I sat at the edge of my bed, legs bouncing at full speed. I tried to catch my breath brought upon by anxious weight on my lungs. My knuckles were swollen with a dull ache. Staring at my tiny room of stained walls, dilapidated bookshelves, and a bucket on the ground catching water only made me feel worse. How was that possible? When at any moment I’d be subject to even more abuse by—

“Maximilian Brian Forrester!” My mom threw the door open, slammed it shut, and scowled at me. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Mom, you don’t understand.”

“Enough of the excuses and insults!” My mom struck my face with a pulverizing slap. “You’re thirteen years old now! Grown men don’t make excuses; they take responsibility! Now, tell me everything that happened so that my feeble brain might understand!”

I couldn’t hide the tears, and I knew that would only make it worse.

“Don’t cry! Grown men don’t cry either!” Another slap stung my left cheek.

“Look!” I croaked with a thick voice mixed with rage and confusion. “I’m sick and tired of getting bullied every second of every day! I’m not good at any of the disciplines at school, and I’m constantly ridiculed. I’m at the bottom of my class, and I’m trying my hardest, I really am!”

“But you decided to throttle a kid on the last day of school? They don’t know if they want you back next year!”

“Well, Lyle spat at me and called me a necromancer!” I exploded.

My mom’s eyes widened as if she just saw a ghost. Her voice trembled, “Now, why would he call you a horrible thing like that? Our family grew up here in Verrenna. We have no ties with the Southeast at all.”

I sighed in irritation. “Lyle didn’t call me a necromancer for any reason in particular. He just called me that because I’m bad at everything and don’t add worth to society. We all got our results from career exams, and I did the worst in every category. So when he spit at me, that’s when I lost it and pelted him.” My fists clenched. “I’m tired of being made a fool.”

“Violence doesn’t solve anything!”

“Then why is the Silver Army planning for war against the necromancers?”

My mom’s eyes bulged. “I don’t know if your father and I can handle a whole summer of you being home. I think it’s time for you to go visit Uncle Leopold for a while. He might help you figure some things out. Maybe you can become a blacksmith like him.”

My mom thought it would be a form of punishment, but I enjoyed my time with Uncle Leopold. A summer with him away from my lonely house and my parents sounded like a dream. With a frown, I said, “You can’t be serious.”

“I am, and maybe he can teach you a thing or two! I’m tired of you moping around the house, and it would drive me crazy to see you waste another summer without any opportunities!”

“That’s not fair,” I argued, one of my better acting performances.

“Nor is having an ungrateful child! I’m going to send him a message right this moment!” She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Sitting on my bed, I took a deep breath, lay down, and looked up at the ceiling for a few moments, smiling. This could be one of the best summers of my life.

The following week, summer break began, and I took a carriage paid for by my uncle since my parents couldn’t afford it. I couldn’t believe he agreed to accept my stay for the summer.

Maybe I could become a blacksmith with his guidance, and then I could come back to school and finally fit in for once.

Sitting in the carriage, I admired the open view of rolling hills. We crossed over rivers on wooden bridges and passed through a couple of forests. It was a two-day trip traveling through Lavarund. I was fortunate; the sun shined over the land with a gentle breeze that cooled some of the heat.

I studied the map on the cabin ceiling. Uncle Leopold lived out near a large port town called Lostonia. He had a ranch just outside the city area. His property had a small stable with a single horse and a colossal forgery where he smithed all of his creations. His career started off as just a local blacksmith in Lostonia, but once people saw his work, he never stopped getting requests. He grew so popular that the Silver Military commissioned him to design and forge the armor for admirals, generals, and spies across Lavarund.

I wish I had a shred of his talent. Perhaps I do and just need the proper guidance?

When the carriage pulled up to his plot of land, I exited the cab and thanked the driver. She even helped me carry my belongings inside his two-story house. Uncle Leopold came outside as if he were waiting by his window for me. He beamed and waved as we approached. He still had his auburn hair and beard, but gray bled through in some patches.

“Maximilian! It’s so good to see you!”

“I’m glad someone feels that way,” I said.

“Now I know that’s not true. There are plenty of people out there who love you. Some of them you just don’t know yet.” He winked, and then he handed a few gold coins to the driver.

“Oh my, surely this is a mistake?” the driver said.

“No, that’s all right. Thank you for making the long trip to get my nephew. Take care now!”

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The driver waved goodbye, and that’s when I went inside my uncle’s massive house, and he showed me the bedroom where I would be staying. It was double the size of mine back home. The dressers, desk, and bedpost sparkled from the polish on the wood.

“Thank you so much!” I hugged my uncle.

“For what?” Uncle Leopold asked.

“Letting me stay with you and showing me how to become a blacksmith.”

“Well, it’s not going to be all fun and games now. It will be work, hard work, and I’ll teach you what I can. But there’s something I must talk to you about.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s cook some dinner first. I bet you’re starving.”

Downstairs in the kitchen, Uncle Leopold was in the middle of baking a turkey in the oven. He pulled it out and uncovered a few pots with mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans. I served myself a plate and had a cup of cranberry juice. It was exciting to drink something other than water for once. We took a seat in a dining room encased with opened windows, creating the feeling of immersion in the outdoors while having shelter. We had a view of his acres of land, filled with tall grass, flowers, and trees.

“I know that blacksmithing will be hard work, but trust me, it’s much better I stay here than with my parents,” I said.

“Well, my sister—er—your mom knows you’re always welcome to stay with me, but it’s important to grow up with your parents, though, even if they do drive you crazy.” Uncle Leopold poked his food with his fork. “Anyway, I said there was something I wanted to talk to you about, and it’s a bit of a delicate topic. There’s no easy transition, so, what do you know about necromancers?”

I lifted my brow and thought about it for a moment in between chomps of my meal. “I guess I don’t really know much about them. Everyone just calls them dirty and evil. But it’s weird. I’ve never really seen one, so I can’t say if they’re really as horrible as everyone makes them out to be.”

“So, you wouldn’t say you have any hatred toward them?”

“No, I guess not, but it certainly seems like it’s the trend, especially with this new king coming in. Mozer seems to despise them.”

“Yeah, he does, doesn’t he? I was hoping that there might be a different outlook on things with him coming to power, but it looks like much of the same ideology his parents held. Although, I’m afraid he might be worse.” Uncle Leopold gazed out the window before looking back at me. “So, you’ve never met a necromancer?”

“No. There are a few witches and wizards in our town, but they can’t really do anything, so no one really bothers them. Like, I’ve heard necromancers can raise dead animals from the ground and stuff like that.” I shuddered.

Uncle Leopold chuckled. “That’s true. They can raise the remains of animals. But when they come up, they’re not zombies. In fact, they’re obedient skeletons brought to life by magic. Did you know that necromancers can also raise up human skeletons?”

I gulped as my eyes widened. “Whoa, that’s kinda freaky.”

“You might think so, but it’s really not as frightening as it seems.”

I stopped eating for a moment. “Why are you asking all of these questions?”

“As you know, I’m a bit of a renowned blacksmith. People have always said I had the right touch, the right eye, and excellent attention to detail for armor. And I can do blades and weapons, but it’s not my best, though I’ve certainly improved over the years. When I started, I could handle the workflow one piece at a time, no problem. My name wasn’t out there yet. But when I started going to the Lostonia market to sell my armored goods there, word spread that I was a different talent, so I had a flood of requests. I didn’t really know how to handle the increased workflow with my signature style, until one day, where I kept an open mind and designed a knife for a necromancer.

“This necromancer kept his identity a secret, heard of my abilities, and purchased some armor and daggers for himself to see if I could live up to the hype. Apparently, I did because we had a meeting in my smaller house at the time. He showed me how to make osseous steel and how it behaves similarly to wrought iron once it’s forged. It’s a special alloy made of bone and another metal found in the Southeast.

“I made that necromancer a knife, and just before he left my house, he said, ‘I’ve noticed you’re in high demand for things.’ And I confirmed his theory and explained how I wanted to expand my business, but it was tough because the other blacksmiths I met just didn’t have my signature touch and I didn’t want to put my name on something that wasn’t my caliber.

“That’s when the necromancer showed me I could summon skeletons to help me with my work, and they could exhibit the same touch as I had with blacksmithing, as long as I summoned them. And thus, I went through some training, bought textbooks, and, well, I think you should come see my forgery.”

We finished our dinner and went outside, walking about twenty yards to the massive wooden barn structure by his house.

“Welcome to the forgery, Maximilian.” Uncle Leopold put his hand on my shoulder as he unlocked the iron door with his massive ring of black keys. Sliding it open, we stepped into a vestibule with another iron door that he unlocked and opened. We were finally inside, and my jaw dropped.

Three skeletons were standing upright and moving. One was holding a pair of large black pliers that was clutching a hunk of glowing orange metal. Another was clanging away at another piece of metal on an anvil with a mallet. The third skeleton was in the middle of inspecting a plate of armor while painting it with a liquid that appeared to be polish. I stumbled back into my uncle. He caught me.

“It’s okay; they’re nothing to be afraid of. I’ve summoned them myself,” Uncle Leopold said.

The skeleton that was polishing with a brush stopped and waved. “Hello! You must be Maximilian! Your uncle here is delighted to be hosting you.” The teeth on the skull curved up. “The name’s Conner, in case you were wondering.”

“They can talk?” I whispered to my uncle.

“They’re capable of a lot: speech, movement, and smithing. Whatever you can do, they can do. And don’t worry, you can go up to them and shake their hand if you’d like. They’re friendly.”

I couldn’t believe it, so I went up to Conner and shook the boney hand.

“See? Nothing to be afraid of,” my uncle said behind me, patting my back. “But I do mean this when I say this, do not tell a soul that I’m a necromancer. Do you understand?”

I nodded.

“Promise me this will be kept secret?” he said.

“Of course,” I said.

“It’s serious, though, because people want to know how I’ve been able to take on a higher volume of work. They just think I can perform at a superhuman speed, but that’s obviously not the case. Without them, I wouldn’t be nearly as successful.”

My mind was burning with curiosity and questions. “How do you do it? I mean, how do you summon them?”

Uncle Leopold smiled. “Would you say you have more of a curiosity for necromancy than blacksmithing?”

“I don’t know. I guess so. I don’t know what necromancy entails. Blacksmithing we’ve talked about in school, and we’ve done some lessons, but I almost failed those.”

“Mhmm.” We stood there while his skeletons labored. “Why don’t we talk inside?”

“What about them?” I pointed at the skeletons. “Do they just work all through the night?”

“No. If we get any travelers coming by the roads, it would look suspicious that there’s smithing going on 24 hours a day. Although if I wanted them to, they could. They sink back into the ground at 8:00 PM and rise back up at the crack of dawn. Come, let’s talk more inside.”