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her eyes and breathed deeply as though savoring the scent of it .
    Garrett brought one of the grapes to his nose, sniffing. He smelled nothing. He popped it in his mouth and crunched it. It tasted like an ordinary grape .
    "It's all right to eat," he said, puttin g another grape in his mouth, "S hee ? T har goot."
    Lampwicke's eyes rose, no longer angry. She smiled at him, and he smiled back .
    "Garrett," Uncle called from downstairs, "breakfast."
    "Oh, sorry," Garrett said, hastily shoving the rest of the grapes into Lampwicke's cage. She fluttered clear of a rolling grape, looking slightly annoyed. Garrett thought of closing the cage door, but it seemed rude somehow and rather unnecessary .
    Garrett started out the bedroom door, pausing as he realized he was still wearing the shirt he'd slept in. He hurried to grab a fresh one and was about to pull the old one off when he realized that Lampwicke was watching him. He froze .
    Garrett sidled out of the room, changing quickly in the hallway. He tossed the old shirt back through the door and headed downstairs .
    Uncle Tinjin waited for him at the breakfast table. The kitchen zombie poked sluggishly at a mound of raw bacon piled in the center of an iron pan by the fire. Garrett sat down, just as a bleary-eyed Maximilian Zara staggered into the room, looking about as alert as Tom the zombie.
    "You could have let me sleep," Zara mumbled, vainly attempting to smooth his unruly brown hair with his hands.
    "Sleep late in your own house," Uncle Tinjin said without looking up from his tea.
    The zombie shambled over to set a plate of cold biscuits in front of Garrett.
    "Thanks, To... " Garrett said, almost saying the zombie’s name before Uncle's look of disapproval cut him off.
    "So, Garrett," Zara said, "how does it feel to be an unholy agent of the dark powers?"
    "Huh?" Garrett asked, stuffing a biscuit in his mouth.
    "A necromancer, Garrett," Zara laughed, "Now that you're one of us, you're going to have to start taking your role as a merciless harrower of souls more seriously."
    Garrett blinked at him.
    "I'll take you out shopping for fiery crowns and implements of torture after breakfast."
    "What you do after breakfast is your own business," Uncle said, "but this young man has work to do."
    "Work, work, work," Zara scoffed as he poured himself a cup of tea, "I suppose that's one way to spend your day."
    "You should try it sometime," Uncle said.
    "I keep meaning to..." Zara said, gulping down his tea, "I just can't seem to fit it into my busy schedule."
    "What is it, exactly, that you do with your time?" Tinjin asked.
    "Research, dear Uncle, research!"
    Uncle Tinjin snorted.
    "Speaking of which, " Zara said, "I have some research to attend to at the Temple this afternoon."
    Uncle's shaggy brows furrowed . "Be careful, Max," he said, "I t was not that long ago that the Sisterhood hunted us as heretics."
    Zara flashed his crooked grin. "Never fear, Uncle. I'll be the one doing the hunting this time."
    Uncle set his teacup aside and looked Zara in the eye. "You don't know what they're capable of."
    "And they don't know what I'm capable of," Zara said. He pushed back from the table suddenly and stood. He assumed his most aloof expression and bowed floridly. "I'll leave you both to this work business. Others need my wisdom too, and I must away."
    A faint smile tickled the corner of Tinjin's frown. "Be off then, but stop by this evening. Garrett and I may have something to show you."
    Garrett sat up in his chair, curious now.
    Zara arched an eyebrow. "I wouldn't miss it!" He waved his goodbyes and swept from the room.
    "What are we going to do?" Garrett asked.
    Uncle Tinjin regarded him coldly. "First," he said, "we are going to finish eating breakfast. Then you are going to raise your first zombie."
    Garrett felt a strange tingle on the back of his neck, though he wasn't sure if it was excitement or fear.
    "And yes," Uncle said, crunching a piece of charred bacon, "you can name this