He etches runes into the stone then draws blood from the vials with his fingers and traces the new carvings with the blood. Taken from the dead to honour them, the blood seals in the magic which in turn seals in the dead. A ghost knows little but its own body and it knows not to pass through itself.
The cryptmaker has his apprentices move the sealing slab over into the pile with the others, ready for collection. He's got a dozen other orders to complete today. He's in a business with inexhaustible demand.
Paddy Dobson
15th January 2023