Witching Bones

by Yasmine Galenorn

  I knelt by the side of the grave, lowering down the crowbar and hammer. He reached up and caught hold of the tools, and then knelt on top of the casket again. I could tell he was doing something, though it was hard to tell just what from where I was, but soon I heard the noise of splintering as he pried nails out from around the rim. Another moment and he scooted down lower on the coffin and opened the headpiece.

  That was right, I thought. A lot of caskets had two parts to the lid.

  Kipa shifted, extracting the body from the coffin. He motioned to me again.

  “Rope!”

  I dropped down the rope that was coiled in his bag. He tied one end of the rope around the waist of the corpse, then wrapped the other end around his own waist and scampered up and out of the grave.

  “Well, this isn’t so difficult. All I had to do was pry the nails up from where they had tacked them down. I’m going to pull him up, then I’ll go down and close the casket, get my tools, and we’ll be on our way.”

  He hauled up the body, stretching the man out on the dirt that we had piled to the side from the grave. Then, he jumped back in, retrieved his tools, closed the casket lid, and returned topside.

  “Let’s get him into the trunk, and then we’ll come back and fill in the grave.”

  As Kipa slung the body over his shoulder, I peeked around the giant cedar to make sure we were still the only ones in the graveyard. The cemetery was still empty, so I quickly led the way back to the car and opened the trunk. We had stretched out a tarp inside the trunk, and now he lay the body on the tarp and gently covered the man with a blanket. I locked the trunk as Kipa headed back toward the grave, cautioning me to stay with the car. Fifteen minutes later, he returned, covered in loose dirt and snow.

  “I filled in the grave and it looks like it did when we found it. I don’t think anyone will ever notice. I made sure to cover the grave with a thin layer of snow, so it looks untouched. If we get any more snow in the next day or two, there shouldn’t be any problem. And by the time it melts off, enough people will have walked around the area so no one should have any clue that we were ever here, or that the corpse isn’t where he’s supposed to be.”

  Grateful that the family wouldn’t have any idea we had stolen the corpse, I started the car and we drove back to my place. Only I parked in Buck’s driveway. Once again, I kept watch while Kipa quickly carried the body into what was now his house. Then, locking the trunk, I followed him in.

  He had laid the body out on the floor. “We have to wait for Gunnar, so why don’t you get everything ready to start with. He should be here soon. I gave him a call.”

  Nodding, I retrieved my bag of ritual implements from the car and set them up. The ritual wasn’t difficult, though it wasn’t one I would have ever thought of on my own. I would trap the fylgismadi into the corpse, and then when it took over the corpse and rose, we would destroy the body. That would free the fylgismadi to go do whatever it wanted, but it would never be able to harm Gunnar again.

  The actual transfer wouldn’t be difficult. I had brought with me a small quartz crystal and my mandrake root. All I would have to do was place the quartz on the sigil that was emblazoned on Gunnar’s neck and instruct my mandrake to attack the fylgismadi. That would drive it into the crystal. Then, I’d place the crystal on the corpse and the spirit would attach itself to the fresh body. I’d have to move quickly, though, so the fylgismadi wouldn’t try to return to Gunnar before the ritual was complete. Luckily, the mandrake root I had was an old one, crafty and cunning and powerful. I had received it from a powerful witch when I was young, and the mandrake had been old even then.

  Once I was ready, I glanced at Kipa, who was looking out the window into the driveway.

  “Gunnar just drove up. You’re ready for this?”

  “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Are you prepared to take on the corpse?”

  “Yeah, I am. I just want this over with. If only Gunnar hadn’t been so stupid as to admit fault in front of Kristian, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Solveig’s father could have taken Gunnar before the tribunal, but they wouldn’t have found him at fault. But no, he had to run off at the mouth and cause all this havoc.”

  I was getting tired of beating a dead horse. “Yeah, but he was probably feeling so much guilt that he couldn’t help it. People do, you know. Whatever the case, we’re here now, and if we play this right, he’ll be free.”

  “Yes, I know that.” He paused, then said, “I suppose what bothers me most is that my Elitvartijat are supposed to have control over their emotions. And Gunnar didn’t. One of the easiest vulnerabilities for an enemy to attack is family. And while this wasn’t an enemy, so to speak, it still broke Gunnar’s focus and ability to concentrate. This will be the last time I choose a family man to be on my team. All of the other members of my guard are single, and I think I’m going to institute that as a rule. When you have a family, you’re vulnerable.”

  I jerked my head up, staring at him for a moment. I wondered if he felt that way about us. Was I a liability because he cared about me? But this was neither the time nor place to ask.

  He hurried Gunnar into the house, and one look at the SuVahta told me that I was doing the right thing. I might catch hell from Cerridwen, but Gunnar was definitely on his way out unless something was done, and done quick.

  “I’m ready,” Gunnar said. “What do I do?”

  “Lie down beside the corpse, on your stomach, but leaving some space. I know it’s not pleasant, but the sooner we get this done with the better.” I decided not to tell him about my encounter with Cerridwen. I didn’t want him feeling guilty over this as well.

  Gunnar stretched out beside the body. “What next?”

  “Next, I want your promise that you will never again claim the blame for Solveig’s death. I’m not going to perform this ritual a second time.” Though it occurred to me that, now, I knew a powerful spell, and I knew how to deal with fylgismadi. Something I would not have known if all of this hadn’t happened.

  “Thank you,” he said. “I promise.”

  I motioned for Kipa to stand next to the corpse. “Gunnar, as soon as I tell you, I need you to roll away. Be quick about it. Do you understand? You must be at least an arm’s length or more away from the corpse as soon as I give you the word.”

  “I understand,” came the muffled reply.

  The ritual didn’t require many accoutrements, no candles, no salt or sand. I preferred spells with few props. They were much easier to focus on, and easier to prepare for. I sat on the floor between Gunnar and the corpse, and glanced up at Kipa.

  “Are you ready?”

  “I’m ready. Do you need to cast a Circle?”

  “Apparently not. Arachana didn’t include it in the instructions. Since I wasn’t told to, I’m going to leave it, so that I don’t inadvertently muddy up the energy.” I let out a slow breath as I moved Gunnar’s braid to expose the sigil. I held out the quartz crystal. “Gunnar, I’m going to press a crystal against your neck, onto the sigil. I want you to stay very still for a moment.”

  “Should I think of anything in particular?”

  “No. Just wait for my signal.” I took a deep breath, then pressed the quartz against Gunnar’s neck, directly over the symbol that linked the fylgismadi to the SuVahta. A thrum of energy raced through my fingers as I began the chant that Arachana had taught me.

  Spirit that wanders, spirit that yearns,

  spirit that journeys, spirit that burns.

  Into the crystal, I evict thee,

  your work is done, your target free.

  There was a sudden rush, and a cold wave of energy pulsed around my hand holding the crystal. The fylgismadi had been sucked into the quartz. I yanked it off of Gunnar and slammed it down on the corpse next to him.

  “Roll out of the way now, Gunnar. Hurry.”

  Gunnar rolled out of the way, and kept rolling.

  I returned my attention to the corpse. I focused all of my energy into the cryst
al.

  Spirit captured, wandering one,

  another journey you’ve begun.

  Into this body I command thee,

  until by death you are set free.

  The crystal shattered and the energy from the spirit—the fylgismadi—dove into the body, no doubt expecting to piggyback another living being. Instead, it found itself locked in a corpse.

  Kipa pulled out his sword as the body flinched, and then lurched, rising to a sitting position.

  “Now, before it stands or it will be as hard to fight as a zombie!”

  Kipa thrust his sword toward the corpse, whose eyes were gleaming with a terrible light. The fylgismadi was angry and confused.

  As the tip of Kipa’s sword met the skull of the corpse, it cleaved smoothly through the body. Thanks to our grave robbing, there was no blood. The corpse had already been drained by the undertaker. The sword exited smoothly through the back of the skull.

  I grimaced as a shriek echoed through the kitchen. The corpse dropped its head back, opening its mouth as a thin gray mist exited from its throat. The mist spun around the room shrieking again, and then darted out the nearest window, right through the glass. The window shattered as the corpse fell to the ground.

  “Wow,” I said, staring at the body. I had expected more of a fight, and yet, it made sense that there wasn’t, given the fylgismadi hadn’t had time to fully integrate itself into the corpse. If I hadn’t had Kipa with me, things would have been far more difficult. I turned to Gunnar, who was pressed up against the wall, watching us with wide eyes. “How are you doing?”

  Gunnar swallowed, then shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel lighter, though.”

  I crawled over to his side, and motioned for him to lean his head forward. As I slipped his hair away, I saw that the sigil that had been against the back of his neck was gone. He was free.

  “Well, that’s taken care of. You should be all right now. Get lots of rest, and whatever you do, don’t go near your father-in-law. As I said earlier, I’m not going to help you again if you’re stupid enough to go back for more.” I was too tired and worried to be tactful. I might have been able to dislodge the fylgismadi, but I still had to face Arachana and tell her I was bailing on our deal.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  By morning, I wasn’t feeling any more hopeful. Kipa had left early, waking me only to tell me that he would return with a fresh heart as soon as he could. Cerridwen was sitting on my shoulder, her displeasure burning a hole through me. I could practically feel her tapping her nails on the top of my head. I didn’t have the leeway to wait, to take my time and figure out how to approach Arachana. When the gods fiddled, you danced.

  I had just finished cleaning the ferrets’ room, when the doorbell rang. I hurried to answer, hoping it was Kipa. Instead, it was Gunnar. He handed me a cooler.

  “Kipa got called in by Herne on an emergency. He asked me to drop by with this. He said you needed it right away.” The SuVahta looked much better this morning. “I wanted to thank you again for what you did for me. I’m going to leave the country tomorrow. I fly out to Finland at dawn. But I wanted to make sure that you knew how much I appreciated your help.”

  I smiled. Gunnar didn’t need to know about the mess I’d gotten myself in. He didn’t need any more guilt than he was already carrying.

  “Just promise me that you won’t blame yourself for Solveig’s death anymore. And promise me you won’t go back to her father. Because next time, he might not be so subtle in his attempts to kill you.”

  He gave me a rueful smile and nodded. “I promise you—everything you ask. I got the message finally. Kipa warned me that I would be inviting trouble if I talked to Kristian and I didn’t listen. I didn’t realize how angry he would be at me, but next time—if there is a next time—I’ll listen to advice.” He glanced at his watch. “All right, I need to go home and pack. I’ve got to get out of here before Kristian realizes that I’m not on my deathbed anymore.” He motioned to the cooler. “I’m not sure what that’s for, but Kipa asked me to tell you to be careful when you use it. He said you’d know what I mean.”

  I laughed. “I’ll be as careful as I can. Thanks, Gunnar. Have a good trip and fly safely.”

  As I shut the door, my mind went back to Arachana. I should probably perform the ritual over at Buck’s old house. Kipa had forgotten to leave me a key, but I could try the window that was broken during the ritual to get in. It wouldn’t be safe to bring Arachana in my house, especially with Cerridwen already on my ass about her. I weighed my options, then went to find my lock picks. At one time, I’d been fairly skilled at picking locks, though I hadn’t had much call to do so for a long time. Kipa wouldn’t mind, as long as I didn’t tear up the door.

  Ten minutes later, I had managed to get into the house. It felt very different during the day, though no safer, especially since I was alone. I set the cooler down on the table, biting my lip. I had no idea how to approach Arachana, so I decided that I’d just tell the truth. When in doubt, that was usually the best direction to take. I thought about casting a Circle, but I didn’t want to be trapped inside it with Arachana.

  First, though, I texted Kipa: i’m about to contact arachana. i’m using your house. i hope you don’t mind.

  i wish i could be there. but herne had an emergency and i need to help. let me know when you’re done and how it went. if you really need me, call and i’ll do my best to get out of work today.

  i should be okay. at least, i hope so. i’ll text you when i’m done.

  To be honest, I was nervous. I wanted Kipa by my side, even though I knew that there probably wasn’t a lot he could do against Arachana.

  I opened the cooler and peeked in. Apparently, we were going to be eating a whole lot of ham and bacon because there was another pig’s heart in a pool of blood. I had dressed for the occasion this time, wearing an old grungy tank top and a skirt that was about five years old and had seen better days. I had Venom in my boot sheath, but I wasn’t convinced my blade would do any good. Arachana was a spider queen, and somehow I had the feeling that my venom wouldn’t work against her.

  I lifted the heart out, holding it out in front of me. With a deep breath, I tried to steady my nerves. After a moment, I closed my eyes and said, “Arachana. Arachana. Arachana.”

  There was a shimmer in the air. I steeled myself as a black wisp of smoke appeared, and then, the wisp grew into a cloud and a figure appeared in it. It was Arachana, all right, the ancient crone herself. Her eyes gleamed through the smoke. She waved her hand and the clouds dissipated, leaving her in full form before me. I shuddered. She was even more terrifying now that I could see all of her.

  She had six arms, like I had seen the night before, her face withered and parched, a roadmap of time and trickery, a thousand wrinkles forming her features. But her eyes gleamed clear and crisp through the ravines and hills of her face, and I was more frightened of her today than I had been before. Today she was wearing a long black robe with red markings on the belly.

  “And so, Raven BoneTalker, you call me forth again. Another favor, perhaps?” She sounded greedy, and she was eyeing the heart in my hand like she hadn’t eaten in days.

  “Not exactly. I’m not sure how to tell you this and I know you’re not going to want to hear it. But I have a problem. You know that I’m pledged to Arawn and Cerridwen?”

  A suspicious light filled her eyes, and she cocked her head to one side. “Arawn I knew, but Cerridwen? Cerridwen, I did not know.”

  The way she spat out Cerridwen’s name made me think she already had an idea of what I was about to say, and that made me even more nervous.

  “Well, it’s this way. When Cerridwen found out I made a deal with you, she blew up at me. She demanded that I break off our deal and repay you some other way. Some tangible way. I’m not allowed to offer you unconditional favors. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that she would react this way. Truly, I didn’t.”

  Arachana stepped forward, her face a mask
of anger. Even through the wrinkles, I could see she was livid.

  “Girl, you play with fire when you play with me. You expect me to let you out of our deal? Perhaps you should have thought to consult Cerridwen before you asked for my help, before you begged a favor from me. You have the knowledge that I traded to you. There’s no going back from that. So what would you have me do? How would you repay me?”

  “I don’t know. I can bring you money. Crystals.” I wasn’t about to offer her food because I had the feeling she’d ask for it alive, and I wasn’t going to be that cruel.

  “What do I need with money? And I am no witch. I don’t work with crystals and stones. I exist within the realm of blood and death and fear. Try again.”

  I stared at her helplessly, not knowing what to say. Several times I started to speak, but then caught my tongue because whatever I thought to say seemed like it would be just asking for trouble. If I offered her blood, she would probably ask for it on the vein. If I offered her death, she would probably demand that I bring her a sacrifice. As for fear, well, I was feeding her plenty of that.

  “All right, then I tell you this. Money is so important in your world—the world of humans. But I prefer gems. Those I might find some use for. Sell your home. Convert every last penny you get for it into rubies. That, I claim as my price.”

  I caught my breath. Surely she couldn’t be asking for everything I owned?

  “You’ve got to be kidding. We needed the spell, yes. You helped us. And for that I am ever grateful. I would have kept my promise if Cerridwen would let me. But now you are asking for every single thing I own? That’s ridiculous. How can you be so greedy?” I knew it wasn’t the best route to argue with her, but what else was I to do? I couldn’t sell my house and give her everything. She was being petty and vindictive.

  “I will give you ten thousand dollars in rubies. Even twenty thousand. That I can just manage. But to ask for every single thing I have—no.”