Solomon smiled. "Actually, we do. My world is very modern--we entered the twenty-first century not long ago. Magic is something of a secret, you see. Sorcerers only create a small percentage of the population, and not all of them are aware they're capable of magic at all."

And then he just had to laugh. "With regularity," he assured her. "Most people find Necromancers unnerving; it's something of a staple of the magic. Of course, most of my fellow Necromancers are far worse. You see, Necromancy in my world is also a faith. Most Necromancers are members of a Temple, and very rarely ever leave it. They have rules about how you dress, about how warmly you may dress, about those with whom you associate ..."

He shrugged again. "I've always found those needless details rather boring, myself. I'm a member of the Temple, to be sure, but I spend most of my time as liaison between the Temple and the outside world." Another smile, and this one was verging on conspiratorial. "I suppose you could say I'm something of an evangelist."