The Necromancer's Apprentice Read online

  Jyx nodded, scribbling the name of the salve and a brief description of its use in his book.

  “Then I shall bid you goodnight, Jyx. Do not wait up for me. I suspect I shall be some time. Bastet will remain here to keep you company, and there will be Wolfkin in the chambers upstairs should you require anything.”

  Eufame turned and melted into the darkness beyond the archway. Jyx hurried into his bedchamber to change back into his working robe, and almost ran into the Vault, eager to begin work. Bastet followed him through the Vault and sat on the floor beside the central aisle.

  The salve sat on the slab at the farthest end of the chamber beside a tiny corpse. Stripped of its bandages and protective charms, the mummy seemed vulnerable and fragile, and Jyx suppressed a shudder to see its sunken stomach and shrivelled limbs.

  “It’s hard to believe this is royalty,” said Jyx, looking at Bastet. She gazed back, impassive as ever.

  He dipped a finger into the gooey salve, and held it up to his nose. It smelled strongly of violets and peppermint, with an undertone of something darker, and more sinister. Holding his breath, he smeared a thin film onto both eyelids of the mummy.

  “Well that’s one done. Hopefully he’ll be able to find his body now,” said Jyx.

  He picked up the pot and moved onto the next slab, mindful of the cat watching him from the central aisle. Gazing down the Vault, he saw that Eufame had unwrapped half of the mummies already. He sighed, glancing at the doorway to his chambers.

  I doubt I’ll be getting much sleep tonight.

  Still, this was a big responsibility, and Eufame had left him alone to do it.

  Jyx anointed the next mummy. Perhaps this would be his big chance to prove his worth, and leave behind the housework she’d made him do so far.

  7

  Without the sun to guide him, Jyx had little idea how much time had passed by the time he’d finished anointing the eyes of the unwrapped mummies. However, his week of chores and general mundane tedium taught him to measure time using the black candles set in heavy, freestanding candelabrum along the central aisle. Judging by the amount they’d burned down, anointing the eyes had taken Jyx around two hours.

  “I suppose I can go to bed now.” Jyx’s voice disappeared into the depths of the Vault, swallowed by its emptiness. He expected to hear claws clicking on stone, for Bastet to appear around the side of one of the slabs, or perhaps for heavy paws to thud down the spiral staircase from the chambers above.

  Jyx peered into the gloom of the Vault. No Wolfkin glared at him from corners, and no cat loitered at his feet. For the first time since he’d arrived at the House, Jyx was entirely alone. His mind was free from Eufame’s shackles.

  I can think of whatever I want. Completely unbidden, his first liberated thought flitted through his mind, concerned entirely with Eufame’s private library. The voice in the back of his mind tried to describe what dark wonders it might contain. One of the tomes was bound to contain details of the rituals she would be performing. If he were to read that, and more importantly understand it, then she might, just might, let him assist. No more sweeping. Better yet, his journal might become something worth keeping.

  Another, more faint, voice tickled the back of his mind. It reminded him of the skeleton in the floor and Eufame’s other warnings. Jyx ignored it, and crossed the Vault to duck through the archway into the darkness of Eufame’s chambers. Braziers on the walls flared, casting electric blue sparks across the floor as the cobalt flames flickered into life. More mysterious paintings covered the walls, although these paintings were white lines inscribed onto the black stone. Jyx didn’t recognise the figures, each of them painted with no considerations for perspective, their bodies face on, but their animal heads in profile.

  The chamber seemed to be an atrium, with doorways to his left and right. A dark curtain hung across the wall in front of him. Jyx stared at the curtain but he couldn’t decide on its colour as it shifted between deepest navy and violet. If he stared for too long, he swore he saw stars twinkling in its depths. The curtain called to him. It hid something, but in so doing, called attention to the fact there was something worth hiding. Jyx shook his head to break the curtain’s hypnotic hold and crossed the room.

  The curtain rippled like velvet beneath his fingers, and Jyx held his breath as he pushed it aside. A long vaulted room lay beyond, its high walls lined with shelves. More freestanding bookcases stood at random intervals, interspersed with tall granite statues. A warm glow suffused the room, but Jyx couldn’t pinpoint its source. It seemed particularly focused over the massive statue of a man with the head of an ibis that dominated the centre of the room.

  “All this knowledge…and Eufame knows the contents of all of these books?” Jyx couldn’t help but speak aloud. An icy finger wriggled into his heart. How could he learn all of this? He certainly didn’t have five hundred years ahead of him.

  Or do I? If Eufame manages to keep herself young then why can’t I?

  Jyx turned to the wall to his left. The books on these shelves bore the most signs of wear, and held titles he felt he could read. He recognised the Dominantur Umbras, and several other tomes from the restricted section of the Academy’s library. A slim volume, bound in bright green leather, caught his eye. The title, Impetritae Inceptivus, appeared in gold letters on the spine—Initial Incantations, if he’d translated it correctly.

  The faint voice in the back of his head urged him to leave the book alone, to get out of the chamber and return to his own. The voice reminded him of the Wolfkin upstairs, and the ever-present Bastet. Jyx ignored it, telling himself that the missing cat and absent Wolfkin were a blessing. Surely Eufame would have left guards if she didn’t think he could handle the contents of the library? Perhaps this was a test of some kind; she might even be disappointed if he didn’t make a covert attempt to read something.

  In the absence of tables or chairs, Jyx took the book to a nearby lectern. A small shelf on the stand held parchment and quills, and Jyx’s heart leapt, shaking free the icy finger of fear. He could make notes and return the book before Eufame got back, and she’d never know. The voice in his mind reminded him of her eerie ability to read his thoughts, but excitement about the book in his hands suppressed any worry.

  He leafed through its well-thumbed pages, careful not to pry apart those pages stuck together with stray candle wax or spirit gum. As expected, the book detailed the basic ritual circles required for necromancy, as well as the incantations he would need in order to call back the souls from beyond the Veil. The book advised caution, and listed a series of books for further reading, but Jyx ignored them all, too intent on copying down as much as he could.

  Cramp attacked his hand after several pages of parchment, and Jyx glared at his painful fingers. Still, I’ve made a lot of notes. He padded across the library to return the book to the shelf, mindful to slide it back into its original slot. He gathered his sheets and made his way back to the curtain, casting a final gaze over his shoulder towards the books.

  Jyx’s ears pricked up at a noise out in the Vault. He strode across the atrium and peered out of the doorway into the gloom. A Wolfkin stood at the far end of the Vault, blocking the archway to the spiral staircase. It had its back to Jyx, communicating with something upstairs using a series of barks and growls. Jyx crouched low behind the slabs and hurried along the short aisle between Eufame’s quarters and his own. The Wolfkin continued to pay him no attention, and Jyx leapt across the gap between the final slab and the doorway to his chambers.

  The embers in Jyx’s fireplace glowed in the darkness, burnt to almost nothing in his absence. Bastet lay curled up in his chair, her tail wrapped around her sleeping body. Keeping his eyes on her for fear she might wake, Jyx slid his illicit notes inside his journal on the shelf. Movement inside the Vault told him the Wolfkin’s conversation had finished, and he slipped into his bedchamber.

  “Ah, he’s finished. Good boy. He might actually prove to be good at this.” Eufame’s vo
ice echoed around the Vault. Jyx allowed himself a smile, convinced she would be even more impressed by his newfound knowledge.

  Out in the vault, a Wolfkin barked in response.

  “I know he is capable of overreaching himself but he learns quickly.”

  Another barked response.

  “You misunderstand me, Kha. That’s what I’m counting on.”

  * * *

  Jyx arose the next day, sure that Eufame would allow him to assist in some fundamental way. He ran through incantations in his head as he ate his breakfast, drawing sigils in the air with his spoon between mouthfuls of porridge.

  “Jyx? Are you awake?”

  Eufame’s harsh tones drifted into his chamber. Jyx scraped the last of his porridge into his mouth, and deposited the bowl on the small table. It would disappear as mysteriously as it appeared. Not once in Jyx’s week at the House had he seen any serving staff, but food continued to arrive, and plates disappeared, like clockwork.

  Jyx strode into the Vault, his cloak flapping around his ankles. Eufame stood beside a mummy, her working knife in one hand and a length of ancient linen bandage in the other. She looked up and raised one eyebrow. Jyx’s confident expression melted, dissolving into a pool of embarrassment as he tried not to trip over his robes.

  “You’ve done a marvellous job with these mummies. Very even anointing.” Eufame gestured to the mummies. Jyx beamed, the praise encouraging him to stand tall.

  “Thank you. It was a great honour—”

  “No it wasn’t. It was a mundane chore. Don’t try to pretend otherwise.”

  Eufame worked as she talked, sliding her knife beneath the wrappings of the mummy. She fished small charms and amulets from beneath the bandages, handing them to the Wolfkin standing behind her.

  “Begging your pardon, but it was preferable to sweeping the floor.”

  Eufame straightened up and smiled, her silver lips curving into a predatory grin. Mirth sparkled in the depths of her cold eyes, and Jyx shuddered.

  “So you do have a backbone! I was beginning to wonder. I rather suspect you’ll do well at this, but only if you pace yourself. I trust you did some reading last night when you finished the anointing?”

  Jyx nodded, unable to trust his voice to answer. He thought of the book about ritual circles, desperate not to think of Impetritae Inceptivus. Eufame bent back to her task, apparently satisfied with his answer.

  “Excellent. If you proceed with the training I provide for you, then you’ll do well, Jyx. The magick we do here isn’t like the white nonsense you learn at the Academy. You can’t race ahead when you’re dealing with the sort of powers that we are. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.” Jyx forced himself to reply, his voice tight and unnatural. She knows.

  “It will take me some time to unwrap the rest of these mummies, but you will be anointing their eyes again. Go to your chambers and study, and I shall call you when you’re needed.” Eufame waved her hand to dismiss him, and Jyx hurried across the Vault, trying not to trip over his feet in his haste to reach his chambers.

  He snatched his study journal from the bookshelf and headed for his bedchamber. The addition of bedding made the empty sarcophagus more comfortable, and he crawled beneath the thick cloak donated by a Wolfkin from upstairs. He ignored the strong scent of dog and snuggled up to the thick fabric.

  Jyx opened the journal and retrieved his loose notes, seemingly endless pages of cramped handwriting and careful sketches. So much knowledge was locked in these pages, even if they were only initial incantations. The temptation to commit them to memory tussled with his fear of discovery. Last night, Jyx felt sure Eufame would applaud his excursion into the forbidden library, but now, a serpent of dread settled its cold coils in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps he should burn the notes now, and be done with it.

  Movement at the edge of his vision stirred Jyx from his thoughts. His own finger drew patterns in the air, patterns that he could only find in the pages scattered across his lap. His lips moved of their own accord, forming strange syllables and words without sound. Jolted into awareness, Jyx clamped his mouth shut and seized his hand from the cold air of the bedchamber.

  “I can’t help but learn new things,” he whispered into the empty room.

  He looked back down at the notes. Four pages lay face down to his left, while the remaining five lay face up. Four pages of incantations, sigils and ritual elements now burned in his brain, begging to be used.

  “Jyximus!” Eufame’s call resounded throughout the Vault.

  Jyx shook his head, gathered the pages together, and stuffed them back into the study journal. He hid the book at the end of the sarcophagus beneath the sheets and straw mattress, and hurried back to the Vault.

  “I’ve unwrapped some more mummies, Jyx. It makes sense for you to start anointing their eyes while I continue to work on the rest of them in this row.” Eufame pointed to the mummies she’d unwrapped.

  “Could I help unwrap them?” Jyx asked the question before he could stop himself. The incantations of unveiling and baring the flesh to the elements spun through his mind, determined to make their way out of his mouth.

  “Not yet, Jyx. One step at a time, remember? Now if you don’t mind doing the anointing—I have a surprise in store when you’re finished.”

  Eufame returned to her work. Jyx trotted across the Vault to fetch the ointment. He smeared a thin layer across the eyelids of the first mummy, and his fingers fought to form the sigils required to open the eyes.

  “Are you all right, Jyx?”

  “Yes. Just cramp in my hands, that’s all.” Jyx allowed the lie to hang in the air, pretending to rub feeling back into his fingers. A Wolfkin emerged from the shadows to lurk behind him, and Bastet padded out from behind a nearby slab. Jyx forced his ill-gotten knowledge to the back of his mind, and pulled his focus to the jar of ointment in his hands.

  It’s going to be a long day, he thought as he moved to the next mummy.

  8

  The black candles burned low as Jyx smeared ointment onto the cracked eyelids of the final mummy. Eufame stood behind him, her cold eyes warmed by her genuine appreciation of Jyx’s work. Jyx straightened and rubbed at the stiffness in his lower back.

  “Excellent. I was expecting this to take at least another day but this puts us ahead of schedule,” said Eufame.

  “And these are all royalty?” Jyx gazed the length of the Vault, trying to fathom how many members of the royal family he’d just anointed.

  “Yes. Not all kings and queens per se but definitely part of the royal family at one time or another. The only ones we’re missing are the prince’s parents, uncles and grandparents, but they’re in a different house.”

  “There’s more than one house?”

  Eufame nodded and strode away along the central aisle of the Vault. Jyx trotted to keep up with her, aware of Bastet padding along beside him. The Wolfkin remained in place by the doorway to the staircase. Apparently Eufame didn’t feel she needed a continual guard.

  “The two main houses are the Long Dead, which is this one, and the Near Dead, which houses the most recent mummies. It’s next door to the palace, so people can continue to pay their respects. It always houses the two most recent generations,” she said. Her voice echoed around the black stone walls.

  “Are they necromancers too?”

  “Not at all. The House of the Near Dead is staffed by embalmers and priests. They just prepare the bodies and manage visitors. It is forbidden to raise the near dead, so they don’t need necromancers.”

  “Why is it forbidden?”

  “Souls need time to adjust to the fact that they’ve passed over before they can be recalled. It would be cruel to pull them back to the corporeal realm before they had the time they needed. You’ll learn more about it in time.”

  Eufame stopped at the entrance to her chambers. Jyx hung back, keen to stay away from the archway. He didn’t want to demonstrate any prior knowledge of the rooms beyond the forbi
dden portal.

  “The only other thing you need to know at this stage is that aside from the main Houses I’ve just mentioned, there are also the House of the Ancient Dead, the House of the Illustrious Dead, and the House of the Notorious Dead.”

  “Sounds like the cemeteries are probably empty.”

  “Oh no, we have plenty of common dead folk to fill those. We’ll encounter these three over our time here together, but you need to know a little about the House of the Ancient Dead in order to fully appreciate what I’m about to show you.” Eufame turned to the archway and snapped her fingers.

  “Do they have necromancers as well?”

  “No, it’s staffed by archaeologists. They find and preserve the remains of creatures long dead before we populated this realm. As it happens, a friend of mine works there, and she managed to source something for me.”

  The white Wolfkin appeared at the doorway, bearing a black chest bound with iron. Jyx estimated the chest to be two feet wide and a foot high. A pair of crossed bones worked in silver adorned the top of the chest and an open padlock hung from the hasp.

  “The bones emblem is that of the House of the Ancient Dead,” said Eufame.

  She lifted the lid and Jyx peered inside. The preserved remains of what looked like a bird lay on a bed of black velvet. Its wings were folded to its sides, with its clawed feet resting on its chest. Its head was bent to one side to accommodate its long beak and pointed skull inside the casket.

  “What is it?” asked Jyx.

  “It belongs to the pterosaur family, a prehistoric creature that flew in the skies above the swamps and forests that would have originally covered this land. Now, calling the souls of the ancient dead from beyond the veil is trickier than the long dead, but it’s balanced out by the fact that animals are easier to recall than humans.”

  Jyx nodded, unsure as to the purpose of a fossil to the royal coronation proceedings. He ran a finger across the cold skin, wondering who had preserved the creature, and when.