The Locked Tomb, #1
Gideon the Ninth
by Tamsyn Muir
Contents
Chapter 17
Overview
The necromancers spend the night failing to recall Abigail and Magnus, making clear that the deaths are not ordinary or easily explained. Silas Octakiseron reveals himself as a soul siphoner, nearly draining the assembled heirs through Colum and briefly stirring Abigail's corpse before Protesilaus stops him.
Teacher's terror marks a major shift: the hidden levels are not merely dangerous trial spaces but a place where emptied souls may invite something worse. His order to remove the bodies interrupts the investigation and raises the stakes from murder inquiry to immediate supernatural threat.
Summary
In the early morning, the necromancers of Canaan House continue trying to call back Abigail Pent and Magnus Quinn, but every attempt fails. Palamedes Sextus diagrams the scene and coordinates examinations while Camilla records the positions of the bodies. Isaac and Jeannemary, desperate and grieving, offer blood until Camilla intervenes, while Harrowhark paces and assists Palamedes despite extreme exhaustion.
Harrow refuses to bleed for the working and eventually faints in the congealing blood, forcing Gideon to remove her from the scene. The Third House twins repeatedly attempt spells; Coronabeth supports Ianthe, while Ianthe uses pieces of Naberius Tern as part of her necromancy. Dulcinea tries to join the effort, but Protesilaus restrains her.
When the other necromancers have exhausted themselves, Silas Octakiseron descends with Colum and announces that he will try to find the dead spirits. Harrow warns that Abigail and Magnus are gone, but Silas dismisses advice from a bone magician. Silas places a hand on Colum and begins draining him, revealing himself as a soul siphoner.
As Silas draws on Colum, Colum turns grey and Silas glows with unnatural power. The effect spreads through the room: Gideon feels a painful inner tug, the lights dim, and the crowd weakens. A pale blue spark appears inside Abigail's corpse, and Abigail's body shudders, while Dulcinea collapses and screams.
Gideon catches Dulcinea, and Protesilaus advances without drawing his sword, then punches Silas unconscious. The lights return and the cold recedes, but Colum remains strangely inert. Teacher appears at the ladder in visible terror and orders everyone to bring Abigail and Magnus upstairs immediately, warning that if Silas empties anyone, that person could become a nest for something else. When Camilla objects that the lower level is an active investigation, Teacher insists that no one there is safe another minute.
Who Appears
- Gideon NavObserves the failed necromancy, feels Silas's drain, and catches Dulcinea during the crisis.
- Palamedes SextusLeads the investigation, diagrams the murder scene, and finally admits the spirits cannot be recalled.
- Harrowhark NonagesimusAssists Palamedes despite exhaustion, warns Silas the spirits are gone, and later shadows the Sixth.
- Silas OctakiseronEighth House necromancer who soul-siphons Colum and nearly endangers everyone while seeking the dead.
- Colum AshtSilas's cavalier and siphoning vessel, drained grey and left unnaturally passive during the ritual.
- Dulcinea SeptimusFrail Seventh necromancer who is protected by Palamedes and Protesilaus, then collapses during the siphoning.
- Protesilaus EbdomaDulcinea's cavalier, restrains her from necromancy and knocks Silas unconscious to stop the drain.
- Camilla HectSupports Palamedes, documents the scene, disarms the grieving teens, and challenges Teacher's order.
- TeacherAppears terrified, orders the bodies removed, and warns the lower level can make emptied people nests.
- Ianthe TridentariusPerforms repeated necromantic attempts, using blood and pieces of Naberius as components.
- Coronabeth TridentariusSupports Ianthe during the rituals and tends to her without showing strain.
- Naberius TernSubmits silently while Ianthe uses his hair, nail, and flesh for necromancy.
- Isaac TettaresGrieving Fourth House teen who offers blood and breaks down over Abigail and Magnus.
- Jeannemary ChaturGrieving Fourth House teen who joins Isaac's desperate blood offering before Camilla intervenes.
- Abigail PentDead Fifth House necromancer whose spirit cannot be recalled and whose corpse shudders under Silas's working.
- Magnus QuinnDead Fifth House cavalier whose unrecalled spirit confirms the deaths are profoundly abnormal.