The Vacant Throne: The Legend Of Kairu Vol 3 by Tim McFarlane

normal and I sat up slowly. I felt light-headed
and grabbed my head with both hands to keep it from splitting
open.
    Cathy?
    The silence should
have been reassuring, but it made me panic. I turned towards Lady
Sandra and saw that she was sitting up with her head towards her
chest.
    “ Cathy?” I
whispered.
    She looked up at me. Her eyes were
puffy and red from tears. “I’m here, Andy,” she said in a voice
close to how she sounded in my head.
    My relief was quickly replaced by the
sight of the tears. “Are you okay?”
    “ Yeah,” she answered,
wiping her eyes. “I am very happy actually.”
    “ You have me fooled,”
I said sarcastically, trying to get a smile from her.
    It worked as she
smiled weakly before disappearing again. “When I transferred in,”
she explained. “I had to hurry and go through Lady Middleton’s
memories for anything that could help us. Before she died, I
stumbled across one memory; the memory of her father’s death.” She
took a deep breath. “That poor girl. Desroche had Mind Controlled
her into torturing and murdering her father. He had done it in a
way to make sure she had seen and felt everything.”
    I felt my eyes widen
in shock. I hadn’t noticed that Desroche had been possessed, but he
could have been hiding it. The idea that humanity could be that
monstrous without the help of something otherworldly was not an
idea I wanted to entertain.
    “ The guilt and
heartbreak she feels...felt...” Cathy shook her head. “I can’t
imagine losing anyone I care about.” She looked up and smiled
weakly. “But don’t mind my blubbering. I’m still getting used to
these human emotions. There is a much wider range than yours. I
wonder if that is because she isn’t a socially inept
weirdo.”
    I smiled. “Well, that didn’t take you
long. At least, Lady Sandra may have found peace in the
afterlife.”
    Cathy nodded thoughtfully.
    “ Is there anything
else you are still getting used to?” I asked, trying to change the
subject.
    “ Being in control,”
she answered with a slight chuckle. “Though it is a little more top
heavy than yours.” She grabbed at her chest and shifted things
around. “The armour definitely doesn’t help.”
    “ You’ve been a girl
before so you should be fine,” I said.
    “ That was many years
ago,” she admitted. “I’ve forgotten a few things. It doesn’t help
that it is a non-magical body too.”
    “ What do you mean?” I
asked.
    “ When I had magic I
was able to...turn things on and off,” she replied. “Now, not only
can I not cast spells, but I have to be 100% Human.”
    “ Well we could always
transfer you back into me at the end of the mission,” I said,
trying to conceal my excitement at the idea.
    “ I’ll think about
it,” she said. “I was serious when I said I wanted to help you out
more. Lady Sandra was a fully trained warrior and scout and I
have...inherited’... all these skills. Call me your personal
bodyguard.”
    She grinned and I smiled back. We would
have to see how this works out. She wouldn’t be much help if she
charged head first into every fight and I had to ensure she didn’t
die. Time would have to tell on how good this move would be.
    “ Don’t make me smack
you,” Cathy said, pointing at me.
    “ What did I do?” I
asked.
    “ You’re thinking
something negative about me,” she said. “I lived in your head for a
long time. I know you better than you know yourself.”
    “ You’re crazy. I
wasn’t thinking about you,” I lied. “Now, we should get you ready
because we have to head to Balendar.”
    “ What do you mean,
‘get me ready’,” she asked.
    “ Well you don’t sound
like Lady Middleton of Davalin,” I answered. “You sound like Cathy,
the crazy demon who used to live in my head.”
    “ All I’m doing is
talking,” Cathy said.
    “ Yeah, but Lady
Middleton sounds more... for lack of a better word... girly,” I
replied.
    Cathy looked shocked. “What’s wrong
with my