The Frostwoven Crown (Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

always curious to know what it would be like to do a good deed, and so I gave it a try, once. Piety, I assure you, holds no further allure for me."
    "What happened?" Garrett asked.
    Uncle started to speak, but Jannis cut him off, "Oh no you don't. I have no desire to hear that tired old story again."
    Uncle Tinjin smiled and looked at Garrett. "Suffice to say that one should never cross words with a gang of slavers in a Neshite village, unless there is a bored vampire looking on who decides to join in on the losing side."
    Jannis showed his fangs again in a broad grin.
    "I never asked what you were doing there anyway," Uncle Tinjin mused.
    "I was actually looking for the slavers myself," Jannis said, "I heard they had captured a river selkie, and I was interested in buying it from them. As it turned out, the rumor proved false. I was already considering killing them all, just for wasting my time. So you see, I'm really not that heroic after all."
    "No," Tinjin said, "You are a hero in the story of my life, and there is nothing you can do to change that."
    Garrett saw something of the vampire's bravado melt away, and Jannis looked as though the old man's words had touched him deeply.
    "Well, to work then," Jannis said, turning back to Garrett again. He frowned and pulled a length of cord from his pocket. “Raise your arms,” he said.
    Garrett had no sooner lifted his arms than the vampire was upon him, whipping the cord around Garrett’s chest, hips, arms, and legs. He took the length of Garrett’s sleeves and trouser legs so quickly that Garrett only managed to blink once before he was done. Jannis stepped back, whispering a set of numbers to himself. He seemed to catch something in Garrett’s expression and raised one eyebrow.
    “What is it?” Jannis asked.
    “Huh? Oh, nothing,” Garrett said.
    “You wanted to ask me something, but you are embarrassed,” Jannis said, “Go ahead.”
    Garrett forced a smile. “It’s just… I was wondering if you were gonna put a hood on whatever you were making for me.”
    Jannis smiled. “All right,” he said, “let me see what I’m working with. Off with the hood.”
    Garrett pulled back his hood to reveal his scars, but the vampire showed no sign of alarm or pity in his amber eyes. He pursed his lips and tilted his head from one side to the other. Suddenly, he stepped in close and looped his cord around Garrett’s head, just above his ears. He backed away with a broad grin and a low chuckle.
    “Next time, Tinjin,” Jannis said, “bring me a real challenge.”
    “You can have it done by tonight then?” Tinjin asked.
    “I can have it done in two hours,” Jannis said, “My girls work fast.”
    Tinjin smiled. “I hope you pay them well.”
    “All the mice they can eat.” Jannis said.
    Tinjin laughed.
    Garrett gave them both a puzzled look, but Uncle Tinjin only thanked Jannis and the two shared a parting hug. Then Tinjin motioned that it was time to go. Garrett pulled his hood back on as he followed his uncle to the door.
    Tinjin turned and looked back. “How much do I owe you?” he asked.
    Jannis stood, halfway through the black door at the back of the shop. “I’ll add it to the cost of your next fitting,” he said with a wave of his hand.
    Tinjin smiled and nodded, and the two necromancers watched the vampire disappear into the darkness beyond, and the black door shut behind him.
    Garrett heard the strange scuttling noise once more now, and a metallic squeak. The gas lamp dimmed again, shrouding the room in darkness. As Garrett’s eyes struggled to adjust, he thought he caught a glimpse of something pale, about the size of a cat, scurry across the floor toward the outer door. Something about the way it moved made his skin crawl.
    Then the door sprung open, and Uncle guided him out into the gray light of day.
    They walked together in silence, headed back toward the Arcane Quarter as Garrett wondered about the meaning of something in his uncle’s