Black Magic Read Online Free PDF Page A

there was no one behind him. Turning around, he saw that Koray hovered in the entrance, looking…
    Awed. Sad. Softened in demeanor. More beautiful than ever.
    Something twisted, hard and sharp, in Sorin's chest, and it was not the Goddess conveying some message. He did not know what it was, and he was not in the mood to figure it out. "Koray?"
    "What?" Koray asked, eyes snapping back to Sorin, features hardening again.
    "Is something wrong?"
    "No," Koray said tersely.
    Sorin frowned. Two marks or so he had known Koray, and he'd yet to stop feeling confused. Who was he and why was he so confounding? Sorin could only stare at him, looking for some clue that would lessen his confusion.
    Koray was no polished knight, but the lack of spurs did not lessen the fact he was clearly a hardened soldier. Though his clothes and sword were worn, likely obtained second- or third-hand, they were obviously well cared for and valued. Various pouches were affixed to his belt, stuffed full of only the Goddess knew what. Even at a distance that smell of incense was apparent, intriguing. And the hair … he'd heard of necromancers countless times, the oddly streaked hair that marked them as plainly as armor marked the knights. It looked strange, but it somehow only added to Koray's beauty.
    "If you're done gawking at the necromancer," Koray said, "might we move along with whatever you are about? Is this where …?"
    Sorin made himself focus, furious that he'd gotten so sidetracked by staring like a halfwit. "No. That's in the keep. I am taking you to meet the high priest, and in the morning I will take you to see his Majesty."
    Koray grimaced, but said nothing, finally leaving the entryway and slowly moving toward Sorin. He paused halfway there, obviously not aware he had done so, eyes on the windows.
    If the keep was a masterpiece of defense, the cathedral was the heart of worship. A great deal of money had been poured into the cathedral back when it was built, and the people tithed generously to ensure it was maintained.
    The floor was smooth, gray stone tile, alternately carved with the various symbols of the Goddess: the sun, moon, stars, and blossom. The same gray stone also made up the walls, columns, and arching roofs. The walls alternated between panels carved with prayers and windows of colored glass depicting images that went along with the prayers. Those who could read the panels memorized the prayers that way, and those who could not read were able to learn them by way of recitation and the pictures.
    At present, the Cathedral was deserted save for a handful of priests lighting candles and tending other chores while they stood the night watch. During the day, it could be anywhere from moderately full to completely packed, with people standing in clusters or sitting on chairs and cushions brought from home. Sorin always liked the quiet moments best.
    Perhaps sensing his arrival, Angelos stepped through the door at the back of the main altar. His eyes landed on Sorin, and he nodded briefly. His gaze then shifted to look past Sorin and his eyes widened when they landed upon Koray.
    "High Priest," Sorin greeted, sweeping him a courteous bow. "Your prophecy has already proven true; I introduce to you the necromancer Koray, bidden by the Goddess to come and assist me."
    "I see," Angelos said, eyes still on Koray. "Sent by the Goddess, you say? I have never known necromancers to do the Goddess' work."
    "That is because you're an ignorant fool," Koray snapped. "We have always served the Goddess the same as any priest, any paladin. Our magic may be strange—to serve a stranger purpose—but she guides me the same as either of you."
    Angelos frowned. "If you were a servant of the Goddess, I think we would know—"
    "When have any of you ever done more than dismiss us?" Koray cut in. "Ignore us? Beat us? We were always there, doing the work She bid us do."
    "What, precisely, is the nature of your work?" Angelos asked, stepping down from the