up traps or curses here, right? People still get buried in this graveyard. There’s probably a plot set aside for Claire.”
It sounded like Kay sniffed inside his head, and Drew couldn’t stop himself from also sniffing the air. “Someone’s disturbed this place,” Kay spat. “Get over there and let me see.”
“You should feel free not to say things with an implied ‘dumbass’ on the end. You know how long I’ve been doing this. Don’t act like you don’t.”
“Sorry.” Kay didn’t sound sorry at all.
Drew took a deep breath and let his sneaker squish on the grass again. Colors drained from the world again. He took a deep breath and forced himself to keep going. “C’mon, Mutt.” Hurrying would get this over with faster. He jogged to the corner with his snakes following, to a spot protected from the rain by tall fir trees. Standing tombstones marked a dozen plots in a cluster, half with Claire’s last name of Terdan and half with a different last name, Marius. One tall stone in the group lay on its side next to a thick line of hard-packed, bare dirt where the head of its plot should be. Someone had knocked it over recently.
“Alastair Terdan,” Drew murmured, reading the name without crossing any of the family graves. Power in vibrant blues and greens danced across several with male names and he hesitated to touch anything. Blindly mucking around in unknown power sounded like a bad idea. “This guy died fifty years ago. Probably Claire’s great-grandfather. Why would anyone knock over just one of these stones?”
“To release something. Now the whole area is disturbed.”
Mutt, sitting on his foot and leaning against his leg, whined. “Isn’t there anywhere else we can do this?”
The unhelpful answer made Drew wish he could shake Kay until something useful fell out. “I don’t think so. I could take dirt from one of these women’s graves. That’s still an ancestor and none of them have any power.”
“Maybe.” Kay gave the impression of chewing on its fingernails. “I don’t know. I don’t know everything . With what Claire wants to do, an ancestor Knight is probably a better choice. More significant. Just not these particular ancestor Knights. We might rile up something unpleasant.”
Drew pushed Mutt aside and crouched at the foot of Alastair’s grave. Power in old bones sounded scary, but he had power too. Besides, if he roused something really awful, he could run to Claire and get her to stab it. He could live with that. “I dunno. They always say to go big or go home.”
“That’s an awful saying,” Mutt whimpered.
He felt Kay cringe. “If you must do it, get it done.”
“Good thing I didn’t bring a shovel or anything.” He waved at a mist snake and pointed at the middle of the grave. The pseudo-creature dove at the grass. Its jaws snapped around a clump of earth and ripped it out of the ground, grass and all.
The power stopped swirling. Blue vibrated. Green writhed. Drew stumbled back and his snake retreated with him as the power twisted together to form a human figure rising from the ground. Though it lacked definition and detail, the flavor felt feminine, not like that of a Knight. He tripped over a squat headstone and fell into the wet grass and mud.
She swooped down on him and grabbed through his chest. “Abomination,” an alto voice growled, the sound echoing in his skull. Her hand clutched Kay, not him. When she squeezed, he thought his chest would explode.
Mutt shrieked and ran for the hedges.
“Wait.” Drew gasped and groped for something to say while the figure paused. The truth seemed like a good option. “I’m helping your descendant, Claire. Mark’s daughter. She needs this, I swear. Without it, she’s vulnerable. Test me if you have to. I’m not…whatever you think I am.”
Her swirling, crackling face filled his vision with raw, burning power. “Defiler.”
“No, I swear. This is necessary. To keep Claire safe. I’ll put the
It sounded like Kay sniffed inside his head, and Drew couldn’t stop himself from also sniffing the air. “Someone’s disturbed this place,” Kay spat. “Get over there and let me see.”
“You should feel free not to say things with an implied ‘dumbass’ on the end. You know how long I’ve been doing this. Don’t act like you don’t.”
“Sorry.” Kay didn’t sound sorry at all.
Drew took a deep breath and let his sneaker squish on the grass again. Colors drained from the world again. He took a deep breath and forced himself to keep going. “C’mon, Mutt.” Hurrying would get this over with faster. He jogged to the corner with his snakes following, to a spot protected from the rain by tall fir trees. Standing tombstones marked a dozen plots in a cluster, half with Claire’s last name of Terdan and half with a different last name, Marius. One tall stone in the group lay on its side next to a thick line of hard-packed, bare dirt where the head of its plot should be. Someone had knocked it over recently.
“Alastair Terdan,” Drew murmured, reading the name without crossing any of the family graves. Power in vibrant blues and greens danced across several with male names and he hesitated to touch anything. Blindly mucking around in unknown power sounded like a bad idea. “This guy died fifty years ago. Probably Claire’s great-grandfather. Why would anyone knock over just one of these stones?”
“To release something. Now the whole area is disturbed.”
Mutt, sitting on his foot and leaning against his leg, whined. “Isn’t there anywhere else we can do this?”
The unhelpful answer made Drew wish he could shake Kay until something useful fell out. “I don’t think so. I could take dirt from one of these women’s graves. That’s still an ancestor and none of them have any power.”
“Maybe.” Kay gave the impression of chewing on its fingernails. “I don’t know. I don’t know everything . With what Claire wants to do, an ancestor Knight is probably a better choice. More significant. Just not these particular ancestor Knights. We might rile up something unpleasant.”
Drew pushed Mutt aside and crouched at the foot of Alastair’s grave. Power in old bones sounded scary, but he had power too. Besides, if he roused something really awful, he could run to Claire and get her to stab it. He could live with that. “I dunno. They always say to go big or go home.”
“That’s an awful saying,” Mutt whimpered.
He felt Kay cringe. “If you must do it, get it done.”
“Good thing I didn’t bring a shovel or anything.” He waved at a mist snake and pointed at the middle of the grave. The pseudo-creature dove at the grass. Its jaws snapped around a clump of earth and ripped it out of the ground, grass and all.
The power stopped swirling. Blue vibrated. Green writhed. Drew stumbled back and his snake retreated with him as the power twisted together to form a human figure rising from the ground. Though it lacked definition and detail, the flavor felt feminine, not like that of a Knight. He tripped over a squat headstone and fell into the wet grass and mud.
She swooped down on him and grabbed through his chest. “Abomination,” an alto voice growled, the sound echoing in his skull. Her hand clutched Kay, not him. When she squeezed, he thought his chest would explode.
Mutt shrieked and ran for the hedges.
“Wait.” Drew gasped and groped for something to say while the figure paused. The truth seemed like a good option. “I’m helping your descendant, Claire. Mark’s daughter. She needs this, I swear. Without it, she’s vulnerable. Test me if you have to. I’m not…whatever you think I am.”
Her swirling, crackling face filled his vision with raw, burning power. “Defiler.”
“No, I swear. This is necessary. To keep Claire safe. I’ll put the
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