Grave Magic

Chapter Eight

Frankie Locklear: 

I don't know why Kendall or Len wants me. 

I don't know, but it could still be something bad. 

That's why I ran so hard to the shed. It's where Len works. Away from people. Away from the noise. Just her and Kendall and whatever she was working on at the time. 

I burst into Len's workshop, chest heaving. Kendall is just behind me, fluttering like he's about to turn back into an owl. He does that when he gets too nervous. 

"What is it, Len?" 

She looks up from her work table, which should have had a corspe on it. Should have had. Should have. 

Should. 

"Where's Mr. Smitherrs?" I ask, quiet. 

Len looks like she's been crying. Oh, fuck. Fuck-- this is happening while L is here. And I don't know where their familiar is. Fuck-- oh, just fuck, alright? This is bad. 

"I don't know how he got out!" Len says, wringing her gloves. "I went into the house for a second, he was tied down and everything!" 

She holds up one of the leather straps we usually use to tie down the corspes. I walk over and look at it-- shit. It's torn clean through. Not even chewed, just... torn. That shouldn't be possible. I frown, and Len shifts. 

"I swear, I didn't mean to mess up--" 

"Hey." I say, putting a hand on her shoulder and pulling her into a hug. "Hey, it's alright, Len. Not your fault. Not your fault at all." 

She sniffles into my shirt. Kendall comes into the shed, closing and locking the door behind himself. 

I sigh and squeeze Len once more before letting her go. 

"Okay, guys. We need to tell Morag-- but we also cannot let L know this happened. We have to proceed like we have the corspe, alright? If they know we let one get away-- the Committee will hear of it. We know what that means." 

Len and Kendall nod. 

"Kendall, go find Morag and tell her to be on the lookout for him. Remind her about L and the snake." I sigh and sit down at the worktable. "How the hell did it even break these? I refreshed the enchantments, like--" 

"That was three years ago." Len says quietly. "You haven't done any maintenance in here since then." 

"Thanks for reminding me, Len." I sigh and press my head to the cool metal of the table. "Did you manage to get any progress on the body before it got out?" 

"Barely any." Len bemoans to me. "For some reason the spells aren't sticking. And I don't think he liked me.  He didn't like me at all." 

I sigh again.  This is going to be hard. 

I have to protect Len. I have to stop the corspe. I have to keep L from learning about all of this. 

"Okay, I have to go distract them. We're going to carve the headstone. Len, be on the look out for the  snake." 

I leave quickly, trying to think up an excuse for why Len called me away.