The Bone Garden by Heather Kassner

Author:Heather Kassner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

19

Reunions and Resurrections

Irréelle led them around the dead oak, showing Lass the initials encircled in the heart first. Then they solemnly turned to Miss Vesper’s headstone. Raindrops slid down its gray surface, as if it wept.

“Goodness,” Lass said. “You think whoever N.M.H. is raised her from the grave?”

“Yes,” Irréelle said.

“But who is it?”

“That’s what we need to find out.”

“Oh my.” Lass looked from the headstone to the engraving and back again. “She wants to be reunited with him.”

Of course, Lass must be right. A love unbroken by death. Most dearly and forever more. “How tragic,” Irréelle said.

“More like creepy.” Lass crinkled her nose.

Guy stood off to the side, under a thick branch that partially blocked the rain. “Can’t you see what she really must want to do?”

“I just told you what she means to do,” Lass said. But perhaps she was as curious as Irréelle, for she said (rather huffily), “What do you think she wants?”

Guy paused, and Irréelle had the impression he enjoyed drawing it out. He squeezed water from the end of his shirt. “Isn’t it obvious?” He offered them a crooked smile. “She wants to resurrect him.”

Irréelle shivered. She had watched Miss Vesper bring the Hand to life. Irréelle and Guy and Lass existed only because of the bone dust and Miss Vesper’s imaginings. Maybe she could bring back her true love too. If only she knew where he lay buried.

“Then we should help her do so,” Irréelle said.

“What?” Guy’s head snapped up. “No way.”

“Why?” Lass asked at the same time. “Bad idea.”

They side-eyed each other, as if they did not trust this moment of agreement between them.

Irréelle rushed on. “I don’t mean we should call him from the grave. But—”

Thunder rattled around them and then Guy lowered his raspy voice. “Maybe we already woke him when we started snooping around. Maybe he’s slowly, slowly rising.”

Irréelle’s eyes flicked over her shoulder as if N.M.H.’s hand might be pushing up from the softened earth.

“Right now, he’s tugging his soul away from his bones.”

A line of white lightning zigzagged across the sky. Irréelle ducked her head so Guy would not see her mouth pinch tight.

“He’s slipping through the night, untouched by the rain. He’s coming to find us.” Guy drew out each word.

“Well, good,” Lass said, without so much as a tremor in her voice. “Then he can lead us right back to his coffin and we’ll know exactly where the unmarked grave is located.”

“Oh, you’re spoiling my fun,” Guy said, but for the first time, he grinned at Lass.

However, the grin quickly drooped on his face when Lass whacked his arm with the sleeve of her oversized coat. She looked at Irréelle. “That’s what you think we should do, right?”

Irréelle wanted to be as carefree as Guy and as brave as Lass, but right then she settled for being hopeful. “Just think, if we find where he’s buried, we can ask her for whatever we like.” She pressed her hands together. “And she will have to give it to us.

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