His lips lifted as he munched on his roast beef, shifting between that and a root vegetable medley. “Hence you and me being here alone at this dinner. They know this discussion needed to happen but they’re also not exactly enthusiastic about it. And it’s only me who can impart this to you.”
“And Father.”
“To an extent. He has the theoretical knowledge base, but not the practical application. Nor does he understand the sensations and precise mechanics of performing such a feat.”
“He was on board with the reason behind this dinner, no doubt.”
“He knows you need to hear it. This is a part of you, just as much as your Wraith side. Lack of use won’t make it go away.”
I winced at his words. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
“Sorry?”
“That I’m like this with my necromantic side—the part that is all you. It’s not that I—”
“I know it has nothing to do with me.” His fingers tightened around his large cup of blackcurrant tea. “It’s all abouthim.Morien.”
“It’s something I need to be wary of.”
“It’s somethingIneeded to be wary of. Not you. That kind of darkness and, honestly, downright evil, doesn’t exist in you.”
“It’s not born, it’s made, Dad.”
“Winter—”
“Something could trigger that in me. We don’t know.”
He paused on taking another sip of his tea and put the cup down. “I watched Morien—my own fucking father—murder my mom and my little sister. Years later, he also nearly murdered your mom, your pops, your father, and your grandpa right in front of me. And yet, I didn’t snap, lose all semblance of control, and then become him.”
I sucked in a breath.
I’d heard the stories over the years… but not conveyed that bluntly and brutally.
He sat forward. “You see, son, it’s not actually power that corrupts. When we’re talking about extreme levels of power like that, it’s about why you wield it. For him it was domination and his obsession with amassing endless power. For me it was protection and what I perceived as justice as well. It’s what I’ve tried to impress upon you through action and by the way of example, rather than words, because I believed witnessing it would hold more weight for you. But given how you’ve come to be with your necromantic power usage—next to none—thatclearly didn’t pan out the way I’d hoped.” He eyed me worriedly, which was a rarity for him, and it had me tensing. “There’s another concern at play when it comes to power sets that reach extreme levels. That’s lack of knowledge.”
I frowned. “You’ve taught me a lot.”
“The basics.”
“Basics? Really?”
“Fine.Basicsby my standards. Regardless, it’s still not enough. Knowledge isn’t just memorizing and learning by way of intaking information. It’s also doing and furthering your experience. The latter you are sorely lacking in.”
“Because I pulled back from your teachings.”
“Yes. And Necromancy isn’t taught at any Academy or even a specialist Coven these days. A few Covens used to instruct, but with you and I being the last necromancers left on this plane, the others having disappeared two decades ago and remained that way, that’s no longer the case.” He picked up his tea again and took a sip, then told me, “So, I’m going to take you on as my charge.”
“You… what?”
“Does the wordapprenticesuit you better?”
“You’re seriously trying to pull asorcerer’s apprenticedeal on me?”
“Oh, most definitely, my sweet and gentle son.”
“Dad—”
“The danger that you’re concerned about isn’t the actual root danger. It’s you possessing great and complex power, yet barely having the means—and especially not the experience—to wield it to match that power set. You’re about to go to school around young supernatural beings who don’t have a full handle on their abilities. You could quite likely find yourself in situations where you’ll need to guard against that. If you’re not equipped to do so, you could react disproportionately—and dangerously. Thereare also threats out there that the family has been shielding you against. Your time at Loxley Academy marks your transition from that heavy protection and stepping into the world to a greater degree. Then beyond those four years, you won’t even have the lesser shielding of that school environment either. This is the optimal time to attend to this issue of yours—for the benefit of those around youandyourself.”
