Lily tapped her fingers against the wooden table, foot swinging as she sat cross-legged. The hut she was in was void of any light, but the darkness didn’t bother her. She could see everything clearly, as if it were midday, except everything was monochrome. She had lost her ability to see color when her Necromancer powers had awakened.
She had tracked down the location of the chimeran tribe in hopes of finding other Necromancers. There was no solid indicator when one was near; it was only obvious when they exchanged eye contact. Their eyes would radiate red, reaching out to each other. But looking at people in the eyes was bothersome for her. Troublesome. To think centuries had passed and the other races still segregated against elves.
Pitiful. Truly.
It made it difficult for her to wander anywhere in the lower lands.
Lily released a sigh before standing. She circled around the unmoving chimera. Based on information, he was supposedly the leader of the bunch. Pale skin. White hair. A bronze snake cuff on his left ear. He was physically smaller than the others though. Lily had assumed a leader would have a . . . stronger appearance, would be taller, bulkier.
And have the ability to put up a fight.
The leader had fallen without even lifting a finger. When Lily had infiltrated the hut, the only thing he could do was look at her in disbelief before his throat was slit. It had been four nights since then, and nothing had changed. It typically took two nights after death for a Necromancer to manifest. If this leader was one, he would have awakened by now.
“Still waiting?” Aiden asked, pushing aside the grungy fabric that was supposed to act as a door.
Lily stopped, placing her hands on her hips. “Unfortunately. I was hoping he was a late bloomer.”
Aiden took a seat on the chair, moving his feathered cloak to the side. The wood creaked under his weight. “Maybe he isn’t one. It’s not like there’s a way for us to know for sure.”
“Namir seemed to know you were one.”
Aiden shrugged. “Maybe she was hopeful.”
“Hopeful enough to drag your dead body out before the entire hideout was cleaned out?”
“Or maybe she couldn’t resist my charming appearance.”
Lily scoffed. “I think not. You’re too full of yourself.”
Aiden was tall, at least for a human. He was slender, but with a muscular build. His shoulders were broad, evidence of his swordsmanship. His hair was pitch-black, and his eyes shone a brilliant crimson red.
Aiden smirked. “You don’t have to lie to me, dearest.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Charlotte is probably rolling in her grave as you openly flirt with me.”
Aiden’s face darkened. His smile flattened into a thin line. “That filthy chimera will pay for what he did to her.”
Lily didn’t respond, her attention shifting to the open window. She went to it, her eyes wandering to the night sky. The stars greeted her, sparkling against the sea of black, and the moon was large, as if it were laughing at her.
Lily frowned. The moon. The symbol of the oracle. The symbol of Vylantra. The mere thought of living so close to the oracle made her want to puke. She’d had countless opportunities to kill him, to end his life before he even had a chance to fulfill the prophecy.
But it was too late.
That night . . .
Lily crouched down next to the unmoving body. It hadn’t been five seconds since she’d mentioned the loss of her handkerchief before Lily had slit her throat. There was no doubt in the elf’s mind that the person before her was the one who’d been breaching Mistfall’s security.
The intruder’s eyes were open wide, staring blanking. Blood dripped from the corner of her lips. At least her death had been quick. It was something Lily was sure to always achieve. She wasn’t fond of prolonging someone’s demise.
Lily sighed. “If you’d just stayed in the lower lands, this wouldn’t have happened to you,” she muttered. She reached out, placing her hand over the intruder’s dark red eyes. “Good night.”
Suddenly, the intruder grabbed Lily’s wrist.
Lily yelped, yanking her arm away. She stood, backing away. Her heart raced, her breaths coming in quick bursts.
The intruder sat up, her head tilting as she grinned at Lily.
Lily’s eyes widened. The gash she’d inflicted . . . was gone. It had healed. But how?
“That’s quite the greeting,” she said. “As expected.”
Lily’s body tensed. “What do you mean?”
The intruder stood, dusting the dirt off her dress. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Someone like you would be skilled in killing.”
Lily reached for her dagger.
“Ah-ha!” She raised her finger, wagging it. “You can try to kill me again, but you won’t succeed.”
Lily narrowed her eyes. She didn’t doubt the words the other had said. There was something else at work, and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to handle it herself. Should she retreat? It would be wise to inform Captain Errol and Commander Silas of her finding.
“I’ll make this quick,” the intruder said. “I can’t promise I’ll be as quick and clean as you, but if your friends are anything like you in combat, then we have nothing to worry about.”
Lily tried to make sense of what she’d said, but she decided it would be better to spend her energy elsewhere. She needed to inform the others about this intruder, and she needed to do it now. She turned, pivoting on her heel before darting off.
Lily jumped into the trees, leaping across the branches, and she made her way back. She felt a presence behind her, as if someone was following her. It wasn’t the intruder. No. The way the other moved was very similar to how she moved. It was another scout. But she wasn’t overlapping with anyone else’s rounds. Commander Silas was diligent with the distribution. He made sure no one landed on the same route twice.
So, who was it?
A body suddenly collided with Lily. “Agh!” She fell, landing on her back. She hissed as pain spread across her body.
Rowen landed beside her. “Are you all right?” He offered her his hand.
What was Rowen doing here? Lily was sure his route was the opposite of hers. There was no chance they would’ve had even the slightest overlap.
Lily hesitated, but she eventually accepted the help. Rowen pulled her onto her feet.
“I’m sorry about that,” Rowen said. “I didn’t see you there.”
“What do you mean you didn’t see me?” Scouts were trained to have sharp hearing and vision and quick reflexes. “And what are you doing here?”
“I’m making my rounds.” Rowen cocked a brow. “That’s what you’re doing too, right? What brings you all the way to my side?”
Lily froze. His side?
“What’s wrong? You look pale,” Rowen said.
Lily grabbed Rowen’s biceps. “Rowen, we need to return to Captain Errol and Commander Silas!”
Rowen blinked. “What—”
“I ran into the intruder. She’s not like anyone we’ve seen. She can—”
The intruder peeked from behind Rowen, a smile spreading across her lips. “I can what?”
Lily pulled Rowen away. What was she doing here? How had she followed her so fast?
“How did you . . . ?” Lily had to keep herself from shaking. She forced her breathing to remain steady. She couldn’t show weakness.
“I just followed.” The intruder nodded toward Rowen. “Your friend helped.”
Lily’s blood ran cold. She slowly turned to Rowen, eyes wide. Rowen looked back at her, his expression now blank.
“Ro—” Lily’s words were cut short. Gargled noises came from her mouth. The last thing she saw was Rowen holding a bloodstained dagger.
Lily didn’t feel herself fall.
When Lily regained consciousness, she was in Valquent. Aiden was by her bedside, but he said nothing upon her waking up. Flashes of memories from her previous life as a Necromancer told her everything she needed to know. Told her the reason she’d been targeted. Told her the reason she’d had to die that night.
Lily had needed to die in order to awaken as a Necromancer.
But she had awakened to her true self too late. Reminiscing about it made anger bubble in her chest. But at the same time, she knew there wasn’t anything she could have done to change it. The events had happened because they were meant to be.
Just like how Elliot was meant to die by her hands.
Fate could be cruel sometimes, yet she welcomed it.
Lily would’ve been lying if she said she didn’t have any sort of feelings left from her past life. She had memories of enjoying Elliot’s company. Memories of enjoying Minari’s company. Memories of enjoying her everyday normal life.
But those memories only brought feelings of pure disgust.
There was a stark contrast between her and Aiden. Her fellow Necromancer companion still harbored feelings for his dead sister. It had been strange to learn about it at first until he mentioned they weren’t blood related. That made it a little bit more acceptable, though still strange.
“You’re doing it again.”
Lily blinked, stepping away from the window. “What?”
“Staring out into nothing. Letting your mind wander.” Aiden propped his elbow on the table, resting his cheek against his knuckles. “You have this expression of longing when you do that.”
Lily cocked a brow. “Really now?”
“Miss your old life?”
“Only missed my chance at killing the oracle.”
“You’ll get your chance. Everything that happens now happens for a reason. Father is playing his tune, and we just need to dance to it, never moving too fast, never moving too slow.”
“Unless it comes to the topic of revenge. The reason we came here was to find that ox who killed your sister.”
Aiden slammed his fist against the wall. “And he isn’t here. I ransacked every hut and murdered every chimera that hadn’t already gone feral. He isn’t here.” His eyes moved to the dead chimera. “And we’re still here in hopes this one is a Necromancer.”
“Chances are slim.”
“But . . .”
“But?”
“I heard from a little birdy that my prey and your friends are nearby. Maybe they will come this way. Care to wait?” Aiden wiggled his eyebrows, giving Lily a crooked smile.
“Oh?” Lily licked her lips as they curled upward. “You don’t say?”
“It could be our chance to play around with them a bit. What do you say?”
“As long as we’re playing within Father’s tune.”
“As long as we play within Father’s tune,” Aiden repeated, enunciating every syllable.
A chill ran across Lily’s back. She shivered. She couldn’t stop herself from grinning. “It would be rude to give them a cold welcome otherwise, especially since your prey will be paying his home a visit.”