Abaddon's Call

Chapter Six

Graydon approached the Hall of the Dead as the previous morning came back to him. He had attempted to obtain the Eye of Mason the day before and couldn't even find the door.

Understanding that might be part of the test, he had gone looking for an answer and went to Magi Yole first. Magi Yole appeared confused and explained to Graydon that students could not simply walk into the Hall of the Dead. Unless Arcdon was holding office hours in the basement, it had to be something worked at. Magic Yole also scowled at Graydon when he said he had wanted to grab the Eye of Mason because, even for Seven, that happened at the end of training, not the beginning.

Meaning that Nendan Lugh had walked into the Hall of the Dead and retrieved the Eye of Mason with no training whatsoever.

Lord Lugh was a necromancer.

That was how he got shifted to the elemental magehood. The council could have let Nendan move on and out of the school.

Nendan liked the work elemental mages did. He was a necromancer who showed interest in elemental themes. Of course the council said he couldn't just graduate and move on to being Lord Lugh. They were arming him with more knowledge, bolstering his stance.

Lugh had never, as far as Graydon knew, been considered weak. They were the rock, the foundation that the Seven were built upon, but they had never been particularly powerful either.

And whatever was going on behind the scenes told the council they needed Lord Lugh capable of much more than his peers.

Learning that had made Graydon relax a little. His own family was not so nearly powerful. The council, Graydon figured, had pushed that on Nendan because they intended to have Nendan become Lord of the Seven after Lord Pan.

"Graydon Theo Pan," Arcdon said from behind a desk built of blackened bones stacked one atop another.

The cracks between the bones were visible through a light blue glow that also lit an archway behind Arcdon that led deeper into the hall. The entry room had row upon row of books. The walls were covered in bookshelves. Behind Arcdon's desk, in the corner, was a very large book that looked very important on a pedestal. Across the room from that but also behind Arcdon's desk was a golem.

Graydon reached with his other senses and felt nothing, but he was aware that he was both surrounded by row upon row of books and standing in a small study as Arcdon watched him.

The world settled into the small study as he struggled with the dual settings.

"Do not touch the golem."

"Yes, sir."

Arcdon said not to touch something, and Graydon was thus not interested in touching it at all. He would look into the golem because it was his understanding there were none left, but he wouldn't dare touch it, lick it, or attempt to manipulate it with magic or physical item.

Smart people listened when necromancers gave warnings.

"Graydon, do you know why you are here?"

"To learn to be a necromancer."

"You are here because your father believes you might learn something," Arcdon said. "He had the option of keeping you in the elemental mage hood. Moving one heir does not mean another need move. A sort of... fuck you for switching things at the last minute."

Graydon looked up and met Arcdon's eyes.

"Do you know how old I am?"

"No, sir, I do not. I think I was told something like three hundred."