Tale of the Necromancer by Kathryn Ann Kingsley

22

It turnedout that Rinnie and Ally did both quit the Order in the end. But not for the reason Maggie expected. It had nothing to do with Cardinal Moretti’s disregard for the wellbeing of his soldiers in his dealing with Gideon.

Oh, sure, that had something to do with it, she was sure.

But the real reason was she was sitting on a stone bench on an outdoor patio, outside of an expensive hotel in Hawaii, drinking a mai tai.

At the afterparty to the wedding reception of Rinaldo Lenci and Ally Whatever-Her-Fake-Last-Name-Was.

Neither of them dressed like holy soldiers anymore, but Rinnie still carried a gun. And he still, apparently, worked with the Order on a daily basis. Just as a “contractor” and not an official member.

“Better to be hired by God than living in sin,” he’d said. Ally had rolled her eyes and muttered to her afterward that Rinnie was secretly just a giant romantic and couldn’t stand the idea of not being married.

Over the past few months, Maggie had found herself growing closer with Ally and Rinnie—Ally in particular. There was something comforting in having a friend who she knew she wouldn’t eventually outlive.

Getting up from the stone bench, she made her way over to the bride and sat down next to her. Ally smiled at her, beaming, looking resplendent in her white gown. She turned the wheels of her chair to face her by a few degrees. “Are you having fun?”

“I’m having a blast.” Maggie laughed as she raised her drink. “My own wedding was shit, so it’s nice to see what it should’ve been like.”

The corners of the demoness’ eyes creased as she smiled, reaching out to take Maggie’s other hand. “You miss him.”

When she went to protest and claim she didn’t, Ally cut her off.

“It’s fine that you do. You’re literally carrying a part of him around with you, wherever you go. No wonder you miss him. You’d be lying to us both if you said you didn’t.”

After a moment, Maggie nodded and gave up trying to save her pride. No point. “I guess—I see you and Rinnie, and part of me can’t help but be lonely.”

“Of course. At least you have Harry.” Ally looked around the patio with a slight frown. “Where’d he go, anyway?”

“Not sure. I’ll find him in a minute. He’s probably asleep in a shrub somewhere.” She chuckled. “Bastard is like an old cat. Just moves from one place to sleep to another. I used to think he slept too much before, but now that things are pretty boring, it’s just getting worse.”

Ally looked thoughtful for a moment then let out a breath. “It’s odd, being immortal, sometimes.” She turned her attention to her husband, who was standing thirty feet away, glass of hard alcohol in his hand, chatting with Gabe.

They might have their differences, but it didn’t stop Rinnie from asking Gabe to perform the ceremony.

“He has…forty years? Tops?” Ally sighed. “I love him with all my heart. And I will for a long time. But he will age, he will die. I will continue, as I am, until I surrender to the void and burn to cinders. Even then, I can only pray to God that he and I will be together. And I…have to be okay with that.”

Maggie picked up Ally’s hand and kissed her fingers. “I’m sorry.”

“No. Don’t be.” Her expression returned to the forever-bubbly one she usually wore. “I have found love. So what if it’s fleeting? It’s worth it.”

“Yeah. It is.”

“Sometimes we have to say goodbye to those we love. That is part of what it means to care for them at all. It is a rare thing that we immortals find companions. Our lives can be…so very lonely.” Ally leaned back in her chair and watched the group around them.

Some were demons, some were angels—Maggie had legit met an angel, who was dressed like a hardcore goth from the nineties, which she had tried not to laugh too hard about at the time—but most were mortals.

“You’ll find it hard to keep up sometimes,” the demoness continued. “The world just changes so fast. Their lives are short, and they live it running at full speed. Sometimes I blink and everything has changed, and everyone I knew is gone.” She shrugged. “And…either you find a way to live, or you don’t.”

“I’m not even sure I’d know how to perma-kill myself if I wanted to.” Maggie snickered and sipped her drink. “God only knows I’ve died enough times to knock off most of the options.”

“There’s a way. There’s always away. Well. Unless you’re Vlad, but he seems to have his business sorted out now.” Ally snickered. “He’s finally got someone to keep him in check.”

“Huh?”

Ally smiled knowingly and gestured her hand to Maggie. “Give me your phone.”

With a shrug, she fished it out of her pocket, entered in the pin, and handed it to the ex-sister.

Ally immediately went to the contacts section and started typing. “You’d get along. And if anybody could give you life advice about the lich, it’d be her. If nothing else, you could commiserate.”

When she handed Maggie her phone back, she looked down at the screen. A name and a number that was labeled as a cellphone. Maxine Parker.

“I really don’t understand, but sure.”

“She’s a good friend. A good friend to us all, in fact. I think they’re in Chicago now?” Ally let out a hum. “No, wait. San Francisco. They moved a decade ago.” She laughed. “See? Things change too fast. And that’s just between us immortals.”

“And I can just contact her out of the blue? Say ‘hey, my friend gave me your number, let’s be buds?’” Maggie sipped her drink again. It was fruity and amazing, and she had to remind herself that it was stronger than it tasted. “Kinda weird, innit?”

“Not for immortals. We’re either ignorant of each other, always searching for kin…or making enemies. We have no middle ground.” Ally let out a long breath. “I guess, what I’m trying to say here is…you don’t have to be alone, in the end.”

“But I’m not alone. I have Harry, and Algernon, and you guys.”

The knowing smile on the demoness’ face gave her pause, however. There was sadness in the woman’s eyes. As if she pitied Maggie for some reason Maggie herself didn’t understand.

She shook her head. “No more sad talk. You just got married, lady.”

“That is true!” Ally laughed. “And I am entirely too sober.” She reached out for a hug, and Maggie didn’t hesitate to meet the gesture. “You go find your old cat. I should probably talk to my father at least once tonight.” She made a face.

Maggie chuckled, standing up from the bench. “Not a fan?”

“Oh, it’s all right. Astaroth is just so angry all the time. I guess that’s what happens when one is an aspect of wrath.” Ally gripped the wheels of her chair and headed off. “See you in the morning?”

“You bet.” She had booked the hotel for a few weeks. She had never been to Hawaii, and she wanted to spend some time really exploring the islands. And maybe take up scuba diving. It’s not like I can permanently drown if something goes wrong. Sharks might be a problem. That seems like it’d hurt.

Getting a refill on her drink, she began searching for Harry. He had come down to the afterparty and then disappeared. She’d gotten distracted talking to an angel about what Heaven was like, and totally lost track of her friend. Finally, she resorted to texting him. “Where’d you go?”

A pause, three dots, and then “Left. Beach.”

With a shrug, fetching a beer on her way past the drink bucket—figuring he’d want one—she headed off across the stone patio into the darkness. She made it a hundred and fifty feet, far from the reach of the lights of the hotel, before she saw movement by the line of high tide. Harry was sitting on large piece of driftwood.

“Hangin’ out in the dark?” She snickered and walked up to him, handing him the open bottle of beer.

He took it and sipped it. “Just thinking.”

Sitting down next to him, she leaned on his arm. His tone was faraway, and instantly she frowned in concern. “About what?”

After a very long pause, he let out a breath. “I’m tired, Mags.”

“Well, you can go back to our hotel suite, and—”

“No. Not like that.” His jaw ticked. “Not like that.”

She could barely make him out in the darkness, but her eyes were starting to adjust. The stars overhead were beautiful, and even in the shadows the rush of the dark ocean was beyond peaceful. The warm tropical air was a nice change to the frigid New England winter they had come from.

“Oh.” That was the best she could do. A rush of fear washed over her. Fear, and the familiar prick of tears in her eyes. “I…” She knew what he was asking for. He didn’t have to say the words.

“I promised to be at your side as long as you needed me.”

“You’re my best friend, Harry. My best friend in the world, and you always have been.” The tears she tried to fight broke free and rolled down her cheeks. “I—I don’t want to be alone.”

“But you aren’t alone. Not anymore.” He wrapped an arm around her, hugging her close to him. “You don’t need me.”

She put her drink down in the sand to wrap her arms around him, twisting sideways to squeeze as tight as she could. “That’s not true.” She buried her head against his chest. “I need you.”

“Do you? Honestly? You’re—you’re healed. You’re better now. You’re powerful. Nobody wants to mess around with you. Did you see how those freaking demons and angels looked at you? Like you were something special.”

“I’m just Mags. I haven’t changed.”

“Nah, not changed. You’re Mags, but now you’re Mags, Über Necromancer.” He snickered. “You’re standing on your own legs.” He kissed the top of her head. “You don’t need me, Mags.”

She clung to him, afraid that if she let go, he’d vanish into thin air, even though she knew that was silly. He couldn’t go. Not if she didn’t let him. “But I want you here. You’re my best friend.”

“I know.” He chuckled. “And I guess I don’t really have a say in the matter.”

“Of course you do.” She looked up at him in the darkness, now able to see his tired, weary smile. “I wouldn’t keep you here against your will.”

“It’s time to let me go.”

“But—no, please—”

“It’s all right.” He slowly stroked a hand over her hair, watching her as if it would be for the last time. The expression on his face made her tears flow faster. “Hey, don’t cry, Mags. Don’t cry. I’ve been dead for a long, long time.”

She couldn’t help it.

Because she knew he was right.

He was her teddy bear. The thing she clung to in desperation. Something she could rely on when she was afraid of the dark. But she wasn’t afraid of the dark anymore, was she? And it was…it was cruel to keep him like this. She didn’t know how long revenants were meant to last, but four-hundred-and-something years had to be pushing it.

It was childish. But she couldn’t help it. “I don’t want to say goodbye.”

“I know.” He picked up the enchanted necklace he wore, fishing it out from underneath the ridiculous tropical shirt he bought in the airport, and pulled it from around his neck. As he took the talisman off, his form…melted away. The living man disappeared, leaving his true self sitting beside her.

A yellowed skull, missing its lower jaw, perched atop a matching spine.

Even through the tears, she had to laugh.

“What?” He looked down at himself and realized what was funny. His Hawaiian shirt was draped over an empty skeleton. It looked even dumber than it had before. “Oh.” He joined her in a laugh.

Lifting a hand, she touched his cheekbone, stroking a thumb over the porous surface. He was battered and worn, the bones cracked and chipped, pieces floating in space where they should go, though they had long since broken away from the whole. But how many bits of himself had he lost over the centuries? How many shards of Leopold de Lorges had been scattered around the globe?

This was what he really was. The illusion was just that—an illusion. The teddy bear was just a teddy bear. Worn, and battered, and missing pieces, the fur long rubbed off to the raw webbing beneath.

She ran a hand over the ridge of his skull and pulled him in to rest his forehead against hers. “I don’t want to say goodbye,” she whispered.

“But it’s time,” he replied, his voice hoarse from emotion. “And I’ll always be with you.”

She sniffled, trying to keep the sobs at bay, at least for now. “If you—if you see dad, tell him I love him. And—and go tell that bitch Medici she can fuck a brick, and I don’t mean lengthwise.”

He laughed quietly. “I’ll see what I can do.”

She knew how to let him go, but she hesitated. “Harry…I love you. You’re my family. You always have been. And I—I’m going to miss you so much.”

“I love you too, Mags. And I’m sorry. But I’m just so tired.”

It was selfish to keep him here, long after he had been meant to die. It had been selfish to raise him in the first place; she just hadn’t known what she was doing. But now? Now she was keeping him here on purpose, and it was wrong. She sniffled again.

“I already texted that egotistical, pedantic, cunt of a lich to tell him I hate his ugly-ass face and I’ll never forgive him. And that if he ever hurts you again, I’ll come back to rip him apart.”

“I’m sure he took that well.”

“He said he wouldn’t ever miss any part of me for a split second, but that he wished me safe travels and peaceful harbors.” He paused. “God, I hate him. Pretentious fuck.”

She laughed, brokenheartedly, and shut her eyes. “I know.”

They sat in silence for a long time, his bare skull still resting against her head, forehead to forehead.

“I love you, Mags.”

“I love you too, Harry.”

And with that…she let him go.

He crumpled to the sand beside her, the magic holding his bones together releasing their bonds. As the bones fell, she watched as they crumbled to dust. They were too brittle—too abused by centuries of forced animation by magic—to survive. She watched the dust wisp away in the breeze, caught in the tropical air.

And then he was gone.

Her shoulders wracked with sobs as she placed her head in her hands and wept.