The misadventures of the necromancer

Sena doesn’t take long to realize that something is wrong here. Thankfully, Saca already has her brother in her arms, allowing Sena to grab her and start pulling her away, back toward the boys, because she has little doubt that beside Nero is where they’ll be safest.

But suddenly, right in front of them, the dog appears to be blocking their path. The animal doesn’t even deign to look at them, its snout pointed toward the necromancer, who in turn seems to be hesitantly studying what’s happening between them and the creature.

She steps sideways, trying to go around the beast, only for it to shift in the same direction, blocking the way once again.

Saca tries to move away as if intending to go in the opposite direction—perhaps planning that each of them would go a different way to slip past the dog. A good idea, but Sena doesn’t let go of her.

Because she is beginning to realize something even more absurd in this already ridiculous situation. A new realization strikes her, making her gasp in shock.

“How is this possible…?!”

With the confusion, Delmic starts crying, but honestly, Sena isn’t worried about the baby, because the dog that previously only reached her knees is now tall enough to reach her waist. And she doesn’t even remember when the creature became so large…

“I see,” the necromancer comments out of nowhere, once again shifting his attention to the being still standing in the same spot.

He looks around with an almost critical attitude. “Even in this state, it’s still a consecrated place, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?” asks the blond Seres, exchanging tense glances with his friend Adar.

Nero looks at him, stretches out his arms indicating the ruined walls, then turns back toward the forest where the women stand and proclaims, “I mean, this was the Temple of the Huntress… Or should I say it still is?”

The question is directed at them. She doesn’t know how to answer. But right in front of her, the dog lowers its head in a gesture that looks like a yes, answering the necromancer’s question.

That doesn’t go unnoticed. Adar lets out a “Damn it!”—something he probably hadn’t intended to carry that far, judging by the closed expression he wears afterward.

Seres, on the other hand, seems to remain confident, announcing almost arrogantly, “Just another temple… Surely that’s not a problem for you, Nero!”

Which earns him a shove from his friend, who snaps, “Seres, shut up!”—a reaction that wins him an approving gesture from the necromancer.

Nero speaks again as if thinking out loud. “But even so… how did you get them from outside the temple…?”

Out of nowhere, he seems to focus on the women themselves and asks in a heavy tone, “Which one of you is a worshiper of the Huntress?”

Sena feels that the question is important—and dangerous—even without understanding why. The furry head in front of her, belonging to the creature that now looks more like a wolf than a dog, turns toward her.

Face to face, she can see the intelligent, wise, heavy golden eyes of the being before her, and an ancient, almost forgotten memory rises within her.

She had been very young—perhaps four or five years old. At the time, she was still with her parents, and it was a difficult period. She remembers how everyone around her seemed lost, discouraged, and weak. And tired. And cold. Until one day, everyone had begun shouting with joy: the men had managed to hunt a deer.

With time, she came to understand that her family had been starving, and that before long they would have begun to die.

But the memory truly centers on a single moment—when her father had placed the still-warm heart of the prey into her hands and told her to throw it into the fire the adults had built. His words still echo in her ears:

“Go on, dear. It’s to thank the goddess for her grace—for allowing us to go on a little longer.”

As in her memory, she throws the heart into the flames, and the intense golden eyes of the creature replace her memory. And she knows the answer to Nero’s question: the animal before her had left this forest to come and lure her here.

The realization freezes her heart because she is now entangled with the gods. And any child knows that this can be either an incredible privilege—or a horrific tragedy.

“So your interest is in them…? Because if so, then—”

The sound of Nero’s voice once again draws everyone’s attention back to the necromancer.

He begins waving one hand as if in farewell while casually declaring, “Goodbye.” And he starts to turn away as though he were leaving.

The very idea terrifies her—what will become of them without his help?

She prepares to call out to him, to beg for help. But the creature is faster. It turns toward the necromancer and begins to walk slowly toward him—seeming to grow with every step.

“Sena…” Saca breathes behind her. Delmic has fallen silent, perhaps out of fear spreading in a way that even he can feel in his own soul.

Sena doesn’t respond to the girl. Because the only interest the creature has in them is in using them as bait for its true prey.

“I knew it,” Nero mutters, stopping where he is.

“The damn Temple of the Divine Trials?” he asks, with a smile that is almost one of defeat.

“Is it worth pointing out that I’ve only just met these girls. So I’d have to be crazy to risk my skin for them,” he goes on, shaking his head from side to side while looking at the creature, which has stopped halfway between them and the necromancer.

At last, Nero lets out a heavy sigh. “I have nothing to do with your goddess. So if I don’t enter this temple of my own free will… well, then you’re out of luck…”

“Rest easy, mage. I only wish to ask a few questions. A small conversation,” Sena hears a deep, guttural voice say. There is no aggression in it, despite the undeniable power of the sound.

For a moment, she feels lost, unsure where the voice came from—until she realizes it was the creature before her speaking.

“Yes, of course. Just a conversation. I don’t even want to know how many times those were the last words someone’s heard,” the necromancer exclaims, yet he still doesn’t move, shifting his legs as he alternates his weight, thinking.

For a moment, silence descends upon them all, as if the world itself were holding its breath over what is about to happen.

Then, out of nowhere, Nero takes a step forward, ostentatiously crossing the threshold of the temple.

“It’s better if our little conversation happens after the children leave,” he declares impassively, prompting an affirmative nod from the creature.

In Sena’s mind flashes the moment when she had first met him—his hand gripping the blade of the sword that was about to take her life. And the realization that she has just repaid that mercy by bringing him here.

It is Saca who finally snaps her out of it with a soft, “Sena, come on,” as she starts walking.

Her steps slow as they approach the strange creature. But once again, the “dog” shows no hostility, nor does it seem inclined to speak to them. Its attention is fixed on Nero, as though waiting for him to do something.

The necromancer speaks again. “Go back to the house where we were…” He hesitates for a few moments, reflecting, before adding, “If the magic sustaining the mule disappears… take whatever you can and leave, as fast as possible.”

The boys behind him, outside the temple, seem frozen. Sena feels numb as she understands what he means.

Until Adar asks, “Isn’t it just a servant of the gods, like in the Temple of the Divine Trials?”

It’s a surprising question—after all, who speaks like that of a creature like this “dog,” and in doing so makes it clear this isn’t the first time they’ve dealt with such a being, or with the divine itself?

“Last time, everything was carefully prepared, so I’d have every possible advantage. This time…” He doesn’t finish, but everyone understands what he means.

At last, they are beside her. Saca waves to the necromancer, who remains where he is, merely offering her a small smile to reassure her and gesturing for her to go on. Which she does.

Sena, for her part, doesn’t know what to do and only manages to say, “I’m sorry.”

He looks thoughtful, glancing back at the boys and at Saca. Then, suddenly, he grabs Sena by the arm and pulls her close. With his lips near her ear, he whispers:

“If anything happens to me… don't trust them too much—especially the blond one.” She pauses, because he is clearly warning her about his own companions.

With that said, he steps away, giving her a heavy look before pushing her beyond the dividing line of the temple entrance.

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