Page 17 of Feathered Web

“So what do we do about Penelope? We have two days to rescue her and to free the ghosts that want to leave,” I said.

“We’ll have to sneak in there at night,” Kerris said. “That’s the best time for me to talk to Penelope. But we have to get her sarcophagus out of there, too. They stole the entire thing. They had to, because during the day she sleeps in it.”

“Then we’ll need the men,” Rowan said, glancing at Killian. “Are you willing to help us?”

“Whatever you need,” Killian said.

Bryan and Tarvish nodded.

“If you’re moving a sarcophagus, then we’ll also need a truck to carry it in,” Tarvish said. “Mine should work. We’ll have to drive over to Whisper Hollow to return the sarcophagus to you.”

Kerris blushed. “I hadn’t even thought of that. How could I be so dense?”

“It’s easy when you’re flustered and facing a serious problem,” I said. “So, what do we do? I know it’s already late, but we might do best to go tonight. How do we deal with Abernethy? We don’t want to alarm him so that he calls Wily and Cleese.”

“Leave that to me,” Rowan said. “But rather than go tonight, let’s aim for tomorrow night. That way we can prepare charms to free the ghosts who want to cross over the Veil, and we won’t have to go back a second time. I guarantee you, once we rescue Penelope, the security on the Pest House will go up by tenfold.”

We all agreed that Rowan was right, so the rest of that night we prepared. As Rowan prepared a spell to knock out Abernethy and keep him asleep, Kerris meditated for guidance on Penelope. I meditated because my focus would be on freeing the other ghosts who wanted out of there. The men prepared Tarvish’s truck to hold Penelope’s sarcophagus, and all the while, the October night mirrored our moods with rain and wind and storm.

By the next afternoon, we were ready to go. Rowan took the first step. She headed out for the Pest House in a taxi, freshly baked cherry pie in hand. When she called an hour later—at four o’clock—it was with the news that Abernethy had taken the bait and was in a deep sleep.

“He won’t wake up till morning,” she said. “I put a sign on the door that the Pest House is closed for cleaning this afternoon, and we’re good to go. Come on over. I also took the precaution of making certain that there are no cameras around here, and when his employers texted him, asking how things were going, I texted back as Abernethy, stating that I was a little under the weather and going to bed early. They said they’ll be down tomorrow to prepare for the ‘grand opening’…so we have to finish this before morning.”

“We’re on our way,” I said. I was driving, with Kerris and Killian riding along. Tarvish was driving the truck, with Bryan riding shotgun. We were bringing everything we could think of to help, from magical gear to ropes and hammers and whatever else we might need to physically extricate Penelope’s sarcophagus from the mausoleum.

Twenty-five minutes later, we pulled into the Pest House parking lot. Rowan, who had been waiting by the door, hustled out.

“Abernethy fell for it like a piece of cake. Or piece of pie. I put enough sleeping potion in there to keep him out for the night. It won’t hurt him, and he should wake up tomorrow, feeling chipper and alert. As I said, I checked for any security cameras and bugs, but there aren’t any. I imagine they’ll be installing some tomorrow when they prepare for their haunted tours. They’re not going to want groups in here without some sort of supervision.”

She led us into the house. Abernethy was sleeping soundly on the sofa, and he didn’t even twitch when we came in. I wondered what herbs my grandmother had used, but I could ask her later.

“So we get the sarcophagus now?” I asked.

“Yes, before Penelope wakes up. We’re going to want to seal it, and to break the spell that’s keeping her under their control,” Kerris said.

“Leave that to me,” Rowan said.

We headed out to the mausoleum. The wind rose, buffeting us as we crossed the cemetery. The ghosts were active—I could feel them all around. I glanced at Kerris, who was looking pale and drawn. As a particularly nasty gust swiped past us, its chill razor-sharp, she tightened the belt of her jacket, crossing her arms.

“You can feel them too, can’t you?” I asked.

She nodded. “The ghosts are active. They know something’s up. Everything feels agitated here, and it reminds me far too much of the Pest House over in Whisper Hollow. The Covenant of Chaos really intends to offer a disturbed presentation, don’t they?”

“They delight in chaos,” I said. “They’re banking on the fact that there are actually ghosts here. They’ll be able to pull in thousands in revenue if they carry this off. No one can say they’re faking it. They’re just taking advantage of a number of trapped spirits.”

“They seem crueler than even the Hounds.”

“I don’t know about that, but they’re definitely a threat.” I fell silent as we reached the mausoleum. As we stood there by the threshold, the wind caught up a whirl of leaves, spiraling them around us like a vortex.

Rowan, who was in the lead, pushed open the heavy door and the three of us stepped inside.

The mausoleum was empty except for a sarcophagus. It was smooth stone, and it looked heavy as hell. I wondered if the men would be able to lift it, although with a demon and two wolf shifters, they should be able to. I wasn’t sure what the stone was made of, but it was smooth, and felt cool, like marble. Embellished with rune work, the moment I touched it I could feel Penelope. Even though I’d never met her, I recognized the energy from working with the dead.

“Is she asleep?” I asked.

Kerris nodded. “She seldom wakes before sunset.” She brushed her hand across the stone. “Yes, she’s sleeping right now. And we need to keep her that way until we get back home to Whisper Hollow.” She turned to Rowan. “You said you have a charm or talisman?”

Rowan held up a wax seal. She crossed to the top of the sarcophagus and gently pressed it against the marble. There was a silent hush, and suddenly, everything about the sarcophagus felt muffled.

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