13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Natasya

I grit my teeth together, tightening my hold on Evengi's leg as he threatens to slip out of my sweaty grip.

"Put your back into it, Papa," I grunt out.

The skeleton clacks its teeth in return as if in protest. I roll my eyes. "This is all your fault. If you could have been a little less conspicuously dead, then we wouldn't even be in this mess."

My eyes dart down to Evengi's head as it lolls against his chest where he lays against my father's ribcage. Father has him under the arms, and I'm shuffling along behind him trying to hold up Evengi's legs. For such a skinny man, he is far heavier than he looks.

Unfortunately, my sorcery has no control over the living. I can only control soulless things such as the dead or inanimate objects. If I served a different demigod, I could have different abilities afforded to me, but I chose to serve the same demigod as my father and have the ability to manipulate the dead.

It's the most feared form of sorcery, but only because it's the most powerful. People fear what they can't control, and so they fear the dead. I have no such worries.

Forest leaves crunch under my boots, and I pause long enough to glance around to make sure that we are still alone. I couldn't very well leave Evengi in my house, so then I got the bright idea to drag him out in the forest and figure out what to do with him there.

Unfortunately, the dragging is proving to be more difficult than usual, and my father is not helping. I drop Evengi's legs and straighten, pressing my hands to my back. The skeleton continues on dragging Evengi along behind him but moving fairly slowly.

"You know, my actual father Elwis would be far more useful here," I scold the skeleton which lets out an angry clatter of teeth.

I roll my arms, stretching the sore muscles. "He actually has muscles and sinews." I'm having to use the force of my will to hold the skeleton together and keep it from falling apart under Evengi's weight which means that I'm having to exert double the energy just to move this frustrating enigma out of my cellar.

I hike up my skirt and stride through the forest, leaving behind the floundering skeleton. I find what I'm looking for beyond the next stretch of trees. The rolling burial mounds of Heretic's Rest.

A light mist hangs low to the ground, and a fence warns off those stupid enough to not realize that they're about to enter. A mass grave.

With the constant threat of necromancers turning the dead against the living, graves are usually isolated places tended by only priests of Thyre, the god of Skyhold, far from any towns. However, this particular graveyard is a place of pride and so Sunder Hollow was built just next to it.

Still, I am quite certain that I won't find anyone here. Even the people of Sunder Hollow don't stray too close to the Heretic's Rest.

The mounds are half grassy dirt and half built up with stones for support. Each has an opening that leads into the dark caverns beyond. The doorway is made of massive stones stacked on each other.

I turn seeing my father's skeleton struggling up to me, resolute in his task. I find his skeleton far better company than he was when he was living, at least I can admire the skeleton for never giving up.

If I give an order, it will follow it till it falls apart if need be.

I couldn't even get my father to give me a warm meal when I asked nicely.

"Just a little further, Papa," I tell it encouragingly as I duck my head into the burial mound. It's dark and dank, but the bodies here have been dead long enough that at least they don't stink. Normally grave keepers fill these mounds with sage and other herbs to mask the scent of decay, but no grave keeper has tended these mounds.

No one would do such a service to the corpses of necromancers. The only reason they were buried was to hide their bodies away to keep other necromancers from controlling them. I fold my arms, my eyes moving over the shelves lined with piles of bones.

Necromancers laid to their eternal rest. All their power over death and they couldn't save themselves from it.

I blink as light comes into the shadowy crypt and turn to see my father's bones shuffle in, dragging Evengi along behind him. Evengi's torch is wedged through my father's ribcage where I put it before we set out. I pull the torch out and gesture to the far wall. "Put him over there," I order.

Technically, I don't even need to speak to the skeleton. Speaking is how magickers control their magic; sorcerers are above such base need for control. We simply will it and it becomes so.

However, it makes me feel better to speak to the skeleton, makes it seem like he actually listens to me instead of being my unflinching puppet.

The bones creak slightly as the skeleton drags Evengi across the tomb. I glance around for a place to rest the torch but am drawn away from my task by Evengi's groan. He's coming too.

I feel my eyes widen as I look around for something to restrain him before my gaze falls on the two burial shelves Papa's skeleton placed Evengi between. As soon as the thought occurs, two skeletal hands swing out from their resting places and grasp Evengi's arms holding them above his head.

I smirk to myself as Evengi blinks his eyes open. Papa's skeleton shambles toward me and takes the torch out of my hand as Evengi glances around his eyes growing steadily wider.

"I'm sure you have some questions," I say brushing some dust off my skirts. "I know I do."

"You're a necromancer," he breathes. He pulls back, just then seeming to notice that his hands are being held in place by the skeletons in my control. He glances around at the crypt we are inside of. "Did you bring me out here to kill me?" he asks, raising a brow. He seems oddly calm for a man who thinks he is staring into the face of death. Almost as if he has seen death before and now knows it as a friend.

I cross my arms. "That depends, I suppose. On your answers to my questions." I step toward him, pausing above him. I kneel down so that I am on his level and brace my hand against the stone wall. I stare into his eyes, so clear blue even in the flickering dim lighting. "Where is Brom?"

"I assume in here somewhere." Evengi glances around with confusion. "Unless you did something else with his body."

I pull back, narrowing my eyes. "I didn't do anything to Brom."

Evengi laughs, actually laughs, and tilts his head up at me. "Forgive me if I don't take a practicing heretic's word for it."

I push to my feet pacing away. "No, you have him. You took him somewhere, and I will not let you go until you tell me where he is and that he is fine."

Evengi snaps his mouth shut and tilts his head as he studies me. "I'm not sure what mind games you are trying to play with me, but I won't give you the satisfaction."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask and at my words the skeletons tighten their hold on Evengi's arm.

He winces before he glances up at me, shaking his head to move his hair out of his face. "You're not letting me go, not now that I know your little secret."

I work my jaw as I stare into Evengi's defiant gaze. I'll admit, I'm not sure what to do with him once he tells me where Brom is.

I may play with the dead, but I've never actually killed anyone before. That's my father's and Corallin's territory. My mother always kept Bronwyn and I away from that part of his business saying we were too young to have any business killing.

I always knew eventually that would change; one couldn't remain too young forever. I'll admit, I never put too much thought into it.

I certainly never thought I'd hesitate when the time came to do so. I even have a good reason to kill him, to protect my secret and yet I can't help but find myself trying to reason out a way that I can get out of this without having to kill Evengi.

I could keep him here until I have the spellbook. Once I'm back with my family, I'll be safe from Evengi's accusations. Then he can tell Sunder Hollow all my dirty secrets.

But none of that will matter until I find Brom and make certain he is all right.

Then I'll have to figure out just what to do with this Evengi Ichabod.