Chapter Text
The day the summons come is a day of one of Gideon’s another stupid attempts to leave. Aiglamene and Crux had long ago installed a tracker anklet on the unruly necromancer. They had hoped that the Reverend Daughter would have been able to keep Gideon from trying again but there had been some sort of fight as there always was. Harrow stalks out to where Gideon is fighting with Aiglamene and Crux rather annoyed. As soon as Gideon sees Harrow, she raises skeletons.
And Harrow sighs. Gideon must be still pissed about Harrow telling her that no, it was stupid to even think about joining the cohort. It was just another one in a string of Gideon’s ideas about leaving the Ninth House even though she was chained so securely to it after what Harrow and Gideon had done when they were eleven and nine. She charges through the masses of skeletons with her blade like a whirlwind of destruction until she meets Gideon head on. Gideon has her favorite two hander and Harrow’s blade shrieks as it grinds against it.
Gideon glares at Harrow as they come to an impasse. They are mostly matched when it comes to swords and Gideon would get in trouble if she tried to hurt Harrow with necromancy especially since Aiglamene and Crux are watching.
“Griddle, this is ridiculous.” Harrow finally says.
Gideon spits blood from her mouth. “I want to get off this frozen piece of shit rock.”
“I know. And you will. We got a summons from the Emperor.”
Gideon’s eyes widen as she reaches up to wipe the blood away from her nose, but it smears across her face like a red slash of paint. She lowers her two hander, “Don’t be fucking with me, Hark.”
“I’m not. Now if you would come back into Dearburh, I’ll show you.” Harrow lowers her blade as well.
“I hate you. I had this all set up and ready to go and then you tell me there’s a better offer?” Gideon is irritated as Harrow walks her firmly back into Dearburh as Aiglamene and Crux follow. Harrow has known Gideon all her life and knows just how to keep Gideon under control even if it takes some smashing and punching.
Harrow sits Gideon down and pulls the flimsy with the summons out of her robes. She holds it out to Gideon, “Here read it.”
Gideon takes it and chews on her lip as she scans it over. Crux and Aiglamene are silent. Harrow has already shown them and spoken to them. Gideon hands it back to Harrow, “The First House? What’s a lyctor? It’s good right?”
If Gideon had actually paid attention when Harrow had tried to read the texts to her, she would know what a lyctor was. But Gideon however, was too busy thinking about other things like probably swords and titties.
If Harrow knew one thing, Gideon was probably the worst necromancer in the system despite her uncanny power. If there were no pictures, Gideon would not touch a book or flimsy with a ten foot pole. Sometimes she wished that her parents hadn’t been so damn stubborn about appearances because then maybe Gideon would have been forced into actually studying instead of being let to run loose as a cavalier and Harrow ending up having to do both cavalier and necromancy training. But also. She could see her parents’ reasoning. Gideon is frustratingly dense a lot of the time.
“The Lyctors are the Emperor’s personal servants, Griddle. Please tell you me did pay attention at least some when we were supposed to learn about the Emperor.”
“Nope. It was boring.” Gideon grins. Harrow sighs, this summons could either be the start of something great or just be a complete disaster.
“Well, we are going and you are going to have to be on your best behavior.” Harrow has already been calculating how to deal with this. They may have to keep up the charade of Harrow being the adept and Gideon the cavalier. Everyone in the Ninth knows the truth because well, they watched Gideon and Harrow grow up. But none of the other houses know. It simply is not tradition for the heir of the house to not be a necromancer. Harrow had felt shame for years until Gideon told her what had happened. And then she wasn’t so upset about it, but the feelings of failure and guilt still sometimes surface.
“No promises.”
“Gideon!”
“Fine.”
Much later in Harrow’s room they lay in her bed. Harrow couldn’t sleep out of anxiety about the summons and Gideon, well Gideon couldn’t sleep out of excitement of finally getting off the rock. She doesn’t know what the First House will be like. But what she can guess is that it won’t be dark and dingy like the Ninth House and there probably won’t be cranky old nuns waiting to accost her with scoldings. “Hey, Harrow. You asleep?”
“No.” Harrow rolls to face Gideon. “What do you want. I am trying to sleep.”
“What do you think the First House will be like? All the other Houses are going too aren’t they? Do you think there’ll be like hot girls?”
And Harrow hits Gideon with her pillow, “Can you not be such a horny pervert for once. I don’t know and I don’t know. All I know is that we are going to have to be careful, ok? Now, please go to sleep.”
“Why can’t I be the cav this time?” Gideon whines pulling the pillow away from Harrow. She would much rather swing swords then deal with necro nerds. The other necromancers she has met well, they were Harrow’s parents and aunts and things did not end well. But she knows that necromancers are supposed to study and not fight so they all have to be nerds...except her of course.
Harrow sighs tugging for her pillow back, “You know why. Cavaliers are not necromancers.”
“But you’re so good at being a necromancer compared to me, Hark.” Gideon tries to weedle Harrow with the pet name. “Please.”
“No, Griddle.” Harrow replies, “Give me back my pillow and go to sleep, dumbass.”
Gideon reluctantly gives Harrow her pillow back. Harrow snuggles closer to Gideon. They have always slept together, well ok, after Harrow was born. Nothing was able to keep Gideon away from Harrow. So the Lord and Lady of the Ninth finally gave up. The last time they didn’t sleep in the same bed was when Harrow had some sort of flu and the nuns would not let her stay with Harrow. They banished her by calling for Crux. She hated Crux’s stupid face and stupid voice so much. He was purposely mean to her and took great pleasure in it. But then again he did blame her for what happened to Harrow’s parents and rightfully so.
Gideon curls around Harrow and tries to sleep even though she has so many questions.