Page 21 of Heart, Haunt, Havoc
“Body-sized,” Bishop repeated, too loudly.
“I’m guessing you’ve never robbed a grave,” Colin said. He flashed a pained smile. “Specifically, your ex-husband’s grave.”
“You want to raise my ex-husband from the dead?” Their words rushed together, clashing like a car wreck. “That’s the Lazarus effect?Necromancy?”
“Clearly, you don’t know the story—”
“I know the story,” they bit out, and threw themself against the seat.
“He does have a body, doesn’t he? If he was cremated, we can use someone else, but usually the ritual works best with the original host.”
“He’s buried in the Gold Hill cemetery two towns over. But have you… Have you ever done this before?”
“No, and I usually wouldn’t consider it a viable option.”
“That’s comforting,” Bishop said. They wound the quilt around the bottom half of their face. “What makes itviablenow?”
“Lincoln bound himself to you moments before he integrated with a demon, which, to no one’s surprise, prevents an exorcism. If I cut Marchosias away from Lincoln, Marchosias would simply hop into the closest conduit for power—you—and if I managed to control Marchosias for long enough to banish him, Lincoln would still have a tether to this plane. If we trap Lincoln and Marchosias in a human body, you’ll have the chance to break your bond with Lincoln and I’ll have the means to get rid of them both.”
“Too many words,” Bishop mumbled, pawing at their eyes.
“Anyway, I’ll rephrase. It’s not exactly viable, but it’s somewhat doable.”
“Awesome, great. Love the confidence,” Bishop muttered, massaging their temples. “Where do we start?”
“I have most of the supplies, but we need rope, more candles, deadbolts.”
“Deadbolts?” Bishop quirked their head.
“Once we secure Lincoln and Marchosias in a body, we’ll need to secure them in a room.”
“The basement has an old-school slide lock.”
“Good. The deadbolt won’t be hard to attach, then,” he said, and opened the passenger’s door, landing with acrunchin the snow. “We’ll also need assistance with the other unwelcome guests residing in your house.”
“Assistance?”
“Assistance,” Colin said again, and glanced over his shoulder, sweeping his gaze across Bishop, wrapped and burrowed in their oversized blanket, wearing dark circles behind their glasses and an uncomfortable frown. “Get dressed. We’ll stop for dinner, too.”
Moon Strike Nursery appeared far stranger after nightfall than it did during the day. The greenhouse was a dark, steady globe behind the repurposed cottage, and neon signs flashed in the icy windows. OPEN shone bright pink, and beside it, a palmistry hand glowed above PSYCHIC in teal cursive. Colin pushed his nose into the striped scarf wrapped around his neck, concealing his marred skin and tucked neatly into the front of his coat. He tracked a silhouette moving beyond the glass, tidying shelves, arranging merchandise, flipping lazily through a book at the counter.
“Does she know you’re a witch, too?” Colin asked.
Bishop toed at the slick asphalt with their chunky boot. “I’m sure she knows I’m something,” they admitted, and shrugged. “You really think she’ll be useful?”
“She knew I was a cleaner the minute she saw me, and I knew she was a witch the minute I saw her. Awareness is a learned thing, so yes, I think she’ll be useful. Helpful at the very least.”
“And if she isn’t?”
“Then we’ve wasted an hour. C’mon.” Colin took the three rickety stairs to the covered porch and stomped stubborn snow from his boots. He stepped inside, greeted by a pleasant bell-chime, and held the door for Bishop.
Faerie lights glinted around bookshelves. Calcite speared soil in potted plants. Tehlor leaned her hip against the cash-wrap, snapping her teeth at a chewing gum bubble. She licked her lips, laughed under her breath, and toyed with a satin-wrapped piece of hair nestled in her yellow mane.
“How’s your mess, honey?” She asked, jutting her chin toward Bishop.
Bishop pushed their hands into the pockets of their sheepskin flannel. “Messier,” they said, glancing from Colin to Tehlor. “I think I need something stronger than a cleansing bundle.”
“Well, you’ve got yourself a cleaner.” She slid her attention to Colin. “Or is he a tad bit out of his comfort zone?”
