Chapter 321: Necromancy
Charlotte's soft growl broke my shock.
"Necromancy is forbidden," the weregirl said, fear in her voice humming with her power.
"It is to ordinary witches. But not to Enforcers." Gram blew out a huff of breath, her impatience clear.
"Then get the Enforcers to do it." I tried to back away a step only to have Gram snatch my arm and jerk me back. "Gram, you're just going to make things worse." I could see her standing next to Mom, on trial for the second most forbidden crime in our culture.
"Dominic owns the Enforcers, in case you've forgotten." Gram let me go. "This is the only way. My former status should protect me."
"But there is no promise of that." We weren't alone. Charlotte spun with a snarl, crouching between me and the black-robed man at the door. "Your position protected you once, but I can't promise it will do so again." Pender Tremere pulled back his hood, face wreathed in what looked like agony of indecision.
Gram didn't seem shocked to find him standing there. "I have no other choice."
"You would break the law without considering the consequences to you and your family?" Pender shook his head. "I stood up for you before, Ethpeal Hayle. I'm not sure it will be possible for me to do so this time."
"Are you going to stop me, then?" Her voice was deadly quiet, the tension in the room suddenly pressing against me as Gram drew her power to her. I reached for her immediately and offered her all of my strength.
Instead of answering, Pender sighed, his shoulders slumping forward. "My brothers and sisters are scattered," he said, voice so soft it was hard to hear him. "I am tired of my order being tainted by evil, ruined by Dominic Moromond and the creature he calls wife." Pender's head came up, the indecision I'd seen gone, replaced by grim certainty. "I've stood by and allowed it to happen."
"You said you had allies." It was hard not to scream at him now I had the chance. "Mom saved your life and you betrayed her, just like everyone else."
He shuddered slightly, but he nodded. "I knew Miriam was being set up. When I returned the Dumonts already influenced the Council on their behalf and my pleas were ignored." He shook his head. "How could they be so blind?"
"Because they aren't thinking for themselves." Gram held up the skull while Pender frowned. "And this is the only way to break them free of the spell holding them hostage."
His hazel eyes widened. "They wouldn't dare."
"Oh, but they have." Gram jabbed a finger at him. "What is with you witches? Can you not feel it when someone is trying to take over? Or do you simply not care enough to fight them off?"
Pender's face fell, anxiety so strong I could feel it influence the speed of my own heart. "I've been a fool."
"There's still time," Gram said. "To stop them."
Pender hesitated one last moment before shedding his cloak in a rush, letting it fall to the floor, striding over to join Gram. He towered over her, though his lean body was as slim as a young tree.
"I will act," he said. "If it's the last thing I do for my people."
Big relief. I turned to Gram feeling better, only to have goosebumps flare up all over me.
He'd just agreed to raise the dead. What did I have to be happy about again?
"This is nuts," I said while Charlotte paced to the door to stand guard, clearly upset she'd failed to notice the Enforcer's approach.
I looked back at the bag and wished I hadn't. Pender was shuffling around in it, rattling the skulls together with hollow, knocking sounds.
Ew.
"You've done well," Pender said, placing the skulls in a row on the stone podium. A couple still had flesh clinging to them and two were charred black. The sight of them made my heart plummet right to my feet.
Tell me that wasn't the Vegas.
Guilt gnawed at my insides.
No. Freaking. Way. I couldn't face them. Not after I'd gotten them killed.
But Gram wasn't waiting. "The grave robbing is the easy part," she cackled. "Finding the bits I needed. The rest will be the worst of it. But it must be done."
It was fair to say I was now totally freaked out, all the hair on my body standing at attention.
"How do you plan to do this?" My voice squeaked with fright. They were only ghosts, I'd seen ghosts before.
But this was different. These were people I knew.
Dead people.
It was suddenly very hard to breathe.
Gram didn't make it any easier. "Simple," she said, "or at least, it is now." She pointed at my chest, at the jewel pressed to my skin beneath my shirt. "I'd intended to try to wrangle your demon power to do it, fed through the maji. But I worried it would alert Batsheva someone else was tapping into the power she's using. Lucky for us, the vampire virus you carry offers us a unique opportunity."
I pressed both hands over the place where the glowing stone lay, feeling it hot under my clothes.
"What if you let it loose?" I wanted to scratch my scalp to get rid of the itching from the endless waves of heebie jeebies.
Gram pinned me with a glare telling me I'd better freaking not let that happen.
"Come here," she growled. "We have work to do."
I didn't move.
"Sydlynn," she said. "For your mother."
Oh she did not play the Mom card. But she did. Because she was right.
For Mom.
I moved forward, reluctantly. Gram grasped one of my hands in hers. "Your spirit will keep it stable," she said. "Just focus on what I told you, and you'll be fine."
She was guessing. I knew it. There was no way she had any clue if this would work. But she was my grandmother and I had to trust her.
"Who are we raising?" I gripped her hand tightly, more out of fear than anything.
"Naudia, of course," she said, shaking the skull so one of the teeth fell out and rattled to the ground.
Pender's skin paled. "She's been dead a very long time." He swallowed hard. "What you're suggesting... it's not possible."
Gram grinned evilly. "Just watch." She refocused on me. "I can pull Naudia's soul echo here," she said, "but I need you to cooperate fully and focus."
All in. Without any other choice, I nodded.
**
