Excerpt: Forgotten Necropolis

An hour later found Meriem asleep in one of the various squishy chairs set up near the fireplace, which remained cold and empty, since it was only early autumn and not cold enough outside to need a fire. Zeraphi’s body still remained on the couch, pale and inert in death, although hopefully that would change tonight. Raphael and Jasper returned home together, entering rather noisily, not expecting anyone else alive to be there. Their movements ceased rather abrubtly as they noticed Meriem asleep in their front room, one twin motioning to the other to be silent. They tiptoed into their study, trying to not make any more noise and hoping that they hadn’t woken her up with their careless entrance.

Jasper had just shut the door to the study and unloaded his burdens on the floor when Raphael erupted. Raphael was looking out the window, leaning heavily on the sill when Jasper entered the room, having dumped his burdens rather unceremoniously on the floor at his feet. Now that the door was closed, he spun around, hands raised in a gesture of anger and perhaps defeat.

“What the hell does she think she’s doing?” he demanded, trying to keep his voice low. Of the two twins, Raphael had more of a temper than Jasper, and while he usually tried not to act on it, now he was letting it show. “First she comes in here with Zeraphi dead in her arms, not telling us anything, then she tries to get herself killed by some demon which ends up back here, possessing Zeraphi’s body. Ok, we can deal with that, that’s fine. Sure, okay, at least she’s promised to bring Zeraphi back. Then what happens? She tells us that she murdered Zeraphi. Flat out, without a second thought, she murdered our sister.” Raphaels eyes were stormy and dark, terrifying to behold, although Jasper never flinched, his eyes burning bright vivid greengold with a similar anger. “What. The. Everloving. Goddess.”

Raphael took a deep breath, lowering his voice again. “But she feels bad, that much is obvious, and she’s offered to bring Zeraphi back. And now she’s going to and from our apartment as if it’s hers, as if she belongs here somehow!” Raphael turned back to face the window, voice tight, eyes flashing.