*****
I was standing before a high table that was settled on a platform above my head. There were three chairs positioned behind it, with people in each of those chairs. They must be the council members that Finn told me about, but strangely enough, they don’t look old, like I thought they would. They didn’t look a day over thirty, just like Nancy. I didn’t believe her when she said that supernatural beings don’t age past thirty. But to be young forever? What’ll that be like?
The one in the middle had soft brown eyes and dark blonde hair. He smiled at me, but I didn’t feel like smiling back. I’d just been abducted from my room, thrown into a trunk, and dragged into the meeting room. He seemed to understand, and nodded. “We’ll do away with the niceties; you obviously don’t want to be here, and I don’t blame you.”
“You kidnapped me!”
He sighed. “I’m sorry about that, Veronica. All you had to do was come down here with Finnley, and we could have avoided doing something drastic like this. He told you it would be easier on you if you just went along and he was right.”
Finnley? I almost laughed, but I saw the woman on his left watching me like a hawk, so I took a deep breath and continued. “Look, I’m not the necromancer you guys are looking for. I’ve never brought someone back from the dead; I wouldn’t even know how to do something like that. All I do is talk to the ghosts that visit me. I don’t know how I can prove it to you, but I will.”
The man in the middle nodded. “Veronica, my friend here is a witch,” he said, gesturing to the woman on his left. She had dark brown eyes and even darker brown hair, with a slightly hooked nose and thin-rimmed glasses. “She’s going to help prove your innocence.”
The woman got up from her seat and walked around the end of the table. She strode toward me and I took an automatic step back. A firm, warm hand kept me in place and when I looked up, I found myself staring into Finn’s pale blue eyes. They were still slightly glowing, and I wondered if it had anything to do with the dark, or if it was just at night, because even though it was just after three thirty in the morning, it was really bright in the room.
“My name is Lisa Valentine, and I’m a witch, as Marcel has already said. I’m going to do a simply spell, and it’ll allow me to look into your mind for any evil intent. If you allow me to do this, and I find nothing to concern us, you’ll be free to go.”
“You just expect me to let you into my mind?” I nearly shrieked. What the hell is wrong with these people? Part of me just expected to wake up and find out that all of this had been a truly freaky dream. I’d find out that Finn didn’t actually exist, and neither did Nancy, necromancy, or the council. But deep down, I knew that this was all for real. I was about o have my mind searched by a witch, I was possibly being stalked by a werewolf, and I was a necromancer. Not to mention these people thought I was raising an army of the undead for world domination.
I guess it could always be worse…
Lisa the witch put her hands on either side of my face, and the necklace started to glow between my breasts. I could feel the heat of it, and I had a moment of hesitation before looking into the woman’s eyes. Her pupils dilated to the point where they took up the entire brown part of her eye, and I got the feeling that she was in a trance of some kind.
Her mouth was moving rapidly but I couldn’t make out any of the words she was saying. As she spoke, her eyes began to glow a light pink color from behind her eyelids, as did her hands. I could feel her inside of my mind, digging around, and I’d never felt so wrong and uncomfortable before. I could feel this woman sifting through my memories, my thoughts, and even my dreams. It was a very intrusive experience.
Finally, after what felt like hours, she pulled away with an exhausted sigh. “There are things we need to discuss. In the meantime, Finnley will keep you company and show you around, if you want. Or you can wait here in the council room for us to finish our deliberations. Either way, you won’t be allowed to leave this building until our decision is reached.”
I glanced up at Finn. His entire body was tense and I got the distinct impression that he didn’t want to show me around, or that he wanted anything to do with me. But the Council members were obviously in charge, and when Marcel motioned to the door, Finn put his hand on my back and steered me out of the nearest set of double doors.