"I have told you," she says carefully, "of the arrival of Gideon Nav. Two hundred and first. I will pass over it."

"The Reverend Mother and Father could not concieve a viable fetus. They were both necromancers and that makes it... Difficult." Despite her best intentions she begins to fidget, hands restless.

"They conceived a necromantic ritual to ensure they... kindled. And that the child would be a necromancer, a once in a generation genius who could save the House and the line of Tombkeepers."

"A... ritual," she falters.