Page 66 of Anatomy of the Immortal Species
The live skeleton was his secondary necromancer form. A form containing most of his strength. Only…
Constantine moved his bones around, but he had no idea of their position. He… was blind. He couldn’t hear. He couldn’t feel anything.
The skeleton had lost its perception, its connection to the world.
Panic gripped him. He summoned his human form back, his clothes reappearing as his flesh did. How had he not foreseen it sooner? What a fool he’d been to think Mada’s curse would affect just his outer-body travel. The skeleton interacted with the world through Constantine’s special necromancer abilities. If they were gone, the skeleton was blind, deaf, disoriented, weak, useless… A prisoner of nothingness.
Diana’s figure solidified before his eyes. Her pupils were dilated, and her breath came in short bursts.
Regaining his composure, Constantine focused on her. Despite his alarming discovery, the point of this transformation had been to give Diana a taste of what she might face in the Al-Hatib Tournament. Whether or not there would be necromancers among the contestants, those fighting for Hekate’s mirror would be just as formidable. If Diana wanted to beat them, she had to maintain her composure when she faced them.
“My skeleton is nothing compared to what you’ll face in Al-Hatib. If you can’t stand before it without your legs giving out, you’d better give up right now,” he warned.
She shook her head. “I’m not afraid of your skeleton, nor of anything else.”
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He twisted his lips with effort.
“Iwasready to fight your skeleton…”
“Next time,” he said, waving off the idea. “Let’s continue the old way.”
Diana hesitated before launching into a series of kicks. Her persistence paid off, allowing her to break through his defences a few times. By the end, they were both panting.
With much of her aggression vented, Diana tossed him a half-smile while she dabbed her forehead with a towel. In contrast, Constantine’s mood had only grown fouler.
25
Amelia enjoyed Viktor Volk’s company. His vast knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of immortal species, coupled with his understanding of the mysteries of the universe, surpassed the most comprehensive encyclopaedia. Sitting with him in the autopsy room, listening to his stories, had become a rare pleasure.
Occasionally, Viktor would drift into his own thoughts, eyes vacant, and the striking beauty of his face clouded with sorrow. It was during these moments that Amelia sensed in him a kindred spirit, someone who could understand the inexplicable sense of loss that had settled over her since Mikhail’s arrest.
For the third day in a row, she found herself in the gloomy, underground halls. Earlier today, a manticore’s dead body had been brought in, found on the outskirts of Sofia. A deep transverse cut across his wrist suggested he’d died due to massive blood loss.
“What if the body is discovered by humans and falls into their hands?” Amelia asked, tying her hair in a tall bun.
“It is highly unlikely for a creature to die in the middle of nowhere.” Viktor pulled out his apron and clean gloves from the metal cupboard beside him. “Most manage to reach the Hospital before death takes them. But occasionally, a creature could end up with a human medical examiner.”
“And what happens, if they notice the peculiarities of an immortal organism?”
“Ever heard ofayradjakli?” Viktor snapped on his sterile bluegloves. Amelia shook her head. “They’re witchers with the rare ability to perform hypnosis – fortunately, it only works on humans. A while ago, I treated a Tribunal agent with a nasty rash in a delicate area, and he told me the Tribunal works with ayradjakli. They’ve hypnotised all medical examiners to keep silent if they ever encounter something non-human in a body.”
A shiver ran down Amelia’s spine. “All of them? Hypnotised without even knowing? Worldwide?”
“Well, I don’t know about the entire world, but certainly in regions like Bulgaria, where there’s a dense population of creatures.” Viktor began his visual examination of the manticore.
Amelia wasn’t dressed for an autopsy, and the opening up of dead bodies had never really captivated her. So she took a few steps back and observed the sequacious process that Viktor followed while he recorded his discoveries on a small voice recorder.
As they both studied the manticore’s face, Amelia wondered if someone out there was searching for their lost lover…
Probably not.The long lifespan of immortal beings, while an advantage, seemed more like a curse tainted by solitude. Most creatures lived like lone wolves, independent.
Was that what centuries of existence had taught them? Never to depend on another soul? To be happy…and solitary? If that were true, Amelia would fit right in – except without the “happy” part. She had learned how to be independent, but also alone.
As much as she denied her longings, in a hidden corner of her mind, and of her heart, she’d believed that it wouldn’t be forever.
Oh, but it will be.
Her vision blurred. She glanced away from the manticore’s lifeless face and focused on the dim light filtering through the windows. Her blood pressure must have dropped, even though it hadn’t happened since her transformation. She leaned againstthe autopsy table and a man’s voice echoed around her, shutting out all other sounds…
