“Of course.”
I bob my head to a beat, trying to get the cadence right.
Pell says, “Don’t forget about the bag. Bag magic is a thing. I’ll even lend you some of my breath to seal the deal.”
“OK. Let me think.” It takes me a few moments, but then, all of a sudden, there it is. The spell is in my head and the words on the tip of my tongue. “‘A bag and rings to hide inside. Keep them safe from… prying eyes. Invisible they will be. Cloak them up, no one can see.’”
I do a little poof with my fingers in the direction of the bag because… that feels necessary. Then Pell brings the opening up to his mouth and breathes inside it.
“Done,” he says. “But we’ll probably have to do it again tonight.”
“How come?”
“I’m gonna finish the new bag today. It’s a magic bag. More magic is better, right?”
Is more magic better? I’m not sure I agree. But I don’t want to spoil his contribution. We feel like a team right now. So I say, “Right.”
“OK.” Pell extends his hand to me. “Let’s get you some work clothes, young lady. And I have to get the forge started.”
We put yesterday’s clothes back on, and then Pell leads me back through the tomb forest. It’s still as dark as it was last night and I’m very glad I’m not in here alone because it would take all of ten seconds for me to get lost. But pretty soon we see light leaking through the tree branches and then we’re at the edge of the inner chamber.
We don’t stop. Pell just tugs me towards the exit. But I look over my shoulder at the statue on the throne.
It’s Pell, but not Pell. And to be honest, the whole Egyptian vibe is a little bit unsettling. I have never liked ancient Egypt. In school, kids were all fascinated by the writing, and the pyramids, and the mummies. But it always weirded me out. And they had tombs. With… curses.
Hmm.
Now I am interested. And I want to go back and study it. Learn every line and curve of that thing. Peer into its stone eyes and run my fingertips along its stone horns.
But Pell is tugging and then I’m outside and the inner chamber is nothing but a wall.
Batty is waiting for us and Tomas is just coming around a tomb, heading this way.
“There you are,” he calls. But I think he’s talking to Pell. “I have to talk to you, Pell. There’s some shit going down tonight and you need to know about it.”
Pell lets out a long breath. Like he wants nothing to do with Tomas and his problems. “Later, Tomas. I’m walking Pie down to her cottage to get ready for work. And then I have important things to do at the forge.”
“But—” Tomas protests. “It’s about the town. And the sheriff.”
“Russ Roth?” I ask. “What about him?”
“I met him,” Tomas says.
Pell is annoyed. “Why are you talking to the sheriff, Tomas? What the actual fuck?”
“I didn’t. Not on purpose. He was in Big Jim’s shop when I went looking for Madeline. They’re going into the hills tonight to hunt a monster called a squonk buck.”
“A what?” I ask.
“Don’t ask me,” Tomas says. “Madeline says it’s some hideous conspiracy monster. But it sounds suspiciously like Pell.”
“What would I have in common with a hideous monster?” Pell growls.
And this makes me giggle. “Thanks, Tomas. But we’ll all be safely behind the walls tonight. So they can hunt this thing all they want, right Pell?”
“Right.” He squeezes my hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“But—” Tomas protests.