Page 91 of Dance With Death

“Yeah. We took a romantic walk by the lake looking for dead ducks,” says Grayson.

“I’d hardly call our walk romantic.” Violet’s brow pinches in concentration as she types on her phone.

“And now you have a duck zombie?” asks Leif, wholly focused on the undead bird.

“Good grief. How many times? Constructs are not zombies.”

I shake my head as if the situation might disappear if I do. “Right. Two questions. Why have you reanimated a duckling, and why bring it back to the academy?”

She looks up. “Practice, and if I left the duckling at the lake, it would’ve tried to follow me.”

“You have a pet duck now?” Leif asks.

“No.”

“Um.” I gesture at the bird. “You said the duckling will follow you if you leave it.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll give the bird to Eloise, and she can take it to Scotland to join the other ones.”

Other ones?

“To your family’s place?” asks Grayson. “Do you have a special area on the estate for zombie animals?”

She flashes him a look. “I’ll be too far away for the duckling to find me. He can’t fly and isn’t capable of navigating roads or the public transport system.”

This is the old Violet. Disconnected and living by her own logic.

“I’m sure your mother will love that. You’re not supposed to use necromancy,” I say.

“I’ll tell her it was an accident.”

Leif chokes. “An accident?”

“Necromancy is a spell, not an accident,” I tell her.

Violet tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Necromancy can happen haphazardly if the witch is under a lot of emotional distress. Eloise accidentally reanimated one of my dead relatives during a wake.”

“Putting the fun in funeral,” says Leif, and I stare between the two in horror.

“No, Leif. Not fun. That’s the reason my mother was sent to Ravenhold.”

My jaw slackens. Accidental necromancy?

“Sure, Eloise will believe you were emotionally destroyed by the death of a duckling,” says Grayson sarcastically. “She’ll know this was a deliberate spell.”

“Why?” I interrupt.

“Why?”

“Why are you reanimating birds?”

The exchanged look with Grayson sets the hairs on the back of my neck.

“How many times must I repeat this: because I’m a necromancer, and I need to practice.”

Leif stands. “Is this… Holly? Violet, if anything happens to her, you can’t?—”

“Good grief!” Violet’s voice rises. “How insane do you believe I am? And Holly will not die.”

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