They were separated by bone type. The little ones by the base of the stairwell had to be toes. At the end, surrounding the doorway, were skulls.
I rolled my shoulders to ease the tension in them. It was probably weird, but I felt a little more relaxed around the bones. They wouldn’t suddenly start moving and trying eat me. At least, I didn’t think they would.
I glanced back at Lucas. “This is a crypt.”
“Yes. It used to be pretty typical for the temples and churches in the area.”
This could actually be perfect. “One of my cousin’s books said that the bones of the ancients could be used in defense against demons. This could be exactly what we’re looking for.”
“So, we can just grab some of these and get out of here? Great. Let’s do it.” He moved to grab the closest fibula, but I managed to stop him before he touched it.
“Wait. It can’t be just any ancient. It has to be someone really holy. A saint.” I licked my lips as I took in the bones. “They should be glowing more.”
“I thought all of these mages were saints.”
“I guess not. To be sainted, the body would have to preserved. There would still be flesh on the bones. Dried flesh, but still.” I looked at the bones assembled into neat, categorized piles. “These all are dried bones. No flesh. They wouldn’t have taken them apart if they were saints.”
Lucas made a face. “Sometimes you witches are disturbing.”
I sighed. “It’s gross if you think about it, but I try not to. Especially when it’s magic that I really, really need—like something to save my brother.” I punched Lucas in the shoulder. “And you eat furry, bloody, still-warm animals.”
“So do all carnivores. But taking bones from a preserved mage…” He waved his hand around. “Let’s find the right bones and get out before the vampires wake up.”
“I wonder if they can wake up? Maybe they’re just for show.”
He started walking. “I don’t intend to stay down here long enough to find out.”
I caught up to him. “If the altar was upstairs, it stands to reason they’d rest the holiest of their sect below. In that room there,” I pointed to the end of the hallway. “And hopefully, the aura will tell me what’s best to take with me.”
“Makes sense.”
We closed the distance to another set of wooden doors. This time, we were careful to open them slowly.