Page 39 of Untraceable
“Analyze.” He held out his hand, and the spell struck Heyval. “What?”
Heyval grinned. “I know what you are seeing. I am a born healer, trained as a necromancer, educated as a mage. I am the turducken of magic.”
Alora snorted. “Whatever. She is not a necromancer by choice, so that is what we need to be concerned with. Heyval, how many corpses have you reanimated?”
“Corpses? None. I use the healing to start the body and get it back into position while I hold the soul with necromancy. Then, I stuff the soul or souls back in the body and use necromancy to hold them together like a splint. When the body and soul are both integrated again, the binding leaves the person treated.”
The head of the university said, “What?”
“I don’t reanimate the dead. I just keep them from dying and help them heal.”
Alora asked, “What was your most recent use of those skills?”
“Um, a child had had a drowning accident, and after the lifesaving efforts had been exhausted, I caught his soul and forced it back in with a sharp strike that looked like a hit to his sternum. I wrapped it inside him, and he woke up immediately. The brace should disappear from him in about a week. I don’t work with corpses. I never did. Not even when my mother tried to get me to wake the dog she had killed for the purpose.”
Alora winced. “Damn. That’s cold.”
“Yeah, I always wanted a puppy.” She wrapped her arms around herself. She looked at the shocked faces of the mages who had remained in the space.
The head of the university said weakly, “Perhaps we were hasty.”
“King Amori didn’t want to press charges.”
“We thought he was in your thrall.”
“I didn’t even meet him until a few days ago, and he was looking for me as well.” She blushed. “Not for the reason you think.”
Rage chuckled. “I am sure you have heard ofthe clubin King Amori’s city.”
The room started murmuring. Heyval blushed. “Yes, well, that is where we met. We were compatible.” She bit her lip. “For quite a few hours.”
Alora chuckled. “Good for you. I am amazed that you let him go on so long.”
“He usedthatspell, so there wasn’t any pain.”
“Oh. That one. Yeah, Bastien used it on me. It’s effective.”
“It was surprising.”
“That, too.”
Alora looked around. “So, I am assuming that she was wearing marks of Suura?”
“I am not sure, Your Majesty.”
Heyval said, “I was. One icon on each shoulder. That is how they knew I was a necromancer. I was the only one registered at the time. The rest were all at your college in Denyar.”
“Why weren’t you?”
“My mom’s a bitch.”
Rage laughed.
Heyval said, “Seriously, she wanted to bring back the old lineage. The old ways of warlocks and mages and everyone else cowering.”
Alora asked, “She’s dead?”
As one of the ladies said, “We hope so.” They laughed.
