Billy Bones: Beyond the Grave

Chapter 12

At this point, I was really starting to wonder about whether or not I should just go and find my pirate namesake and hide down by the water. Maybe I could catch a ship out of this city, or maybe find a way to get back to the Livingworld.

I shifted under Liz’s glare. She had a look of mischief that made me wonder if using me as bait to get the one-handed man was such a good idea after all.

“Let’s go,” she said. “I know exactly how to get his attention.”

Liz got up and searched the wooden cabinets at the far end of the Arcane Room. I couldn’t quite catch what she was stuffing into that bag of hers — or, rather, mine apparently.

As she made her way back to us, I felt that hunger in my stomach.

“Perhaps some food?” I suggested.

“No time. It will have to wait until we get back,” Liz said. She looked toward the cauldron where Gertrude was still watching us. “Gertrude, we’re going to need food when we return.”

The apparition put her hands on her hips. She didn’t look pleased at all.

“Don’t give me that look!” Liz said. “If I hadn’t sealed the cauldron, you’d be nothing but vapor right now. So, how about a little cooperation?”

Gertrude threw up her arms in exasperation and then dove into her cauldron with an awful splash.

We funneled through the hallways and followed Liz out the door.

“We’re going back to Apollyon’s Crypt,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Romulus was there. I think he was looking for something, and I think he was hoping you’d lead him to it.”

“I kind of did,” I said.

“Don’t remind me,” she muttered.

It took very little time to get to back to the cemetery.

I looked for the raven, and found it near the entrance to the crypt with the others. All of them were dead.

I wasn’t sure what kind of omen that was. I figured it couldn’t be good. Mind you, I was dead, in a cemetery, had no memory, was searching for a way to stop the Reaper, and was about to step into a crypt where I’d lost my dog. The odds on finding bad omens were pretty good.

We descended into the crypt as we had done before. Everything was still alight. I pulled the sponge out of my pocket. The piece of paper fell out, and I quickly retrieved it before anyone noticed. It reminded me of Goliath.

I missed him already.

We swept through the maze of treasure and stone rubble until we reached the small coffin at the end, and the large doorway — the one that had caught my eye before.

“Is that one of the Nexus?” I asked.

Liz shook her head. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but the last time you were here, I asked you that same question.”

“And what was my answer?”

She gave an irritated smirk. “You wouldn’t tell me.”

“Well, that’s not very helpful,” I said.

“Tell me about it,” she muttered.

“So why are we here?” I asked.

Liz started pulling objects out of her bag. “From here we can see everything in all directions.”

I looked at the sarcophagus the Golem had emerged from. There were still six more. And I really had no desire to deal with the rest of them.

“And how are we going to get Romulus to come to us?”