Necromancy In D Minor ✔️

Harmony of Tallis

Tallis turned the bell over in his hands, his distorted reflection staring back at him. He sat huddled in the corner of the couch, his secret silver treasure held where only his eyes could see. Miss Octavia didn't say why she'd given it to him, so he assumed she wanted him to keep it safe for her, like her bag.

He kept it on his person as much as he could, not wanting any of the Priests to happen upon it. But he had to be careful. One halting movement, one mistaken shake, and they would know. Its sweet chime was beautiful, but too unmistakable.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if he'd ever be able to give it back. Neither he nor any of his friends had seen Miss Octavia since the night of the winter ball. And all the adults told them to shut up if they dared mention her name.

Class wasn't the same anymore. Even though it had only been a short time since she started teaching them, Tallis had already gotten accustomed to her presence. To learning how to play his flute better.

Miss Octavia reminded him so much of his mother. Same kind eyes and warm smile. He wasn't sure why, but the world felt a little less scary when she was around.

He missed her smiles and nods of praise whenever they got something right, and her soft words of encouragement when they did something wrong. It wasn't fair. Every time something good came along it never lasted. There was always something to ruin it.

Maybe she'd come back. He wanted her to, not just to teach music but to help him. She was a necromancer, and he'd heard stories about necromancers raising the dead from the priests. Maybe...

Tallis tucked the bell back into the safety of his pocket, careful not to cause it to chime. Then he turned back to the coffee table and pulled a cookie from their tray of snacks. Arietta was curled up in an armchair with a blanket around her shoulders and a steaming cup of tea in her hands. Meanwhile, Lyra laid stretched out on the floor, propped up on her elbows as she scanned her book.

"What do you think happened to..." Arietta looked around before saying the forbidden name. "Miss Octavia?"

"I don't know," Lyra answered without looking up. "My dad yelled at me when I asked. Even Miss Winslet won't say anything about her. It's like she disappeared."

Tallis pouted. He'd gotten the same response when he asked Miss Pilar. But he wanted to believe Miss Octavia was still here, somewhere, that she'd come back and be their teacher again. But more than anything, he hoped she'd help him.

"Lyra, Does your book say anything about necromancers being able to raise the dead?" He kept his voice as quiet as Arietta's.

Lyra flipped back to the front. "I think so. Why?" She paused with a page in between her fingers and looked up at him with her dark eyes narrowed.

"I thought maybe Miss Octavia could help me bring my parents back." He looked down at his socked feet wiggling his toes to distract himself from the shame heating his face. They probably thought he was a big baby, still crying after his parents after all this time.

But he missed them. Every day. His missed his mom singing as she cooked breakfast for him in the morning. He missed his dad picking him up from school and stopping by the bakery for a sweet pastry.

Tallis tried not to think of them much anymore, because it hurt. Worse than any bump he'd gotten from being careless or any bruise he got from playing too rough. Even now, tears pricked his eyes, but he held them back. Only babies cried, and he was no baby.

"I'll look," Lyra said, cutting into his thoughts. Her page flipping continued.

"But we don't know if Miss Octavia is still here," Arietta said. "They could have sent her away."