Tears of the Necromancer by Valerie Claussen

Author:Valerie Claussen [Claussen, Valerie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-08-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-eight

Underwater

I awoke from my unconscious state, soaked to the bone, shivering, and engulfed in darkness. My limbs, ensnared by unforgiving chains, extended far enough to register the ominous clinking sounds they produced. The musty aroma of damp earth hung heavily, triggering a chilling realization—I had become a prisoner in the cavern beneath my great-grandparents’ accursed property. Terror and desperation gripped my heart as I cried out for Matt or any semblance of help, only to hear the haunting echoes of my voice. Hours stretched into an eternity until exhaustion prevailed, and I drifted into slumber.

The sudden intrusion of a brilliant light on my face jolted me awake. Beneath me, a puddle of shimmering turquoise tears enveloped my feet, seeping into my shoes. Poppy and Nani each wielded a battery-powered flashlight.

I yanked at the chains. “Let me go.”

He smiled. “Of course. As soon as you tell us where the Necromancer went.”

“I don’t know where he is. I let him go, but I didn’t stay around to see where he went.”

Nani shook her head in disappointment. “You’re lying, Elena.”

“I’m not. He ran off.”

“Which way?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Well, we’ll come back tomorrow and ask again.”

“You can’t leave me here.”

“You give back what you stole from us, and we’ll let you go.”

“The Necromancer is probably long gone by now.”

Nani’s gaze bore into me as she asked, “Which—way—did—he—go?”

“He ran off into the caves. He could be anywhere by now.”

Elon appeared behind them. “Her boyfriend got away.”

Poppy turned to him. “He’ll figure out we have Elena and come for her. Keep an eye out. If you see him, don’t try to stop him. Pretend not to notice but let us know.”

“You won’t touch him!” I screamed.

Nani let out a long sigh. “We don’t like this any more than you do, but you’ve left us no choice. If something should happen to your great-grandfather or me, we can’t bring the other back until we refill the pools.”

“But that could take forever. You can’t just keep me here.”

“Last night alone, you shed enough tears to fill a five-gallon bucket.”

Poppy crossed his arms. “We’ve resealed the bottom of the entry pool, and now all we need are your tears. Once you’ve repaid us, we’ll be happy to let you go and only collect you again when the water level is too low.”

“Then I’ll never cry, and next time either of you die, you’ll never come back.”

Elon grinned. “We could always make you cry.”

I turned to my great-grandparents with tears in my eyes. “You’re not really going to keep me here, are you? We’re family.”

Poppy scowled. “You should’ve remembered that when you freed that which keeps your family alive.”

“But it was wrong.”

“We discovered him here a long time ago. We didn’t put him there.”

“But you kept him in ice. You should’ve let him go.”

“We all do what we believe is right for us in this lifetime.”

“But you’ve already had multiple lives.”

“We’re not going to argue with you, Elena. We know you can cry at the drop of a hat. You agree to fill the pools, and we’ll call off the hunt for Matt.

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