Necromancer Falling: Book Two of The Mukhtaar Chronicles Read Online Free PDF Page B

formed circles around the smaller ones, careful to avoid the crag spider nests and hunters.
    “I don’t know,” Kaitlyn said. “What was Tithian saying about you being born forty years ago?”
    “I know you need answers, Kait. I just didn’t want to overwhelm you. I had the mother of all freak outs when that thing pulled me through the portal. I just assumed you’d be doing the same. I guess you’re a lot stronger than I am.”
    “You were all alone.”
    “True.”
    “I understand you’re trying to be thoughtful, but that’s not how it’s coming across. Can you just tell me everything tomorrow? I’m okay with playing tourist tonight. But you need to start talking tomorrow morning.” She moved one of her pieces on the board. “Oh, and checkmate . Or…whatever you’re supposed to say when you win.”
    Nicolas stared at the board with wide eyes. “That’s not possible.”
    “You play this like you play chess. You can’t save all of your pieces all of the time.”
    “Is that your professional opinion, chess master Kaitlyn ?” He smiled. “Tithian would say—oh crap. I forgot.”
    Nicolas remembered the installation service he had to be a part of in the morning. He’d forgotten to tell Kaitlyn.
    “Tomorrow morning there’s some kind of ceremony I have to go through,” Nicolas said. “No one but Council magi are allowed in the Council chambers, so you can’t be there with me. It’s a stupid rule, but I can’t do anything about it until after the ceremony. You could check out some of the shrines. I think you’d love the architecture here. Maybe let Toby meet some of the locals. As soon as the ceremony is over, we can have that conversation. How’s that for a plan?”
    The moonlight provided ample light to see she didn’t think much of his plan .
    “I swear I’m not forty years old.”
    “Why do they keep calling you Archmage ?”
    “Because that’s who I am here. I’m the archmage. My birth father was the old archmage, but he was an evil bastard and I forced him into early retirement. So they gave me the job.”
    “Safe to assume you’re not going to introduce me?”
    “No need to. You already met him.”
    “Tithian?”
    Nicolas laughed. “No. The dead dude with the broom.”
    “The what ?”
    He hadn’t meant for it to slip out that way, but there was no way to put that particular cat back in the bag.
    “I told you you’re safe here, remember?” Nicolas said.
    “Stop talking to me like I’m five. I don’t need you to keep telling me I’m safe, ass!”
    “It’s going to be okay.”
    “Oh…my…god! Tell me it’s going to be okay one more time. I dare you!”
    “I don’t know what you want from me!”
    “I want to know about this secret world of yours. I want to know about this life you’ve lived away from me for…however long you were here. I want to know you’re the same person that left me in that apartment. For God’s sake, Nicolas, your father, Doctor Murray, just died, and you haven’t even mentioned him.”
    Nicolas shut his eyes and lowered his head. “A year ago, Kait. Dad died a year ago. I can’t explain why because I don’t understand it myself. It was a year for me.”
    “You were a scared college student who couldn’t tie a neck tie last time I saw you. And now you live in a palace? You have guards? People serve you? You think it’s normal to be surrounded by dead things?”
    Nicolas shook his head. He had no idea where to begin.
    “And what does all this mean?” Kaitlyn asked. “Are we ever going home? What about school? What about finals? Are we ever…ow!”
    Kaitlyn grabbed her temples.
    Nicolas put his arm around her and settled her back down on the bed. At least he could do that much.
    Kaitlyn wiped beads of sweat from her forehead and rested her hand over her eyes.
    “It’s going to be okay,” Nicolas said.
    “I swear to god, if I didn’t have a marching band in my head I would knee you in the nuts .”
    “I’m sorry, I