Free The Necromancer's Nephew by Andrew Hunter Page A

her," he answered, "She has taken it to the hurtful place where I cannot go."
    "Who is Anna Gree?" Marla asked .
    "One of the ghosts that flits around in the Old City," Warren said, "We stay clear of her territory, but I don't really know why. Not like she can hurt us."
    "Ghosts can't really think for themselves, can they?" Garrett asked, "They're like zombies, right?"
    "They're nothing like zombies," Warren said, "You can't even eat a ghost."
    Garrett frowned .
    "I've never met a real ghost before," Marla said, "Maybe we should go talk to her."
    Warren burst out laughing, and Norris joined in with a wheezing snicker.
    Marla looked to Garrett, a hurt look in her eyes .
    "Well, if you won't take her, I will," Garrett said .
    "You'd never find it on your own," Warren said, wiping his eye with the back of his paw .
    Norris’s eyes flashed in the firelight. "Don't trouble yourself, cousin," he said, "I’ll show ‘em the way."
    Warren's face hardened. "How do you know the way?"
    "I'm good with directions, and I like to explore."
    Warren's upper lip curled back on one side, revealing a long yellow fang. "I'll take them."
    "Of course, cousin," Norris dipped his head slightly, his sharp smile unnaturally wide .
    ****
    "Do you think your cousin's following us?" Garrett asked .
    "Yeah," Warren said without looking back at him .
    Garrett followed along in silence behind his friend. Marla was a few steps behind, looking a little uncomfortable whenever Garrett glanced back .
    Warren led them through a narrow, dripping fissure in the high crumbling wall that marked Marrowvyn's outer border. They emerged into another section of the old elvish ruins that lay buried even deeper .
    A pale, gauzy film hung over the egg-shaped doorways and windows of the ancient buildings. Cobwebs likewise obscured the brick arches that supported the new city above their heads. Warren paused when they reached a circular hub of lanes that fanned out in all directions. The ghoul sniffed the air. He grunted and picked the lane that grew thickest with spider webs and set toward it at once.
    Garrett shared a nervous glance with Marla and then hurried to catch up with his friend.
    They followed Warren further into the web-thick section of the Old City, and soon found themselves traversing through a tunnel thick with silk strands that glowed an eerie green in the glow of Garrett's witchfire torch. Garrett's boots sunk into the thick, spongy blanket of dusty silk that coated the ground.
    "Uh, Warren," he called out, "I'm not sure we should be going this way."
    "You wanted to see a ghost!" Warren barked, "So this is the way we have to go."
    "Isn't there another way around?" Garrett asked.
    "I don't know," Warren said, "I just want to get this over with. You've already ruined the whole trip anyway. It's bad enough I gotta deal with my cousin all week, now you want to spend all day pokin' around in part of the city where's there's nothin' but ghosts and bugs."
    "I'm sorry," Garrett said, "I really just wanted Marla to have a good time."
    Warren snarled.
    "It's all right," Marla said, "W e really don't have to do this today. We can try again some other time."
    "No," Warren shouted, "Garrett wanted to show you a ghost, so we're gonna see a ghost!"
    Garrett looked at the walls of webbing all around them that seemed now to undulate and bulge disconcertingly in places. "Uh, Warren, I think you should be quiet," he hissed.
    "Oh, no! I'm having a great time!" Warren shouted even louder, "This is the most fun I've had ever!" He waved his long shaggy arms over his head and rolled his eyes.
    "Garrett! Look out!" Marla was suddenly beside Garrett, her hands on his shoulders. She lifted him easily aside as she kicked at something on the ground behind him. A brown spider the size of a small dog bounced off the far wall and then scurried away into the shadows. More spiders were squeezing through little holes in the silken walls of the tunnel.
    "Aah!" Garrett shouted, pulling the knife