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All That I Am	By : kitten7315 Category: Anita Blake > Het Views: 5396 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Anita Blake series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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A/N: Hope you guys like the chapter. Thanks again to Marzbar for doing such a wonderful job at being a beta!

Chapter 22

“Wait Anita,” Aita said appearing beside me before I had a chance to go into the chamber. “This is a good chance for me to instruct you some more on your necromancy.”

Jean-Claude and Asher moved by me and went inside, leaving me to my ghostly teacher.

“Open yourself up to your necromancy, become one with all of your powers and feel the dead,” Aita told me. I took a deep breath and opened myself up and become one with the power welling up in me.

The power increased in intensity when I didn’t fight it, tendrils of power seem to wrap themselves around me caressing my body happily.

“It is beautiful,” Aita said to me.

I gave her a questioning look at her statement, “What are you talking about?”

“I see your power wrapping itself around you in shining pewter gray waves,” she said in astonishment.

I was wondering if anyone could see it or just someone able to actually see power. I saw it, but I was thinking it was just something I was imagining I was seeing. Something to put on my list of things to ponder, right up there with the meaning of life.

I sent out the tendrils of power and it recognized the dead, even the undead ones. I felt the pulses of power as it distinguished between the vampires, lycanthropes, mortals, and the truly dead. Each had its own signature that let me differentiate between each. The dead seem to tremble at my touch, causing the ground to tremble slightly in response to my power. I pulled back slightly, not wanting an army of zombies following me around until I could get them all put back.

“Good, now that you feel them and can tell the difference between the different forces you feel,make sure you let the vampires you are bound to balance you. Now you are ready, you have the power to do this. You are extremely powerful Anita, you just need the guidance.” With that Aita floated into the chamber with me following her.

In the center of the room Traveler was standing next to a stone sarcophagus that I assumed held Vel; Jean-Claude, Asher, Damien and Aita were in a corner of the room. My zombie raising kit was next to a cage that held two clucking chickens. I walked over to my bag that housed my supplies kneeling down to withdraw my machete and salt, not noticing the stares coming from the vampires in the corner. I got up and finally saw that the vampires were staring at me with wide eyes.

“What?” I asked slightly annoyed at being the center of their attention while I was trying to concentrate on not letting too much power escape. I still did not want the zombies banging on the door because I was distracted.

“We can see your power ma petite,” Jean-Claude explained, “It is beautiful and most unexpected to see.”

I frowned slightly, “You can see it too? I hope this isn’t permanent, I can’t walk around town actually showing my power.”

“It might be only visible to any preternatural creatures,” Aita said helpfully.

I shrugged my shoulders, now was not the time to be debating this.

“First try without the chickens Anita, use your necromancy as it was meant to be used and do not think like a lowly animator.” Aita told me.

Well, it’s worth a try, Aita knew better than I did when it came to being a necromancer. I turned to Traveler, “Do you want to be in the circle with me?” Traveler nodded his head in response, “I will also need his full name to call him forth.”

“Vel Alsinei,” Traveler said. I nodded and took the machete and made a small cut on my left arm and began walking the circle dripping my blood until the circle became complete. I felt the circle of power snap to completion strongly, almost knocking me over in its strength. I never felt my powers that call to the dead this strongly before. I guess there is something to be said for not fighting it.

I let the power loose inside the circle and grounded myself with Jean-Claude. “Remove the lid from the sarcophagus,” I told Traveler.

Traveler moved over to the sarcophagus and gently removed the lid as if it were just a piece of paper on a desktop. I walked up to it and tapped it with the machete, “Vel Alsinei, with steel I call you from you grave.” I touched my bloody hand to the ancient sarcophagus. “With blood I call you from your grave.” I felt the power seek Vel out, “Hear me now, Vel Alsinei, I command you to rise from your grave. Rise from your grave and walk amongst us.”

The ground trembled slightly and Vel sat up, meeting my command and the power that commanded it. He was amazingly well preserved, like an Egyptian mummy would be before I raised him. Like a whirlwind, my power surrounded him, knitting his aged rotting flesh making it whole again, even giving a peachy hue to it.

Vel climbed out of his sarcophagus and stood before us looking to me for his next command. I heard gasps from all the people in the room at the sight of him. It looked as though there was a living person waking from a night’s sleep, not a zombie long dead for six hundred years.

I walked up to him and placed my still bleeding arm to his lips, “Drink, Vel, drink of my blood and speak to us.” Vel latched on like a starving newborn, sucking the blood freely flowing from my arm. I felt his cold slimy tongue against my flesh, licking around the wound as if savoring the taste of me.

“Vel Alsinei,” I said when he had enough. His eyes rolled up to look at me never letting his mouth go from my arm. “Stop, that’s enough. There are some people here that want to talk to you.”

Vel released my arm and looked around the room and spied Traveler first. A brilliant smile broke out on his face and he grabbed Traveler and held him tight.

I stepped back to the edge of the power circle and let them have their moment. I have been doing this a long enough time to know how loved ones react, knowing sometimes they just want a moment alone with their newly raised loved ones.

I saw Aita glide over the outer rim of the power circle. “You have done well, and in time you should be able to judge how much power it will take to raise the dead of certain ages.” Aita said to me as an afterthought, her eyes were on Vel and Traveler, biding her time until she got to talk to her brother again.

Traveler and Vel looked up and Vel saw Aita’s ghostly form. They moved over to where we were and began speaking in a language I did not understand. I walked away and sat down with my back to the sarcophagus, resting until I needed to put Vel back. Surprisingly, I wasn’t tired from the raising, just from all the other shit that had been happening lately. I looked at Jean-Claude, Asher and Damien who were talking to each other quietly in the corner. They would glance in my direction every once in a while. I knew they were talking about the raising. Jean-Claude, Damien and I were all still connected metaphysically so I knew they felt the power internally when I was raising Vel.

I laughed silently to myself, it must have felt strange to them being undead and feeling my power over the dead without having to answer to it. Looking deeper I found something unexpected, I felt a small tendril of power connecting to someone different. I followed the tendril and when I reached the end I found the essence of Asher. Dammit! How the hell did that happen? I have always been close to Asher, hell, we are even dating, but Asher and I have not actually done any metaphysical bonding.

My eyes snapped open and I reached out to Jean-Claude mentally, “Oui I know ma petite,” Jean-Claude said to my mind before I could say anything. “We were just discussing this. Being bound to you is always an adventure. I never know when something new and unique will happen.”

I began to worry a little, being bound to Jean-Claude as his human servant and Damien as my vampire servant was one thing. I have had time to deal and am just coming to terms with that, but Asher I have not. I love Asher too, but I think that it might be one vampire too many for me to handle.

“Would it be so bad ma petite?” Jean-Claude asked, his voice breathing through my mind. I don’t think he is too worried about this, Asher and Jean-Claude have always been close and this will just allow them to be closer.

“How does Asher feel about this? I don’t think he wants to be a vampire servant.” I asked him, worried for Asher. I know he does not like to be enslaved to anyone. Shit, I don’t know how I get myself into these things.

“I do not think that it is the same as Damien’s bond as a vampire servant. It is something different, something on more of an equal basis I think,” Asher said to me mentally, causing me to jump in surprise as I was not expecting him to join into our telepathic communication.

“I will ask Aita about it, maybe she has some idea what it could be.” I said telepathically to anyone who cared to listen. “Are you alright Asher?” I asked directly to Asher through the thin metaphysical link we have.

“Oui. I think all will be well.” Asher replied giving a halfhearted mental shrug.

“It is not so bad belonging to Anita Asher.” Damien said softly. I could tell he had a smile on his face when he said that.

“Thanks Damien. I try my best, I don’t know all the rules yet but I will always be there for you.” I told him, appreciating his attempt to sooth Asher.

Shit! Just one more thing to add to my list to worry about. I felt like banging my head again the stone sarcophagus I was sitting against. If it’s not one thing it’s another.

We all were lost in our own thoughts for the next thirty minutes until Traveler walked over to me holding out his hand helping me up from my seated position.

“I do not know if I can ever thank you enough Anita.” Traveler said with emotion heavy in his voice. It is very rare to talk to a very old vampire and have them be emotional, so like a good human servant I didn’t bring it up. Hey, I can be diplomatic sometimes, but most of the time it is accidental.

“I was skeptical when you offered friendship, but you have proved that what you made was an honest offer.” Traveler continued looking me in the eyes with an emotion I could not figure out. “You have done something for me that I could never hope to repay, so if there is ever anything you may need and it is within my power to give I will.”

Now that had me speechless! For some strange reason I believed him; I believed that what he just swore to me he would do his best to live up to. It was almost frightening.

I looked over to Jean-Claude and he had a blank mask on his face, however, through the marks, I felt his joy in having a member of the council owing his human servant a favor.

I turned back to Traveler, “I am just glad I was able to help.” I said simply not knowing how to respond to his promise of a favor. “Did you find out who killed him?” Traveler’s eyes went icy at my question.

“Yes!” he hissed. “I would like to stay and help you kill Alexander.”

Now I know how to put two and two together, so I knew Traveler was telling me that Alexander killed Vel. Life is looking up, got a member of the council wanting one of my enemies blood, what more can a girl ask for?

“I can use any help I can get,” I told him, mentally asking Jean-Claude his thoughts on it.

“This will be to our advantage ma petite.” He replied in kind.

Traveler simply nodded and turned his head toward Vel and Aita. I felt almost bad that Aita was not within the circle, but then it is not as if she could have touched him without a body.

“You can lay him to rest, just give me a brief moment to say goodbye.” Traveler’s voice was heavy with grief as he made his way over to Vel.

“Just let me know when.” I turned my back to give them privacy to say their goodbyes. After a few moments Aita appeared before me with ghostly tears in her eyes. She started to speak but seemed to be at a loss for words so she just turned away. I knew that look, I see it all the time on the many faces of loved ones that say goodbye to the zombie that was once their loved one. Sorrow. Grief. Sometimes even acceptance.

I turned and walked back to Vel and Traveler, “Ready?” I asked Traveler.

“Yes. Vel says thank you for giving us a chance to say goodbye and that he is ready to go back.” Traveler replied with a half smile.

I looked down and saw that my cut had sealed shut; the skin was flawless where I made the cut earlier. I must have inadvertently healed it; I remade the cut to get it bleeding. I picked up my salt and guided Vel back to his sarcophagus, helping him back in. Sitting there, Vel’s eyes were on Traveler and Aita as I placed some blood from my arm on his forehead, “With blood I bind you to your grave, Vel Alsinei.”

Gently I touched his sarcophagus with my blade, “With steel I bind you to your grave.” I picked up my salt and sprinkled some on Vel. “With salt I bind you to your grave Vel Alsinei. Go and rise no more.”

Vel lost all resemblance of life and lay back into his resting place not to rise again. I walked over to the edge of the circle and broke the link of power; I felt it snap back into me in great force knocking me to my knees.

“Throw the power outwards to those that you are bonded to Anita. It is too much to hold yourself, share it so it does not overwhelm you.” Aita said, floating over me with a concerned look on her face.

The power felt suffocating so I just flung the excess out not caring where it went just as long I could get from under its hold. The part I held onto seeped into me healing the cut I made. It also energized me and upped my power levels. I finally stood up and looked around the room finding all the vampires eyes were glowing brightly. Their heads were thrown back basking in the power surge that was thrown their way. Aita was also looking at them with a puzzled look.
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All That I Am