Summoning Bones

4. Death beside the Jeweled Cabinet

"What does the fabled Summoner require of me?" Asked Zagrues.

Eirene smiled at him.

"As I'm sure you've heard," began Eirene.

"The Riders are coming to find you," finished Zagreus with a smirk, "and you need something to hide you away. Well I have something perfect for you." He ducked behind the counter, whispering under his breath. He hopped from one foot to the other, cackling.

"Thank you. You always know how to help me," said Eirene.

Zagreus' head popped up from under the counter to wink at Eirene. She rolled her eyes at him.

From behind the counters there's the sound of things being shifted and moved. At one point there was a clang of something hitting the ground. The muffled sounds of Zagrues muttering to himself followed.

"Ah ha! Here my dear," he said standing. He produced a pair of white gloves set with pearls on the lacy bottom.

"Zagreus," said Eirene, her voice asking him if this is the best he could possibly do. Zagreus' face scowled.

"Do not fear, these will cover your magic as you wear them," he said. Eirene lurched forward to grab the gloves. "Ah ah, no my dearest. I need my favor," smiled Zagreus.

"Don't you want to hold your favor above me," said Eirene. Her stomach churned at the thought of a favor seemingly on the tip of Zagreus' tongue.

"Where is the fun in that?" Laughed Zagreus. "No, I want you to bring another soul back."

"Zagreus," warned Eirene. "I cannot bring another soul back in the span of one day."

"But did your first one even count. Mrs. Juliana's soul never left her body. You didn't get to visit dear ol' Dad."

"Not here," snapped Eirene.

"Why, does the tiny topic of the Underworld and Daddy hurt your feelings?" Coo'd Zagreus.

"He doesn't know who I am. I'd like to keep it that way." Eirene crossed her arms and glared at Zagreus.

"How do you raise the dead then?" His face morphed into confusion. Eirene just smiled and winked.

"Magic."

"Magic, what do mean Meli-"

Eirene launched herself at Zagrues. She reached over the counter and wrapped her hands around his neck and began to squeeze. Zagrues smirked at her while her grip tightened.

"Don't you dare mention my name," growled Eirene.

Zagreus held his hands up in surrender.

"I won't, for now. You still owe me a favor," said Zagreus. She let his neck go and stood back.

Eirene crossed her arms and scowled at the impish tinkerer.

"What can I do for you?" She asked. Zagreus clapped his hands and gave a little bounce.

"Oh, how delightful. Come follow me," he said, leading Eirene to a back room behind the counter.

They walked through the work room filled with trinkets and metal scraps. Several small metal animals whirred in a corner. Eirene stepped out from behind Zagreus, reaching out a delicate finger to stroke a small mouse. The metal creature lifted itself onto its back legs and balanced on the edge of her hand. It then pulled itself into her palm, where it curled up and closed its glowing eyes.

"Ah the mouse. A sweet creature, such a shame the cat must survive on its blood," said Zagreus, startling Eirene. She squealed and turned to him.

"Warn me when you come behind me."

"Have the ghosts of Hell not conditioned you?"

Eirene scowled at him, which has become her first and only reaction to his words. She brushed past him to where another mechanical animal sat, large dog with three heads, fast asleep. It's form taking up most of corner as it slept. Each head was large enough to bite off Eirene's arm, yet she reached out to pat it's middle head, but Zagrues grabbed her wrist.

"He does not like to be awoken," he whispered. He pulled her away and out the back door of the shop.

"What do you do in your little horror workshop?"

"I build life with metal," said Zagreus. "But come we have pressing matters that need attending to." He skipped up the stone pathway lined with trees as Eirene followed. At the end of the winding path sat a small, green house. It had one story with a light coming from a large window. Inside, there was a cloth covering the table, something large under it.

Zagrues opened the door, stepping back to let Eirene pass.

"Don't want to wake the dead do we?" Cackled Zagreus. She scoffed and stepped past him and towards the dining room table that sat in the middle of the room. All the chairs had been pulled out from the table and stacked by a jeweled cabinet with several sets of china dining ware tucked in it. When Zagreus entered behind Eirene, he began to fish in the cupboards for a snack while she stepped to the table.

As Eirene approached the table, her fingertips itched with the feeling similar to that of electricity. The soul had left the body hours ago. The corpse would be rotting under the sheet, if not for Zagreus' ability to preserve the dead.

"Why didn't you bring them back? I know you can," Eirene asked, turning away from the table to face Zagreus. He stood, leaning against the stove top, a jar of peanut butter in his hand, a spoon in the other.

"Daddy decided only you should have that power," he said, scooping out a spoonful of peanut butter.

"Why?" Curiosity burned in her. His cheerful demeanor slipped.

"A little disagreement between a father and son. But when one happens to be King, things tend to go awry," he said, but soon he fell back into his smiling self. "But it can't be helped. Now I have you to help me here." He stabbed the spoon into the peanut butter and pushed himself off the counter.

"Here is my dear friend, and our sister, Makaria." He pulled back the sheet to reveal a woman with dark skin and black hair done in braids with white ends. She wore a white dress similar to Eirene's, but her dress was covered in embroidered flowers reminding Eirene of her mother's flowers in Spring.

"Makaria," breathed Eirene. "How did you- why is she dead?" She turned to Zagreus with tears in her eyes. They hardened as she glared at him. "What did you do?"

Zagrues raised his hands.

"It's not what I did, but you. Dad is angry with your actions, sister."