "His name was Mica. My parents gave him to me when I was three. He was completely black, and I was convinced he could shapeshift when I was a child. I later understood it was just my imagination and that I just loved him so much. He seemed more to me than just a cat."

Faith smiled. "I felt the same way about my first pet. But my current one owns my heart."

Salima smiled. "Is it a cat?"

Faith shook her head. "Brutus is a dragon."

Salima's jaw dropped. "The dragon. That is your pet?"

"More like my baby, but it's a long story. I will introduce you when you are ready."

Salima stared at Faith as if she were a god. I understood why. Faith didn't see the world the same way most people did. There were no gray areas for her. You were a friend, or a foe and she didn't care what species you were, or what you looked like. If you were loyal to her, she would die for you. "I would like that."

Faith nodded. "Tell me about Mica. What happened to him?"

Salima shrugged. "Old age. He was fifteen when his organs began to fail, and I took him to the healer. She was a kind woman and even though pets were not in her mandate, she healed Mica to the best of her ability. I was already designated as a healer and my community was preparing me to be an apprentice. There were two other healers which was rare for a coven, and we knew at least one of us would end up being transferred."

I grabbed one of the cookies from the plate. "I didn't know that healers could help animals."

Salima shrugged. "It's considered a waste of resources, and you can't sustain them long as they have shorter life spans."

Faith turned to me. "See why I picked an immortal pet?"

I gave her a droll look. "Brutus picked you."

Faith smiled. "My dragon has good taste."

Salima stared at Faith. "You're very strange, Faith. And that is a lot coming from me."

Faith grinned. "I like it that way. Who wants to be normal?"

Salima smiled. "Anyway, Mica continued to decline despite the healer's efforts. It was a school night, and I was a month from graduation. He meowed loudly at about three in the morning and I woke up, realizing he was sacred. He wasn't in pain, and I think he wanted to say goodbye."

"He passed away?" I asked.

Salima nodded. "I was so upset that I shook with his dead body in my arms. I had tried to heal him, but I was a novice, and his organs were past the point of no return. When I was lost in my grief, my necro power flared."

"You raised a ghost cat?" Faith asked.

Salima shook her head. "I raised him. He sat up and stared at me before rubbing against my hand. At first, I thought it was a miracle. That he had simply had some kind of seizure, but I began to feel the connection and understood. I had done this."

"What did you do?" I asked, enthralled by her story.

Salima rubbed her forehead roughly. "I kept it a secret. My cat was always with me unless I was at school, so nobody knew he was dead. It wasn't until two weeks later that the truth came out."

"Did the cat begin to act differently? I hear ghosts can get unruly if they don't pass on," Faith asked.

"No. Mica was barely dead when I resurrected him, so he acted as he had in life and was totally committed to me. It was a boy at school who was bullying me that started a series of events I could never change."

"What happened?" Faith asked.

"He followed me home and was saying some hurtful things. He was the brother of one of the other healers, and they had decided I should be the one who had to move. I wasn't popular in Salem like the other two girls with healing abilities. They both came from rich families, though one had far less talent than me."

"How does a boy calling you names have anything to do with Mica?"

"I stopped on my front lawn to tell the boy to go to hell. That if he kept it up, I was reporting him to the council. He made the mistake of slapping me."

"Bastard," Faith said.

"Yeah, well, Mica was in my bedroom window waiting for me as usual. When he saw me slapped, he attacked the boy."

"He hurt a young bully warlock. Good for the cat," Faith said.

"That warlock used magic on Mica. Magic that should have killed my cat. His eye burst in one socket, but that didn't stop him. He shredded that boy's face before I could pull him away."

"The boy accused you of necromancy?" Faith guessed.

Salima shook her head. "Nobody thought of that. They assumed I used dark magic, and I was pulled before the council for testing."

"Those tests would have been negative," I said.

"Yes, they were. But they could tell I was using my powers. They just didn't know what they were. I had to come clean with them and to say they were stunned was an understatement."

I scrunched my face. "I don't understand. I thought you would get addicted to using the power. You had an open line of communication with the dead for two weeks and it didn't seem to affect you."

Salima nodded. "The council assumed it was because my magic was immature, and I hadn't raised Mica for nefarious means. A child's love is as pure as it gets, and his resurrection was not a conscious decision. They ordered me to release him, and I refused."

Faith whistled. "If your coven is anything like ours, I am sure that went over like a lead balloon."

Salima nodded. "They called my mother to reason with me and told her if I didn't release Mica before midnight, then I would be released from the coven."

My jaw dropped. "They threatened to kill a teenager?"

Salima nodded. "I cried and cried as my mother told me that she couldn't live without me. My dad had passed a few years before and she begged me. I still don't think I would have done it, but Mica began to nuzzle my hand. He still had a missing eyeball, and I realized there would be no way to fix it. His body couldn't heal."

"Mica knew you were in danger," Faith whispered.

Salima nodded. "It was his way of telling me to let him go. I had a couple of hours till midnight, so I asked my mom for that time and agreed to release him before midnight. She pet him one last time and left."

I wiped a tear from my eyes, knowing what was coming. "What did you do?"

"It was pointless, but I cleaned his eyes as best I could and cuddled with him in my bed. I told him all the reasons he was the best friend I had ever had, and to this day he has been the most loyal friend I've ever had." She paused for a moment and smiled. "I kept my promise. The minutes ticked by and three minutes to twelve my mother knocked on my door."

"I kissed his head and released his spirit. I felt him slip away, but there was no pain, only his love for me."

Faith sniffed, but she never let the tears that dusted her lashes fall. "That's a beautiful story Salima and nothing about that sounds dark to me."

Salima sighed. "It wasn't, but the few times I have used my powers to aid the coven have been far different."

Faith stared at Salima for a moment. "Mica may have been your only friend growing up, but that is going to change. I didn't expect you to trust us right away. I know what it's like to be an outsider and it took a lot of patience on my friends' part for me to accept they were genuine."

Salima nodded. "I have told you more about me in the last ten minutes than anyone since my mother died."

I touched Salima's hand. "We appreciate it. It sounds like life was no picnic in the coven for you."

Faith crossed her arms. "If their leader was anything like Lucinda, then it was worse than that. I wouldn't trust our lead witch with a dollar."

Salima grunted. "Lucinda and Helena are very much alike. Them being friends does not work to my advantage, but she isn't the one in the council who hates me the most. Anyone with knowledge of my necro powers doesn't trust me."

I thought about some of the things we had learned about Salima. "I heard the townsfolk liked you. Or at least trusted your abilities."

Salima nodded. "That is true. They are not aware of my necro powers. The council wanted it kept a secret. I was instructed to help anyone who asked for it but not to form... lasting relationships."

"But your coven has used you in the past," Faith said.

Salima nodded. "I don't wish to discuss that."

Faith glanced at me, and we both knew we had gotten all we would about Salima's past. "We need Eve and Nishi."

Salima's eyes snapped to Faith. "Eve, as in Caton's wife?"

Faith made a grunt of disgust. "Not anymore. Caton dumped her for Lucinda. But Eve got the last laugh. She mated Hunter, the shifter alpha, and they are both deliriously happy."

"Really?" Salima asked.

Faith nodded. "She traded her limp biscuit for some stud sausage."

I smacked Faith's arm.

She pretended to be hurt and rubbed her arm. "I'm a succubus demon. What do you expect?"

Salima pursed her lips, but I could tell she was trying not to laugh. "I'm glad things worked out for Eve. Nobody deserves to be power-sucked like that."

Faith turned back to Salima. "How do you know about that, but not Eve's divorce?"

Salima glanced away. "I will help you, but I need Nishi's authorization."