#htn fic

[nikomedes]

“and gold to bind”

by nikomedes

The day after Gideon Nav’s birth, the town of Drearburh, TX saw her mother hanged from a Lyctor’s Tree, that her soul should be condemned to oblivion and her bones dance eternal as punishment for a crime so terrible no one’s ever dared mention it again. But this morning at dawn the sheriff found the tree struck by lightning, her noose cut, and her bones gone. Gideon can’t lay hands on her mother’s old repeating rifle, either. Something has compelled the dishonorable dead to hunt, and Gideon, a ranch hand with a decent sword arm but no idea where to start, needs help. Enter Sister Harrowhark Nonagesimus, a nun more interested in bone magic than offering spiritual comfort, and a childhood terror of Nav’s. She might be a great help if they can get along for five minutes, and if Gideon can convince her to stop obsessing over why the Western, Central, and Union Pacific Railroad Companies seem to be forging track with bone dust and quenching it in blood.

this is my contribution to the locked tomb big bang 2021! big thanks to my betas eviefrie and antiv3nom, and my artists cornedbeefyness, thedragonconsumes, filthyratdad, and punchsomeoneforme-willyou!

accompanying art

my artists had access to the full outline, so some pieces were inspired by chapters yet to be published, but there are no real spoilers in them and they're all GORGEOUS. please take a look!

★ gideon and harrow at a gallop by cornedbeefyness ★ harrow explains the facts (ch 3) by filthyratdad ★ a punishing pursuit (ch 6) by punchsomeoneforme-willyou ★ gideon says goodbye to a friend (ch 7) by thedragonconsumes ★ a reunion in the river (ch 9) by thedragonconsumes

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[nikomedes]

Chapter 3 Now Up

“Then why?” Harrow repeated, the latest of many times, as she turned back to her wall. Gideon supposed it was good the whole town felt indebted to them this morning. The Reverend Daughter hadn’t been gentle in driving the tacks and nails she used to pin her evidence to the wall of the saloon’s room so Gideon could be shown how it “connected.” The wallpaper was a loss. “Locating, purchasing the lumber rights, logging, processing, and transporting this particular wood requires a substantial outlay of time and resources. Add to that—” She tapped her finger on a page of scrawled notes inscrutable to Gideon. “—the bone forging of the track, the blood quenching, and the lead spikes!” A gloved finger traced a familiar path back to a sketch of what, to Gideon’s untrained eye, appeared to be a totally normal spike used to lay railroad tracks. “Lead is heavy, if not expensive, and— you’re not listening.” Gideon reached into her saddlebag and retrieved the bottle of Jim Beam. She tipped a prudent amount into her tin mug of coffee and took another sip. “Nonagesimus, you barred the door. What’ve I got to do otherwise?”

Harrow and Gideon set out together on the ol' dusty trail to further both their quests, and have a surprisingly alright time (multiple near-death experiences excluded).

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[nikomedes]

Interlude 1 Now Up

Mortals smashed the bottle of champagne against the dark train that would bear God across the United States of America. Mortals had constructed it, so He graciously conceded the ritual to them, all soft, paternal smiles as an illiterate ironworker lifted the bottle and let it swing on a cord to shatter just under where the train’s name had been inscribed the day before. The Erebos, it read in stark Latin letters. Though not God’s mother tongue, He seemed satisfied with the engraving and subsequent coat of gold paint laid lovingly into each character. He thanked the painter and the engineer of His train as if the men were of the same station. As if they were His peers. The engineer twisted his soft cotton cap between his hands like a schoolboy. The painter blushed and busied himself cleaning his glasses.

In the first interlude of the story, we meet God and His holy engine at its christening in the not-so-distant past.

READ IT HERE →

[nikomedes]

Chapter 2 Now Up

Harrow wore the Priestess, and her dress, while modern, was the same she’d worn when Gideon last saw her. That made it both out of fashion and heavily mended, which was odd. Harrow was the face of the Church in Drearburh. She had a dress budget larger than Gideon’s average yearly pay. When she shifted—and she did, fidgeting and frowning as Gideon approached—she positively clanked. Harrow always wore bone, but, being a prodigy, she didn’t need much to ruin someone’s day. Harrow wearing this much was the equivalent of Gideon walking in with two of her longswords strapped across her back and a Colt in each hand. Overkill. Or paranoia.

Gideon and Harrow continue their life-or-death reunion, complete with random necromantic flexes, world-building, and oversized lizards. READ IT HERE →