Legacy of the Necromancer [Legacy, BK1 - Completed]

Chapter 8.3

"A witch. In the half world..." His voice had the harsh sound of anger but it lacked energy.

"John isn't the same as the other witches. He actually helped me escape the warehouse." Even before I finished speaking, I saw disbelief on Poe's face.

"He is a witch. As much as I want to end this damned war, you can't trust them. Blood-thirsty monsters who've killed hundreds, if not thousands, of Necromancers. To bring one here? To the sacred Half-world?"

I leaned back, licking my lips. "John has had plenty of time to kill me: While we've been here, at the warehouse, even when we were roommates in college." Poe looked at me sharply, but I kept going. "He hasn't done anything but help me the entire time. He may be a witch, but he has been nothing but a friend to me."

Standing, I walked out before I said something I might regret. Tamner passed me, giving a worried look before heading in to see his patient.

I sat, bracing my back against the side of Tamner's hut. I couldn't fault Poe's reaction. He'd been protecting me since I was born, and John was a witch. There was no way around that.

We had to get home, and John had to come with us. The information he had on the plants and other witches was too valuable. But if my family's reaction was anything like Poe's, they would probably kill him on sight, instead of listening.

John sat next to me and passed one of the roughly carved cups into my hand. "You look like you could use this."

I looked at the cup in my hand for a split second and downed the contents without a second thought.

"Wow, I didn't think you needed it that bad!" John laughed as I finished the drink. It tasted like stale beer on the verge of going to the dark side, but my lips were immediately numbed as the warmth spread through me.

"Thanks." It wasn't a solution to my problems, but it made me feel a little better in the moment about having to deal with them later. I didn't need to think about how my family would react to John until we had a way home.

"How is he?" John asked.

I shrugged. "Tamner's with him now."

"Do you think he'll be well enough to create a portal home yet?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

Tamner came out, leaning heavily on his staff. He took in the sight of us, sitting next to the door of his hut. "He is as well as he can be. He sleeps now."

"Thank you."

Tamner left us, walking back into the hut. I looked out into the night, at the still dancing villagers and tried not to feel. Poe would be alright. Now, all we had to do was find a way home.

"Come on," John said, pulling me to my feet. "Let's get some more of this awful beer."

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YAY! I made the update time!  With the week I've had, I'm super proud of myself for this one!

Alright! Now that I've found my groove, Thursdays will be Legacy's new update day. So stay tuned. Early Access to 8.4 will go up some time before tomorrow morning. Thank you for all your comments and votes! They go straight through to my phone, and always brighten my day. :)