Summoning Bones
6. Life in the Kitchen

Eirene looked back into the lifeless face of Makaria.

"What did I do to deserve this?" She whispered to herself. Zagreus stayed silent aside from the spoon scraping the side of the peanut butter jar. "How can I bring her back?" She turned back to her brother, who paused mid-bite. He slowly lowered the spoon.

"What ever could you mean? Don't you specialize in this?" Concern laced over his features.

"I bring back mortals not goddesses," she snapped. Zagrues set down the jar and tapped his chin.

"Well I could, possibly, maybe see a slight hiccup in our plan," he said nonchalantly, as if he couldn't see anything wrong with Eirene's apparent lacking of skills.

"Don't you know how to do this? Isn't it your specialty?"

"Careful little sister, I don't have those powers anymore. But Makaria here isn't dead. Her immortal soul lives. I just need you to return to the Underworld, fetch it for me, and come home. Easy, wouldn't you say? I mean, didn't you do it earlier for that poor woman earlier today?" Zagreus smiled at Eirene.

"I don't bring their souls back, not fully. Part of the mortals lay in Hell, the rest are ghosts in their bodies, trapped until set free again by a second death where they reunite with themselves under Hades' watch," Eirene said, staring at Makaria.

"Of course," Zagreus said. He snapped his fingers and ran a hand through his hair. "I knew there must be some trick to it. You couldn't do what I did, and give them another chance. You don't have the power of rebirth."

"Yes, it may be an illusion, but it grants their loved ones more time with them, and provides me with a thousand favors and debts."

"Clever little one," said a slightly proud Zagreus. "But then our current issue-"

"Still unsolved," finishes Eirene. They both lapses into silence, stuck in their minds.

"Perhaps, I may have a solution," Zagreus said, breaking the silence. He rushed out of the room and through the doorway to a small, but crammed bookshelf. His spindly fingers traced the spines of the books before grabbing the largest, and pulling it down. The black leather was pulled taught, a sign of good craftsmanship, and a large emerald eye sat in the center of the book. It slowly blinked and looked at Zagreus lazily, who smiled at it and returned to Eirene.

"The Book of Shadows," Zagreus said, dropping the book with a heavy thud. The eye rolled itself in annoyance.

"Stolen from a common witch?" Eirene said, clearly unimpressed. Zagreus held a hand to his chest of mock outrage.

"How dare you? This is the first Book of Shadows. Mother's original, my dear sister," Eirene snarled, but Zagreus continued, "and naturally clever Mommy knew we would get ourselves into a fine fickle. So I present," he said flipping the book open to the near last page, "a spell to being our Makaria back."

Eirene leaned closer, looking at the book.

"Then I see you don't require me. You have the spell, your magic, I am leaving. Cash in your favor elsewhere," she said, beginning to adjust her cloak to leave.

"Wait, my magic isn't as strong. And you know Mother better. Her spell requires you perform it," Zagreus said.

"Lies," Eirene said, peering down at the book. And indeed, in blood red ink, her name with the instructions to cast the spell. She looked back at Zagreus. "Very well. I will cast this spell, but where are we to find a Ruby from Hades' caves and gold from a king's crown?"

"With a Rider outside, I'm sure she'd be happy to help. Bring their mortal daughter back, guarantee your freedom, fetch the ingredient, and return to us," Zagreus said.

"There's a Rider outside, and you didn't think to hide Makaria or Mother's book?"

"You didn't know, she knocked earlier. And why would I hide Makaria and the Book of Shadows?" Eirene growled at him and snapped the book shut. She hurriedly ran to the other room and put it on the coffee table.

"Answer the door," she ordered, re-entering the kitchen. Zagreus followed her order and opened the door to the Rider, her hand held up, ready to knock. Their green uniform tailored to perfection with gold trim racing making the edges and by the equally gold buttons. The uniform would be worth thousands as it wasn't armor, but the uniform of the second in command. Zagreus looked over his shoulder at Makaria and quickly slammed the door shut.

"She saw," whispered Zagreus. "Why have me open the door, if you didn't want her to see?" Eirene growled at him as they hurriedly dove into action, pulling the curtains closed, which in hindsight, they'd should have done earlier. No one should see from the street, but curious shop-goers always manage to do something unexpected, and no one looks kindly on having a body in their kitchen.

"I didn't think it thought," snarled Eirene as they continued to organize the kitchen to hide their actions, draping the sheet back over their sister, and then Eirene went to the foot of the table. Zagreus, to the head.

"Obviously," said Zagreus, aiding Eirene in lifting their sister's covered form my her ankles and armpits through the brick archway and onto a plush couch in the other room. Eirene hurried back to the kitchen and began to make a kettle of tea for their visitor, while Zagreus dragged a wet rag over the table.

The Rider outside pounded on the door.

"One moment," yelled Eirene. The pounding stopped. She looked to Zagreus, and he nodded. Eirene walked to the door, as her brother sat at the now clean table with his jar of peanut butter.

"Hello, how may I help you?" Eirene said as she swung the door open. The Rider stood on the doorstep, dressed in the royal uniform, the gold glimmering under the light pouring out from the kitchen.

"I need your help," she said, her amber eyes glowing. It was the woman from the tavern, dressed in the same green cloak, how could Eirene not recognize it? She scolded herself, while opening the door wider, letting the Rider inside.

"Thank you...," she paused so Eirene could fill the silence with her name, confirming she was the one to help, but she stayed silent. Zagreus, however stood and held out his hand.

"Zagreus Plato, at your service," he said with a mock bow. The Rider turned and smiled at his tricks. She shook his hand tightly and pulled him close to her. She pressed her thumb to his forehead, usually a sign of farewell.

"Calliope Sylver, at yours," she said.

"I shall leave you to your needs," he said before leaving the kitchen to the living room, where his sister laid.

"Well, Ms. Sylver, how may I assist you?" Eirene said, not keen on having a Rider so close to her, ulike her brother.

"My daughter, she fell ill. I heard you may be able to help her?" The Rider looked at Eirene with hope in her eyes, but below the surface there was triumph. A look of a hunter conquering a deer or a cat having caught a mouse.

"Is she dead? Or close to death?" Eirene snapped. She would not be made a meal for the Lords in the mansions and certainly not a slave to their deaths.

"Not dead, but I fear by the end of the night," her sentence trailed off, letting her lie seem all the more real.

"Then I will go to your daughter," Eirene said setting Zagreus and her half baked plan into action, "but I will need a steep payment. I know you come from wealth, and my price will match what you can pay." Calliope opened her mouth once, trying to protest, but Eirene's glare silenced her.

"If course, you may follow me. Do you have a horse?" Calliope asked.

"I will not ride a creature of such grace. I shall walk." Calliope nodded.

"Naturally, I live up the street and by the houses neighboring the mansions. There is a blue flag out front," she said. She quickly turned from Eirene, wondering how she would convince the bright woman to follow her to the Eldridge Mansion. She didn't want to use force, but with the sneer Eirene gave at living so close to the mansions, there may not be another choice.

"Leave, and I will follow. I must discuss with Zagreus," Eirene said. Calliope bowed and left the small house and went back through the store.

"Zagreus, come here," she said. He stood firm the couch and met Eirene in the kitchen, smiling.

"Well aren't you a little close to the mansions?" He teased. Eirene shot his a dirty look.

"Yes, and I do not wish to be any closer. However, I fear I may end in the hands of Lord Eldridge by the end of the night and his beastly Commander."

Zagrues tapped his chin.

"Perhaps, but I can help. Come," he said. He left the house in a brisk walk, going back to the shop. Eirene followed him, taking two steps for every one of his strides. As soon as the back door shut, they fell silent, ensuring the Rider wasn't in the shop. When they were met with silence, Zagreus immediately began to rummage through the drawer. He threw knives behind him, landing on the opposite wall, gears followed, clattering to the floor. Tool after tool landed around him in piles. Eirene watched his feverish movements carefully. He finally emerged with a silver blade. The handle was black leather, spiral designs of trees and leaves stamped into it. The blade itself was the length of Eirene's forearm and shone in the weak light.

"Pure silver, one of the few left in these lands," Zagreus said. He held the dagger out to Eirene. She grabbed it and held it close to her eyes, seeing the reflection of them in the blade.

"Magnificent," she whispered.

"Isn't it?" He said proudly. "There's a wolf in Lord Eldridge's Riders. The silver should help you, if the need arises."

"Thank you. At what cost?" She asked, looking at him.

"Nothing more than fixing your wrong and bringing Makaria back. We both know she's the better sister," laughed Zagreus. Eirene glared at him before he handed over the belt and sheath for the dagger. She placed the belt under her cloak and left to follow the Rider.

"I shall be back by morning. If not," she began.

"I'll find you. Fear not sister," Zagreus said. Eirene gave him a small smile before going through the front of the shop to where the Rider waited.

"Shall we?" She asked. Eirene gave a short nod and they began to walk up the street towards the mansions.

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