The cool night air rushed inside from the large open window. Teddy sat in the window frame gazing out at the garden. The cooler weather prevented most of the flowers from growing. A menagerie of purples and blues resisted the advances of winter. Hedge mazes cut across the land, Mandy had warned against going inside. Mazes were her fathers only pass time and he’d made it difficult to escape.

  His own mind was lost. Renee’s revelations had placed a damper on his mood. That these Paladins were made for war. History told him that warriors without a cause became belligerents and vagrants. The fact they were acting this way under an organization's orders made it worse.

  A single Paladin as it was explained could be killed with sufficient effort. A lot of weapons and some explosives, and you're golden. The problem is the organization. Like an ant hill, now that he was injured the hive would come flowing out. With one of their explicit targets being Nate he’d be in trouble in the hospital.

  Renee had said it would be better to not say anything to him. That his brother was already too far gone. What did she know? If he was closer to the center of town he’d have gone himself. He didn’t want to upset Mandy by leaving. She took it all fairly well. She’d not known about Teddy’s ability to see spirits till now.

  It had been late when Renee finished so Mandy determined they’d visit in the morning. Renee was oddly against the idea. One of things she just wouldn’t give an answer about. She was forthcoming elsewhere.

  Ghosts were the souls of people. That much was obvious. They came in a variety of variations and classifications. The common souls that he and his brother had been seeing were called hollows or wanderers. There are a few different names but those are the most widely known. They can’t do anything to the physical world until they evolve. She conveniently omitted how that happens.

  She further explained that Paladins had abnormalities in their souls. It was a touchy subject for her making it hard to get her to explain much more. As for her own ability and why she knew so much.

  “I am a druid. One with nature and friends with those that walk the green.”

  Having said it as if it was obvious. Given what she had him drawing he wasn’t buying what she was selling. He let Mandy believe her for now. Telling her in private would be a better idea. No use in keeping Renee around if she bails on them.

  *K..KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

  A knock came in three swift sounds. The first seemed hesitant. The remaining two were loud and hard. Teddy answered the door, its wooden visage carved with reliefs of owls taking flight. Beyond the door Renee stood, hair wet and sad eyes turned to max. If she thought he was a sucker for sad eyes she clearly never grew up with siblings.

  “Renee, I thought we all agreed to talk tomorrow. To explain more at the visit.”

  “Dear, please. I just want to clarify something. Can’t I?”

  “I don’t think it would be good for…”

  “Please.”

  Her eyes were determined. If he let her in he could get pulled into something bigger than what's already happening. His brother needed him. Would this help him or hurt Nate’s chances? He gave in just as he had so many times till now. Something about her ruined his decision making.

  “No, Mind tricks.”

  “I swear. Not that they can affect you anymore. Once you are conscious of it, the chance of working is incredibly low.”

  He permitted her inside. There was no personalization to be done with the room. All rooms were designed with opulence in mind. His only addition to the room was the clothes that hung in the closet, and those folded in the drawers. They weren’t his but instead brought from the stores on Mandy’s request. Eerily they all fit perfectly. They’d been waiting by the time he’d entered the room on the first day.

  The only notable change was the spirit that would visit on occasion. Each of her attempts to communicate are thwarted by the binding sewn into her mouth. It was a pitiable sight for Teddy to see.

  “Are you finally going to tell the truth about what you are?”

  She looked at him for a bit scrutinizing his face. It was like the first time that she saw him. Staring straight into his soul. It was a search, looking for that missing piece somewhere deep inside of him. To her it was always just out of reach.

  “Can I tell you a story?”

  If this was the way she was going to be, he might as well kick her out. His step to the door was stopped as her hands grasped his arm. Fingers dug into his flesh nearly breaking skin. Red lines formed on the skin.

  “What are you doing? Let go.”

  “Sit down. Now!”

  The force of her voice pushed him to the ground. She’d said it wouldn’t work if he knew about it. Another lie. He pushed against the order, his body squirming. The chair to the makeup table was brought over to him as she sat down in it.

  “Stop this. Let me up!”

  “Do Not Speak.”

  A zipper-like feeling spread across his mouth. He could move his lips but he felt restrained. Only enough room left for him to breathe. He was captured, unable to call for help. Watery eyes stared up at her. He pushed the panic out of his mind. If he could be anything like Nate, then he could be angry.

  “Must be that brother in you, Dear. Changing the script so much. What a problem family can be.”

  She patted his cheek. Reclining in the chair she teetered on two legs. A small giggle left her mouth as she rocked back and forth. It was the picture of a normal girl tempting fate to fall.

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  Stopping her giggle her voice grew solemn. Reaching back into her mind as if it were a memory long past. So far back she reached that it was faint and faded like an old photograph. Browning and yellowed in the corners from water damage.

  “There once was a Necromancer. A great and powerful one. See sounds like a bed time story. This Necromancer wanted to know the truth of the world. But that's what they all want. What we all want. His obsession was with Fate. Fated lovers, tragedy, heroics, and more things than one could count.

  So one day he found himself wondering what his next experiment should be. At that time he was living in a countryside home. Posing as some of us often do as a doctor. Our training can cover those aspects but he really was one. He spotted on that day someone he’d seen before.

  It shouldn't be hard to find such a person who lived there afterall. No you see he was old, very old was the necromancer. His sight could penetrate the body all the way down to the soul."

  She paused for a moment, tears pushed at the edges of her eyes. Swallowing hard she continued. Adjusting her seat to all fours.

  “So he realized if souls stayed in this world. Others pass on. Then what of the tales of reincarnation. He laughed wickedly to himself at that time. It was the perfect experiment. Take that soul he saw and brand it. Something that wouldn’t go away no matter how much time, or how far it travels. Then follow the lead. Personally it wouldn’t have been the most inhumane experiment. Just seeing where it traveled, taking note. It’s what came after.

  It's always what comes after, don’t you think Dear. He wanted data but not to watch for such a long time. Even in his long years he wanted results quickly. So he guessed ten years was enough. As chance would have it that soul was ten in that body. This is where it’s no longer a bedtime story. I’m sorry Dear.

  So he killed the child. Not just once or twice. No he would observe for ten years, kill them and track them down once more. Each time pieces were lost and gained. Until after ten times. His arbitrary number to stop at. You see he did it. He made Fate.

  So happy ending it was over. No, Dear. It will never be over. It was Fate. Fate means it always happens. Now that soul was trapped, bound to die to the Necromancer one way or another. Every time it turns ten it shall not live till eleven.

  So you ask what I am. My answer is lost. Searching for those pieces that make me who I am.

  By the power of The First Chronicle I bind my soul. Never will my bond of words restrict Teddy Cotton hence forth. Dear, I unbind you.”

  The invisible pressure released for a moment he struggled to stand. He felt at his own mouth making sure there wasn’t a zipper. Renee now kneeled on the ground raising a single knife up to him. After everything she said he wasn’t sure what this gesture was supposed to be.

  “Why would you? How did you? What is this Renee?”

  “Please kill me Dear. I want to be set free.”

  ***

  Doctor White stepped out into the hall. Nate was asleep. His short walk to the end of his ward and back had been enough to drain his energy. The doctor was honestly surprised at the boy's vigor. He’d delayed giving him any instruction as it wasn’t his place. Someone as low as him couldn’t give him a good life. He’d give Nate the chance he never had.

  At the empty nurses station he stopped and leaned against the counter top. He pulled out his second phone. The first was a standard Hollo-phone that most people were using nowadays. The person he was calling had an aversion to things that were too new. Things not yet entrenched in the world. So much so that the second phone was just an old touch screen.

  He dialed the number. This phone had become his customer contact line ever since he’d been instructed to use it to contact the Grandmaster. There wasn’t much point losing it by accident so he made it important for his day to day.

  Being a doctor paid well but it had nothing on being a parts shop. Necromancers didn’t just deal with the spirits, they also dealt with flesh. Replacement parts or uses for new builds, even food. There are a myriad of uses a necromancer can find for a dead body.

  Often their own bodies would be cobbled together. It was necessary to extend one's life. The practice was practically the sign of being a true necromancer to make yourself immortal. Just as with the vampires this made their investments long-term, high-earning, and wealthy. Which made a parts shop wealthy.

  The call connected after only the second ring.

  “Hello, This is Crypt Keeper. I heard you were looking for an extra set of hands.”

  “Indeed my good sir. But I do not think that your hands will find the string of fate that I seek.”

  “It is not my hands I offer. My shop wouldn’t run without them. Couldn’t get a decent price anyway. HAHA.”

  The grandmaster was quiet for a long minute. The doctor thought he might have offended him. It was an unfounded thought.

  “HAHA. Yes, your parts are far too splendid to mess with your business. At what price will I have to pay to receive this pair of hands?”

  “Sir, I know its odd coming from a part shop. I don’t want a payment.”

  “No, Payment? Then you wish for a favor? That is fine as well.”

  “In a way, yes. I would like to appeal for advanced treatment for this pair of hands.”

  The Grandmaster was seated in his study. A glass of scotch chilled on the heavy wood table. Its coaster was a stack of star atlases. The room had a single bookshelf running the length of the wall. Titles within ranged from the newest theories on time and space to aged cracked text of stars and their locations. The rest of the room was filled with names connected by strings, not just tens but thousands of names and strings.

  He took a small sip of liquor as he thought about what the doctor was asking him. An unusual request for certain. Having read the doctor's horoscope he thought he’d ask for money. Did these things even work in this part of the world?

  “I can grant this if you are certain. I am offering a grand prize for this. I will of course place all of that behind your request if you so wish.”

  “Grandmaster. To be honest I know I can’t make it any further. It was never in my stars as you’d say. I just want to give him the chance I didn’t have.”

  “Your sentiment is as admirable as any I have heard. That matter you paid me to look into. The one involving homunculus research.”

  Dr.White was caught off guard at the sudden mention of his research. He didn’t think that he’d ever actually receive the goods, especially from the Grandmaster himself. Homunculus research was one of the three most guarded secrets in necromancy. Most old families kept it completely under their lock and key.

  “Yes, Sir. Did you secure the info?”

  “As of yet no. I could provide you with my own but that is not what you were looking for. However, I will contact my friend The Hermit. He is from an old family and will be able to get what you asked for.”

  “Thank you, sir. As for payment…”

  “Yes, I know what you will say. It is unique to say the least. As the first of my gifts you should prepare it for my new student. I will make this promise to you. He will receive my utmost teaching. Those hands will be dyed black in death before long.”

  At that moment the doctor's mood turned from jubilance to one of regret. Did he just destroy this boy’s life? The methods of the GrandMaster were nothing to sneeze at, he could make one into a monster of a necromancer. That was for certain. It was the training itself. He knew it was akin to hell.

  Doctor Mei turned around the corner. Spotting the phone in his hand she made a serious face and approached him. He gave her a subtle gesture that he was fine. She stood close enough to hear what the Grandmaster would say.

  “Ah, Instructor Nyx. It is good of you to join us. I will have need of your services within a short time. I will send my apprentice for the boy.”

  “I didn’t tell you he was a man.”

  “Why would I need you to tell me something I already knew?”