Chapter Five #2
He didn’t know what to think of Iris yet.
For now, she didn’t seem like anything but a nice old lady.
She’d even made some tea, and Vale had noticed how Cyril had already softened toward her.
That was okay. Just like it wasn’t Vale’s job to ask questions about Cyril’s ability, it wasn’t Cyril’s job to keep in mind that everyone and anything could be a danger.
“My ability as a necromancer has been changing,” Cyril said softly.
“I’ve always been a strong necromancer, but recently, I’ve done things that I don’t know how to explain.
I’ve used an entire cemetery of dead bodies to save the people I loved.
I keep having what I initially thought were dreams in which people die.
I know they’re not dreams because I dreamed of Marcus and Diana’s deaths.
The first time I had that kind of dream, the death wasn’t recent, but they are now.
I watched Marcus and Diana die through their eyes.
I couldn’t do anything to stop it from happening.
I was powerless, even though Vale and I rushed out as soon as I woke up from Diana’s dream. ”
Iris glanced at Vale. Cyril hadn’t explained who he was, so she was probably wondering. Maybe the fact that they were still holding hands had clued her in. She didn’t seem to care. She looked thoughtful and a little sad, but that was it.
“I’m not surprised by what you’re saying,” she told Cyril.
“Really? Because I’m surprised by what’s been happening. This doesn’t make sense. I didn’t know that a necromancer’s powers could change. Why should they?”
Iris put her tea cup down, leaned back in her chair, and laced her fingers together over her stomach.
She appeared thoughtful, as if she was wondering how best to explain this to Cyril.
“You’re dealing with death. Even though we’re necromancers, it’s still mysterious and something we don’t have a lot of information about,” she pointed out.
“As it should be. Death is one of humanity’s biggest mysteries, and it should stay that way.
You shouldn’t be here, Cyril. Marcus and Diana were here, too, and they died.
I don’t want to see that happen to anyone else. ”
Vale had to agree there, and he would’ve kept Cyril away if he could have. Unfortunately for him, his boyfriend was stubborn, especially when he wanted answers.
To be fair, Vale wanted answers, too. He needed to know how to help Cyril. He needed to know how to protect him.
“I understand, but I can’t leave,” Cyril told her.
She nodded. “I didn’t expect you to. You and I are in this for life, unfortunately for us.”
Cyril frowned. “I’ve never had a problem with my ability. I know some people hate being a necromancer, but that’s not who I am.”
“That’s good to hear, but it’s not what I meant.”
“What did you mean, then? What’s happening to me? Please, if you know, you have to tell me.”
Cyril sounded desperate, and Vale felt very much the same.
His worst nightmare was something happening to Cyril and him being unable to do anything to help him.
He supposed that was a bit like how Cyril felt when he had his nightmares.
He didn’t care about the people he saw, but he’d always been more empathetic than Vale.
“You said that you saw Marcus and Diana’s deaths,” Iris said instead of answering Cyril’s question. “Tell me what you saw.”
“In the dream, I was them. Like I said, it wasn’t the first time that’s happened.
I hate dreaming that I’m someone else because I know how it’s going to end.
It’s also confusing because most of the time, I don’t know who I am.
I have to find clues around me, but I’m limited to what the person’s seeing.
I recognized Marcus because of a tattoo on his hand, and Diana, well, I’d read her email the night before.
I looked at her website, and I saw a picture of her. ”
“So you’re them. You die with them.”
“I wouldn’t say that, but yes, I’m them. I can’t do anything to change what’s happening. I don’t have any control. I don’t know if the killer was the same both times, but I suspect that he was.”
“He?”
“I can’t be sure with Marcus, but the man talked to Diana. He sounded young.”
“That’s good to know. What did he say?”
Cyril frowned. “Something about killing Diana to protect people and as an act of mercy. I don’t know if he truly believes that, but he sounded like he did.”
Iris briefly closed her eyes. That one gesture told Vale that she knew what was going on.
Vale didn’t want to threaten an old lady, but he really hoped that Iris would tell them what she knew because otherwise, he would have to.
Cyril would be horrified, but Vale didn’t care. Cyril was his priority.
Keeping Cyril alive was what mattered most to Vale. He didn’t want to lose his boyfriend, but he was willing to risk it if it meant making sure nothing happened to him.
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