20. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Natasya

" I don't want to witness what they will force me to do next," Brom says, his tone broken. I blink as he begins fading away, the tree behind him becoming clearer and clearer till I can't even tell if he is still here.

"I'm sorry," his voice comes again, faint like a whisper.

"Brom wait!" I cry, but he is already gone.

I have so many more questions to ask, apologies to say, explanations to give. But he's gone.

The truth is, he's been gone for a while, I just didn't want to consider it. It was easier to blame Evengi because at least I doubted Evengi would have killed him. But that doesn't change the grim truth that Brom the Bones has been dead all along.

I raise my hand to cover the side of my face as I draw in deep panicked breaths as I stare at the pile of leaves where Brom used to be. Suddenly, someone grips my arms and yanks me around. Hard enough to jolt me back to the present moment. I find myself staring into Evengi's wide eyes. "My name is not Evengi Ichabod. My name is Ivan Fyodorov."

"Fyodorov?" I whisper the name as faintly in the back of my mind it rings with familiarity. I've heard that name before.

He pushes me away from him. "If I don't make it, find my family and tell them I love them."

I stumble back in surprise, nearly tripping over the hem of my skirt as I watch a large black horse break through the trees. Now that I get a look at it, I recognize it as Brom's steed. Only its eyes have a strange and unnatural glow to them.

My eyes travel up the horse to its headless rider. As I see it up close, I see Brom's tunic, the neckline stained with dried blood. The rider carries a sword that must have been buried with the necromancers. An ancient blade but still sharp enough to have taken off his head.

My eyes flick down to his belt and the leather-bound book strapped to it. Evengi wraps his arms around me and throws us back as the horse rushes forward. The sword swings through the air, only just missing Evengi's neck

We both hit the ground, but I barely have the chance to catch my breath before Evengi is scrambling off me and yanking me to my feet. He shoves me to my feet.

"Run, Natasya, it's your heart they want."

"What about you?" I gasp out. My mind seems sluggish with everything happening. I want to slap myself and focus, but I can't seem to jar myself out of the stupor of learning that Brom is dead.

He smirks at me as he picks up a large branch as the horse prances in a circle to come back around. He swings it around like it's a blade, and it's evident that he has a fair bit of training. "I'll hold it off while you get away."

I stumble back several steps as Evengi raises the stick to block the next swing of the horseman then the rush of clarity comes over me. He's giving me a chance to get away and I'm squandering that opportunity in my dazed confusion.

I whirl on my heel and hike up my skirts as I take off through the woods. I need to get back to my father, he will know how to proceed and how to deal with this threat of necromancers. He will have the men available to kill them all over again. Then we can take Brom's spellbook, and my mission here in Sunder Hollow will be complete.

And I'll just have to live with the humiliation that my sister was able to accomplish her task of gaining a spellbook, but I could not without needing help.

I hate admitting defeat, but even I am not mad enough to face off against a hundred necromancers.

But Evengi is…

I shake my head at that thought. Evengi just needs to survive until I get help. He's uniquely suited for it, perhaps he can reason with the ghosts.

"If you take one more step, I will command my thrall to kill him."

I skid to a stop, slipping on wet leaves as I turn my head to see a transparent figure standing only a short distance away. He has a long black cloak with the hood pulled far over his face, hiding most of his features from view but I can see enough to make out his slimy eel of a smile. And I happen to be an expert on eels.

"And something tells me you don't want that," he continues.

I narrow my eyes as I study the ghost. There's a possibility that he is bluffing. Even if he isn't I should keep going. I'm bolstered by the fact that it's actually what Evengi would want.

He would do anything to keep the necromancers from winning, even if it means saving my life. But there's a niggling truth telling me that isn't his reason for saving me. After all, if he truly wanted to foil their plans, all it would take is killing me.

No, I think he actually chose to save me. For whatever reason that I'm not sure I could understand even after I've lived a hundred years.

And that keeps me from taking another step forward and sealing his fate.

I don't know what sort of man would potentially sacrifice himself to save his mortal enemy, but I know that the world would be a worse off place if it loses someone like that.

So, instead of turning and running, even if it's what Evengi would want me to do, I take a step toward the necromancer's ghost instead.

I feel my eyebrows rise and a smile play across my face as I realize that the dead necromancers may have a bargaining chip in Evengi, but I have a bargaining chip of my own. Myself.

"So," I say as I pace in front of him. "I hear you like your necromancers living. It would be a shame if someone altered that."

I reach into my shirt and draw out a poison vial hanging from a chain around my neck. A gift from my father, something to defend me if necromancy ever came up short. I shake the content of the vial. "This is the venom of a dragon's tooth. It's lethal and a fast-acting poison at that. Good luck getting my heart to beat again after I drink it. I'd be just as dead as you are now."

The ghost hisses. "You're lying."

I pop off the lid. "Let's prove it then."

"Wait!" The ghost snarls as he holds up his hand as if he could actually stop me. "You would truly face death for this man?"

"Death has been my constant companion since birth," I spit out. "Do you really think I'd actually fear it?"

The ghost is silent for a long moment before he says. "I suggest an exchange then. If this priest's life is so valuable to you that you would trade your own, then prove it. Take his place. Come to the burial mound, and we will make a trade. You for him."

I press my lips together as I consider his words. They are layered with utter surprise. I can't blame him, I'm not entirely sure why I'm doing this myself.

I should turn around and leave now, abandon Evengi to his fate.

I place the lid back on the bottle. "I'll come to your disgusting burial mound," I spit out, hardly believing the words coming from my mouth. "But he had better be in one piece when I get there."

The ghost smirks. "Believe me, as a necromancer you would know that dismemberment can be messy and complicated, but that is entirely up to you."