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renews the pact», Vivienne whispered, almost in a religious tone. Was she repeating? Translating? Or maybe what she was saying had nothing to do with the murmur at all?
    The officiant lowered his free, bloodletting hand and took something from below the altar. Shim had to squint his eyes to discern it was a black chicken. It was still, but it was also clearly alive.
    The blade, already bloodstained, raised, and in a single arc it cut the throat of the bird, which didn't make any attempt to flee. A barely visible squirt of blood fell onto the people nearer to the altar.
    Shim was disgusted, but admittedly Vivienne hadn't lied when she had said that nothing illegal was going on in that place. As horrible as it looked to him, religious freedom was one of the pillars on which society stood tall, and no one could be prevented from worshiping death, at least as long as their worship didn't become a danger for anyone who had more rights than a chicken. And even though sacrifices like that were what gave power to necromancers, or helped them to keep it, this wasn't enough to state that killing a chicken was against the law. Necromancy proper was very different from making small cuts in one's own wrist or slaughtering a bird, and so far no one there had done more than that.
    Vivienne's voice shook him from his thoughts. «Now wear these», she said as she gave him two neatly folded black cloaks she had taken somewhere. She had closed hers and lifted the hood on her head.
    Shim looked at her dubiously, but before he could object she continued, «If you do not look like you are part of the community, they will not talk to you. Nothing bad would happen to you, because if you have been able to enter without resorting to force or deceit you do not represent a menace, but still you would not be worthy of their trust.»
    The dwarf gave up. That wasn't his territory and he had to comply to the rules. His agent hadn't even tried to complain and was already fastening his cloak, thus becoming even blacker than he already was.
    Shim did the same and found out that, although it wasn't exactly his size, the garment fitted him quite well, just brushing the floor a little. He half-wondered whether there were any dwarves among the necromancers. It seemed unlikely, his people didn't tune well with magic, in none of his many facets, still it wasn't impossible. For sure, if there were any, it would have been hard to see them in the crowd, unless they were standing right next to him.
    «We will part», Vivienne said. «Do no ask anyone their identity, no one will ask it to you. And remember the reason why we are here, do not try to learn anything that does not concern the one that rips hearts out.»
    The astonished look on Shim face was lost in the shadows of the hood.
    «How do you know...?»
    Vivienne didn't let him complete the question, «For which reason should I be interested in your quest if I did not have a very good reason myself? Whoever is the one who is responsible of what is happening, his behavior poses a danger for those who only want to live what they are and not be afraid. Without me, you would investigate on innocent people, whose only guilt is their faith in something you are not able to comprehend. With my assistance you have the chance to talk to them, instead of accusing them, and receive their help to stop someone that they want to be stopped as well. If I did not know what I do know, I would not be here. You would not be here.»
    She slid among the crowd and was far in a second, leaving Shim pondering on what she had just said, thinking that almost fore sure that woman knew and was much more than she showed. He searched the room for her with his gaze, already knowing how useless it was. Impossible to recognize her in the middle of so many people who looked all alike, or at least all very similar to one another.

    krystorrent04/02/2014 20.52.56672725

CHAPTER 7

    Even though he didn't like that, Shim and Krey went separate ways as