“Enough.” Boba Fett switched off the holodisk, and the gruesome image of Dr. Evazan vanished. “I want him. Now.”
Boba Fett waited.
At first no one spoke. Finally it was Pylum who answered. “You are mistaken, bounty hunter,” he said in a defiant voice. “No scientist is responsible for this mystery. If you saw a dead man walking, it is not because this Dr. Evazan is on our planet. It is because the people have forgotten the old customs. They have abandoned our traditions. They no longer honor those who have passed away.” Pylum glared at the crowd. “And because of that, the dead are rising!”
CHAPTER 3
“Ridiculous.”
That was all Boba Fett said in response to Pylum’s declaration.
The other Necropolitans didn’t seem to believe Pylum either. A few of them even hooted and jeered at the Master of Cerements, despite the presence of the bounty hunter. But Pylum continued.
“You’ll see,” he said, sweeping his fiery gaze across the crowd in the hostel. “The dead are angry, and they will have their revenge.”
The armored bounty hunter waited, but no one volunteered any information about Dr. Evazan. Hidden behind his helmet, it was impossible to tell if he was angry, frustrated, or unconcerned. When no one answered his demand, he turned and stalked out of the hostel.
“So that was Boba Fett,” Zak breathed. “Prime.”
Hoole excused himself to begin his search for their new ship.
“I will return shortly,” he said. “Do not leave the hostel grounds.” Then, mysterious as always, the Shi’ido slipped out the door.
Zak and Tash spent the rest of the evening at the hostel with their new friend, Kairn. He and Zak took to each other immediately-they had the same sense of mischief and humor. Kairn, it turned out, liked to skimboard as much as Zak did, and they took turns on the hoverboard that Zak kept with him.
Kairn even joined them for dinner at the hostel. When the food was served, the young Necropolitan scooped some of his dinner into a small bowl and put it off to the side without eating it.
“Saving some for later?” Zak joked. He had wolfed down his own food and was about to ask for seconds.
Kairn laughed. “No. It’s another old custom. We set aside a portion of every meal in honor of the dead. For most of us, it’s more of a tradition now than anything we really believe.”
While they ate, Kairn told them more stories about Necropolis and its dark past.
“Lots of legends have built up around the Curse of Sycorax over the centuries. Pylum says that if you visit the graveyard at midnight, you can ask the witch to bring your loved ones back.” Kairn chuckled. “Everyone laughs at those stories in the daytime, but I know a few people who more than half believe it, and some who’ve even tried it.”
“Does it only work on buried people?” Zak asked. Tash, beside him, raised an eyebrow, but Zak ignored her and went on. “I mean, does the legend only work on bodies, or could it work on someone who was disintegrated?”
“I don’t know. But Pylum says the power of the curse knows no boundaries. “
Pylum suddenly loomed over them. His eyes were filled with eager light. “Our ancestors were fools not to believe in the power of Sycorax. We must believe in the curse of the dead if we are to avoid their mistakes.” Pylum glared at them for so long that Zak started to become uncomfortable. Then, without a word, the Master of Cerements turned away.
Tash whispered, “He certainly believes what he’s saying, doesn’t he?”
Kairn smiled nervously. “He’s a fanatic. That’s why they made him Master of Cerements.”
After dinner Kairn said he had to get home, but he gave Zak a quick wink and whispered, “My friends and I have something fun planned for later. I’ll see if I can include you.”
Zak grinned. He was always ready for fun and adventure.
“So what do you think?” Zak asked Tash after Kairn had gone.
“Think about what?” she replied.
“About these Necropolitans and their beliefs. You know, that the dead come back.”
Tash put down her datapad. “Are you kidding? Zak, that’s just a legend. Even the Necropolitans don’t believe it. Don’t tell me you do.”
Zak looked down at his shoes. “Um, of course not. But wouldn’t it be prime if people really did come back? I mean, if you could see the people again who-“
“Zak.” Tash made her voice as gentle as she could manage. When their parents died, she’d been devastated and hid herself away in her room. But Zak had pulled her out of her misery. Now she wondered if he was finally feeling their loss as much as she had. “Zak, I miss Mom and Dad as much as you do. But you can’t think that just because of an old superstition, they might actually come back. I know it’s hard to think about, but they’re gone.”