could cry out with all of her strength and not be heard.
"Now, you remember it."
What she remembered didn't make sense. It couldn't, in any reasonable world, make sense. "Oh God," she said in horror. "What are you?"
"Your honored servant."
"No," she whispered. "You're something else. Something—"
He watched her, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Miranda swore under her breath and pushed away from him, ducking low in a quick dash for the door. It appeared so close, a breath away, almost there. The Necromancer grabbed her and she spun, kicking hard into his stomach. He grunted and she tore the dagger from its sheath.
The Necromancer hissed under his breath and pushed her off balance. She fell back against the warm metal. He came at her, pale eyes glowing.
She rolled back and slashed at him with the dagger. The blade cut through the flesh of his forearm, spilling blood across his tunic. He grabbed onto the dagger, forcing it from her hand.
Miranda punched him, her knuckles connecting sharply with his jaw. He growled and grabbed onto her wrist, now holding both her hands as she lay beneath him. She shook her head, screaming at him. "What do you want from me? You just want to hurt someone? Is that it? Is that what gets you off?"
"No one can hurt you, Miranda," he said through his teeth, the promise of some dark truth hidden in his tone. "And now you will remember why. Now you will remember everything."
* * *
Seth walked through the fading light along the playa. The desert had turned soft and dusky around him, the mountainous ridge in the distance gilded by the last bright rays of sunset. Human silhouettes drifted through cooling haze, bicycle riders circling and turning like schools of fish, laughter erupting between the camps. His RV appeared ahead, an eerie permanence implied by the thick layers of dust now covering its windows and tires, as if the thing had been sitting in the middle of the desert for a hundred years.
Fishing the keys out of his pocket, he reached for the door, only to find it open. It swung outward with the thin screech of metal. The interior of the RV was dark.
Seth frowned, stepping up into the shadows to flip on the cabin light. A petite blonde woman winced up at him from the couch. She was easily recognizable, with clear blue eyes and ringlet curls. It was the same blonde woman who had escorted Miranda around the playa all afternoon.
She looked shaken, her hair coming loose from its clasp, her eyes rimmed in red. She held her small hands in her lap, her fingers white and her expression strained.
"How did you get in here?" he asked.
"Your ex-girlfriend," the woman said, gesturing to an open envelope on the table. "Taped the keys to the door."
Seth looked down and picked up the envelope holding his spare set, reading the word 'asshole' written in florid handwriting and black marker along its surface.
He rolled his eyes. Thank you, Cecilia.
"Please turn off the light," the woman whispered. "It would be easier to talk if you did."
"You think I'm interested in making things easier for you? Where is Miranda?"
"She's at the camp, please!" Her eyes glittered with tears.
Seth swore under his breath and flipped the light off. He climbed into the cabin, leaving the door open as he stood before her. "What's your name?"
"Julie."
"Why are you here, Julie?"
"She needs you."
"Now?"
"No, now she's—" Julie grimaced, swiping the tears from under her lashes angrily. "You have to come to the party tonight. The Necromancer has invited you to his private table. Miranda will be there. She needs you to be there too."
"She asked you to come here?"
Julie dropped her gaze. "No."
"He did? The Necromancer?"
"Yes, but it's not like that. You don't understand."
Seth shook his head, then paused, noticing the ominous speckled stain at the hem of her dress, splatters that appeared dark crimson in the half-light from the open door.
"Is that blood?" he asked, his heart taking a dive in his chest. "Are you
"Now, you remember it."
What she remembered didn't make sense. It couldn't, in any reasonable world, make sense. "Oh God," she said in horror. "What are you?"
"Your honored servant."
"No," she whispered. "You're something else. Something—"
He watched her, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Miranda swore under her breath and pushed away from him, ducking low in a quick dash for the door. It appeared so close, a breath away, almost there. The Necromancer grabbed her and she spun, kicking hard into his stomach. He grunted and she tore the dagger from its sheath.
The Necromancer hissed under his breath and pushed her off balance. She fell back against the warm metal. He came at her, pale eyes glowing.
She rolled back and slashed at him with the dagger. The blade cut through the flesh of his forearm, spilling blood across his tunic. He grabbed onto the dagger, forcing it from her hand.
Miranda punched him, her knuckles connecting sharply with his jaw. He growled and grabbed onto her wrist, now holding both her hands as she lay beneath him. She shook her head, screaming at him. "What do you want from me? You just want to hurt someone? Is that it? Is that what gets you off?"
"No one can hurt you, Miranda," he said through his teeth, the promise of some dark truth hidden in his tone. "And now you will remember why. Now you will remember everything."
* * *
Seth walked through the fading light along the playa. The desert had turned soft and dusky around him, the mountainous ridge in the distance gilded by the last bright rays of sunset. Human silhouettes drifted through cooling haze, bicycle riders circling and turning like schools of fish, laughter erupting between the camps. His RV appeared ahead, an eerie permanence implied by the thick layers of dust now covering its windows and tires, as if the thing had been sitting in the middle of the desert for a hundred years.
Fishing the keys out of his pocket, he reached for the door, only to find it open. It swung outward with the thin screech of metal. The interior of the RV was dark.
Seth frowned, stepping up into the shadows to flip on the cabin light. A petite blonde woman winced up at him from the couch. She was easily recognizable, with clear blue eyes and ringlet curls. It was the same blonde woman who had escorted Miranda around the playa all afternoon.
She looked shaken, her hair coming loose from its clasp, her eyes rimmed in red. She held her small hands in her lap, her fingers white and her expression strained.
"How did you get in here?" he asked.
"Your ex-girlfriend," the woman said, gesturing to an open envelope on the table. "Taped the keys to the door."
Seth looked down and picked up the envelope holding his spare set, reading the word 'asshole' written in florid handwriting and black marker along its surface.
He rolled his eyes. Thank you, Cecilia.
"Please turn off the light," the woman whispered. "It would be easier to talk if you did."
"You think I'm interested in making things easier for you? Where is Miranda?"
"She's at the camp, please!" Her eyes glittered with tears.
Seth swore under his breath and flipped the light off. He climbed into the cabin, leaving the door open as he stood before her. "What's your name?"
"Julie."
"Why are you here, Julie?"
"She needs you."
"Now?"
"No, now she's—" Julie grimaced, swiping the tears from under her lashes angrily. "You have to come to the party tonight. The Necromancer has invited you to his private table. Miranda will be there. She needs you to be there too."
"She asked you to come here?"
Julie dropped her gaze. "No."
"He did? The Necromancer?"
"Yes, but it's not like that. You don't understand."
Seth shook his head, then paused, noticing the ominous speckled stain at the hem of her dress, splatters that appeared dark crimson in the half-light from the open door.
"Is that blood?" he asked, his heart taking a dive in his chest. "Are you
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