Page 141 of Court of Evil

“Escort her off the land, but let her go.” Her voice carries on the wind. “I have a feeling Tate is about to become our best asset.”

She has no idea.

I’m about to make her dreams a reality. I’m about to change everything, and she will help me do it.

CHAPTER 59

We are walking through the forest, their questions hitting me left, right, and centre, when I feel it. “Do you feel that?” I whisper.

“Yes.” Jarek suddenly stills. “Magic, dark magic. Death magic. It’s not too far from here. Zombie.”

Worrying my lip, I look him over. We have all read the reports on what happened recently. Could it be an escaped one wandering about? They aren’t picky about who they attack or eat, so innocents could get hurt. “Take me there,” I demand.

We step through a portal and out into an old graveyard where we see a zombie in better condition than I expected. It even has a shirt and pants on . . . as well as a collar like a dog, but it’s still a zombie.

“Shit, I’ve never seen an actual zombie,” Fang mutters. “Have you?”

“No, but I’ve read about them. They are notoriously hard to kill,” I reply, but then my head tilts as I watch it. “This one is not rampaging though, just walking.” I hold up my hand to stop them. “Let’s wait and watch.”

“Boring,” Zeev mutters, but we do just that. It wanders closer, seemingly curious, and we let it, but then darknesssuddenly leaks across the ground, and four figures step out of it and towards us.

I pull my blade out of instinct, and I feel the others ready themselves as I eye the new arrivals. Three men—er, two, one monster, and a woman in a lacy gown. They seem just as surprised to see us as we are to see them.

“The dark magic is coming from them,” Jarek whispers helpfully.

Where there’s a zombie, there’s a master.

I stare at them for a moment, but they don’t attack, and I know looks can be deceiving, but something about this woman makes me want to trust her. “Is this yours?” I ask as I nod at the zombie sniffing Addeus in confusion.

The monster steps in front of her, glaring at me, while the demon at her side watches me curiously, but the golden man smiles.

“Ah, sorry about that. Our zombie got loose. He likes to wander sometimes,” the woman says with a wide grin. “Thanks for not killing Bobby. He’s part of the family.”

I simply nod as the zombie wanders over to them and sits at their side. She pets his head. “You’re a necromancer.” It’s rare, and I’ve never met one, but I made it my business to know everything. While everything had been going down with us, there was a big war in another city up north, and a necromancer was there.

This must be her. The reports said she tried to save them all.

She swallows, watching me carefully. “Are you here to kill me?”

“Why would I be?” I ask.

“You’re a hunter. It’s what you do, isn’t it?” she counters.

“You’re a necromancer. Isn’t evil what you do?” I retort, and she smiles.

“I guess you have a point. I’m Freya. This is Phrixius, Bobby, Sha, and my demon,” she says.

“Um, Tate, and this is my team.” I quickly introduce them all, following suit. “But no, I am not here to hunt or kill you. We heard reports of a zombie and came to check it out. I guess we don’t need to worry.”

My hands tingle as I watch her, and I know this woman is important, just like I knew Quinn was. “You’re the one building the new court for the necromancers?”

Her eyes widen. “How did you know?”

“I know everything. Don’t worry, I have no plans to stop you. Everyone should have a home, a safe place.” I glance back at my team. “I understand that.” I hold out my hand. “I mean you no harm. It’s nice to meet you, Freya of the Court of Heathens.”

She watches me carefully before shaking hands, and like with Quinn, I sort through her memories before a barrier comes down, her eyes narrowing. “You’re in my head. How?”

Pulling back, I grin. “Clever. It’s my gift. I’m the descendant of a fae. I had to be sure.”

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