“We raise the dead for a living,” Jas said.
“Put the dead to rest, technically,” said Lloyd. “But it’s cool. Just wondering… are you a faerie?”
“No. What gave you that idea?”
“You saw that thing when neither of us did,” said Jas. Despite her profession of gratitude, suspicion lurked in her gaze. Lloyd seemed easy-going enough to accept any explanation I gave. Jas might require more convincing.
I shook my head. “I didn’t see it. That’s the problem. You can’t see them until they’re right on top of you.”
“You’ve seen them before?” asked Lloyd.
“A couple of times, yeah. But I don’t know where it came from, or who summoned it.” I paused. “Don’t tell anyone this, but there’s a chance a faerie might have been behind it. Possibly. Not necessarily a guild member. Unless… have any guild members disappeared recently?”
“Disappeared how?” asked Jas. Again, her expression betrayed suspicion.
“Just… left. I don’t know.” If they’d been in Faerie, months or years might have passed since they’d gone, but for all I knew, the two I’d run into had never set foot in the faerie realm or Edinburgh. Except to summon beasts from the Vale, they must have been in contact with someone from the other side. But they’d also been fully trained necromancers. I didn’t even know their names, so I wasn’t like I could look them up, but I could ask River if he knew.
“Not that I know of,” said Lloyd. “I’ve been away from the guild for a couple of years, studying, so I don’t know all the newbies. That’s why I’ve only just been promoted to junior level.”
“So that’s common?”
“Sure,” said Jas. “Not everyone wants to work here for a living. They need a certain number of staff, and when shit really goes down, they ask for volunteers. But generally, we’re allowed to come and go as we please if we give Lady Montgomery enough notice. There are quite a few newbies at the moment… there was a rise in undead activity last year.”
If anyone can get their resources, maybe that’s how the faerie-necromancers found out how to summon wraiths. I paused as we reached the entrance hall and everyone openly stared at me. I’d always wanted to be admired, to be noticed for any reason other than my sister or mother. Especially when Hazel and I had looked more alike and everyone got us confused. Now I was being assessed for something only I could do—excelled at, even—and I couldn’t shut off the stupid voice in my head telling me the book was entirely responsible for it all. And telling me that if I hadn’t used that power, we’d all be dead.
No. It wasn’t cold feet, it was fear. I didn’t know who had sent the wraith after us, but I could still hear the awful noises when shattered glass had struck the ground next to where I’d been standing. If an undefended human had been there… I couldn’t finish the thought. But I felt more like vomiting on the polished floor than celebrating.
“Hey,” said River, spotting me. “Ilsa, after the morning you’ve had, I don’t blame you if you want to go home. I’ve persuaded Lady Montgomery to move your next written assessment until tomorrow, since you’re moving up a level.”
“Oh—thanks,” I said, grateful for the excuse to look away from the crowd. Lloyd and Jas stepped back, giving us space. My nausea subsided a little as River fell into step alongside me, skirting the crowd until we reached the doors.
“You had me worried for a moment there,” River said in a low voice. “I’ve asked Lady Montgomery to equip all future patrollers with spirit sensors. It’s entirely too dangerous that nobody can sense those wraiths until it’s too late to avoid them.”
“No kidding,” I said. “Your mother seems to be surprisingly okay with me being an untested prodigy. Was it you who told her the Winter Gatekeeper went rogue?”
“No, but she’s persistent enough to go digging. She most likely would have asked everyone in the village she could contact until she found someone with answers.”
“Figures.” I groaned. “The only person with the full story is Hazel… and I guess Agnes and Everett at least knew we weren’t guilty.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “My vow to keep you safe hasn’t disappeared now I’ve completed my task as bodyguard. She won’t have you arrested.”
“I can take care of myself, River.” Though I had to admit it was nice not to feel like the whole burden was resting entirely on me. “Anyway, it’s not me I’m worried about. Those two —they couldn’t even see the wraith. Even I couldn’t at first. We’re in over our heads if there are more of them. Are you telling the other necromancers so they can prepare if another one attacks?”
“The necromancers have called a summit to discuss this situation. Ordinarily novices wouldn’t be invited, but considering the circumstances, you’re allowed to attend. It’s at seven tonight.”
“Okay,” I said. “I don’t know if Lady Montgomery mentioned it, but I had to tell her that I got the banishing words from you. I said I copied you when you banished the first wraith.”
“Right.” He nodded. “That was a good idea.”
“I think someone here might be after the book,” I said. “Or at least connected with those two faerie-necromancers. They had formal training. They were also Scottish, and this is the biggest necromancer branch in the country. Plus they wore glamour, so they might not have looked the same if they were members here.”
“Faerie glamour isn’t forbidden in the guild, but it tends to fade while close to iron, and the guild’s headquarters is made out of it,” River said. “Someone would have noticed. I’ll ask around, but I’m needed on patrol in ten minutes.”
“If another wraith appears—”
“I’ll handle it.” He moved in closer, and I smelled the earthy scent of his faerie magic, a contrast to the coldness of necromantic power. Both fit him like a glove, and he looked as at home here as he had in the garden of the Summer Gatekeeper. I envied him that, I wouldn’t lie. If I knew for sure I belonged here… but if anything, taking out that wraith had only made me feel more of an outsider. “Will you be okay walking home alone?”
“Pretty sure my odds are better than most people’s.” Warmth filled my chest at his concern on my behalf, and the smell of his magic grew stronger in the inches separating us. God, I wanted to kiss him again, if just to know what it felt like for real. Dangerous thoughts, Ilsa. He was my mentor, and his mother held my freedom in her hands.
River smiled at me. “I’ll see you later, Ilsa.”
“See you.”
There was no backing out. No running away. It’d be a dick move to leave the guild now, and I somehow doubted Lady Montgomery would tolerate a vigilante necromancer swooping around like a superhero and saving people from wraiths. I grinned at the mental image, mostly because I couldn’t fly, and I’d look damned stupid in a cape. The necromancer cloak was bad enough.
I ducked into an alley to take the coat off so my brother wouldn’t ask questions when I came home dressed as a necromancer, and shoved it into my bag. Spotting movement out of the corner of my eye, I instinctively tapped into my spirit sight. Nothing appeared. I shifted it in the direction of my house, surprised at how easily my sight extended. It didn’t show me the surrounding areas, but zeroed in on my brother. Maybe I could easier track people I knew…
And he wasn’t at home. He was walking down the road where the wraith had attacked. The faint pinprick on my sight told me all I needed to know—my brother was about to run into another zombie.
I broke into a run for the second time that day. Who needed a gym membership when the restless dead wouldn’t give you a moment’s peace.
7
I skidded to a halt at the road’s end, clutching a stitch in my side and glad I carried the necromancer coat. Grabbing my salt shaker from the pocket, I reached the mouth of the cobbled alley where the wraith had attacked. A hunched figure lumbered forward, and the smell coming from him was foul enough to make me gag. And in front of him, Morgan stood staring blankly into space, completely ob
livious to the undead sneaking up on him.
“Hey!” I shouted, not that the dead could hear me. Morgan turned slowly, his expression blank, and I tackled the undead from the side, flinging salt into its face. Its skin—or what was left of it—melted, and I shuddered at the sensation of flesh giving way to bone as I kicked it solidly in the leg, causing the undead to fall to the ground.
Morgan’s expression cleared. “Ilsa?”
“What in hell are you doing here?” I demanded. “That undead was right behind you and you were just staring at thin air.”
I switched on my spirit sight again, but saw nothing within reach. The undead hadn’t been possessed by a wraith this time. Thank the Sidhe for that.
“I dunno,” he said. “I went for a walk.”
“Why?” I asked him. “Why did you think wandering around here was a good idea, especially after—” I caught myself before I admitted I’d sensed him using my spirit sight before I’d actually seen him.
“After what?” he asked.
“Didn’t you hear about the ghost attack? And the undead?” My voice was steady, but my throat closed up at the thought of him being hurt.
“No.”
I sighed. “Just be careful. C’mon. Let’s head back to the house.”
He followed me out of the alley. I was fairly sure he was wearing the same outfit as yesterday, and hadn’t even sobered up yet. Like I needed to handle babysitting my older brother on top of keeping the city safe from more wraith attacks. Especially when he seemed determined to make himself into a target.
“Thought you were going to kick me out,” Morgan said as we reached my road.
“I am kicking you out. Tell me you at least have somewhere to go?”
A ghost chose that moment to float in our direction. Nope. Not interested.
“Hellooooo?” the ghost said. “Can anyone see me?”
Nope. Ignore. Do not engage.
“Hey!” The ghost flew directly in front of my face. Despite myself, my steps faltered as my body automatically responded to the ghost’s nearness.
“You can see me?” he said. “Where’s Maurice? And Claire? Hellllp…”
“Go away,” I muttered under my breath, walking after Morgan. He hadn’t stopped, so hopefully he hadn’t seen.
“Ilsa?” asked Morgan. “I thought I heard…” He trailed off, looking just to the left of the ghost. “I dunno.”
“Nothing,” I said. Now he’d think I was losing my marbles. Unless he’d seen it, too. His expression was unfocused enough that I couldn’t tell. “I’m just jumpy, because you were standing on top of an undead.”
“Undead,” he said. “Since when could you destroy them?”
“I’ve lived here for five years. You get more undead here than back at the Lynn house, trust me. If you leave the house, carry salt. I have some spare. They seem to be everywhere at the moment.”
“I figured,” he muttered. “I—I don’t suppose you’ve told Mum?”
Ah. He didn’t know she was missing. If I told him, he’d go and start hassling Hazel instead, and she’d had enough of ghosts in the family home already.
“No idea. I’m not really in contact, except with Hazel. I did tell her, but I think she’s mad at you.”
He frowned, but not like he was surprised. “She’s good at holding grudges.”
“That she is.” I walked to the house and unlocked the door, relieved to see no more ghosts around. “Please, spare my sanity and stay indoors tonight. Apparently you’re a zombie magnet.”
“I’m supposed to let my kid sister order me around now?” He folded his arms.
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect my brother not to dye himself green or walk around unarmed and inebriated with a zombie outbreak every other day.”
He slouched off through the open door into the living room, grumbling to himself.
Siblings. How Hazel, Morgan and I had survived fifteen years in the same house without one of us suffering a similar fate to Hazel’s melted Barbie dolls, I’d probably never know.
At six in the evening, the doorbell rang. I checked my necromancer coat was in my bag—I’d change later, so Morgan wouldn’t realise where I was going—and went downstairs.
River stood on the doorstep wearing his necromancer coat, his pale hair gleaming in the light of the street lamps.
“Hey. How is it everyone knows my address?” I asked.
“You put it on the necromancer signup form when you joined the guild.”
Right, of course I did.
“Who’re you?” asked Morgan from behind him.
“My name is River. I’m a friend of Ilsa’s.”
“You’re a faerie.”
River looked at him. “Half-faerie, technically. You must be Morgan. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Anyway, River and I are going out,” I said quickly, before Morgan made another unwise comment. “If you need me, send me a message.”
“Where’re you going?”
“The Mortar and Pestle.” I named a popular student pub amongst supernaturals.
“You a student?” he asked River.
“I already graduated, but I have friends who are,” he said, not missing a beat.
“See you later,” I said pointedly, and closed the door behind me. “Was that true?” I asked River, when I’d made sure Morgan wasn’t going to follow us out of the house. “Did you ever study there?”
“I didn’t, no. Why?”
“It just occurred to me that I never asked if you had a degree as well as being a professional bodyguard and necromancer at the same time.”
“They don’t tend to offer degree courses in either of those subjects. I’ve never had much patience for studying, besides.”
No, I couldn’t imagine him in a stuffy classroom. He seemed a more hands-on type, not that I knew for definite. I hadn’t begun to get to know the real him. Every time I thought I did, he came out with a new surprise.
“Did you read the book?” he asked.
He meant the handbook, but another book came to mind. “Yeah, I read it cover to cover.”
His gaze dropped to my pocket like he’d guessed my thoughts. “And the other one?”
“That too,” I said, “but I’m sure it’s hiding more information. There’s almost nothing on the Vale, for one thing. And it hasn’t tried to communicate with me again lately. Not sure why. I could technically have used it to send that wraith through the gate, but last time…”
The image of spirits being sucked into a whirlpool stole across my vision. The gate’s power was raw and terrifying, and for all I knew, if I’d used it against the wraith, Jas and Lloyd might have been dragged into it, too. I couldn’t risk it. Not here. Already, carrying the book felt as normal as breathing, but no matter how accomplished I became at necromancy, I’d never think of the gates as safe, normal, and easy to control. I was supposed to be Gatekeeper, but I’d nearly met my own demise at the hands of the book’s magic.
“You haven’t told your brother about the book, you said.”
I shook my head. “I’m not mentioning it to him. There’s no point, since he doesn’t have the spirit sight. But I’m not sure our alibi for tonight will hold up. He probably thinks we’re dating.” I stole a glance at him. “Is that an issue?” It seemed childish to ask are we dating, but I never had been particularly good at reading cues.
There was a pause before he said, “I’m not technically allowed, as you’re my apprentice, but if it’s easier for your brother to believe we’re involved, then I suppose it can’t hurt.”
His words stung more than I expected. Had he forgotten what’d passed between us that easily? Or had he never been interested in the first place? A bitter taste rose on my tongue. “We don’t have to if it’s easier for you.”
Some of the hurt had apparently crept into my tone, because he stopped walking, catching my gaze. “Ilsa.”
I flinched. “Can you please not? If you’re not interested, it’s fine, but t
his isn’t the best day to play head games, River. I’m really not in the mood.”
“I apologise,” he said softly. “I meant to say we should play it safe. Certainly around the necromancers. It won’t help their suspicions that I’m giving you outside help.”
“You mean Lady Montgomery, right?”
He nodded. “Unfortunately, she has the power to make things particularly unpleasant for you, and hasn’t entirely let go of the possibility that you might be working with Holly. I shouldn’t have put the idea into her head by bringing up the Gatekeepers, but she’s already done enough research of her own.”
“She thinks I’m in league with Holly?” I gaped at him. “Okay… this is getting way out of hand. A few hours ago she was totally fine with me coming to the summit.”
“I made it clear you had nothing to do with what Holly did. And at this rate, you’ll pass training quickly, then we’ll be colleagues. There’s no rule against colleagues dating.”
I tilted my head. “I’ll hold you to that. But don’t forget my brother thinks it’s for real.”
“Pity, that,” he said, a smile ghosting his lips. “One would think I might have to walk you home in order to cement that impression and stop him from suspecting where you really were tonight.”
Oh. I liked River in flirtation mode. A lot. I’d be more than happy to play up the so-called ruse, once we were out of the cold night and somewhere warm. I just had to pass training. How hard could it be?
“Where are we actually going, anyway?” I asked.
“The necromancers traditionally hold their summits in their own private churchyard.”
“A graveyard. At night. Have they lost their minds?”
“It’s protected,” he said. “The summits occur at least every month, sometimes every couple of weeks. They’re rarely targeted by attacks.”
I gave him a sceptical look. “That’s a cue for a fae beast to jump out of the shadows at us.”
“I’ll keep you safe from monsters, Ilsa.”
“Ha ha. I have no problem with the dark. With my spirit sight, it’s not so dark anyway. I’ve been meaning to ask—can you sense people a mile away?”
The Gatekeeper's Curse- The Complete Trilogy Page 28