By:  John Whitman Published by Bantam Books February 1997 When Hoole, Tash, and Zak stop on Necropolis to look for a new starship, Zak immediately makes friends with the local kids.  And he's willing to pull a crazy stunt--like going into the Necropolitan cemetery at midnight--just to prove he's as tough as they are. The cemetery is silent as death and full of white, wriggling boneworms.  And maybe Zak should have thought twice before accepting this dare.  Just because the bodies are buried doesn't mean they're dead.

    "Oh, I almost forgot," Kairn said with a grin.  "You'll need this."
    He handed Zak a small dagger.
    "What for?"
    "You have to stick it in the ground in the middle of a grave near the Crypt of the Ancients.  Tomorrow morning we'll go and see if it's there.  For proof."
    So much for his plan.  Zak shivered.
    "He looks scared!" someone teased.
    "Just cold," Zak lied.
    "Here, take this."  Kairn gave Zak his thick cloak.  "And you'll need this, too."  He handed Zak a tiny glowrod to use for light.
    Zak wrapped the heavy cloak around his shoulders and took a step into the graveyard, holding the glowrod in front of him.  Its light barely penetrated the rolling mist.  Row after row of tombstones vanished into the darkness before him.  He took a few more steps.  The headstones looked like a miniature city.  A city of the dead.
    "Good luck!" Kairn whispered behind him.  "Oh, and watch out for the boneworms."
    "Boneworms?" Zak hissed.  "What are boneworms?"
    "Nothing, really," Kairn chuckled.  "Just wriggling creatures that come out of the ground.  They'll suck the marrow out of your bones if you stay too long!"
    The iron gate slammed shut behind Zak.