Nothing But Necromancy (Macrow Necromancers Book 1)

by J A Campbell

  Granddaddy parted from her after the handoff. He’d arranged for a ride to Portland and would get a flight back to Oklahoma City from there. They left each other with a hug and a promise to stay in touch. Harmony wished the man many years of health and happiness along with the rest of his family.

  The rest of her afternoon was spent in a brief tour of the campus, picking up books which covered subjects from the mundane to the magical, and settling in to her room, an attic room with a dormer window that looked out over the woods to a peek-a-boo view of the Columbia. The room was shaped like the dormer with a high ceiling in the center and slanting walls on either side. Painted a clean white, the woodwork trimmed grayish blue walls. Twin beds barely fit on opposite sides of the window. A small bookshelf sat beneath the dormer. Both sides of the room had cabinets built into the curving wall and pull out drawers beneath the beds to hold extra items.

  Half an hour after she got everything settled, her room started closing in. Harmony grabbed a bag of stones and wire and set out to find someplace where she might do some crafting. The library offered an oasis in an unknown campus, so she went in and found a table in a section where no one was seated nearby.

  A smile spread on her lips as she pulled out a lovely piece of fossilized bone she’d harvested from Seal Beach on her last day. If she closed her eyes, she could envision the sea creature who’d once inhabited that ocean and left a bit of itself as a gift.

  Opening her eyes, she cut thirteen strands of silver wire and wrapped them together. Once she got them wound, she began twisting the top to form branches. Next, she twisted the bottom into roots.

  “What are you making?” a male voice asked.

  Harmony raised her eyes to look into a bespectacled smiling face. He was her age, or perhaps older, just beginning to shave, with shaggy brown hair. Best of all, he had an arm full of books. Could she actually find friends here?

  “I’m Ben,” he said, looking at the seat opposite her. “Is this place taken?”

  Harmony shook her head, wondering if he was taken just as a pert-looking petite blonde showed up.

  “This is Mindy,” he added. Mindy smiled and extended a hand to shake. Harmony stilled her disappointment and accepted from the pleasant expression on the girl’s face that she might just have two friends instead of one. That’d do for a start.

  “Harmony,” she replied as both seated themselves. Mindy pulled knitting from a bag and commenced to work on what looked like spider web. Ben removed a notebook from his pocket and opened a book. Harmony noted his book selections included woodworking and architecture.

  “So what’s your piece going to be?” Mindy asked.

  “A tree,” Harmony said, laying the silver wire against the fossil to show her.

  “Oh, it’s lovely,” Mindy said. “But don’t you think it needs something more…”

  Harmony eyed her creation. “Yeah, it’s kind of stark. I’ve got some bits of Druzy quartz I could use to make a moon…” She dug one-handed into her bag and came up with a Ziploc bag full of the quartz pieces. Ben stopped reading and helped her open the baggie and dump the contents on the table.

  “There.” Mindy’s finger touched a round piece. “It’s a full moon.”

  “You’re good.” Harmony smiled. “Thanks.”

  “Shhhhhh…” a purple-clad woman walked by, her finger on her smiling lips. “You guys should be in the dungeon.”

  Harmony’s eyes widened. She’d heard of overdue fines for books and shushings for noise, but this library was positively medieval.

  Ben and Mindy giggled enough to get a second shushing.

  “We call it the Maker’s Dungeon,” Ben explained, once he’d stopped chuckling. “We used to meet here, but when we got too noisy, Judith and the other librarians found us a space to work elsewhere.”

  Harmony took a second look at Judith. The librarian was middle-aged, clad in a loose fitting purple tunic with several strands of various wood, glass, and natural stone necklaces around her throat; she reminded her a lot of the old hippies who frequented her mom’s boutique. Judith smiled and took a bow.

  “You’re still welcome to work in the library,” she said. “But some of the crafts, like Ben’s woodworking, were noisy.”

  “The library also has a display case for our work,” Mindy said.

  “You forgot to mention that a lot of the staff owe their paychecks to some of you,” Judith jangled bracelets matching her necklaces. “Matter of fact, I want that tree when you’re done, if you’re selling it, please?”

  Harmony grinned and named a price. They shook hands and she set to work on the tree. Ben finished his research on his next project and returned his books to the re-shelving cart. He and Mindy said goodbye to her and left her to the quiet again.

  She considered staying until closing time, but enough students settled in the library in the evening, Harmony opted to return to her room.

  It’s a good sign, she thought. I make friends on Day One, find customers for my work, and the library is full. This is going to be a good place.

  Harmony was curled up on her bed reading the Advanced Biology text when she heard steady thunk thunk sounds coming up the narrow flight of stairs. It had to be the other new student who Harmony was told would be her roommate. It was pretty late for orientation. Outside her window, twilight had blackened the forest and a fog veiled the river.

  “Are you sure this is the only available room?” A young woman asked.

  “Elise, you will be off the crutches soon enough,” a man answered. “I would not want to have to move another student this late in the term for a temporary inconvenience.”

  “I understand, Headmaster.”

  Harmony lowered her book as the door opened, revealing a tired-looking raven-haired girl who was tall enough to have to stoop in the slightly shortened doorway. The edges of her mouth were crimped and white with what Harmony took as pain. She was trim and lovely with green eyes and skillfully applied makeup. She already looked like she was in uniform, though the colors of her designer blazer and plaid skirt were wrong for the school. A plaster cast encased her left leg from her foot to mid-calf. Glittering purple signatures literally covered the cast and she leaned on crutches.

  Harmony quickly stood in the small spot in the center of the room where there was space to do so and offered her hand to the girl.

  “Come along,” Mr. Westenra said. “Classes start at 8:30 tomorrow morning and breakfast is served at 7:00.”

  Harmony shifted back to her bed so the girl could have room to open and unpack her suitcases. She’d dragged in her backpacks, which were full of a wardrobe that was a mix of her decades full of remade vintage clothing and hand-me-down beach clothes. Add to that a few cherished books and a lot of gifts from the sea and jewelry findings, she’d tucked in pretty handily.

  “You need any help?” Harmony asked.

  Elise smiled tiredly and shook her head. She went on unpacking with grim determination. Harmony was reading her book when her roommate returned from the bathroom in pajamas and slid into bed.

  “You mind if I read a bit more?” Harmony asked. Their beds had lamps over them, which made reading convenient. The little alcove was almost an oasis of light in the dark room.

  Elise was already tucked in and turned away. A muffled “no” came from the covers.

  Harmony tucked into the gothic mystery with delight until sounds of alarm from the opposite side of the room alerted her.

  Amorphous shapes filled the angled ceiling, shifted in odd multicolored storm clouds limned with greens and violets.

  Elise cowered beneath the covers, the exposed portion of her face near as white as the standard-issue cotton sheets. A black and white ghost dog barked anxiously, trying vainly to keep the monsters at bay, but there were too many.

  “Get out!” Harmony snapped at the forms, wishing them gone for good except the little ghost dog who had an invitation to stay and protect her mistress.

  “Leave Elise in peace!” />
  Elise’s new roommate, Harmony, was...well...nothing like anyone she’d ever spent any time with before, to put it mildly. She was nice enough, but her clothing choice alone would have confused Elise. Instead of fashionable, or even generic jeans and T-shirts, she wore clothing that looked cobbled together. The truly amazing thing was, it didn’t look cheap, just not fashionable.

  This morning, she was clad head to toe in funeral black. The high-necked dress was fitted at the bodice and flared down to a tiered calf-length skirt which was so full, it took up most of the space between their two beds. Her high-heeled lace-up boots didn’t look like anything that’d been in style for a hundred years. Her curly blonde hair was caught up in a loose topknot with tendril curls down the sides. Elise didn’t know what to make of her attire. She supposed once they both got school uniforms, that strangeness wouldn’t bother her as much.

  Until her ankle healed, Elise was stuck in stretchy pants or skirts. Idly she wondered if they had any magic to heal her ankle, but if they did, so far they hadn’t offered.

  Thumping back to the dorm room from the bathroom, Elise considered what she should bring with her. Normally she would have gone to breakfast and then come back for her things, but she didn’t want to tackle the flights of stairs more than she had to.

  Her mom had bought her a small backpack that went diagonally across her back and was easier to carry than a shoulder purse. She’d put a notebook in there and hoped that would be enough for her first day. Fumbling the door open, she nodded politely to Harmony and retrieved her things.

  “Ready for this?” Elise glanced at her roommate.

  She nodded.

  “I think they told me breakfast was at seven. I’m going to head down.” Elise thumped back toward the door.

  “I’ll be right behind you,” Harmony said.

  Laughing, Elise shook her head. “You may want to go in front. This is going to take a while.” She held up one crutch for emphasis.

  Tilting her head slightly, Harmony seemed to consider for a moment before nodding. “I’ll go first.”

  “Great. I’ll see you there.”

  Expecting Harmony to hurry ahead, Elise was surprised when the other girl gathered a bag and kept pace with Elise, going first, but only far enough where she might be able to help if Elise tripped. Of course, she didn’t want to fall on her roommate, but the gesture was nice.

  It seemed to take forever, but finally they made it down to the bottom floor and out into the brisk morning air. Before long the day should warm up, but for now, Elise shivered in her light sweater.

  “Where is the dining hall?” Elise looked around once they were outside. The campus was just as beautiful as she remembered from the night before, but they hadn’t exactly taken time for a tour.

  Harmony sniffed the air and pointed. “Just follow your nose.”

  “Thanks.” Elise smiled and tried to hurry as she thumped along behind her roommate.

  It didn’t take them long to find the dining hall. Another red brick building like all the rest, it looked long and low with several chimneys along its length. I wonder if they still use the fireplaces? Before they’d even opened the doors they could hear the clink of silverware and muted conversation. Harmony held the door open and Elise preceded her inside.

  They found themselves in a long hallway, and Harmony again opened the door for Elise so they could get into the dining hall.

  Her stomach rumbled and she made her way to the line, all the while studying the hall and her fellow students.

  Not sure what she had expected, she was still surprised everything looked so normal. It could have been any school cafeteria, with long, narrow tables crowded by kids stuffing their faces. Everyone looked to be at least middle school age, but many were older and obviously would have been in high school if they hadn’t been here. Everyone seemed happy, if a bit bleary eyed and that set Elise at ease a little. Most wore what looked like a school uniform. Black skirts or pants, white shirts and red vests with some sort of logo or crest on them. She was sure she’d have a closer look when she received her own during orientation. A few still wore their street clothes, and a couple of the younger kids even wore their PJ’s and their hair stuck up as if they’d just rolled out of bed.

  She’d heard there were even younger students here, but apparently none of them got the joy of first breakfast.

  The line for food moved quickly, and her stomach distracted her from her observations. She had many choices on the buffet and Elise hoped everything tasted as good as it smelled.

  “Not bad,” Harmony said behind Elise.

  “Yeah. I suppose we won’t starve, at least.” She glanced over her shoulder at her roommate who smiled back.

  Elise fumbled with her tray, trying to balance it and manage her crutches.

  “Here, I’ll help.” Harmony took the tray and carried both hers and Elise’s.

  “Thanks. I should be better soon. Then I’ll be able to take care of myself again.” Elise was grateful that her roommate, though odd, was nice.

  “It’s no problem.”

  They made their way through the line and found a table with an open spot on the end so Elise could easily sit.

  Elise cut her pancakes and ate them slowly. They did taste as good as they smelled. Harmony dug in as well, and their tablemates ignored them for the time, intent on their food.

  Once she’d eaten her fill, Elise looked around to see what the other students did after finishing. A few lingered, talking to companions, but many got up and took their trays and dumped them in what looked like a giant sink. This was the first thing Elise had seen that marked this place as slightly unusual. She saw the kids drop the trays in the water, leftovers and all, but from what she could see the water didn’t look gross and somehow the dishes slid out the other side, clean. It must be magic. She was just as glad she wouldn’t have to do dishes.

  “New here?”

  So intent on the magical dishwashing, she had forgotten about the other kids at the table. Elise jumped and twisted around. The boy sitting next to Harmony grinned at both of them.

  “Yes,” Elise answered. “We just got here yesterday.”

  Harmony started. “Ben, hi. I’m sorry, I must still be half asleep.”

  “Hi, Harmony.”

  “Ben, this is Elise. Elise, Ben. I met him yesterday.” Harmony seemed to be blushing. Elise wondered if it was because she was embarrassed at not noticing Ben, or if Harmony liked him.

  “So you haven’t taken the test yet.” He nodded. ”I’ll save my questions about your specialties for later, then. They’ll want you in orientation today.” He gestured at an adult who had just come into the cafeteria. “Bet Mrs. Mathers is looking for you.”

  “Test?” Elise wasn’t sure if this test was a good thing or not. She couldn’t tell by the way the boy had said the word. He’d sounded almost hesitant.

  “Entrance exam, or whatever you want to call it. It’s almost a stress test. They need to find out what type of magic you have, so they do stuff until they find out. It’s easier if you’re from a House. Then you’ve been studying magic since you were born. Us, well...” he shrugged then grinned. “Of course, if you’re from a House, you don’t end up here, anyway.” He stood and grabbed his tray. Ben ran off with his tray and Elise followed Harmony as she carried both of theirs over to the washing station. Doing what everyone else did, Harmony dumped the trays into the strangely clean water. It bubbled, looking much thicker than water and Elise reassessed her opinion of the substance.

  She noticed Harmony studying the liquid as well, before they both headed toward the lady Ben had identified as Mrs. Mathers.

  “Hello, ladies,” the woman said when they got near. “I’m Mrs. Mathers. I’ll be in charge of your orientation today.”

  She was younger, with short, wavy blonde hair and a friendly smile. Fashionable dark rimmed glasses perched on a button nose. Her blue eyes took in Elise. One eyebrow rose when she studied Harmony and she smoothed her h
ands over her blazer as if to assure herself that her clothing wasn’t quite as bizarre.

  “This way, please.” She led them out of the cafeteria and back onto the grounds. “The school used to be a state hospital. It was closed years ago and the JM bought it and cleaned it up. There was some very negative energy left over from the old days, but it’s mostly gone now.”

  The thought of negative energy and ghosts made Elise look for Callie. She hadn’t seen the ghostly dog since she woke up, but when she looked, her companion became visible, though she could see through her. The dog looked up and wagged her tail before fading out again.

  Relieved that her guardian still followed, she focused on Mrs. Mathers’ history lesson.

  “You’ll learn all about this during the orientation video. Then we’ll get you set up for some basic classes and your uniforms.”

  “One of the students mentioned a test?” Harmony said.

  “Yes,” Mrs. Mathers answered. “The entrance exam is given after you’ve been here for a month or so. We will determine your strengths and weaknesses and that will help us tailor your magical classes and tutoring.”

  “He also mentioned Houses?”

  The teacher hesitated for a moment, glancing at Harmony’s face, before nodding. “Yes, there are several powerful Houses in the world. You’ll learn about them. The majority of the magically talented are born into one of these houses. They have their own schools. The students who come here are the rare people who are born outside of our world and must be taught for their safety and ours.”

  “Not so rare,” Harmony muttered just loud enough for Elise to hear, and she wondered what Harmony meant.

  “Here we are.” Mrs. Mathers showed them into another one of the brick buildings.

  This one looked like an office building on the inside. The front desk was empty at the moment, but it had a bell to ring for service. Blue industrial carpet with a pattern that swirled through it to hide the dirt and stains, clashed slightly with the off white walls. Pictures of people in black graduation robes and hats lined the walls. Many wore sashes of various colors. Elise wondered who they were.