The Frostwoven Crown (Book 4) (12 page)

"What are you going to do?" Klavicus asked, peering over Garrett's shoulder. His presence still unnerved Garrett a little, but, for the first time, the elder vampire actually seemed almost deferential to him.

"Well," Garrett said, "now it's time to get these guys rezzed."

"Rezzed?" Klavicus asked.

"Resurrected," Garrett laughed nervously, "It's what necromancers call what we do. It just means that I make them into zombies. Although Uncle Tinjin says it's more like
reanimation
really."

"What is the difference?"

"Well,
resurrection
sounds like we're really bringin' 'em back to life," Garrett said, "but what we're actually doing is just kinda making their bodies move around again."

"Ah," Klavicus said.

"So, you're all right with me making these rats into zombies, right?" Garrett asked, "I mean they won't really be rats anymore, just zombies with rat bodies."

"Will they eat my grain?" Klavicus asked.

"They won't eat anything," Garrett said.

"But they will kill the other rats?"

"Yeah," Garrett said, "They'll do whatever you tell them to... I guess, as long as they can understand you."

Klavicus looked baffled. "I don't speak rat," he said.

"Oh! You don't have to," Garrett assured him, "I just mean, you can't get too complex with your instructions. I mean, a zombie can understand if you tell it something like
kill any rat you see
or
bring me that thing over there
, but they can't really understand it if you tell them something like
let all the brown rats go, but only every other day
or something. That's just too complicated for them to understand. Zombies are kinda stupid... well, most of them are."

Klavicus nodded. "Very well," he said, reaching into the pocket of his black coat, "How much will it cost?"

"Oh, uh... twenty-five suul per rat," Garrett said, "but I'm not sure I brought enough essence to do all thirteen."

Klavicus shrugged. "Do the rest later," he said, "I'll pay for all now." He counted out four silver links and placed the coins in Garrett's gloved palm.

"That's too much," Garrett said, "I'll have to get some change for you."

Klavicus lifted his long-fingered hands to silence the boy's protest. "It is a pittance, if it will rid me of this pestilent scourge!"

Garrett nodded, pocketing the coins. Uncle Tinjin insisted that Garrett keep half of everything that he made, even though the traditional share of an apprentice was only a twentieth. Garrett performed a bit of quick math in his head and realized that he was now the wealthiest he had ever been. Even the few solo reanimations that he had performed on human bodies while Uncle was away had only earned him a half share of the usual
dead man's link
, the standard rate agreed upon by the necromancers of the city. The coins weighed heavy in his pocket as he turned to his task, setting his satchel on the table and pulling out the first flask.

Garrett took a slow breath and unstoppered the essence flask. He chose the freshest-looking rat for his first subject. The fresher ones were always easier, and he was already nervous about having the vampire leaning over his shoulder.

Garrett held the flask over the rat's body, tipping the canister slightly to allow a dripping rivulet of the glowing green essence to dribble from the spout. The fat green drops hissed as they soaked into the gray fur of the rat's pelt, and Garrett began to whisper the words of his spell, "
To the Spirit, a body given. To the flesh a quickening gift..."

Almost before he finished speaking the incantation, the broken body of the dead rat began to convulse, nearly leaping from the table as it reanimated at his command. The little creature lifted itself on its hind legs, swaying a bit and shaking its head from side to side until its broken neck popped back into place. It looked up at Garrett, its head still on a bit crooked, and awaited his command.

"What is wrong?" Klavicus asked, "You seem surprised."

"I..." Garrett said, looking at the still nearly full flask of essence in his grasp, "I just thought it would take more essence." He did not even feel the usual chill in his hand that came every time he used a flask to do magic.

"Is it... properly formed?" Klavicus asked.

Garrett studied the rat zombie, unable to detect any visible defect, apart from its crooked neck, but, as long as the body functioned, the alignment of its spine would be irrelevant. "I think it's fine," he said.

"Good," Klavicus said, "Will you do the others now, or do you need to recover?"

"No... I'm fine," Garrett said, "This is easier than I thought it was gonna be."

By the time Garrett had finished reanimating all thirteen rats, he still had over half of his first canister of essence. He stoppered the flask and returned it to his satchel, nestling it in beside the second flask that lay, as yet untouched, at the bottom of the bag. He flexed his fingers experimentally. He felt nothing of the usual icy discomfort that accompanied prolonged magic use.

"I kinda feel bad about charging you full price when I hardly used any essence," Garrett said, but the vampire waved aside any suggestion of a refund.

"Can you recommend something to mask their stench?" Klavicus asked, his lips pulled back in disgust.

"Oh, that will go away in about a day," Garrett said, "Zombies don't really stink on their own. That's just the leftover smell from when they were starting to rot. Once they became zombies, they stopped, um, decaying. As long as you animate 'em quick enough, there shouldn't be much smell at all."

Klavicus grunted, his eyes still locked on the eerily still group of undead rats that sat on their haunches, looking up at them with lifeless eyes. "You can control them now?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," Garrett said, "actually you'll be able to too. Just a second."

Garrett straightened his back and cleared his throat. He wasn't sure exactly why he stretched out his hand over the waiting throng of zombie rats, but it seemed somehow appropriate.

"Listen and obey me!" Garrett said, trying to sound as commanding as he could, "This man is your new master." He indicated Klavicus with his other hand. "You will obey him in all things and serve him well."

He looked at Klavicus. The vampire looked doubtful.

"What do I do?" Klavicus whispered.

"I guess just tell them what you want them to do," Garrett said.

"Guard the feed stores?" Klavicus asked.

"Yeah, but you have to be pretty specific with zombies," Garrett said, "You might want to just tell them to kill any living rats they find and then bring their bodies back here for us to reanimate... well, I wouldn't bother trying to explain that last part. Just tell 'em to bring the bodies back here."

Klavicus gave him a hopeful smile and then addressed his orders to the tiny zombie horde.

The undead rats hesitated a moment as Klavicus's commands slowly registered in their magically embalmed brains, then they scattered, disappearing into the dark crevices between the shelves.

"They will come back?" Klavicus asked.

"Uh, yeah," Garrett said, hoping that it was true.

Klavicus sighed. "Good," he said, "Thank you for helping me with this. It has grown to be something of an embarrassment for me of late."

"Yeah," Garrett said, "I'm glad to help."

Klavicus's eyes turned upward, as though he could see through the ceiling into the embassy above them. "As you have helped me with my problem," he said, "so I will try to help you with yours."

Garrett gave him a questioning look.

Klavicus looked down at him and smiled grimly. "You are a good boy, I sense this," he said, grasping Garrett's shoulder in an eagle-like grip.

"Thanks," Garrett said.

"Even if I did not know this myself, still I would help you, if only because the Valfrei wishes you put away from the young Lady Veranu," Klavicus said, "and so, you and I must work together, yes?"

"Yeah," Garrett said.

"Good," Klavicus grinned, "We shall be a thorn in her flesh, you and I, and with your kindness, we shall leech away every drop of poison that this woman would pour into our lady's cup."

Garrett nodded.

"Good, then you work for me now," Klavicus said, "and you will return here, as often as you are able, as... an exterminator. There will be, I think, many opportunities in which you might cross paths with the young lady. Does this please you?"

Garrett nodded. "Yeah... thank you, Mister Klavicus."

Klavicus released his shoulder and gave him a gentle pat. "Good."

*******

Garrett lingered at the embassy for as long as he dared, but Marla and her mother never returned. With the approach of Curfew, he decided it best to head home and try again after his Templar training the following day. He bade Klavicus a friendly farewell and set off with his satchel still heavy with essence and his pocket heavy with silver, but his heart felt as light as goose down on a summer breeze.

As he passed near the market, a sudden thought struck him, and he turned quickly toward the nameless stalls at the end of the long rows of shop fronts.

He found the lean, dark-haired girl with the sand-colored tunic sitting behind her table of wares and chatting with her friends. All of the young people in her group shared the same dusky complexion and taste in earth tones for their clothing. Pearly white smiles flashed often and their laughter filled the rapidly emptying streets as the city's populace hurried home for the night.

"Hi," Garrett said as he jogged toward the girl's table, his hand already fishing in his pocket. He pulled out a silver link and held it out between two gloved fingers. "I still owe you for the feathery thing."

The girl looked up at him in confusion, her dark eyes going to the gleaming silver coin. "What's this for?" she asked.

"The feathery thing you sold me yesterday," Garrett said, "I didn't have enough money then, but I got the rest now."

Her eyes sparkled with recognition. "Oh, you're the kid with the turban!"

Garrett frowned. She couldn't be much older than him, even if she was a little taller. "Yeah," he said.

The girl's eyes narrowed, and she shook her head. "You don't owe me anything," she said, "We made a deal for twenty-seven, and we both agreed."

A younger girl, standing off to one side made a frustrated noise, giving the older girl a hard look. Garrett thought he could detect a family resemblance between the two. The older girl ignored her.

"Put your money away, city boy," the shop girl said with a little edge to her voice, "We don't need your charity."

Garrett blushed, realizing that he had given offence somehow. He looked down at the coin before palming and pocketing it. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean it like that."

The younger girl let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes. The other young people in her group crossed their arms and watched in silence, waiting for Garrett to depart.

Garrett shook his head, his mind racing. Then, a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but he clamped down on it, trying to appear as grim and serious as possible. He drew in a breath and addressed them again.

"Actually, what I really came here to do was to thank you for the quality of the gift," he said, "It was very well received by the person that I gave it to, and it is... the custom of my people... to thank everyone involved when something goes really well like that." He struggled to maintain his serious demeanor.

The girl's face seemed to soften a little at this, and she nodded. "I'm glad you enjoyed the brooch," she said.

"Perhaps you'd care to purchase something else from her?" said a young man with three long, parallel streaks shaved into the side of his short black hair, just above his left ear.

The shop girl glared at him.

Garrett smiled. "Actually, it would be an honor, if you... and your friends... would let me buy you something to eat." He hastened to cut off her protest by adding, "In celebration for the successful gift... giving... It's a tradition... of my people."

The girl in the sand-colored tunic glanced at her younger sister, meeting the little girl's insistent glare with a resigned sigh. "All right then," she grumbled, "but you have to eat with us, city boy!"

"Of course," Garrett agreed. He looked around at the dwindling crowds of shoppers filtering away into the shadows. "Uh, I guess we better hurry up and find a place to eat then before everything closes for the night."

The shop girl laughed. She looked at the boy with the striped hair. "Crane, you and Mujah go with him," she said, "Take him over to Kylie's and get some food for everybody. You do the haggling. Our new friend isn't very good at it. Meet us back at the rookery when you're done." She began to pack up her table full of trinkets and antiques.

The boy with the striped hair that she called Crane looked surprised. He gave Garrett a suspicious look and then whispered to the girl, "I don't think that's a good idea."

The girl finished stuffing her wares back into her bag and laughed. "It's only a bad idea if you forget to blindfold him on the way back."