The Pulptress Versus The Bone Queen: Blood and Bone by Andrea Judy Page A

I shook my head. "That's not happening."
    “Eten, be reasonable,” Aramis started, but stopped when the man raised his hand.
    "I don't want you to let me go," he said after a few moments and looked to me. "I want a burial."
    I frowned. "You want a what?"
    "I want a proper burial. I never got one in life. I died and was raised again to be at her side, and then my bones were lost to time. She found me and raised me again, but all I want to be is put to rest," he said.
    Jackson looked between me and Eten, "If we kill you, you'll fade to dust and-"
    "And to the bone she raised me from. I want that bone buried. I want a plot of land to rest, a headstone. I want to be remembered."
    I frowned. "That's all you want? A funeral and grave?"
    "I'm a simple man. Or I was," he said with a sigh, and a weak laugh. “We both once were simple men, weren’t we, Aramis?”
    Aramis didn’t respond, but stepped closer to the man. “What has she done?” he asked softly.
    "I tried to stop her, but I couldn't, and even now I'm still powerless to stop her from the path she is set upon. I was supposed to lead but I can’t stop her. Now, I just want to rest, and to meet death. I think the goddess of death is the only one who can stop her from this path she has set herself upon." He stood up to his full height, sword in hand, and at the ready.
    I tensed and raised my gun again.
    "We’re going to stop her," Aramis promised. “I know in life we never were friends, but now,” Aramis looked down at the exposed pit of his chest, “but now-“
    “We are brothers.” Eten nodded. “Useless brothers bound to the same woman.” He shook his head.
    “We’ll bury you,” Jackson said, stepping forward. “I promise. When this is all over, I’ll bury you. I’ll even come bring you flowers.”
    Eten smiled faintly, a gapping toothless smile. "You are a dear sweet child.” He looked at me. “And you. You are touched by death, painted by it. Who is to say you are not acting as the hand of the goddess to stop her fallen child?"
    "I'm no one's puppet," I growled, bristling at the very thought.
    He tilted his head. "I can see the touch of Mene upon you. Though you do not carry her gem now, it still taints you just as it taints my lady.”
    "I'm not her," I snarled, curling my hand tighter around the pistol and taking a deep breath. "I'm nothing at all like her."
    He smiled. "You are more like her than you'd care to admit." He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "But that is neither here nor there. If you stop her, then you have fulfilled the will of Mene and of death. Stop her." He opened his eyes and looked at Jackson. "You swear you will bury me?"
    Jackson didn’t hesitate. "Yeah. I'll get you a real plot with a headstone and everything, promise."
    He smiled again, this time his lips stretching wider across his face. "Thank you."
    "Tell me where she is," I demanded. "That's your end of the bargain, right?"
    He nodded. "Of course." He took a slow deep breath, then said, "She continues down this path into a room that is locked. I finished the old tunnels already here, and built new ones to let her rag and bone warriors wander. I helped her raise these dead for her then was left to guard her. The lock that leads to her will only open with my sword as its key. Use my blade to unlock the door at the end of this tunnel. Leave the sword and continue down the stairs there. She will be at the altar at the bottom with the stones she has."
    "She's waiting for us?" Aramis asked.
    He shrugged. "She always waits for those gems to return to her, it's all she knows anymore. Living dead is not a sustainable life."
    Aramis nodded, reaching out and taking Eten’s hand. The two men embraced, patting one another’s back before drawing apart. “Make it a clean shot,” Aramis told me.
    "Thank you, Pulptress." Eten closed his eyes and bowed his head.
    I aimed carefully and fired. The bullet cracked through his skull just between his eyes. His eyes flew open for