The Necromancer's Legend: The Necromancer Princess, #2

By Valery Keith

Book 2 of The Necromancer Princess Trilogy

Alec Reegan is a man with few choices. Spymaster to the King of Belmontis by tradition, he detests Samuel Hollings, the current king. But threat and duty have conspired to keep him bound to the crown, despite his hatred for the man wearing it.

So when Hollings commands him to locate Garrett Morvan, Mountainvale's retired city commander, to verify the necromancer he had trained isn't with him, Alec knows he's being set up. Since that same poor woman died defending them, he's certain its nothing more than an absurd loyalty test, designed to catch him out. So all he wants is to get into the city, get the information he needs and get out before he's caught by the country's most notorious criminal, the Rat King of the Warrens.

Determined to hurry this along, Alec soon finds he must ingratiate himself with Marian Morvan, certain she will tell him where her brother has gone. But Alec is missing one crucial piece of information: it's not just the city which is under the Rat King's protection, but the very same woman he has targeted.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Valery Keith
• Release date: May 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781944535285

Book preview

Chapter 2

Standing behind her shop counter once all her employees had left for the evening, Marian Morvan tallied up the last of the day’s receipts, trying not to frown. It had been another good day in terms of the business, so she had no reason to be so grouchy, she reminded herself. But she couldn’t seem to shake that mood lately, especially once her busy work day was done and she went home to an empty house.

She missed her brother, Garrett, enormously now that he was gone. But since he had left to catch Bree, the necromancer who had saved them, then faked her death, Marian couldn’t even be annoyed. Sad, yes, but not annoyed, because when Garrett had thought she was dead, he had been devastated. It had only been a few days immediately after the invasion during which he had thought he had lost her, but it had almost killed Marian to see him like that.

While Garrett had always been less talkative than she was even as a child, the previous years he had spent gathering evidence to reform the station before he had been appointed as Commander had only made it worse. Rather than risk implicating himself in a criminal case that might well get him killed before he could complete it, Garrett had appeared to take a vow of silence instead. During those years, he had talked less and less with each passing day, until he was apparently more comfortable grunting and barking orders than having a conversation.

She had understood, but it had worried her in general. As had that toxic relationship he’d had with that awful, Upper City witch Ellen Vesser, a manipulative harpy who had latched on to him like a parasite, then spent all her time sweetly hen-pecking him in a way that made Marian want to punch her. Worse had been the looks Garrett had given her towards the end of that relationship, as if he had not really understood the kind of woman she was until then, but now that he did, he was done with women in general, rather than risk a repeat. Had he been an animal in a trap, he would have chewed off his leg eventually, she knew.

Since Marian had spotted that harpy for what she was just as soon as Garrett had finally brought her home, she had thought the entire relationship truly unfair to her poor brother. But it had been far too late for her to intervene by the time she had finally met the woman. So she had just kept her mouth shut and tried to avoid seeing them together.

Since they had spent all their time traipsing around the Upper City for dinner parties and social events at the whim of Ellen and her very wealthy family, that had been easy enough. Garrett being Garrett, he had put up with it for far longer than he should have for how much he actually hated it. Finally, he had drawn the line and broken things off with her, apparently realizing that nothing in that relationship was going to change for the better, unfortunately.

Then he had met Bree, and clearly, she was far better suited to him than that Vesser harpy could ever have been. Even more, he was obviously in love with her and it was mutual. So when they had thought her killed, it had been brutal.

But then Garrett had discovered she had faked her death and was packing to go chase after her. While Marian didn’t really want her brother to leave, she also could see that he had no other choice. If he didn’t, he might never be happy, always wondering if Brianna Hallin had been The One. Since Marian was pretty sure she was, she didn’t do more than smile as enthusiastically as she could despite the circumstances and wish him luck.

She had finally gotten a letter last week. Since she had seen the map Bree had left him, she had known where he was headed and been certain that he would get there without mishap. So when he had not written for months after leaving, she hadn’t thought anything of it, except that Garrett was just being Garrett. Never an enthusiastic correspondent of note, he saw no reason to become one, even now.

So when the letter had finally come, she had been both surprised and sincerely delighted. It had meant the world to her to know for certain that her brother was there now with the woman he loved as they made a new life together. Silly though it was, she had immediately folded it up small enough to fit in her coin purse and kept it there since. In an odd way, it made her feel closer to them both, despite them being gone.

But now she owed them a letter in return, a task she had been postponing until either her mood improved or something interesting finally happened to her. Once she found the inspiration to sit down and write them a cheerful, witty letter, she would. But to date, each time she had tried, she had not really known what to say or quite how to say it.

After all, aside from everyone settling back into their normal routines once the city was safe, nothing much had changed. Only now the house was disturbingly quiet and empty. She hadn’t ever lived alone before, so it was odd to get used to that echoing silence when she forgot and spoke aloud as if her brother was still there. But compared to the alternative of watching him silently grieve, this was the only acceptable solution, she believed.

But before he had left, Garrett had told her about Bree’s uncle, who had a home repair business down in the Warrens. He had stressed that her uncle was neither a friendly man, nor an honest one the way they might think of it, but he was loyal, so she could always go to him if she ever found herself in need of help. Since he had also drawn her a silly little map with an actual X marking the pub where he could be found, she assumed Bree’s uncle couldn’t be so bad. If he was, her brother never would have bothered leaving her with directions on how to find him. So as the weeks had turned into months after Garrett’s abrupt departure, Marian had started to wonder if Eddie might be lonely and missing his niece as much as she missed her brother.

Garrett had made it clear that Bree still feared for her life, whether or not she had been pardoned for her necromancy. As far as he had said, Bree’s uncle was the only other person who even knew she was still alive. As small-minded as people could be about necromancers in general, she couldn’t really talk about them with anyone else, even if she pretended Bree was dead. So if she wanted to talk about them, she had to either go see Uncle Eddie, or wander around her house, babbling to herself.

But even more, it bothered her that Bree’s uncle, a man Garrett clearly respected, might be suffering now that his niece had left. As far as Marian knew, Bree had been his only family here in the city. Garrett had said he knew a lot of people, but knowing people wasn’t the same as being considered family.

So he might be as lonely as she was now. Even worse, depending on his age and temperament, he might be depressed, thinking no one cared about him anymore now that his niece had left. He and Bree were close, Garrett had said, so he could be feeling abandoned and forgotten now, an idea which made her cringe after all Bree had done for them.

So instead of continuing to worry about him, she had finally decided to go introduce herself. In her mind, they were family now, united in their desire for the couple in question to remain happy and together. At least she hoped so. But in case she needed to make it clear, she had also picked up some things from her favorite bakery earlier today, planning to bribe him into happiness with food if necessary. If cookies, fruit tarts and fudge didn’t put the man in a good mood, then it was hopeless.

Having long since memorized that silly map Garrett had left for her, she was now ready to go introduce herself. So she picked up the bag with the sweets and left the shop, locking the door behind her and heading for the nearest stair to the Lower City. The sun had since set and it was darker than she had expected, suggesting she had lost track of the time, preoccupied with paperwork as she had been.

But the street lamps were burning brightly, illuminating the entire level with a golden glow. After descending the staircase into the Lower City, she passed through the crowd of miners and metal workers, their hands and faces filthy from the day’s work as they hurried home to be with their families. Mixed among them were shop workers and vendors, much cleaner but equally preoccupied as they too began to wind their way back home.

She took the main stair down from the Lower City, then followed the footpaths that led around behind them into the Warrens, where she and Garrett had both been born. The smell of rust and rot immediately hit her nostrils like a punch, making her nose wrinkle for a moment. But unlike Garrett, she didn’t hate it here, nor was she afraid of ending up here someday like he had always been. While she would do everything she could to avoid that, she also didn’t think her life would be over were she ever to find herself poor once more. As the recent near-invasion showed, there were far worse things than living in the Warrens.

But still, it was depressing down here, she thought as she walked down the right alley based on Garrett’s map, torches burning at each end so this middle section was completely dark. Unlike the higher levels, there were no fancy street lamps here in the Warrens, only torches. Damp as it always was down here from rainwater draining down the mountain into the open gutters along the streets, the risk of fire was hardly a concern even with open flame on every street corner, so no one in authority had ever been willing to allocate the funds for proper gas lamps.

As a result, it was always dark and dank down here, rather like being in a cave, she was forced to admit as she gingerly eased her way down the alley. There was the scurrying noise that had to be rats, which made her skin crawl. She stamped her foot and hissed, only to see the dark streak of a cat as it leaped away. Since that didn’t bother her and she hoped it would even take point for this journey, she just kept going. Once she had wound through a few more alleys, following that mental trail she had laid out, she finally saw The Onyx up ahead as she stepped out into a busier lane, people passing in a steady stream.

When she reached it, she noted the name painted across the building, though in the dim lighting down here provided by only torches, it looked like blood. She ignored that detail, sailing forward to pull open the door, a blast of noise spilling out into the street as she entered the crowded pub. But once she was inside, all noise stopped, she noticed. When she looked around, the entire room was staring at her like they’d never seen a woman before. Since there were plenty of other women in the crowd, she didn’t think that was it, which made her certain it had to be her clothes.

Since she had worn her work clothes rather than bother going home to change, all without considering the effect it might have, she now felt utterly stupid. Frequented by Upper City business and personal clients who comprised most of her daily revenue, since they could afford to send messages most frequently, she had to look and act like someone they could trust. But now, that meant the exact opposite for everyone in the Warrens, she suddenly understood, cursing herself for being so stupid as to forget something important like that.

But she didn’t run a successful business because she was a fool. So now, seeing all those blank and potentially hostile faces turned towards her, she simply smiled as kindly as she ever had before in her life, thankful she had splurged on cookies, little tarts and wedges of fudge, thinking it would allow Eddie to enjoy sweets for several days. So now, she might actually have something for everyone.

Hello, she announced cheerfully as she lifted the bag, smiling around the room like she was trying to win a new customer. How nice to see you all. If anyone’s hungry, I brought enough for everyone.

There was absolute silence. No one said anything, nor did their expressions change. Instead, they just looked at her as the seconds ticked by, even as she had the sudden awareness that such an event could continue indefinitely. While she was all for being polite, she didn’t see the point in pretending that this was going well.

No? No one’s hungry? she said, smiling cheerfully once more. Fair enough. If you change your mind, I’ll be over there. She pointed to the table in the back, the only one which had a single person and not a crowd, which Garrett had told her was how she would know Bree’s uncle. Nice to see you all. Have a lovely evening.

Then she walked through the silent room, noting the way they moved for her in a shuffle of footsteps even as they still didn’t speak. So she just walked through that corridor they made until she reached the man she assumed was Eddie Hallin. Once she was right there in front of him, she noticed that just as Garrett had cautioned, he didn’t look friendly at all as he rose from his seat. She smiled anyway, noting his expression was remarkably similar to her brother’s on a bad day, ironically enough, which made Garrett’s cautions even funnier.

You must be Bree’s uncle, Eddie Hallin, she said warmly. It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Marian Morvan, Garrett’s sister. She lifted the bag. I brought you some sweets from my favorite bakery.

He just looked at her, his face impassive, then he waved at the chair across from his. Putting the bakery bag on the table and pushing it towards him, she smiled again. He ignored the bag, his eyes on her as he seated himself. As soon as he did, conversations and the noises of movement started up right behind her, like now that she was seated here with a resident, she was fine with them.

Why are you here, Marian Morvan? he asked, his voice low. You don’t belong here.

That’s a matter of debate, she replied just as quietly, her tone polite. I was born here, actually.

He blinked rapidly a few times, like he might be thinking, but did not otherwise seem surprised, making her wonder if he had somehow known or suspected that from his lack of reaction to the news.

Was the big man born here, as well?

I don’t know who that is, she replied, wondering if that was some kind of Warrens slang she didn’t know.

The law, the big man. Your brother, Garrett. Was he born here, too?

Yes, he was.

Huh, he replied, his voice flat. That explains it.

Explains what? she asked, now only more confused.

Why are you here? he asked again, his voice still so indifferent, like he didn’t care either way.

Because I wanted to meet you, she replied quietly, amused by how this was rather like talking to Garrett when he was in a bad mood. I can’t talk to anyone else about them. I miss Garrett. I thought you might miss Bree. Since they’re together, that makes us family. Indirectly of course, but still family. So I wanted to meet you.

You brought me, his eyes flicked to the bag, then back to her, food?

Not just any food, she replied, aghast that he would say that. It’s not like I brought you a potato or some carrots I couldn’t use before they spoiled. I brought bakery sweets. As a gift, so you would know I was thinking of you.

She opened the bag to show him, but he didn’t even glance at what it contained, just kept his eyes on her, which she thought was rather odd.

They any good?

Oh, yes, she replied immediately, because they were. They’re from my favorite bakery. I didn’t know what you might like, so I got a few different things. I thought you might like to have some sweets for a few days, or maybe share with some friends. She made a worried face. But I picked all my favorites, which might be good or bad depending on your taste preferences. She dug in the bag and located a square of fudge, dusted with sugar from being next to the tarts. If you like chocolate, this is heaven, but I also have vanilla and fruit flavors for you, too. It’s not all so rich as this, so don’t be put off if this doesn’t appeal to you. You have lots of options.

Which is your favorite?

The fudge, she said, looking at the piece she held and nodding. Definitely the fudge. I can only eat one piece, rich as it is, but that’s what’s so good about it. The others are very good too, but the fudge is my personal favorite.

Eat it.

Excuse me? she asked, slightly taken aback. No, I don’t think you understand. It’s a gift. For you, not me. I brought it so you could take it home and have sweets for a few days. I only offered it to everyone because I didn’t want to be rude. But since they didn’t gobble it all up, I certainly can’t.

I insist, he replied, his tone once more flat. I’m not hungry. You eat it. Once you’ve eaten, we’ll talk. But not until then. So start eating. Now.

Marian looked at him for a moment, debating how to respond. If she hadn’t lived with her brother, then maybe the way he was looking at her would bother her, but after dealing with Garrett for years, she was largely immune to men who issued commands while making cranky faces. Coupled with the fact that he was both Bree’s loving uncle and a man her brother had vouched for, she just decided to ignore how grumpy he was being.

Everyone had bad days, after all. So she would assume this was one of his. If this happened several times in a row, then she would reconsider her desire to connect with him, that was for certain. But until then, she had to give him the benefit of the doubt, she finally decided. After all, she ran a courier business. If she couldn’t manage dealing with someone in a bad mood, her doors would have closed years ago.

All right, you don’t have to tell me twice, she replied, her tone light. But you are missing out here, because if I start, I’m going to eat at least one of each flavor. She made a face as she looked at the bag despite the fudge already in her hand. I came straight here from work and didn’t think to eat dinner first. So now, they all look really good.

Eat. I insist. At least one of each. Then we’ll visit for a time.

So Marian shrugged and bit into the fudge, ignoring the fact that he was watching. Bree had eaten with her hands the entire time Garrett had her in custody just to annoy him, so she figured Eddie had seen young women eat with their hands more than once. Since he was the one insisting she eat, he obviously didn’t care.

Once the fudge was gone, Bree’s uncle didn’t say a word, just waved her back at the bag like it was an order, once more reminding her of her brother. So she had a tart and some cookies as well. Their table was silent except for her chewing, but she tried not to let it bother her, uncomfortable or not, because she really was hungry. When she felt full, she stopped eating, pushing the bag back across the table towards him.

If I eat anymore, I’ll have a stomach ache, she admitted ruefully. Make as many threatening faces as you want, but I’m done. If you want any more eaten, you’ll have to eat them yourself.

I may have an appetite soon enough, he replied, his voice no longer so flat. But we can visit until then, make sure you don’t feel sick.

Surprised by how nice that was from such a gruff man, she smiled. That’s very nice of you. Thank you.

He lifted his arm and only moments later, the barmaid was placing a mug of cider at her arm. She smiled and thanked the woman, reaching for her coin purse, but Eddie shook his head so that the woman left before she could pay her.

Here, she said, pushing a coin across the table to him. For my drink.

Eddie pushed it right back. No need. I got it.

Well, thank you, then, she said, leaving the coin on the table as she lifted her drink to him.

But when the glass was near her face, she recoiled, smelling the fumes that denoted much heavier amounts of alcohol than cider normally contained.

What is this? It smells like cider, but it’s very strong.

It’s Warrens cider. A special blend that does a better job. For when all you can afford is one drink.

Hearing that, Marian put it down. Oh. One drink. I’m not much of a regular drinker. That might be stronger than I’m used to.

But Eddie just looked at her with that same Garrett-like grouchy face, like she was offending him. So rather than be impolite, she picked it up and sipped it anyway, her nostrils burning from the fumes as she choked it down, trying not to gag. She had never realized that being poor meant drinking something this nasty by choice, she thought as she gasped from the burn, wondering how desperate someone had to be to drink this regularly.

If this was all she could afford, she’d rather never drink again instead. She took another small sip, now starting to wonder if Garrett had been playing some kind of unfunny joke on her, sending her to this man. That didn’t seem like something he would ever do, but now she had to wonder.

How’s your stomach? Eddie asked, sounding like he might even care slightly, which meant he was more animated than she’d seen yet.

Fine, but if I keep drinking this cider, I might be in a bad way, she admitted in a whisper even as she drank a little more, barely noticing the burn now, probably because all her nostril hairs had been seared off already. Last time I misjudged, I ended up face-first in my dinner, sleeping. It was horrible. Garrett never let me forget it, either. She sighed sadly, thinking about her big brother. I miss him.

He’s good to you, then? Eddie asked, his voice once more flat.

He’s the best brother ever, she replied, noticing how her tongue felt thick suddenly, like it barely fit behind her teeth anymore. Do you miss Bree? I do. I wish I could have spent more time with her. I liked her. She made Garrett laugh.

She made everybody laugh, he replied softly, his expression once more blank.

I hate that everyone thinks she’s dead, Marian quietly confessed, feeling compelled to continue once she had started. She took a big drink to stiffen her resolve first. She didn’t want to upset him, but it really bothered her. But I hate even more that some of them don’t seem to care. They don’t appreciate her at all. That’s not right, not after everything she did.

Folks here appreciate her, Eddie said quietly as he looked over her shoulder, his eyes roving around the room like he was doing a headcount. Word’s getting around well past the city about what she did, how she did the King’s job for him. He was silent for a moment, then turned a blank face to her. So now that you’re feeling a little more relaxed, tell me. Been by her house lately?

She has a house? Marian put her drink down, misjudging it slightly so that it clattered against the table. I didn’t know that. I had no idea. I feel so stupid. I never even thought of where she might have lived. How embarrassing. Should I be watching it or keeping it for her? She looked at Eddie, horrified at the idea that she might not have been doing something she should have been. Oh, no, do you have a note for me, too? Was I supposed to be keeping it for her all this time? Was I supposed to come see you sooner?

Once more Eddie blinked a few times like he might be thinking, then he shook his head.

No, you don’t need to worry, he said quietly. I’m keeping her house for her. It’s fine. Just that someone visited the other night. They kicked over the candles and tributes people had left by the door, then broke in.

Someone broke into her house and stole from her? That’s horrible!

No, they didn’t steal anything, just rummaged around, from what I could tell. But everyone around knows whose house it is. Makes me think it wasn’t a local.

Relieved she wasn’t on the hook for Bree’s previously unknown home, Marian took another drink before she replied, her tone sad.

That’s terrible, someone breaking into her home like that. But I’m glad to hear that I wasn’t supposed to be watching her house for her. I felt awful that Garrett might have told me that and I forgot. That would be a shock. She took another drink and then shook her finger at Eddie. I don’t forget much, let me tell you.

I bet you don’t, Marian Morvan.

You don’t need to use your, she paused, because that wasn’t right, my full name, you know. She smiled at him. We’re family now.

Are we?

Her mouth dropped open in dismay at how cranky he was still being. When she realized she was breathing through her open mouth like a moron, she shut it. She held up a finger to ask for a moment, then had another sip as she tried to regain her composure. Once she had, she forgot what she had been about to say.

What were we talking about? she asked, noting her tongue now felt even thicker.

Family.

Right, family, she said dreamily. Garrett and Bree are together. Isn’t that nice?

How did they meet? Do you know?

She nodded, glancing around to note that no one appeared to be paying attention to them, then she leaned closer to Eddie so that they could talk without anyone possibly overhearing. After helping Garrett with his investigations, she knew better than to take any chances, even when drinking. Had her back not been to the room, she would have covered her mouth as well, just in case.

He had to arrest her, she whispered. He had no choice, because he got a command from the King. Then he had to hold her in custody for days and days and days. She hit him with a chair and told him she hated him. But he used to go back at night to let her read in his office. She took another sip of her drink. He was so sad, because he liked her so much. He didn’t think it was fair, what was happening to her. But he couldn’t do anything.

She gave Eddie a guilty look, now feeling badly about the advice she had given her brother. At the time, it had been the only thing she could have said. But now, knowing Bree as she did, she felt terrible about it in retrospect.

I told him he couldn’t save her, because it would be treason, she admitted, cringing a little. He felt awful. We both did.

I bet. He have anybody special before Bree?

Marian made a face, then held up a finger before she took another drink, because she needed it for this.

Yes, Ellen Vesser. Horrible girl.

Vesser? As in Vesser Gemstones?

Yes, yes, she’s rich and beautiful and so very perfect. Marian rolled her eyes in annoyance.