Chapter 13

 

Darria opened her eyes and sat straight up in bed. She inhaled a breath and could still taste the licorice on her lips from where Papa Legba had kissed her. She touched her mouth and then glanced at her tattoo sleeve. The rose was embedded into her flesh near the crook of her elbow. It shimmered with silver energy that wasn’t her own. The tattoos of the other objects went down her inner left arm from her wrist to her elbow. Each of them glared at her. Darria thought back to her dream and remembered it clearly. It was a freaky thing, but all the questions and the information she had learned replayed over again in her thoughts.

After a shower, she felt rested and got dressed. Darria went into her office. She glanced around the room and saw the cobwebs up in the corners. Sometimes, when Omar was bored, Darria would catch him with a canary-yellow feather duster cleaning the shelves of all the books. Darria didn’t mind the dust or the cobwebs. Her eyes teared up. A large, brown spider sat in the middle of one of the large webs wrapping its silk around its latest meal. It made her miss Omar more. Trying to resurrect him now would be a waste of her energy. The thought came to her because there were other things on her plate. At least Papa Legba is going to gather the undertakers’ corpses, and I have their totems.

She finished writing down what had happened to her in her journal and realized she had also listed her priorities:

 

1. Find the new undertakers

2. Confront Ankou and see who is behind him with all the power

3. Defeat Ankou and his cohort

4. Resolve things with Oliver

5. Bring back Omar

6. Deal with teaching all the new undertakers

 

“Really, you want me to teach all the new undertakers, too? Thanks a lot.” She peered around the room and waited for some kind of sign. Nothing. Now I’m running a finishing school for undertakers. “I’m not calling the school Hogwarts. Don’t think we won’t talk about this after I talk to the Fates. I haven’t forgotten about that,” she said to the room.

A breeze stirred the pages of the diary. The energy passed, and Darria’s stomach growled. She glanced at the drawer holding Omar and headed down into the kitchen. She found three pizza boxes stacked in the fridge and fished out a couple of different slices. She wandered outside and saw Mercury. Rory and Lina were sitting on the bench under the trellises that Abner installed. Mercury grazed on sprouts of grass. Gabbie laid in the sun, warming herself.

“We didn’t want to wake you,” Marie said from behind her.

Darria jumped. “Thanks. I didn’t realize I’d been asleep for so long. I guess I crashed after what happened.”

“Makes sense considering all the spirits you had to free and then seeing what you were up against. Being a necromancer isn’t the easiest thing in the world. The power can drain you the way it does any witch. They have to find a way to store the magic.”

“How can we do that?” Darria asked, intrigued.

Marie took her arm and pointed at the poppies. “These store magic for us. And ... when did you get a black rose?”

“Last night. Legba answered some questions for me. That’s one of the things I was coming out here to tell everyone.”

“Be careful with him.”

“I don’t intend on getting into a relationship if that’s what you mean.”

Marie shook her head and lifted her skirt, revealing her leg. On the side of her left thigh was a black rosebud with a stem. The thorns were painted with blood. “He gave this to me because he favored me. He would come around when he wanted and expected that I’d pay attention to him whenever he wished. He’s used to being worshipped.”

“That’s not me. I don’t expect to fuck him if that’s what he thinks.”

The other woman raised her eyebrow. “You never know with him. Be on guard.”

“I’ll keep that in the back of my mind. How are they doing?” She gestured with her chin toward Rory and Lina as she ate another piece of pizza.

“Happy as two clams getting ready to go into chowder.” Marie smiled.

“Does that make them happy?” Darria asked.

“I guess not,” Marie chuckled. “I never thought about it. It’s something I picked up over the years, moving around to different parts of the country. What happened?”

Darria finished the last bite of her second slice of pizza and covered her mouth. She burped. “’Scuse me. Hey, guys, can you all come over here so I can tell you what’s going on?” Darria called to them. Everyone crowded around her. She told them all what had happened to her the night before.

“Do you trust that these demigods are telling you the truth?” Rory asked.

“Because they’re right,” Lina agreed with her. Something lingered in Lina’s eyes that made Darria think she knew something.

“How do you know that? You’ve been an undertaker for all of five minutes,” Rory huffed.

Lina glanced at him. “You’re just an assistant. You don’t know things the way that I do.”

“Sorry. I didn’t think that made a difference. Women.” Rory crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

“Rory,” Darria snapped at him. “She said something that stomped on your manhood. That doesn’t mean she’s commenting about whatever tween relationship you think you have with her. Lina has the memories of her undertaker line. She carries the relic of one of the gods on her arm. You haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“The gods are dead, according to you!” Rory said.

“Not as dead as you think,” a thin voice whispered behind Lina.

Darria glanced over and saw a tall man standing behind the other undertaker. He had a dark cloak. The idea of who this was popped into her mind. “Hades.”

“Hello, Darria. I wanted to thank you for saving Evangeline. The other objects must get to the people they are going to. Without them, we are no more. It’ll take a while for us to rebuild what we had.”

Rory and Marie were both speechless. Hades wavered in and out as he spoke. Lina grew paler the more he talked. Darria understood that it was more than power that they siphoned off from the objects; the tokens contained a piece of their essence. Without the objects going on to the next person, they began to fade away. Legba had given her and Marie a rose, not to mention who else he might have shown some favor for, so he had his spread out. Hekate drew strength from her and probably from the others who worshipped her. Darria wasn’t exactly sure how it all worked out, but she knew the importance of the relics.

“I’m working on that. Can you tell me who is behind Ankou, giving him the power to stitch souls together and resurrect them from ashes? You’re a god of the dead and the underworld.”

Hades snickered. “We’re all gods of death in our own way. Gods that got too jealous.”

He tried to say more, but he dwindled away. Lina’s color returned. Rory caught her and led her back over to the bench. Darria shook her head and turned back to Marie, Mercury, and Gabbie.

“What do you think about what Hades said?”

“He speaks the truth,” Merc declared.

“You’re saying that because you work for him,” Gabbie grumbled.

“You know nothing of it, stone creature.”

“I served the last undertaker because it was my calling to do so. I’m not tied to them the way you are.”

“And you serve this one because you had no place else to go and didn’t want to be lonely,” Mercury taunted.

Darria put up her hands. “Enough. Both of you. This is not the time to fight. We all need to be working together on this.”

“You were told to find the others who were to take over the undertaking with the other objects,” Mercury growled.

Darria wished she could send him back to whatever dimension he had come from. “I am, but to do all of this, I have to have help. You need to protect Rory and Lina. Can you do that?”

Gabbie raked her claws through the dirt. “Of course. Whatever you need me to do, I am here for you.”

“Thank you. Mercury?”

The bull snorted, and his horns blazed with fire. “I’m only here to support Lina, and that’s all. Rory is none of my concern.”

“Fine. Do what you have to do. Marie, want to come with me?” Darria asked the other necromancer.

“If it lets me go with you this time, then sure. If I can’t pass through the barrier, I’ll hold down the fort.”

Darria stroked the key on her arm until it emerged. She gazed over her left arm, and the arrow lit up silver. It spun within her skin. Legba had told her about the arrowhead. It was connected to Ankou. Nevertheless, that didn’t mean that the person on the other end had any idea of what had been transpiring. She had to be prepared for anything. Darria went to the closed door in the garage that led up to the apartment. She slid the key into the lock. It worked into the tumblers easily. The energy of the arrowhead touched her fingertips. She opened the door with her left hand. When she pulled the door open, a hot, musty scent she associated with a basement hit her.

“Wonderful.”

“Don’t like dark and dank places?” Marie asked.

“Not especially. Anything could be lurking there. I really don’t want to die today.” Darria settled the key back into her arm. She stepped through the portal into the other place and wondered who she was looking for. Marie joined her. She stared back through the doorway at her backyard; it faded away, so she was left looking at a curtain of ivy covering an arched doorway. Sunlight streamed in through shattered, stained-glass windows. A broken coffin had been shoved into the corner. The inhabitant of the box was in pieces, and dust scattered across the floor. They had stepped into some kind of tomb. There were no other doorways for her to go through. She glanced down at the arrow, and it pointed toward the opening.

“Guess we go this way.” Darria pushed her way through the ivy and emerged in an abandoned graveyard. The rows were overgrown, and the headstones were made from slate, with the inscriptions nearly rubbed off. Trees grew around several of the markers, absorbing them back into their bark.

“We’re somewhere in New England.”

“I think you’re right. It’s been a while since I’ve been up here. I avoided it after the witch trials, and....”

“How old are you?” Darria asked.

“Older than you care to know. I was an undertaker for a long time, and when I stepped down, I traveled a lot, too. Do you really want to hear about me when we have to find this other being?”

“Sorry. All you hear about is the great Marie Laveau in New Orleans being the voodoo queen.” Darria walked toward the direction the arrowhead pointed. It led them further back into the overgrown boneyard. They passed a couple more necropolises until they came to an old, stone church. The windows were intact. It shouldn’t have been this deep into the woods. Something about it felt wrong and pinged all of her senses. The arrowhead alerted her that she had to go inside.

She walked up the steps slowly, making sure nothing was going to jump out at her. The power radiating from it left her breathless as she crossed the threshold. Inside, numerous cascading waterfalls of white and yellowed wax hung everywhere. A few pews were lined up around the perimeter of the church, leaving the center wide open. At the altar was a sleeping bag along with food and leftover containers. Leaves crackled underneath her feet. The closer she got, the more the energy from the outside of the church dissipated. Darria glanced at her hand. The arrow pointed straight ahead.

“Do you see anyone?” Marie asked.

“Go away!” someone shouted. The sound of fluttering wings shattered the silence.

“We can’t go away,” Darria responded. “We came here looking for you. I’m Darria, and this is Marie. We’re here to give you something and bring you back to my house, where it’s safe.”

“Nowhere is safe,” the woman whispered.

Darria caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She walked in that direction. “What do you mean, nowhere is safe?”

The woman shuffled back toward the wall. Darria could make out her red hair; it was covered in leaves and debris. It was matted, and dreadlocks had started to form. The woman needed a hot meal and a place to get cleaned up. She held her hand out to ward Darria off. Five poppies decorated her arm. One of them was open.

Darria knelt down beside her.

“Not safe. Not safe. All dead. Not safe.”

She touched her hand, and the woman jerked back. “Hey ... I’m not going to hurt you. See, we have the same flowers. The poppies.”

The woman stared at her through her hair. Her green eyes pierced Darria’s, and she felt something push against her mind. “Dead. All dead. You deal with the dead.”

“Yes. That’s right. Who’s all dead?”

“Shut up!” She jerked her head and spoke to someone in the other direction. “She’s the undertaker? Why didn’t you tell me in the first place?”

“Who are you talking to?” Marie asked.

“Can’t tell. Don’t tell her. All dead.”

“Did someone hurt you?” Marie tried to talk to her.

The other woman curled into a ball away from Darria and Marie. “Let me talk to her. Can you sit back for a bit?”

“Sure. That’s what I came along for.” Marie shrugged and sat on one of the pews.

“Please. I don’t want to. All dead.” The woman was spooked.

“Shh ... who are you talking about? You can tell me,” Darria tried to entice her.

“Can I talk to her? She’s the one, right?”

Darria realized that the woman was talking to either someone in her mind, someone who wasn’t there at all, or something else altogether. Darria reached out her senses but didn’t feel anything.

The woman stared directly at someone and then looked at her. “He says that you’re the one who’s going to change everything. You’re going to put him back together. He says that I can talk to you. You have something for me. Is that right?”

Darria nodded. “Yes. I have something for you. Can you tell me your name first and who you’re talking to?”

“S-Sonia.”

“I’m Darria. Who is talking to you?”

“N-not important. All dead. Hurry, before they come back. They can’t get into the church.”

Her arm burned, and the arrowhead fell to the floor. The tattoo of it remained. Darria touched it, still feeling the power within her arm. The physical arrow spun around in a fast circle, and it stopped, pointing at Sonia. Darria held it out to Sonia. “This is what I came here to give you. Do you know what it means?”

Sonia took the arrowhead and examined it in the light. A smile spread across her face. “For me.”

“Yes.”

The arrowhead lifted off her hand and spun until it shot straight at Sonia and hit her directly in the chest. Sonia arched her back and convulsed for a few seconds. Darria didn’t dare touch her. After a few moments, she opened her eyes, and they were clear. “You’re real.”

“Yeah. I’m real. So are you. Do you know what happened to you? What does the arrowhead that hit you mean?”

Sonia met her gaze and looked around the church. Her eyes flicked to Marie. She inched closer to Darria. “She’s not right. She’s dead inside. I can see it.”

Darria touched her arm. “It’s okay. Marie’s a necromancer. She was an undertaker. I’m a necromancer, too. She’s helping me. Do I look like I’m dead inside?”

“N-no. You’re light and dark. She’s all dead.”

Darria didn’t say anything else because Sonia had to be picking up on the necromancer within Marie. She understood because she had seen herself being all dark, too. “Okay. Do you know what the arrow means, hun?”

“Undertaker. Dead bodies. Collecting things. That’s you. That’s me. That’s us now.”

“Who is us? You said they can’t come into the church. Who? Why have you been here for so long?”

“They chased me in here. Cornered me. Nasty little shits. I couldn’t get them to go away. They’re outside chattering away. Can’t you hear them?”

Darria listened, but all she heard were the clacking of dried limbs as the wind blew through them. “Sorry. I don’t hear anything.”

“She doesn’t hear anything. I heard her,” Sonia snapped to whoever was talking to her on the left.

She’s battier than any belfry. This is who the Fates chose to become an undertaker? Darria tried to push the thought away, but it stuck to her. If Sonia thought that something was lurking outside the chapel, then it would be an issue bringing her back to the house. “It’s okay. I’m sure there’s something there, but I can make it so you don’t have to leave the church. We can use the door. When you step through, we’ll be back at my house, where we can get you cleaned up. How does that sound?”

“Doesn’t believe. They want me to show you, so you can see them. The ones who are good.” Sonia held out her hands.

Before Darria could get away from her, Sonia touched her temples. The world changed in a flash of light. Darria rubbed her eyes a few times after the starbursts faded. A creature sat on top of Sonia’s head, weaving flowers into her hair. The creature appeared human. It was a foot tall with thin, pale limbs and not dressed in anything except moss and blossoms. It waved at her. Its iridescent wings caught the fading light. It plopped on Darria’s head, beginning to play with her hair. She almost touched it, but she saw another one hovering close to Sonia. It whizzed by her face. Darria followed its direction, and along the ring of pews on the outside of it, little creatures the same size were floating in the shadows and muttering.

“What are they?”

The light beings burst into flickers of giggles. When they flew, it sounded like cicadas or hummingbirds. They spoke to one another in hushed tones of clicks and whistles. Sonia cocked her head to listen to them and laughed.

“They adore you,” Sonia commented.

“What are you?” Darria asked.

“Sprites. They’ve been with me since I was a child, taking care of me after my father left and my mom wasn’t so good at watching me. They brought me into the woods and showed me the places to live. Sometimes, they led me into their world, but they told me I had to come out and wait for someone because things were changing. The dark ones hate it. They’re waiting for something else to happen. Do you know what’s happening?” Sonia asked Darria.

Another sprite sat on her arm with the tattoos of all the flowers on it. As its four-toed feet danced across the garden on her flesh, the blooms shifted. They rearranged and moved until the vine holding the morning glories was smaller and the blossoms were slightly larger. Even the poppies increased in size. The ravens flew up until they settled at the top of her shoulder at her collarbone. The places where the needle, the coin, and the key were embedded into her arm lined up from her wrist to her elbow so that the key came first, a place for the coin Oliver gave her, if he ever gave it back to her, and then the needle she used for a weapon. When the sprite was done dancing, pale, white flowers sprouted between the morning glories. All of the blossoms glowed, and she felt supercharged like she had been jolted with electricity.

“Um ... what just happened?” Darria asked Sonia and the sprite.

The one who was dancing flitted back over to Sonia. “Heffla said she made it so you could always see them, and they could see you. That’s what the flowers are for, and you can also see into their world. Look.” Sonia stuck out her right arm. It was decorated with the same small, white flowers.

“But she did something else; I’m positively buzzing.”

“They wanted to fill them with magic. They said you don’t know how to channel and store your power. All you have to do is open up to nature and be you. Stop fighting what you are. They want to thank you for helping me. People don’t normally talk to me. They think I’m a homeless or crazy person because they see me talking to thin air. Now you can see them, and they can see you.”

Great. All I need now is to see fairies. “Will you come with me now?”

“The dark pixies won’t let me leave here. They work for him,” Sonia whispered.

Marie got up and stood by them. “Is everything okay?”

The pixies squealed and drew away from Marie. “Everything’s fine. Sonia was telling me that her guardians are sprites, and they were introducing themselves. They aren’t too fond of you. Is there something you need to tell me, Marie?”

“We might want to talk about that some other time.” Marie flashed her a small smile.

“No. I think we need to talk about this now.”

Marie pulled Darria away from Sonia. “Can we really talk about this later?”

“No. Now.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Uncomplicate it, please.” Darria’s frustration level turned up a notch. Another sprite flew over and began to twist her hair again.

Marie glanced at Sonia and then back at Darria. “I’m dying.”

“You’re an undertaker, or you were, at least. You should be able to live forever unless you gave it all up.”

“I’ve run my course. It’s time for me to move on to my next incarnation. It’s the original deal I made with Legba many centuries ago. I live as one Marie, and then, I’m born again. Legba gave me more time because you needed training when it came to being an undertaker and a necromancer. Although Hekate squished you together, you do need to know more. Then, I will be reborn.”

“So, you’re reincarnated. Do you keep the knowledge you had from before?”

“Some of it. I won’t remember being an undertaker because that’s something that only stays with the line, but my power as a necromancer grows. I normally find the life I left behind. You never know; I might come back and bug you.”

“I’d like that. How long do you have?” Darria asked.

Marie glanced at her arm where the poppies were. Two had withered away. “Until the last one drops its last petal. After that, I die. One of the harvesters will take my soul. I’d hoped you could process me and ask Oliver to deliver me over to the other side.”

“I’m sure we can accommodate that. Do you know when?”

“The more I use my magic, the shorter my life span. Even with the undertaking,” Marie explained.

“I had no idea.”

“Dead. She’s dark because she’s dead,” Sonia said to them.

Marie nodded. “The light doesn’t like the dead. Sprites are made of pure light and abhor death.”

“They’ve been telling me about what was to come. And here you are.” Sonia wrapped her arms around Darria, squeezing her into a hug.

She returned the hug and pulled away from Sonia. “Are you ready to leave? The dark ones won’t be able to come into the house. You’re welcome to stay until we can figure all this out.”

“The dark ones will follow. They always find a way in.”

“You can’t stay here,” Marie reiterated.

“No. I can’t stay here.”

“You should have the memories from your undertaker line. Normally, the memories come when you’re ready for them, but it seems the Fates are working faster in lieu of the circumstances.” Darria sighed. The others were out there waiting for her to find them. There was no way that light was ever going to completely eclipse darkness. “Sonia, there will always be light and dark. You can’t stamp out the shadows. Marie asked if you knew about the other undertakers and what your relic does. Maybe it can help you.”

Sonia took a deep breath and stepped back. “It’s a test,” she whispered. “I know, but it’s what I have to do.”

The other sprites chattered: hoots, whistles, and some clicks all mixed together. It was rather melodious, but she understood why others would see Sonia as an outcast. Sonia walked to the edge of the circle and stared at the darkness in the church. Darria stood behind her. Little flits of darkness like dark flames with arms and legs zoomed around. They had triangular heads with slits for mouths. When they moved, they skittered and cackled at the edge of the circle. As each one touched the ring of leaves, their fingertips burned orange. They waved their hands and hopped around, trying to put out the fire. They reminded her of little gremlins. Maybe they were.

The little, white sprites hung back. Sonia opened her arms, and energy embraced Darria. Small arrows of light moved from her fingertips, aimed at the dark pixies. The arrows hit them, and they burst into silver flames. The light pixies cheered. Once the dark pixies realized that Sonia was no longer afraid of them, they screamed in terror and swarmed out of the church.

“Thank you. They won’t bother me anymore.”

“Good. Do you think you’re ready to come back with me?” Darria asked.

“I don’t know,” Sonia said to one of the sprites. “I’ll ask. They want to know if they can come, too.”

Darria glanced at the sprites and felt their eagerness. “That’s fine,” she answered. “But you can’t cause any mischief inside the house. We have others staying there, so if you’re going to move in, you’ll have to make it so they can see you, too. Deal?”

The sprites all babbled at once. She glanced at Sonia.

“They said all that was fine, but they wanted to know if you had a garden. They love nature, so they would prefer to live or at least stay there while I’m there. You never know; some may want to remain.”

“Sure, you can set up in the garden, but no tricks. Things are a little hectic right now. Best behavior.”

They twittered among themselves. A larger pixie flitted over to Darria. She had on a dress made of moss and handed Darria a single stalk of a lily of the valley with its light purple bells. She took the flower and placed it on her left arm on an open space. It sunk into her flesh, where she could pull it out later. “Heffla says they’ll abide by your rules until the balance has been righted. They want permission to make the garden a home while I’m there.”

“I can deal with that. I’m not much of a gardener, so you can have a go at it. No cultivating anything that will want to eat me or any of my people, though.”

Heffla nodded and flitted back to Sonia.

“Wonderful. We agree on everything. Can we get going back to the house now?” Marie asked.

“We can go.”

Sonia smiled. Darria went to the front of the church and took out her key. She pulled both doors closed and inserted the key into the keyhole. When she opened the door again, she was staring into the kitchen. “After you.”

Sonia and Marie went before her and a whole train of sprites. When she pulled the door shut, it was the screen door from her kitchen. Darria enjoyed the quiet of the house. Sonia looked around. The sprites headed out back in a horde to the apartment. They came back out and pulled Sonia toward it. “They want to know if it’s okay to stay here. It’s away from death, so it’s better for them.”

“I’m okay with that, but do they realize that you’re going to be dealing with dead bodies yourself?”

“They know, but here, it’s darker and heavier than what they’re used to.” Sonia started toward the back when she stopped and unwound from the sprites’ grasp. She turned back around and hugged Darria. “Thank you. I know it doesn’t seem like what you are doing is making a difference, but it really is. I’ve been lost for a long time. Sprites are good company and look out for me, but their world is not human. I’ve forgotten some things, so if I don’t act right, forgive me. You’ve brought me back onto the path I was supposed to be on.”

Darria’s heart filled. “You’re welcome. Go ahead and get comfortable. Someone will be around here if you need anything.”

Marie returned to the kitchen. Her complexion was drawn. The bags under her eyes were more pronounced.

“You okay?”

She waved her off and wobbled over to the table, where she sat down. “I just need some rest. I had a vision of Legba. He wanted me to tell you that all the undertakers have been put to rest as promised. He said now it’s time to unlock Omar.” Marie slumped in the chair. Another poppy on her arm had withered. She was fading fast. Whatever her deal was with Legba went back to even before she was an undertaker.

“How long have you been around?” she asked, wanting to understand more about the other woman. “What was the price you paid to Legba?”

“Longer than the stars, it seems. Papa Legba went by another name then, and life was much simpler. As a child, we only worshipped one true god, until he broke apart. Then the world expanded, and death took on new names. My mother taught me about the dead and the ways of the shaman. She was an undertaker. Invaders came to our village. They slew my mother and did horrible things to me. I may come back in a different body, but when I reach a certain age, my memories flood back, as does renewing my agreement with Legba. I can refuse, of course, and let the length of my years and knowledge fade away. But,” she spread her arms wide and sighed, “I like my life and what I’ve retained. Now the cycle ends, and another one begins. Some memories I can’t unlock. My payment to him is that I am his. He molds me. Body. Soul. He could not stop me from being an undertaker, though. He yearns to have me by his side again, so I can be his slave for a little while until he gets sick of me once more.”

“Does he treat you horribly?”

“No. He’s good to me most of the time. Other times, he can be a beast. That’s why I cautioned you to be careful. He can rope words and hold promises, dangling them before you like jewels, always asking for more. Watch yourself. The rose shows that he favors you. That favor can go a long way in certain circles. Don’t let him talk you into anything unless you get his word first. Please tell me you did before you made any demands of him.”

Darria nodded. “I did. I made him swear to answer my questions. His price was a dance and a taste of my soul.”

Her eyebrows raised. “He didn’t take any of it?”

“No. Then he gave me the rose. Should I be worried?”

“Keep an eye on him. He thinks he can have anyone, but he has a darker side. Don’t get on it. He loves to dance verbally, literally, and figuratively. My advice is to keep him dancing.”

Darria rose from the table. Her thoughts turned to Omar. “Thank you. I appreciate the warning. I’m going to see about unlocking Omar. Will you explain about Sonia and her friends to the others if they come back?”

“Of course.”

Darria went up to her office and sat in the silence and the heaviness that came with it. It helped to recharge her drained batteries. She ran her fingers over the rearranged flowers on her right arm and saw how they sparked. She could feel the magic now when she concentrated on the flowers. They said all she had to do was listen to nature, and she could refill her lost reserves. Even Marie had talked about it. She would have to work on that. Next, she took the lily of the valley from her left arm and placed it on her desk. The scent filled the room.

She unlocked the drawer Omar was in and pulled out the withered hand. It had sustained damage from the fight, but she wasn’t sure how she could unlock him. She had already pulled him from the drawer. How she could pull memories from the hand without asking the spirit who was attached to it? She ran her fingers over the key. Something nagged at her. The key could unlock anything. The demigods had said that a rogue necro had taken out three undertakers before. They let her know that small bit of history to warn her about them putting the hit on killing her because they didn’t want anyone powerful to take them over. They were essentially part of death, so she could technically try to influence them, too.

However, she wanted to have a life and not be at the whim of the gods. She understood why they viewed her as a threat. If her power had not been brought under control, it could have done bad things. She could have done bad things. The order of things would have to change if Darria survived this. Darria poked Omar but felt nothing ping back. The link was broken. She tapped him with the key and, again, felt nothing. Frustration overwhelmed her.

There had to be an answer.

Then, it dawned on her.

She had tried to go back in her recollections but never made it all the way back in her memories of the other undertakers. Her reminiscences of the early days were blurry. The key could unlock those memories. Darria closed her eyes, held the key, and visualized the memories. Her mind became a long hall with numerous doors; all of them had on them the names of the undertakers who had come before her. The first one was Abner’s. She placed her hand on the door and thought about delving into them. However, other things were more important. She walked down the hall and slowly went by the doors. The further back she went, the hotter her palm grew until it burned.

She stopped. To her left was a stone door like one she would have thought to see on an ancient tomb. It had one name on it.

Omar.