Book excerpt: For a necromancer, death is a central part of life... but what's a girl to do when her own early death is fast approaching? In creating a golem to help her with basic tasks in her final days, her memories of a past love throw off the spell. What results is a strange, beautiful woman, with free will and feelings of her own. Now, with her new companion supporting her, Celeste wants to make up for her enormous past mistakes in aiding her kingdom's bloody conquests. But... will there enough time?