Family Necromancy

A single figure strides through a cemetery. Her shadow flickers between the headstones, cast by the candle she holds. All around her, night lies heavy on the field.
The figure reaches a new section of the cemetery, and her feet slow. She begins to count the rows, stopping once she reaches ten. She turns into the headstones and starts counting again. When she finds the sixth headstone in that row, she stops.
Setting the candle on the gravestone, the girl pauses only briefly to trail her fingers over the name engraved there before pulling a bag over her head and opening it. She removes multiple things from the bag, including an old book, a wedding ring, and a delicate, engraved knife. She begins to place the items on the ground in a specific order.
Footsteps crunch behind her, and she stands to welcome another cloaked figure. This one holds a lantern, which he puts on the ground so he can hug the girl.
“Do you have the sacrifice?” she asks.
“Yes.” The young man gestures to the side, where a pair of terrified boys the same age as him are tied together.
The girl nods grimly. “Get them. I’m almost done.”
The boy gives a sharp incline of the head and turns to collect his prisoners. The girl returns to her objects and finishes arranging them just as her companion returns.
The boy holds onto the collars of their sacrifices, positioning them where the girl commands. Then she stands and opens her book.
In a calm and powerful voice, she begins to speak. The boys tied together shiver at her words. They do not realize that the chanting is for show and the girl does not need the words to complete her ritual.
Taking her candle, she pours the melting wax over the ground at the bottom of the headstone. She holds it up and continues to intone. Now her words make sense. She is calling to her brother, the one whose body lies beneath her feet, and asking his spirit to rise.
The girl and her companion step back. The man raises his hands and begins to lift the dirt. The girl approaches the boys and drips wax onto their bound hands.
The boys squirm and she glares them to stillness. She takes out her knife, slices the tips of their fingers, and then cuts open her palm. The blood of her sacrifices and her own mingle together as she turns back to the grave.
A casket has now been revealed by her companion. She climbs into the hole and nods to him. He curls his fingers and the locks click open along with the lid.
The open casket reveals the body of another young man with a startling resemblance to the girl. He is dressed as if for an event in a black suit and white shirt. And he is clearly very dead.
The girl looks down at her brother with an expression of deep sadness. “I’m here now, Lex,” she whispers, and then smears the blood on her hand over his face.
Quickly she steps out of the grave and raises her arms. Her chanting resumes, this time with an undertone of emotion. She twists and gestures with her hands until something begins to happen.
It starts with the girl. Her voice falters slightly, and her arms waver. Then she strengthens and the boy in the casket starts to look less pale. The boys who are tied up start shuddering. Their faces go white and they weaken, falling to their knees. For a moment they persist, and then their eyes roll back, their mouths fall open, and they collapse to the ground.
The girl stands taller. She focuses on her brother, eyes narrowed. Her fingers clench into fists.
The boy’s body no longer looks dead. His chest rises and falls, and after a moment his eyes open. He sits up slowly and pulls himself out. The girl’s friend reaches down to help him out.
The three stand together at the edge of the hole and stare at each other. Then the recently dead’s face breaks into a smile. “I knew you’d come for me, Evolet.”
The girl hugs him as if she fears he will vanish. “Alex.”
The other boy places his hand on Alexander’s shoulder. “It’s good to have you back.”
Alex pulls him in too. “Thank you for helping her, Gabriel.”
The three hold on for one more minute and then pull away. “So how did you do it, Evolet?” Alexander asks. “I could hear you talking. Did that help?”
“It focused me a bit,” Evolet answers. “But I didn’t need to do it.”
“Better question,” Gabriel says. “Where are we putting these jerks?” He nudges one of the dead sacrifices with his foot.
Alexander wrinkles his nose. “Those guys? Thank the stars you used them. I despised them.”
Evolet smiles slyly. “We have a convenient casket right here.”
The boys stare at her and then burst out laughing. “You think of everything, Let, don’t you,” Alex says.
“Of course I do,” she answers. “Now come on. I’m sure you’re hungry.”