by Lisa Emme
***
“If I ever agree to do this again, just shoot me,” I said, leaning close to Tess so only she could hear me. We had been waiting twenty minutes while DeGrasse and William Jr.’s lawyer refereed a sibling squabble. The two had practically launched themselves at each other the moment their cars came to a stop. I had long since tuned out what they were saying, but the gist of it was that Jr. had already started to help himself to the family heirlooms, even though their father’s will had yet to be read.
“Enough!” DeGrasse’s voice cut through the bickering. “We’ve held up Ms. Russo long enough. There’s been a full accounting of the items in question, and I have taken it upon myself as executor of the estate to have the locks changed on the family manor. We will settle this after the reading of the will.”
DeGrasse turned to look at me. “I’m dreadfully sorry for this, Ms. Russo. Do accept my apologies for keeping you waiting.”
I nodded, accepting DeGrasse’s apology, and then drew closer to the little group as DeGrasse continued.
“If you will allow me to introduce my client, Elise Koenig. And this is her brother, William Koenig Jr., and his attorney, Matt Hayes.”
We traded handshakes all around. Elise seemed genuinely friendly and eager while Jr. all but sneered at me, his impatience and skepticism evident.
“I’m sure your lawyers have reviewed everything with you, but I’d like to remind you that what goes on here is confidential. Tonight I’ll be attempting to call forth your late father’s spirit in corpus, better known as a zombie.” At this, Jr. didn’t even try and cover his derisive laugh. I ignored him. “I just want to go over with you what I will be doing so that you know what to expect.”
I looked at DeGrasse, and he nodded to continue. “Okay, first, I’ll ask you to wait here until I indicate that you can draw closer. As you can see, I’ve cleared a large circle around your father’s resting place. Please do not attempt to cross into the circle or you could be injured. To begin, I’ll cleanse the area by burning some sage. The sage will smoke, but it won’t harm you in any way. Immediately after I’ve completed the cleansing ritual, I’ll set a protective circle around the grave. I’ll be using a black powder to ignite a small ring of fire. It will spark, but there’s nothing to be alarmed about. Once the circle has been set, nothing can get in or out until I break it. This includes the zombie, so you’re perfectly safe. Next I’ll call forth Mr. Koenig’s spirit and reanimate his remains. If you’re squeamish at the sight of blood, you might want to look away for a minute during this step. When the zombie has risen and I’m satisfied with the result, I’ll signal for you to come closer, but remember not to touch or cross the circle.” I paused to let them process everything then waved a hand, indicating Tess. “This is Tess, and she’ll be assisting me tonight. Detective Nash from the RPD is also present this evening, and you may notice two of my associates patrolling the cemetery to ensure we don’t have any uninvited guests. Do you have any questions?”
“Yeah,” Jr. replied, his voice dripping with contempt. “Do you seriously expect us to believe all this mumbo-jumbo?”
“Mr. Koenig,” DeGrasse warned. “You’ve already agreed to this attempt. Mr. Hayes, please suggest to your client that he refrain from speaking if he has nothing informative to contribute.”
Hayes pulled Jr. closer and whispered something in his ear. Jr. scowled and tore his arm from Hayes’s grasp. “Bloody waste of time and money,” he muttered.
“Will my father be able to recognize me? Can I talk to him?” Elise looked at me hopefully.
“Yes, he should have no problem recognizing you and holding a conversation with you.” Jr. snorted at this, but as before I chose to ignore him. “Mr. DeGrasse, Mr. Hayes, did you prepare a question for me to ask Mr. Koenig Sr. in order to establish credibility?” I had suggested earlier in the day to DeGrasse that he and Jr.’s lawyer might want to provide me with a question or two that I could ask the zombie. Something only William Koenig would know the answer to in order to prove I was in no way directing his responses.
“Yes, we have.” DeGrasse reached into his pocket and pulled out two folded slips of paper. He handed them to me, and I shoved them into my jacket for later.
“Great. Let’s get started then.”
***
I held the white sage smudge stick above my head and waved my free hand with a flicking motion, pushing the pungent smoke outwards over the circle. I was on my third trip around the perimeter and was preparing to set the protective ring. I glanced over at my audience. DeGrasse and Elise looked on with fascination while Jr. and his lawyer both appeared to be bored. Obviously neither of them had truly bought into the whole idea.
“And now for the show,” I said to Tess, nodding at the line of black powder.
I finished my last cleansing pass then brought the compact smoking bundle closer to my mouth. I puffed out several short breaths until the end of the smudge stick glowed orange and a tiny flame licked the edges. Bending down, I touched the burning bundle to the line of black powder. For a moment, nothing happened, and then sparks began to fly and a small flame burst forth. The flame split, slowly crawling around the circle in both directions, burning the black powder as it went. When at last the entire circle had been scored by the fire, I walked to the centre and chanted, letting my magic flow outwards:
“Hecate, Goddess of the Crossroads,
Queen of the Night,
By the dark moon I call you,
By fire I invoke you,
By magic I entreat you,
Cast out your mantle of protection
over all those present,
Keep us from harm until we return to the light.”
As I spoke the last word, a sense of calm washed over me like a soft caress of acceptance and my magic melded with the natural energy surrounding us like two waves coming together in sync. I didn’t need to feel the tingle of energy at the periphery of the circle to know my invocation had succeeded.
I turned to Tess. “It’s set. I’m going to call Koenig now, so you might want to wait behind the headstone until I need you.” I thought it was best if we limited the amount of stimulation the zombie had when it first materialized, so I had also positioned the waiting Koenigs out of sight, behind the grave.
Tess nodded and moved behind the statue marking Koenig’s resting place while I dug around in my black duffle bag, pulling out the candle and my athame. The hilt instantly warmed to my touch as if the dagger was eager to participate in the upcoming ritual. The six-inch blade was etched with Celtic runes of protection, and the hilt had been carved from ebony, years of use polishing it to a smooth, glossy finish. The knife had been given to me by Gran, and it had belonged to her mother before me.
Tucking the athame into my pants at the small of my back, I came to stand in front of William Koenig’s grave, the butterflies that had disappeared with my cleansing ritual returning in full force. I looked self-consciously across the circle where the Koenigs and their lawyers watched with varying degrees of interest. A movement to their left drew my eye, and I saw Tomas leaning against a nearby monument. His arms were crossed and his pose casual, but his eyes were fixed on me intently.
Holding up the candle in front of me, I murmured the quick charm used to light it. As the flame came to life, I heard a soft “Ah” of appreciation from Elise, followed by a cynical snort from Jr. After letting some wax drip from the candle onto the corner of Koenig’s headstone, I set the taper down, the quickly cooling wax securing it in place. The flame flickered in the light breeze, and I paused to take several deep breaths, calming my heart rate as I watched the fire dance.
Pulling the athame from its sheath, I held it above my head and began to chant.
“Spirits of the dead,
Attend my words.”
I pushed my power outwards as I spoke, feeling it ripple out and over the cemetery. In my peripheral vision I saw Tomas suddenly stand straight, his body tense. Isaac appeared at the edge of the circle.<
br />
“Harry, you may want to turn it down a notch. Unless it was your plan to call to every vampire in the city?” His voice held a hint of mirth although his face remained serious.
“What? No, of course not.” I bit my lip. “I’ll tone it down,” I mumbled, my cheeks flaming with embarrassment.
Isaac turned to go just as his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He stopped and pulled it out, glancing at the screen, the smile he had been suppressing escaping from his lips. He answered the call and spoke a couple of quiet words before slipping the phone back into his pocket. He looked at me, humour evident in his eyes and said, “Hilde and Willow also say hello.”
Great. Isaac obviously hadn’t been exaggerating when he said I was calling every vampire in town if Hilde and Willow could feel it back at the firehall on the opposite side of the city.
Isaac melted back into the darkness and I glanced at Tomas. He stood at attention, his fists clenched at his sides. This was the first time he had ever experienced the touch of my powers as a full vampire. Obviously he was less than thrilled.
Taking another slow breath, I grounded myself again and started over.
“Spirits of the dead,
Attend my words.”
This time I kept my power to a low trickle, letting it simply flow out rather than pushing it.
“William Henry Koenig, heed my call.
As flame burns bright, in dark of night,
Avail yourself from death’s thrall.
Meld body to soul.
This I do command.”
As I spoke the last words, I held out my left arm and drew my athame across my palm, slicing it open, ignoring the sharp pain. Dark red blood welled from the cut, and I cupped my hand, letting it pool for a moment before closing my fist over it. I repeated my chant several more times as the blood dripped from my hand to the ground below. After a moment there was a stirring beneath my feet, and the blood that had splattered on the ground disappeared, absorbed into the earth, my gift accepted.
I held my fist clenched and Tess hurried around to my side. Taking my hand, she quickly wrapped it with gauze she had prepared earlier and tied it off to stem the flow of blood. I gave her a nod of thanks and sent her back to her spot to wait.
The ground continued to stir until I felt a draw on my power. Suddenly it cracked, and William Koenig’s spectral body appeared, crawling up from his grave, his hands breaking through the surface followed by his head as he pulled himself out. At this point he was simply spirit, his incorporeal body flowing from the ground like fog. The fog continued to flow, rising up in a column that grew thicker and taller, filling in until it was the shape of a man.
“William Henry Koenig, do you accept my gift?”
“Y-y-y-e-e-sssss,” a hoarse voice replied.
“Will you heed my command?”
There was a longer pause and then, “Yessss.”
I let out a small sigh of relief and gave one last push of my power, directing it at the column of fog before me. The grey mist swirled and slowly dissipated to reveal a very solid William Koenig. He looked pretty damn good for a dead guy, if I do say so myself. Only the sickly grey pallor and dead, sunken eyes gave him away. His suit was a little worse for wear as well, but that couldn’t be helped. The guy had been dead and decomposing for a few weeks after all.
“William Koenig, do you know where you are?”
“I-I…” Koenig blinked and looked around. “I’m in a cemetery.”
“Do you know why you’re here?”
Koenig frowned.
“Daddy?” Elise called from behind Koenig.
He turned towards his daughter’s voice, but I put out a hand.
“Stop,” I commanded.
Koenig froze.
“Do not turn away. Keep your eyes on me.”
Koenig’s body relaxed, his eyes returning to mine.
“I’m going to ask you a couple of questions, and then I’ll explain why you’re here. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember your friend and solicitor, Reginald DeGrasse?”
“Yes.”
I glanced at the piece of paper with DeGrasse’s question. “Do you remember what you said to him when you first met?”
“Yes.”
I waited a moment and then shook my head. Of course he wasn’t going to elaborate; he had already answered the question. Apparently zombies take things literally.
“Tell me what you said to him when you first met.”
“I told him that I had never met a lawyer worth knowing, but I hoped he proved me wrong.”
I glanced over Koenig’s shoulder to look at DeGrasse. He was smiling. I guess we passed his test.
I looked at the second question on the sheet. It was from Jr.’s lawyer.
“Do you remember your son William Jr.’s tenth birthday?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember what type of car he wished for when he blew out his candles?” I frowned. How would Koenig know that? Jr. must be trying to sabotage us by asking a question the zombie wouldn’t be able to answer. I glanced over at DeGrasse. He was frowning as well.
William Koenig—the zombie, not Jr.—began to shake. Startled, I stared at him in concern. What was happening? Did something go wrong?
A moment later, a hoarse laugh burst from him. “You’re trying to trick me. My son didn’t want a car when he was ten.”
Surprised, I glanced at Jr. He appeared shocked that the zombie knew the answer.
“What did he want?” I asked the zombie.
“He wanted a pony, but I told him ponies were for girls, and he would have to wait until he was sixteen to get some real horsepower.”
“Th-that’s right!” Jr. was shaking his head and backing away. “How the fuck could you know that?” He directed the question to me.
“I didn’t. Your father knows.”
“I believe I’m satisfied with the demonstration,” DeGrasse said, turning to look at his counterpart. “Do you agree, Mr. Hayes?”
Hayes, looking pale and jumpy, nodded slowly. “Y-yes. I concur.”
DeGrasse turned back to me and nodded. I studied the zombie in front of me, biting my lip. I hadn’t given this part as much thought.
“William, your family is here, and they’d like to speak with you.”
“Elise is here?”
“Yes, and your son.”
Koenig Sr. frowned. “I don’t understand… He’s not supposed…”
“Daddy, it’s me, Elise.” Elise stepped closer to the circle, and suddenly Isaac was there beside her. He grasped her arm and said something quietly to her.
“Elise?” The zombie smiled.
“Would you like to see your daughter?” I asked, but the answer was evident on his face.
“Yes,” he answered. “Yes.”
“Turn around and you’ll see your family. Don’t try and cross the circle.”
The zombie turned, and I led him closer to the edge of the circle, stopping about four feet from the boundary. Elise clasped her hands to her face, tears on her cheeks.
“Oh, Daddy, I miss you so much.”
William looked confused. “Have I been away?”
“Yes, Daddy…” Elise glanced at me, unsure what to say.
“You were very sick, William. Do you remember?”
“Yes. Damn cancer just wouldn’t quit.” The zombie frowned and then looked at DeGrasse. “Reggie, why are you here? Why did you bring Elise to this place? This is no place for a lady at night.”
DeGrasse cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable. “We need your help, William.”
“William, you’re dead,” I said. “You only have a short time to talk, and we have a few questions for you. Do you remember being at home, dying? Do you remember Mr. DeGrasse visiting you there, in your bedroom?”
William frowned in concentration. “Yes, I remember.”
“What do you remember?”
“I remember the pain.” The zombi
e grimaced.
“Yes, there was pain, but you’re beyond that now. You can’t feel the pain any longer. Tell me what else you remember?”
“I remember Elise sitting in a chair reading to me. Dickens.”
“Yes, Daddy, we were reading A Tale of Two Cities right before you…” Elise paused, her eyes teary. “I read to you every night after work,” she said finally, after composing herself.
“I remember, I remember.” The zombie became agitated, rubbing his arms and rocking back and forth. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” He frowned. “But now I’m dead, what of the business? What has happened to the company?” He stopped rocking and shook his head slowly, as if remembering. “There was a will.” Suddenly he looked up and turned to face Jr., noticing him for the first time. “You!” he said vehemently.
Jr. started to back away, holding his hands out in a keep away gesture. “No….no…this isn’t real. This is a trick.”
“I remember everything,” the zombie growled. He reached out, his hands like claws, as if he wanted to throttle Jr., and rushed towards the edge of the circle.
“Stop!” I shouted, throwing out a wave of power. Koenig froze.
Jr. continued to scuttle away until Tomas appeared behind him, his face grim. Trapped, Jr. stopped and defiantly crossed his arms.
“Tell me what you’ve remembered,” I said to the zombie.
“I remember changing the will so Elise could take over the company. I couldn’t let Billy destroy all my hard work. I remember signing the new documents and asking Reggie to leave them with me so I could discuss them with Elise that evening.”
“Yes, you did sign the new will, William. But we can’t find it. Do you know what happened to it?” DeGrasse took a step towards the circle and then stopped when he realized he’d almost crossed the edge.
William’s agitation grew, and he clenched his fists at his sides. “It’s gone. Destroyed in the fireplace by my own son right before he murdered me.”
Whoa. Totally didn’t see that one coming.
There was a collective gasp as William’s words sank in. Elise let out a little mew of despair, her hand at her mouth, as we all turned to stare at Jr.
“This is bullshit! There’s no way you can prove any of this. The old man died from natural causes. I wasn’t even there.” He faced Hayes. “Let’s get out of here. I don’t have to stand here and listen to these accusations.”