The Death and the Hanged Man (Part 2)

Kasian felt his stomach drop. He was the only child in his previous life, and now, he had a mother and three siblings. Even though they were not his real family, he grew fond of them. Mother was the head of the family now, taking care of everything and being the anchor. If something had to happen to her, it won't end up pretty.

“What about Anna and Milko?”

“Anna is watching over them both.”

They all exited the barn. Mira was wondering for a while if she should use this chance to run away and move to another town, but she had no idea where to go. She didn’t even know what kind of villages or towns were nearby and in which direction she should go.

So she followed them to their house. Their abode was even smaller than the warlock's hut. It had only one room, used both as a kitchen and a bedroom. In the corner, there was a stove, and two beds near the walls. In the second corner, a big dining table with a bench and chairs. Only one cupboard is standing right next to it. And two wooden chests hidden under the bed. They did not have much.

Mira looked at one of the beds, where the oldest person in the family was lying. It was a woman, the mother of the family. She was there, in bed, but something was indeed wrong. Her face was pale and sweaty, her brows furrowed.

Once Kasian saw this, a bad premonition seized his insides. Coming closer to his new mother, he put his palm on her forehead. It was burning. He gulped, his mouth dry. He thought that when he died and was reincarnated those weeks ago, the epidemic had already ended. And yet, it looked like the incubation period was too long, and now, his mother got sick. Her breathing was heavy and shallow.

But there was something even worse. He slowly took out their youngest sibling, Milko, who was still sleeping. He also had a fever.

“They have been like this since morning?” he turned to Anna.

She was now starting the fire in the stove, once her oldest brother returned. She turned to him, and the orange flames reflected on her cheeks. She nodded, her small, round eyes looking at the suspicious woman standing behind him.

Kasian turned to Tomas: “Run into the town and get a doctor. Quickly.”

Tomas nodded and dashed out of the hut.

Kasian sighed and sat down on his bed. “Do we have any herbal teas left?” he asked.

Anna shook her head.

“Still, boil some water in the kettle. And I will pull another bucket of water from the well. We will have to give her a cold cloth on the forehead to keep her fever down.”

Mira was looking at this scene, a multitude of ideas going through her head. First of all, people in the past were dying like flies once they got sick. She just hoped this was some kind of summer flu going around, not some epidemic. She thought her body would be more resilient than that of an average person living here, but she had no idea what kind of viruses or bacteria were circulating here. There was no reason to risk it. There were also no vaccines or antibiotics in this world. Should she ask for a moldy bread to eat instead of a penicillin? Would that even work? She was not a doctor.

Mira looked at the mother lying in the bed. Her chest movement was very unnatural. She had issues with breathing. No oxygen mask available here.

Then she noticed something else. There was some kind of darkness lingering around the mother. Like a black smoke, it was swirling around her body, caressing her like a cloudy blanket. Mira looked at Kasian and the girl near the stove. There was no such thing around them. But the same thing was swirling around the youngest.

She gulped.

“Are you here again, although I ordered you to go away?”

The dark mist swirled toward her.

“She can see us!”

“A necromancer! A sorceress who can barter with the dead.”

Mira's eyes glowed. The dark mist was slowly changing its shape, and now, she could see faces flying around her.

“You told us to leave? We met first time now. “

“Who are you?” Mira asked them in her mind.

“We are the ancestors of this family. We felt the end was near, so we came to welcome them and help them cross onto the other side.”

“You mean the mother is dying?”

“The mother will go first. And then her youngest child will follow her. But don’t worry, I will take care of them,” a soul of man told her.

Mira looked at him. Even on his cloudy face, she could see similar features to those on the faces of children in this hut.

“Are you the father?” she asked him.

“Yes. I had to leave them, but now, we can be reunited again.”

Mira went silent. Needless to say, this did not look good at all.

“Why are they dying? Do you know?”

“They are sick. My oldest son also died because of the sickness spreading around the town.”

“Brother,” Anna opened her mouth, “who is that woman? She is very scary.”

Mira quickly blinked, the red glow in her eyes fading out. She smiled at the eldest son, looking at her.

“She is not a scary person, Anna,” Peter smiled.

He came closer to her and patted her on her head.

“It is okay, she won't hurt you.”

“B-but… her eyes were glowing.”

Mira turned away. She forgot one elementary thing. Those two people will die shortly. And it will happen just as she arrives here. She already said she was accused of witchcraft. It won't take much time until the smartest eldest son realizes that she is the one who brought death into this house.

“I need to go,” she said.

“Wait!”

She bolted out of the hut, but Kasian quickly followed. He caught her by her arm right outside the door. His warm fingers touched her skin.

“Stop running. Please.”

“I need to go away. And quick.”

“I want you to stay.”

She looked at him, confusion in her eyes. “I can't,” she said. “They… they are both going to die,” she whispered.

He let go of her hand, waves of emotions sweeping over him. “You can't know that… Or… You think this is an epidemic? Are you scared you will be infected too, if you stay?”

What else could she say to him? That she can see the souls of the dead lingering around? That she can talk to them, and they told her, they came for those two people?

Wait. Would she be able to ask the souls if they can live them longer? That is the point of the forbidden magic, right? But does that mean she will have to cut her own lifespan to save those two? Was she willing to sacrifice her own life for strangers she had just met? What if she asked the souls only for a few days, until she has time to disappear, so they will not suspect her? She couldn’t imagine giving them whole years, but a few days shouldn’t hurt.

“Let me get back. I want to try something,” she said.

They both returned to the hut.

Mira pointed at the girl guarding the sick. “Take her with you and turn your back on me. Do not look at what I am doing.”

Peter listened. He took his sister Anna, and they both turned, Peter covering his little sister's eyes.

Mira slowly breathed out. Her eyes glowed red now. She looked at the souls floating near the sick family members.

“You are back.”

“What are you planning with our dear family members, witch?”

“How much do I need to pay to let them survive?”

“The trade is simple. You need to transfer your lifespan to them. Want them to live until the next day, give us your day. Want them to live a hundred years, give us a hundred years.”

Mira was thinking. She was trying to remember what the warlock told her when they were talking about necromancer magic. What they were asking was a simple trade, nothing special. If you use someone who is willing to sacrifice their own life, what is so forbidden about that? People are doing that normally without magic, although not that literary.

“That is their life. But what will you take from me in order to make this exchange? That is surely not free.”

“Only souls of the dead know how to make such an exchange. It is up to us what we will take as compensation.”

She knew it. She knew that it was not so simple as it looked. No fairness when dealing with death.

“Tell me, what do you want?”

“We want your lifespan. You are trying to change the fate of two people. Give us yours.”

“You want my life?” she almost shouted out in disbelief.

She quickly gathered herself and cleared her throat.

“What would you even use my lifespan for? It is not like you are able to come alive with it. You are dead. End of story. Even my whole life won't make you feel alive.”

“What can you offer us, then?”

“What about memories and emotions?” Mira asked. “Memories are what make us human. Emotions are what make those memories stay.”

She was expecting, they would start laughing at her, ignoring her request. It was a dumb idea. She was just trying to find a way to live longer.

The souls started laughing. But it was not the type of laugh when you tell a good joke. Something in their tone was sinister, hinting at catastrophe.

“Necromancer. You are right. The memories are what make life. We will accept your offer. Give us the lifespan you wish to transfer to our dear family members. Give us your memories to pay for it, and we will do it.”

“What kind of memories do you want?”

“Life for life. Let us eat your memories of the one person.”

Mira was not aware of the consequences. What about some memories? You are forgetting them every day anyway. If she could use them and save her own lifespan in the process, better for her. And… she knew exactly which memories she would sacrifice.

She was in a new world, where no one from her own world lived. If she truly wanted to move on, she would have to forget. There was only one person she needed to forget to be finally able to breathe freely. The person who broke her heart.

She put both hands on her chest. Remembering him, she pulled the hands out, and a soft, glowing pearl appeared, floating in the air. The souls swarmed around her, taking the pearl into their hands.

“Such rich memories,” they whispered excitedly. “Let us make the transfer now. How much time should we take from you and give to those two people?”

“One month.”

“Very well. Let us begin.”

“Wait. Don’t make me scream. They will think something is amiss.”

Something thick and hard caught her face, squeezing her mouth shut, covering her nose. She was barely able to breathe now. The pain in her body was enormous. If she were not suffocating now, she would be screaming so loud it would be heard in the depths of hell.

The exchange happened, and she fell down onto the floor. The world spun before her eyes and then went dark.