his limited interaction with the old man, he felt unexpectedly at ease, as if he had known him for some time. Perhaps it was merely the more familiar reserved demeanor of an Aureumian, which contrasted so sharply with the Uaine, who were warm, but coarse and occasionally alarming.
“Actually, it’s what I can do for you,” said Angelo.
“Oh?”
“But before I get to that, I would like to offer my apologies for taking so long to place where I’d heard your family name before. The Elhuyars are, of course, one of the most powerful and respected families in all Raíz. I am honored to make such an acquaintance, se?or.”
Jorge winced. It had been a while since he had to contend with the expectations and assumptions that went along with being an Elhuyar. “Please, just Jorge, if you would.”
Angelo bowed his head. “Again you honor me, Jorge. Now, I would like to introduce you to Bhuidseach Rowena Viridomarus. She does not speak the imperial tongue, so I have been asked to facilitate your discussion regarding the sluagh gorta.”
“Bhuidseach? So she is a… witch?”
“We would probably call her a necromancer,” said Angelo. “But the Uaine don’t make such distinctions. Anyone with any sort of supernatural or preternatural ability is invariably given the title of Bhuidseach.”
“I see. So she is in charge of… animating the dead?”
“Each clan has its own necromancer. Bhuidseach Rowena is the necromancer of Clan Dílis, and has agreed to act as your liaison with the other necromancers and apprentices.”
“That’s very kind of her. Please convey my thanks.”
Angelo said something to Rowena, and she nodded to Jorge.
“Now,” said Jorge, “do we have an idea yet of how many sluagh gorta I will need to treat?”
Angelo asked Rowena. The necromancer considered it a moment, then in a surprisingly gentle voice, given both her profession and the fact that she was Uaine, she replied at great length while Angelo listened attentively, nodding now and then.
“It’s still too early to say,” he translated. “We have a little over a thousand preserved corpses sealed in crates, but Bhuidseach Rowena says that not all corpses preserve successfully, so when they begin to open the crates, they may find some are simply unusable. Additionally, a small number fail to awaken during the process, which Bhuidseach Rowena tells me is an indication that they lacked the passion of a true warrior in life.”
“I see…” Jorge wondered if that last part was objectively true, or if it was merely a belief the Uaine held. He suspected that with something like this, magic and religion were so intertwined that the practitioners might not make a distinction. Apothecaries in Raíz, such as they were, were often hindered by their own religious beliefs, which was why Jorge had insisted on studying at the college in Gogoleth, where logic and reason, not superstition, reigned.
Rowena said something else to Angelo.
Angelo nodded, then gave Jorge a good-humored smile. “Bhuidseach Rowena would also like us both to know that necromancy is a sacred tradition among the Uaine, and only spoken of with the greatest reverence. What we learn about must never be discussed with outsiders without the permission of a necromancer.”
“Please tell Bhuidseach Rowena that I understand and respect her wishes and beliefs.”
Angelo translated to Rowena and she produced a gentle smile that matched her voice. She inclined her head toward Jorge, then said something else and left.
Angelo looked startled. “I… guess they’re starting right now. Bhuidseach Rowena has kindly invited you to witness the awakening before you return to your work.”
“Yes, I suppose I shouldn’t miss this.” Jorge quickly packed away his lab equipment, then followed Angelo out of the tent.
Four out of the other five clans had answered the Tighearna’s call to arms, which was apparently no surprise, as Clan Seacál was not known to get along with the others. With four additional clans present, Clan Greim’s population had nearly quadrupled. Of course, each clan came with their own tents, so the settlement had quadrupled in size as well. In terms of size and population, it now rivaled a midsize city in the empire, and often felt just as congested.
But Jorge found it was not difficult to follow Bhuidseach Rowena even through the most crowded areas. When people saw her coming, they stepped aside and dropped to one knee, leaving a wide space behind for Jorge and Angelo as they trailed after her.
“They don’t even give the Tighearna this much reverence,” said Jorge.
“There is an axiom among the Uaine that, roughly translated, says, ‘A man,