The Empty Grave Excerpt - Lockwood & Co. #5
The Empty Grave Excerpt - Lockwood & Co. #5
The Empty Grave Excerpt - Lockwood & Co. #5
The Tomb
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THE EMP TY GRAVE
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Here it is, then: the beginning of the end. Heres me, two
months ago. Im dressed in a black jacket, skirt and leg-
gings, with heavy-
duty boots suitable for staving in coffin
lids and scrambling out of graves. My rapiers at my belt,
a holster of flares and salt bombs is slung across my
chest.Theres a spectral handprint on my jacket. My bobs
cropped shorter than before, though this doesnt disguise
where a few strands of hair have recently turned white.
Otherwise I look the same as ever. Kitted out for psychic
investigation. Doing what I do.
In the outside world, the stars were out. The days
warmth was folded up and done. It was shortly after
midnightthe time when spirits wandered and all sen-
sible folk were tucked up safe in bed.
Me? Not so much. I was shuffling around a mauso-
leum with my bottom in the air.
In my defence it has to be said that I wasnt the only
one doing this. Elsewhere in the small stone-clad chamber
my colleagues Lockwood, George and Holly were also on
hands and knees. We had our heads low, our noses near
the flagstones. We swept our candles close to walls and
floor. Occasionally we stopped to press fingertips into
suspicious nooks and crannies; otherwise we worked in
silence. We were looking for the entrance to a grave.
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LOCKWOOD & CO.
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THE EMP TY GRAVE
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LOCKWOOD & CO.
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THE EMP TY GRAVE
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LOCKWOOD & CO.
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Right.
Good. Very well, then. Lockwood turned to the stair.
Obviously there might be a few traps, George said.
Lockwood paused with his foot hovering above the top
step. Traps?
Not saying there are. Just that there might be some.
George pushed his glasses up his nose and gave an encour-
aging flourish with one hand. Anyway, Lockwood
the
stairs await! Off you go.
Lockwood did a sort of reverse swivel. Now he was
facing George. Hold it, he said. What traps are these?
Yes. Im quite interested in this too, Holly said.
We all were. We gathered around George, who did
something with his shoulders that was probably meant to
be a casual shrug. Oh, its just silly rumours, he said.
Frankly Im surprised youre interested. Some say Marissa
didnt want grave-robbers interfering with her tomb, so
she took precautions. He paused. Some say these pre
cautions might be... supernatural ones.
Now you tell us, Holly said.
When was this little fact going to be mentioned? I
demanded. When a Spectre put its fingers around my neck?
George made an impatient gesture. Its probably non-
sense. Besides, it would have been a distraction earlier. Its
my job to distinguish between solid fact and rumour.
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