“Can you send breakfast and the pot of coffee to the study?”
She nodded, and I scarpered away with my coffee.
As soon as I arrived in the office, I sat at the desk, placed my coffee on the desk, and turned the Mac computer on. I took a small sip of the coffee since it was too hot to guzzle down. I frowned at the mug; it tasted different. I smacked my lips and tried it again, but there was a bitter aftertaste. The computer loaded up, and I placed the mug on the desk to use the guest setting to access the web browser.
The property was built in 1458. I traced the original family who owned the property and gasped when I saw they had been part of an excavation in Egypt. Next, I typed in Nebka, but there wasn't much information. As I scrolled down, I saw an article.
Necromancer.
What the fuck was a necromancer?
I opened another tab to look it up when there was a light knock on the door.
“Come in,” I said, touching my mug of coffee to check the temperature.
Mrs Denby walked in with a trolley. It contained toast, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and sausages. Beside it was a tall enamel coffee pot and a bowl of strawberries. She rolled the trolley beside the desk, and I could feel her disapproval. Her eyes were on the computer screen, and I moved the mouse to minimise it.
“Thank you, Mrs Denby.”
She paused, staring at me before she nodded and left me alone.
I ignored the food but poured another coffee before returning to my research. A necromancer claimed to communicate with the dead, performing occult rituals and, in some cases, using the dead as their puppets.
The rabbit hole grew deeper and more sinister, and I paused to eat while I read article after article. The Lord of the Souls didn't have anybody named Nebka, only Anubis. Osiris was the Egyptian god of the afterlife, the jackal-headed god. He was similar to the Greek God Hades.
The Egyptian civilisation was awash with magic for good and evil purposes. I paused and typed in a different set of keywords named Nebka and got an instant hit. He was a ruler in the Third Dynasty around 2686 BC. His tomb was never officially recognised, but there was one found that suspected it was his—an unusually tall body with a large skull for that region. I glanced at the few pictures of the relics found.
I searched for the list of people who worked on the tomb, but my heart stopped when I saw the name. Lord Addington, who built this house, had also raided historical sites in Egypt. The link I was looking for stared me in the face.
A dog barked in the distance. It grew louder, and I stood up to walk to the window. To my relief, I saw Owen washing the car. I left the study and rushed through the hall to go outside.
“Owen,” I shouted as I grew closer.
He turned around, and I stopped in my tracks. The golden glow to his face was gone, and he looked pale. My eyes dropped to his neck, and I saw the dark pink line across his throat. Blank eyes looked at me, and there was—nothing. No recognition, no life, only death.
“Mistress,” he whispered as he took a step toward me.
The sponge was still in his hand, dripping with water, and he smiled. His lips were a greyish-blue. I gasped and ran back inside the house.
Mrs Denby stood in the hall, speaking to one of the maids. She turned to face me with the same smile that Owen had. That’s when I noticed she wore pale pink lipstick to disguise the actual colour of her lips.
Yeah, fuck this shit. I was out of here.
I smiled back and calmly walked past them to the stairs. When I was in the master bedroom, I began to pack all my bags and suitcases. The bed was messy with everything that didn’t fit my limited luggage. I looked around for my phone and realised I’d left it in the office.
I peeked out of my room, but the hallway was empty. I bolted out and down the stairs, sighing in relief when I never bumped into anyone. My phone was still on my desk. I walked toward the desk, but I never made it. Someone struck me on the back of my head, and I fell to the ground. My cheek was on the cold, hard wooden floor. I reached back to touch my head, but my vision blurred. Pain bloomed at the base of my skull, and I lowered my hand to the floor.
“Take her to the Master and make sure she is tied down. We need this one, and we cannot fail him,” Mrs Denby snapped.
Hands lifted me from my shoulders, waist and legs. The office vanished as I closed my eyes. All the questions I wanted to ask died with me as I lost consciousness.
Chapter 4
Holly
The growl of an animal awakened me. I slowly blinked as I stared at the thick wooden beams on the ceiling. I was in the chapel. On the altar. Naked. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't move. Something brushed over my forehead, and I screamed. Laughter echoed around the chapel, but it filled my belly with dread.
“Who are you? Why are you doing this?” I shouted, glancing around until I saw Mrs Denby, Owen and a tall old man wearing an eye patch.
