33. Kami

33

Kami

I have to be very careful about this. It's one thing for Ries to be okay with me sipping from him, but he doesn't know I'm a necromancer. He thinks I'm some kind of energy feeder.

Oz has no idea I already, accidentally, took from him. And Malkar will obviously kill me if he learns I serve at Death's whim.

I just wish I was as almighty powerful and dangerous as they all think my kind are.

I can't access the Veil, that space between life and death. I can't just kill people with a look. I can only sip from their life force if they allow me to, and that's the trickiest thing, getting them to give to me what they never willingly would.

So far in life, I've been chased, nearly raped, nearly killed, and beaten so many times I can't count. And though I might have deserved a few of those beatings, I find it unfair that my existence alone, as a necromancer, is what will guarantee my death .

Yeah, not sure what's so scary about me considering I'm the planet's most wanted.

I clear my throat. "I need a little privacy for this. It's a dryad thing."

Everyone but Malkar turns around.

I lock gazes with him and wait.

He huffs. "Fine. But if he dies, you're taking his place. A life for a life."

"Sure. Fine."

Once he finally turns, I plant my hands on the ground and pretend to search for an apple tree. I can't find one. In fact, most of the trees around me are psychotic and elven in feel. Which shouldn't be possible.

It's Beyrthnel. The war god's energy has saturated the grounds with so much blood and death.

After a moment though, I find a lone faeberry tree some distance away, one who is thrilled to find what it thinks is a normal dryad.

After settling it down by giving it a boost of life, it happily points me in the direction of a meyerbane shrub, which is my real goal.

Then it tells me to beware the rest of the woods, which aren't safe for dryads.

Unfortunately, something I already knew.

"How long is this going to take?" Malkar snaps.

"Shut it, demon." Oz groans. "You're almost as annoying as Firefly."

Malkar chuckles. "Good one."

I concentrate and hurry. Now that no one's watching, I reach out to a weak sapling just rooted in the nearby tree line. I pull some energy from it and tug it to sprout near me. Then, I'm not sure how, I reach inside myself and conjure need.

My own essence wraps around the possibility of life from death. Crash's end is a new beginning—a concept those afraid of necromancers don't understand.

We usher in death to create new life. Without an end, there can be no beginning. But no one seems to understand that.

We're branded evil, tainted, unworthy.

Something Ahza always argued against, that I was the best of us both because of my necromancer power.

I smile in remembrance, a tear slipping down my cheek as I realize losing Crash isn't something Ahza would want.

If anything, my brother would want me to revive Crash so I could force him to owe me for the rest of his miserable life.

With a chuckle, I let the love for Ahza bloom, and the sapling grows next to us and produces one perfect red apple. Its small leaves are copper and black in color, not green.

My fruit. My life.

I pluck it with thanks, and the others turn and stare with wide eyes.

Will this bind Crash to me, like it bound Oz?

I hesitate and glance at Oz, who shakes his head and smiles. "It was never the apple, Kami."

I flush, still convinced he's mistaken, and turn back to Crash. Malkar gets to the ground and puts Crash's head in his lap.

He takes the apple from me, sniffs it, and his eyes widen. "Oh, sweet. And a bit of that ambrosia scent." He studies me. "You are much more than you seem, little dryad."

Ries crouches and stares at the apple with longing. "Hey, don't give it to Crash. Give it to me. I'm hungry."

Malkar watches me as he takes a large bite.

He chews slowly.

"It's poisonous," I tell him softly.

He freezes. The others grow still .

"With girl germs." I scoff. "You big dope. Just give him the fruit. It'll help heal him. I laced it with meyerbane."

Ries nods with approval. "Nice."

"That's what she gave me in the dungeon, and it's what allowed me to heal enough to survive," Oz says.

Malkar watches me a moment more as he swallows the fruit. He bites off another piece and puts it in Crash's mouth. "Chew it up, boy. Or I'll chew it for you and make you eat it. The way a mother bird feeds her young."

Crash screws his face and eats, and I realize the fae has been alert for some time.

"Ha. Faker." Ries stands and looks down on Crash with humor. And relief.

Oz looks happier too. Perhaps I wasn't the only one worried about our comrade, just the only one willing to show my anxiety.

Crash chews slowly. Malkar feeds him piece by piece, until only an apple core is left.

But I don't want it to seed here. Not in this place devoted to Beyrthnel. I'm still planning to go back to Rilitar's dungeon and get rid of the apple tree there.

I hold out my hand, and Malkar gives me the core, which I tuck in the band of my trousers.

"I can use it to sprout apples if we need it again." I explain.

Then I withdraw my energy from the taproot and watch it die.

I would normally feel remorse for killing a tree, but this species isn't natural. It's already tainted by a war god bent on feeding it innocent lives for a pitiless glory.

I'm tired, but Crash is looking better. His cheeks have some color, the fiery fae coming back as he blinks up at us all.

I'm waiting for him to thank me, or at least to exclaim that he's been saved from Death's maw .

Malkar looks downright chipper. "There you are, Firefly. Try to be more responsible, hmm? Your death belongs to me, remember."

"How am I alive?" Crash rasps and slowly sits up with Malkar's aid.

Oz answers, "We kicked everyone's ass to save you. Then Kami fed you a magic apple and helped heal you." Oz smirks. "You're bound to her now."

I give him a sharp look, but he's ignoring me, too busy messing with Crash's head.

Ries chimes in, "That's right. You're essentially serving her as well as Malkar." He chuckles. "You little slut."

Malkar finds that hilarious. Then the others laugh so hard they're crying.

Except for me and Crash, staring at each other.

I can't help being amused by his horrified expression.

But I'm a little insulted when he pales and rubs his heart.

And swears, "Fuck, me. Death, where are you when I need you?"