With a grunt, he lunges toward me, and I pummel him with my feet. One kick manages to send the bolt gun flying, so he reaches for his pistol. My mother lunges out of the mausoleum and grabs him from behind. Teeth snapping, she strains to bite him, but he flips her over his shoulder onto the ground. Savagely kicking her, he punts her onto the muddy edge of the stream.

  I’m beyond fear and anger when I climb to my feet. I am cold as ice. I want him dead for the lies he’s told, the pain he’s caused, and the many women he killed abusing his power.

  Before he can turn the pistol on me, I shove him with both hands from behind and he falls into my mother. Immediately, she seizes him, and they battle in the thick mud. The pistol fires and I duck behind the heavy metal mausoleum door. I hear the bullet pierce the air close by.

  “The gun, Mother! Get his gun!” I shout.

  Peeking around the edge of the door, I can barely make out the struggling figures. The moon is now directly overhead, but the shadows obscure what’s happening. From the grunts and growls, it sounds like the two are evenly matched.

  Across the clearing, Angelina bursts out of the trees like an avenging angel. Greenish flames engulf her body, leaving long strings of power in her wake illuminating the trees. Her long coat fans out from her frame as she sprints past the graves. A few seconds later, Quade appears chasing after her. The two of them bound toward me.

  “Mother is fighting Elder Alvus!” I point toward the ongoing struggle.

  Angelina immediately angles away from me and sprints toward Elder Alvus.

  “He has a gun, Angelina!”

  I hear the pistol fire a second before Angelina jerks to one side, a stray bullet striking her. There are a few more pops of gunfire. Quade takes refuge behind a massive headstone while I duck behind the door again. From where I’m hiding, I can clearly see my sister jolt as she’s hit again.

  “No! Angelina!” I cry out.

  My older sister doesn’t fall. Instead, she touches the hole in her shoulder for a brief second before rushing onward. Terrified for her safety, I start to follow, but Quade catches me about the waist and drags me behind the mausoleum door for cover.

  “He’ll kill her!” I protest, trying to get free.

  “She’ll be fine,” he murmurs in my ear.

  As my sister draws close to Elder Alvus, the older man lets out a shriek of pure terror at the sight of her. Without hesitation, my sister tackles him and bites the hand brandishing the gun. Tearing the weapon from his grip, Angelina tosses it away before grabbing him by the throat and yanking him toward her mouth. My knees buckle as she takes a huge bite out of his cheek. Elder Alvus’s screams become gurgles as my mother joins my sister in ripping into him with teeth and nails.

  I gasp and slump against Quade.

  Spinning me about to face him, he says, “Ilyse, are you hurt?”

  “What’s happening? Why is my sister… why is she…”

  My vision blurs as I stagger into his embrace. He holds me as my loved ones maul the man who murdered them.

  “Everything you thought the necromancer was doing was you, Ilyse. All of it. You have to accept the truth so you can see reality,” he whispers in a soothing voice. “When I saw her, I understood. You couldn’t face the truth because of how you were raised. To be a necromancer went against everything you believed in. Your mind had to find a way to deal with your growing power while protecting you from reality. Do you understand?”

  “No, my sister…”

  “She’s dead, Ilyse. You’re the hidden necromancer.”

  “But the Beloved Dead attacked you. I wouldn’t hurt you.”

  “You didn’t trust me, did you? They responded to your doubts about me.”

  “I did that?” I shake my head. “No, I wouldn’t…”

  Quade presses his lips against my forehead. “You did, Ilyse. Subconsciously, you did it all to cope. You couldn’t accept your heritage, so your powers manifested against you.”

  It’s as if a secret door opens in my mind and reveals the truth. In an instant, I understand Quade is right. I couldn’t at first accept my powers, but I had believed in Angelina’s. I had wanted to be strong and rebellious like my older sister, not realizing I already was. I had summoned my mentor and other teachers to my garden when I needed guidance and was afraid. I had sent the Beloved Dead after Quade to test him, to uncover the truth about him. I believed Angelina scaled a wall to escape, so she did by climbing out of the Perdition Sanctuary. I’d summoned my sister to take the blame for those things I couldn’t accept about myself. I’d made her my hero and boogeyman because I couldn’t believe in myself. The voice I’d heard inside my head was a part of me I’d tried to bury deep within myself. All along that voice was trying to open my eyes to understand the extent of my power, my strength, and my will.

  “Do you see it? Your power, Ilyse?”

  I do see… at last. It’s like my mind finally allows my eyes to see the full extent of my abilities. The necromantic greenish-black tendrils fill the clearing and reach far beyond. The odd feeling I’d been experiencing that the world wasn’t real vanishes as I at last embrace and feel the strength my power.

  “It’s me… all me…” I whisper. “It wasn’t Angelina.”

  “Yes, it can’t be her because she’s not alive.”

  Elder Alvus killed my sister.

  I listen to him fighting and screaming and know what has to happen. “He needs to die.”

  I pull away from Quade and march toward the life and death battle.

  When I draw close enough, I see that Elder Alvus is ignoring his grievous wounds in an attempt to regain the weapon that was knocked away during the fight. He notices me standing over him and fear fills his gaze.

  I lower my hands and my power surges deep into the earth. Around me the stolen Beloved Dead rise from the ground. They were here all along waiting for me. I must have subconsciously ordered Angelina to collect them for me and now they await my instructions.The faces are shadows of their living selves, but I remember most of them. Some were kind to me, others were not.

  I sense Quade’s presence close to me and look over my shoulder to see him a few feet away. Connected to me by my power, he’s safe among the dead. He doesn’t say a word, but I can feel his heartbreak and understanding.

  “I have to do this,” I say.

  He nods.

  Returning my gaze to Elder Alvus, I whisper to the dead closest to me, “Kill him.”

  I watch as a dozen surge forward and tear Elder Alvus apart. I listen to his screams. I feel his life drain away. I sense his spirit dissipate into the air. When they are done, his dead eyes rotate in his skull, waiting for my orders. I send out a silent command and Schoolmaster Simmons hands me a huge rock. I take it and use it to bash Elder Alvus’s head into mush. When I’m done, he is truly dead.

  The dead fill the clearing, silent and anticipating my command. Those that killed Elder Alvus form a semicircle before me with my sister and mother in the center. The hood of Angelina’s coat was knocked askew in the battle, and it’s evident she is truly dead. Her beauty is gone. All that is left is a gray face smeared with blood and bits of flesh. I sob in despair. I had believed that she’d escaped and hoped that somehow I would see her again. But never like this.

  I step toward Angelina and stretch out my hands. She takes them but not of her free will. It’s because I want her to. I stare at her, remembering her beauty, and it hurts to see what time and decay has done to her.

  “I made you rescue me,” I say.

  Angelina’s eyes spark with some intelligence. “You told me to.”

  My mother lays her bloodied hand on ours. I suspect it’s only because it’s what I want, but I search her face in hope of detecting some trace of her soul.

  Quade moves to stand at my side. “They are obeying you, Ilyse. The essence that gave them life is gone.”

  “But I can see something in their eyes. Angelina can speak.”

  “Your power is a substitute for their souls. Your memories are giving them personality and life. Their true selves have moved on.”

  “Where? To Heaven?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but somewhere peaceful, I hope.”

  I hope so, too. But I am faced with a more immediate question.

  “What do I do with them, Quade?”

  “Send them back to the Perdition Sanctuary. If they climbed out, they can get back in if you tell them to.”

  “I can climb,” Angelina says.

  Hearing her speak is unsettling.

  “Why does she talk and not the others?”

  “Because she’s a necromancer,” my mother answers.

  The sound of my mother’s voice leaves me speechless. I can barely breathe as tears pour down my cheeks.

  “Oh, my god,” Quade utters in disbelief. “They’re not parroting your thoughts.”

  “Revenge is sweet,” my mother says, licking her bloody lips. “Thank you.”

  I’m overcome with sorrow. “Mother, you’re trapped in a corpse. I’m so sorry. What can I do?”

  “I am not alive. I am dead. I am a memory of who I was. My memory, not yours like he wrongly suggested. When your power leaves, the memory will fade, and Angelina and I will be like the others.”

  My mother touches the necklace hanging around Angelina’s neck. Hanging on the chain is the rose pendant my mother used to always wear. When did Angelina take it? Or did my mother give it to her? How much are they aware of what is happening? Are they in pain in their dead bodies? As these thoughts flit around in my head, my mother removes the rose necklace from my sister’s throat and moves to clasp it around mine. I don’t dare move as her dry, ragged fingers slide under my hair to secure the clasp. When she finishes, she takes my hands, and her dead eyes peer into mine.

  The remnant of her power connects to mine, and at last, I fully understand.

  “Give us peace,” my mother says after a few long precious moments of quiet communication between us.

  With a nod of my head, I feel my power speak, and the Beloved Dead sink into the ground. I watch my mother and sister clasp hands before the dark earth swallows them whole and I’m left alone with Quade.

  “Once you leave, they might rise,” he says with concern.

  With the shake of my head, I say, “No, they won’t.”

  “You can’t be sure. Without a necromancer to command them-”

  “My mother is here with them. At peace. They won’t leave her.”

  Quade swallows hard and appears uneasy.

  “I need to go to the Chantry and be trained,” I say with absolute certainty. “I was using my power all along and didn’t know it. I could have done so much harm without meaning to. I killed Bale and didn’t even realize it. I have to go to the Enclave to study at the Chantry.”

  Embracing me, Quade kisses my forehead. “Then that’s where we’ll go. Together.”

  “I guess you’re successful in recruiting me after all,” I say and there is a hint of bitterness in my tone.

  Quade tilts my head upward with a gentle nudge of his fingers so our gazes meet. “This isn’t about my duty, Ilyse. It’s about making sure you’re fully trained so if you make the decision to leave the Chantry you won’t be a danger to yourself or others. I want you to rise to your full potential, even if you don’t become a Cleric.”

  The words are everything I’ve wanted him to say, but it’s hard to believe he’d turn on his religion. “Isn’t that heresy?”

  “I don’t care.”

  “And if I decide to leave the Chantry, what will you do?”

  Quade takes a deep breath, focuses on some point over my head, then shrugs. “I can’t answer that now, but I’d like you to ask me again if you decide to leave. We’re husband and wife after all.”

  His joking comment hits me like a balled fist. Maybe I did want this marriage more than I realized.

  Again, I feel the sharp sting of anger and jealousy. “Our marriage isn’t real.”

  “But my feelings for you are,” Quade replies returning his gaze to my face.

  “What are your feelings?”

  Maybe realizing he’s hurt me with his glibness about our situation, he gently brushes my cheek with his fingertips. “I thought I made it clear. I’m developing…feelings of love toward you.”

  “Even after what you saw tonight you still feel that way?” I’m pushing him because I need to know the truth. There can’t be any more secrets.

  Quade chuckles. “Well, even though you scare the hell out of me sometimes, I like being with you. Your strength, your intelligence, your determination, your loyalty are all traits that really appeal to me. Also, your smile makes me a bit weak in the knees.”

  “It does not,” I say, blushing.

  “Yes, it does. I like who you are, Ilyse, and I want to be at your side as you discover who you can be. I’m going to ask the Chantry if I can be a part of your training and take a break from recruiting.”

  “You’d do that for me?”

  Quade gives me a sly grin. “More like for me. I don’t want to be apart from you. I have this mighty urge to stay at your side and guide you through the world out there. If you’ll have me, that is.”

  My fears and doubts vanish like vapor in the warmth of his gaze. I can finally see clearly that he truly has romantic feelings for me. I trace his jaw with my fingers then hook my hand behind his neck to pull him down into a tender kiss.

  “Is that a yes, Ilyse?”

  I nod. “I can’t imagine my life without you being at my side.”

  “Then that’s where I’ll be,” he vows.

  And I believe him.

  Clasping hands, we leave the dead and the buried behind us and stroll through the woods to the house on the hill.

  EPILOGUE

  -Later-

  I stand outside the gate of my former home with Quade at my side. We’re dressed to travel in long coats, trousers, and sturdy boots. Our hands are intertwined and I find the warmth of his palm soothing against my skin. His handsome face is somber beneath the brim of his hat. I am the source of his trepidation. My powers frighten him. They frighten me, too. That’s why I have to go to the Chantry.

  It’s too early for Carrie and Rennon to be awake. Father is already at the bakery. I’m tempted to climb over the gate to see my siblings one last time but Quade and I need to hurry. It’s only a matter of time before Elder Alvus’s disappearance becomes a reason for concern and we become suspects.

  “I hate leaving Carrie in that house.”

  “She’s safer now,” Quade reminds me.

  I give him a somber nod.

  I promised Carrie I would save her and I have. Elder Alvus won’t be able to wage a war against her now. Of course, another Elder might take up his mantle. I hope not, but once I’m trained properly, I can return and make certain Carrie escapes. My brother can leave the settlement if he chooses and I hope he’ll one day join us.

  I tug on Quade’s hand and we continue our trek toward the station. The sun is a pale glow on the horizon, so only a few people are out and about. Wardens stroll down the sides of the street on patrol. They glance at me but don’t hesitate in their stride. Some appear to recognize me, others don’t. I am protected by the presence of my husband and my outsider clothing, so they ignore me.

  At least for now.

  It’s too quiet between Quade and me. I need conversation to keep my nerves in check.

  “Why do you wear the rings?” I ask Quade.

  Glancing at our intertwined fingers, he chuckles. “I like them.”

  “That’s it?” I give him an incredulous look.

  “No, I’m kidding. They actually help me to focus my power. I used to be dragged from my body every time the dead gathered at the walls outside the settlement where I was born and raised. My mother was the one who thought I needed a way to anchor myself. At first, it was a silver bracelet. Later, I bought some rings. I tend to fidget with them, which keeps me grounded.”

  “Do you think that would help me?” The thought of being dragged out of my body and into a horde while on the train isn’t a pleasant one.

  Quade slides one of three slim bands off one of his pinkys and places it on my ring finger. “Let’s find out.”

  We’re nearly to the train station when I see a familiar figure. I’m not surprised by her presence. I suppose I expected it.

  “Schoolmistress Simmons. Good morning,” I say when she hurries up to us.

  Beneath her bonnet, her gaze is blistering. “Don’t go to the Chantry, Ilyse. You don’t belong there.”

  “I don’t belong in The Republic either. Or here. I don’t belong anywhere yet. That’s why I’m leaving. To find my place in this world and to understand my powers.”

  “She’s made her choice,” Quade says with barely concealed irritation.

  Ignoring him completely and only focusing on me, Jane says, “The Republic needs you, Ilyse.”

  “I can’t get the training I need in The Republic. They’re self-taught.”

  I’m certain that the Padres wouldn’t know how to train me properly. Quade is intimidated by my ability to use my power while not being aware of what I’m doing. Someone who doesn’t have a full understanding of necromancy won’t be able to help me.

  “Which means they’re not beholden to the archaic teachings of the Chantry.” She hesitates, her gaze fastening to the pendant visible against my collarbone. “Where did you get that?” She gives Quade a hostile look. “Did you give that to her?”

  “It was her mother’s,” Quade says meaningfully.

  “Only Clerics wear those,” Jane whispers. “I didn’t know…”

  I touch the rose, startled by this revelation. “My mother was a Cleric?”

  Jane shakes her head. “Your mother’s family left the Enclave when she was very young. She couldn’t have been a Cleric.”

  “But Ilyse’s grandmother probably was,” Quade says.

  “You knew?” I glare at him. “You said no more secrets.”

  “It’s not a secret. I am guessing that your grandmother was in the Chantry. I have no idea who she was though. I was planning to discuss it on the train with you.”

 

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