The woman lifted the lamp and helped Piper struggle to her feet. Piper said a word that usually made her feel better, but didn’t in this case. At least she now believed the other woman was real; she was squashing Piper’s rib cage in her effort to help her stand. “Who are you, anyway?”
“My name is Neeve.”
As they hobbled to the door, Piper observed, “That’s a kind of stupid name.”
“So,” replied Neeve mildly, “is Piper.”
In the end, there was not really any ceremony. They just both put their hands on the door and pushed. It didn’t feel magical; it just felt like a chunk of wood.
The tomb was already light inside. It was a similar amount of light as the lantern Neeve had at her feet. It was, in fact, the exact same amount of light, mirrored back at them.
The two of them staggered in. There was a raised coffin, the lid already ajar.
The sleeper wasn’t human. Piper wasn’t sure why she’d expected it would be. Instead, it was small, and black, and shiny, with more legs than she’d expected. It was powerful.
Neeve said, “We have to do it at the same time to get the fa —”
Piper reached out and touched it before Neeve could move.
“Wake up.”
The lying bitch is back