Page 155 of Grave Situation

In the middleof our first night aboard ship headed downriver, I’m woken by Leicht’s agitation. Sitting up abruptly, still half-asleep, I reach out to him.“What’s wrong?”

“Talon?” Jaimin asks sleepily, and I shush him, tapping my temple so he’ll know I’m speaking to someone. He closes his eyes, but I can tell he’s still awake.

“News from Harfarin,”he says curtly.“A dragon and rider stopped there to check in with the queen, and they report that your father arrived less than an hour ago.”

Myfather? In Harfarin at this time of year, with the estate about to begin spring planting and things unsettled across thecontinent? He would never—he thinks things would fall apart without him there to oversee them.“You mean my mother,”I guess. She’s a favorite of the queen and spends most of the year at court.

“No, your mother was already there. Your father rode in well after dark, as though monsters were chasing him. He had one man with him, no luggage, and burst into the poetry reading the queen was hosting to confess his sins and demand aid.”

Fear races through me, and I rub the sleep from my eyes.“Zombies attacked the estate?”Oh gods, the staff. Mrs. Hickings, the housekeeper, would need to be dragged away kicking and screaming—she’d never evacuate.

“No. Worse.”

Worse? How… I try to concentrate on what he actually said, and a knot begins to form in my chest.“Tell me the rest. What sins? Aid for what?”

“He claimed to have been overcome by grief since he got word about Tia, and now can no longer live with the guilt.”

The knot grows exponentially larger. No. No, no, no.

Master’s telepathic knock goes ignored. I suspect I know what he’s going to tell me, anyway.

“He says there’s an army of zombies at the estate under the command of your uncle and a high priest.”

“Jaimin, wake up,” I say grimly, then ask Leicht,“Uncle Domys?”I don’t know why I bother; I only have one uncle. A mage uncle who never amounted to anything in any area of life.

“What’s happened?” Jaimin asks, sitting up and reaching over to light the candle. I stay his hand and flick a mage light into being instead.

“Yes.”

Master knocks again, and I grit my teeth.“I need to talk to Master and Jaimin. Get as much detail as you can.”

Leicht doesn’t reply in words, just with a sense of acknowledgment. “Zombies at my family estate,” I tell Jaimin, and then before horror can fully form on his face, I add, “By invitation. Hold on a moment.”

“Master? Leicht has just given me some interesting news.”

“I thought that might be the reason for your delay. I’m so sorry, Talon. Kathion—he’s the court mage in Rebithia. Did you ever meet him?”

“Once or twice.”When I was too young for him to bother about, and definitely before my Talent began to make itself properly known.

“He was there when your father burst in. As soon as he heard the word ‘zombie,’ he and the dragon rider removed him from the room and questioned him.”

Well, that’s something, at least. Hopefully everyone else who was there thinks my father’s just losing his mind.

“Leicht said Uncle Domys and a high priest are in command of the zombies. How did that happen?”

Master’s mental demeanor is grim.“If I understand the situation properly, your uncle is one of the necromancers. He approached your father two years back with a plan to gather more power within Rebithia, perhaps even seize the throne.”

I squeeze my eyes shut.“An idea my dear father no doubt jumped on.”Damn him. He’s always hated that all his influence at court comes from my mother; always resented the queen for not recognizing his value—such as it is. It doesn’t surprise me that he’d consider stealing the throne; not really. Tia and I even had a debate about it once. She didn’t think he’d go so far as treason, whereas I am far more cynical and declared that the only thing holding him back was the threat of dragons coming to settle the revolution.

But not even I thought he’d go as far as zombies.

As for Uncle Domys… Iamsurprised by his involvement. Not because of the whole treason thing, or even the zombies, if I’m being honest. He’s not the most moral of people. No, what surprises me is that he managed to apply himself to learning necromancy for long enough to be able to actually raise zombies. He’s never been known for working hard, and he left the academy as soon as he passed his first year, preferring to live off the allowance the estate allots to him than to actually learn to use his magic in any meaningful way.

“Who taught Uncle Domys how to raise zombies?”I ask as Jaimin gets out of bed and goes to the washstand to splash water on his face.“He wouldn’t have learned anything about them in his first year at the academy, and he’s not the kind of person who spends all his time reading old tales and prophecies… or practicing magic.”

Master considers that.“An excellent point. The priests couldn’t have taught him; they don’t have Talent. Could he have taught himself if they did the research?”

“Hardly. Trust me, my uncle isn’t that motivated.”I’d say I take after him in that area, but the difference between us is that Iammotivated to learn about things that interest me. I also have morals, which he does not.

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