I awoke to something sweet in the air, almost as if I'd been sleeping in a bakery. But that didn't make any sense. Why would I be sleeping there? I tried to move. My arms were pinned behind my back somehow. The floor was cold and hard."Set him up."Hands grabbed me, pulling me upright as the world spun around. I tried to catch myself before falling to the side, but I soon figured out that my arms were tied. A hooded figure caught me instead, steadying me until they were sure I wouldn't fall again."What is your name, Necromancer?"It was the same feminine voice that spoke before, coming from the figure standing in front of me. Her robe was different, made of a finer cloth in a bright shade of green. Delicate stitching of the same color scrolled along the cloth edges. A Priestess, maybe?"Your name," she demanded again, but this time pain shot up my arms.I gasped, trying to think. I couldn't give them my real name. "Asher," I breathed. "Ash

The swirling vortex of the portal surrounded me and I was ejected out the other side, rolling in the dirt until something hard stopped my momentum. I hurt. My arms screamed at me, the scars from my challenge weeks ago felt fresh on my skin and added to the painful wounds from the chains. I kept my eyes closed and tried to breathe. At first I couldn't hear anything, but then sounds started coming through. I heard bird song, frogs, and insects that weren't those of home or even from the grove close to Avery's house. I groaned. They sounded like I was somewhere much further away.I shifted, putting my back against the trunk of the tree that had stopped my roll. I opened my eyes. We'd ended up in the Half-world.The air was cooler than last time, but I still peeled off my hoodie to keep the humidity of the jungle from suffocating me. My vision blurred. As tired and exhausted as my Talent was, I wanted more than anything to focus on the back of my eyeli

I laid back and closed my eyes. I don't remember trying to sleep, but the next thing I knew, John was shaking me, roughly. "Ezra, wake up. Something's wrong."I shot up, instantly alert. Tamner knelt on the other side of Poe, trying to hold the bird down. Poe shrieked, the sound piercing."What's wrong?" I reached out, intending to help the old man hold him. As soon as I touched Poe, though, I could feel his power building."I don't know, Hasim," Tamner said, struggling."Let go," I said, stepping back. John stepped forward to help as well, but I grabbed his arm. "No, stay back." Poe continued to thrash about."Hasim, he'll hurt himself."I grabbed Tamner as well and pulled them both away, back towards the fire."Just wait. I think he's-" I didn't even get the words out of my mouth before feathers exploded across the room. Then there was a groan of pain.Poe's human form was very still against the furs he laid on, his clothes t

John and I followed Suon back to the village. I stopped, briefly torn by wanting to check on Poe before we left. Suon notice and waved me off."Go, but we leave soon. Find us middle of huts."Suon continued on, but John lingered. "I'll make sure they wait for you."I nodded and ducked into Tamner's hut.Tamner himself was by the fire, mixing herbs and medicinal plants. He glanced up at me."You go with Suon, correct?" he asked, turning his eyes back to his work."Yeah," I said, stepping over to check on Poe. His color was looking better and his breathing was a little steadier."Do not worry about your teacher. I will keep a close eye on him until you return." Tamner said as he appeared at my side with two cloth bags. He raised the blue one, "Food," then the red one, "Medicine."I watched as he added them to my messenger bag. He handed it to me by the newly fixed strap."Thank you," I mumbled, his kindness continuing to s

I escaped from the festivities as soon as I could without drawing attention, which took a while since the head of the village kept introducing me to his daughters. Finally, after mentioning something to Tamner, the parade of eligible women stopped.I slipped past the front line of huts and walked around to Tamner's, my mind still full of what John had told me about the plants. I shivered despite the heat. To be able to feel my power, my talent, but not be able to use it. For most necromancers that would just be torture, but for me? To have it build and build -it would literally kill me.The fire was barely burning in Tamner's hut. Poe still lay on his pallet of furs. His skin didn't look as pale or sickly as when I last saw him in the early hours of the morning. His breathing was even and stronger as well.Poking the fire back to life, I added another log before pulling my bag closer to search through it. I was looking for the Reinhardt book I'd brought with me.