Reaper

Chapter 6

Getting back to Fernie’s lab I am more than exhausted and pissed off.

“Fernie!” I shout bursting open the doors to the lab. I find him messing with the Castor’s glass again, his wand raised in the air with Jadious at his side but he stops when I come in.

“You’re back! What’s wrong?” He asks walking over to me with nothing but concern in his face. I let out a slow breath, trying to calm myself down as I approach him.

“How many more people did you tell about me?” I ask.

“Just Jadious and Mistress Myria. That’s it.”

“Mistress Myria,” I snort. “Tried to bargain with me. You didn’t tell me she was that kind of woman.”

“I didn’t think she’d attempt that with you.” Fernie says lowly. “It’s somewhat in her nature to do this sort of thing. It’s one of the rules she’s taught me when I was studying with her. It was to always make friends with the biggest threat there is.”

“Well she is not some bully on the playground!” Jadious roars angrily. I turn to him, ready to fire but he beats me to the punch. “I know what your going to say. I had also visited Mistress Myria, too ecstatic that I’ve finally met my equal.”

“And you were that impulsive, why?” I ask my jaw clenching in anger.

“I am an agent of life and all that it represents, that includes a little impulsiveness. But that is no excuse Bex. I apologize.” He says padding over to me. “However, it was wrong of her to treat you like a merchant. I would have figured her smarter than that with how long she’s lived to know better.”

“Maybe it’s her long life that gives her security and even the foolishness to try and bargain her death.” I say with a click of my tongue. “She will definitely be up my ass the next time she sees me.”

“I’m guessing you two didn’t get along very well then.” Fernie says solemnly. “Hopefully she will still find something and be kind enough to help. I’m still not sure, she may have been my teacher but she’s always lived for herself.”

“If that wasn’t obvious enough.” I say and head towards the mirror. “I’m going home and I’m going to get a proper amount of sleep. Never mind the Mistress and her glass city, but also dragons chasing me out a grudge their king holds over me. I’m sick of it here, I didn’t even get enough sleep to work.”

Days go by and I haven’t visited the Otherworld. It’s late into the evening when I’m in my living room as the book lays on the table in front of me. Words writing themselves out as the voices of thousands of souls echo in my ears. Numbing noise that wails on that I can’t stop hearing. No matter if I’m in the middle of conversations, or listening to music on the highest volume, the noise from the dead will always be louder.

Sitting on my couch with a glass of wine in hand, I hear the faint sound of my name. Someone was saying my name. The pages flipping in front of me as I kept hearing the last words of every soul. But my name kept being said. Like someone was calling my name from far away.

Over and over again, my name was getting louder and louder until I jerk awake at the sound of a tigers roar. In my living room Jadious and Fernie stood across from me.

“What happened? Why is there a tiger in my living room?” I sit up with a groan placing my empty wine glass on the table.

“Myria came to talk about the specimen. She and the emperor are still at the lab, we just need you to be there so we can map out our next move.”

I nod as I rub my eyes. “Okay, I also got some new from Detus and Noen. And trust me it’s going to take a lot to process.”

After freshening up, I pass through the mirror with Fernie and Jadious, coming to the lab to find Myria and the emperor in light conversation. But it immediately stops when the emperor sees me and his mouth falls into a frown.

“Reaper.” Myria whispers turning to me. A smile sliding onto her face as she takes a couple of steps my way. “It’s wonderful to see you.”

Jadious steps in front of me letting low a loose growl towards the witch. She stops in her path looking frightened. Eyes wide with the way Jadious was addressing her.

“Jadious what is the for this coldness?” She asks.

“Your recent attempted bargaining with the Reaper has left a sour taste in my mouth Mistress Myria.” Jadious growls. The emperor looking from Myria to me, his expression now holding curiosity. “It was insulting.”

“I didn’t know I had insulted the Reaper Jadious. She didn’t give any impression-“

“You are no fool Myria.” Jadious cuts her coldly. “Do you think striking a deal with the very force of death would derail you from its path? It would only hasten you to your inevitable destination.”

I smirk letting out a small laugh walking up to jadious’s side. Letting my hand fall on his spine and petting him up to his head. He lets out a chuff as I let my hand fall.

“Now she knows better.” I say as I let my eyes pierce into hers as a small smile slides onto my face. “Myria you might want to tell us what you discovered with the specimen, right?”

“Yes.” She says with a curt nod. “The specimen is made up of a magic that hasn’t been seen in centuries. Type of magic associated with spirit work. Ferdinand has also allowed me to take a look at the corpses. It seems as if the magic that binds that specimen together will animate the corpse but it has a master.”

“Elaborate please.” The dragon king taking off his cloak and tossing it on the table in front of him.

“This specimen was created to be enslaved. That requires the sacrifice of a soul, and if there is no soul then there is nothing to enslave. This speciemen doesn’t function without the soul.”

“That’s why Noen and Detus can’t remember their deaths.” I say with a yawn. “It was because they were infected with this while they were alive. It ate at their souls until it was just a hollow body to control.”

“That may be why it seemed so unnatural to you.” Fernie says. “Who ever is doing this however is increasing in their kills. Bex,” Fern turns to me. “Jadious discovered twenty more bodies under the same conditions, they’re in the examination rooms right now.”

“Twenty?” I say my eyes widening as Fernie solemnly nods his head. “f**k me!” I shout stomping towards the mirror.

“Where are you going?”

“To get myself a blunt and some bourbon!” I shout and I return with exactly that. A joint between my lips as I hold a bottle with two glasses. Fernie taking one from me and the bottle pour it out for me and then into his own glass.

“Bold of you to not offer your emperor some refreshments.” The emperor looks to Fern and then to me. I smile taking the blunt from my lips holding it between my fingers and blow the smoke in the air. Smirking mischievously as I walk around the table to his side. Standing closer than I know he’s comfortable with.

I raise my glass to my lips and take a sip staring into his eyes, then hold the glass out to him. “Your palette probably wouldn’t really like such harsh human flavors. This alcohol is quite hard to handle.”

He calmly takes the cup from my hands staring me down. In one motion he throws the drink back, swallowing it down in one go. Smacking his lips his eyes fall back to mine.

“Not a bad blend. Sweeter than I’m used to but good. I typically prefer a bottle of 1952 Gerald’s, as of recently.”

I lean back in humored surprise. It was dumb of my to treat him like he was ignorant. Other’s do have a tendency to cross over into the human world frequently, I shouldn’t have checked him off that list.

I hold the blunt up to my lip sucking as I pluck my cup from his hands. Holding it for Fernie to refill. Blowing a smoke ring in the air as I move towards the examination room where the bodies were.

Opening the door to see the each bodies laying on it own tables, earlier projects of Fernie pushed aside to make room for them. Leaning against the door way sucking my teeth, behind me Fernie raises his wand activating the Castor’s glass.

“With Jadious’s help I was able to extract each of the specimens resting from their bodies. Now the rest is up to you.” Fernie says and I sigh moving into the room taking a long chug of the bourbon.

“I didn’t want you to have to do this but-“

“But,” Jadious cuts in. “The matter of a trapped soul is a problem neither one of us could ignore. She must do this, for their souls must have peace.”

“Yeah,” I say groggily. “But the headache after us going to f*****g destroy me.” I hoist my body on to a clear table crossing my legs as I try to focus my mind. The minute I gain control all I can hear is their screaming. I pull away with a groan.

“What is it?”

“They’re all screaming.” I say in a huff taking a lingering sip of my bourbon. “This is going to take a while so don’t wait up for me.”

“While you do this, I’ll make you some dinner.” Fernie says shooting me a kind smile before disappearing through the door. The emperor steps in.

“So that man is your adoptive father?” He says eyeing me up and down. I nod not giving a verbal answer. “He’s polite and warm, while you are cruel and cold. And yet you are the warmest to him.”

“Yes. That man had to deal with a lot when it came to raising me. He loved me even though I was the subroot of most of his pain. That’s why I won’t tolerate any disrespect when it comes to him.” I say firmly. He holds his hands up in mock surrender before stepping further into the room.

“How about a show of peace between us? You two come to my kingdom for a polite dinner,”

“We’re good.” I say instantly.

“I understand your coldness.” He says.

“No you don’t. Fernie got ready and dressed for your little party days ago, not because he wanted to go but because you invited him and he thought it was too rude to say no. He pushed passed his social anxiety, and his hatred for big loud spaces, put on your people’s threads and we waited for one of your men to show up for maybe three hours before we were too drunk to care.”

His cocky smile drops as I glare him down. Crossing my arms as I lean back against the wall with a sigh as I try to refocus my thoughts.

“I don’t know why you make me so angry.” I say in a low voice. He doesn’t respond. I mean, no one has been able to get a solid reaction out of me, and then a dragon of all things does enough to make me want to kill him. Chuckling to myself, I rub my eyes as they burn from exhaustion. This would probably be easier if I do it in my usual way.

“I’ve met many Reapers in my time, none of them were as infuriating as you. Trust me the feeling is mutual. I would rather watch you choke,” he stumbles over his words a bit and I turn to look at him, only to see that his eyes are on the floor. He clears his throat letting out a low laugh. “Let’s just be civil from now on, we are all here for the same reason it would be unwise to fight amongst ourselves when there’s possibly a bigger threat.”

“There is.” I say.

“How would you know?”

“The first two bodies that were here pledged their souls to me, in return that we find the man that killed them so they can cross over peacefully. But until then they are working as my spies. The other day as you were still trying to hunt me down,” I say shooting him a look, clenching his jaw as he holds my gaze.

“Noen and Detus came to me and explained that at their homes they were able to find a trail of magic. They are currently following the trail through small villages in the west, and I know that I’m going to get more bodies.”

“How so?”

“Because they just found a village burned to the ground with everyone sporting the same hand print.” I say as my eyes close, the images of the slaughtered families in that village flashing behind my eyelids. Noen’s voice reaches out to me.

“I am sorry Reaper. We were close, I swear-“

“Don’t worry. Just keep following the trail. I’ll deal with it.” I say aloud and turn my attention back to the emperor. “The village is far west by the water, if you send someone out now you might be able to get there by sunset and rescue a few of them. I’ll be there for the dead later.”

With a hesitant nod he slowly back out of the room and walks off.

“Ok, time for the grand slam of migraines.” I mutter as I throw the rest of the drink back. The metal tables each of the bodies laid on, shining in the sunlight that was beaming through the glass ceiling. Same as the main lab space, the examination room was lined with glowing different colored potion bottled filling the bookshelf lined walls, clear containers holding petrified specimens from this world.

I zone out as I study one specimen. A small, thin, twig like specimen that sat propped up on the side of the jar.

Just as I’m feeling comfortable I feel something clawing at me. Not at my body, I don’t feel it in my skin. But I feel it digging into me as the souls from each of the corpses make themselves known

This is going to take a lot of time.

Hours had passed as I fished out each of the souls trapped in their bodies. My head in my hands as I try to fight through a mind splitting headache. Each of the souls being ripped and untangled from their bodies, through the work I could hear the whispers of people around me. I heard Fernie.

“She’s been like this for a day.”

“I feel her energy being sucked out of her.”Jadious says. “She can’t keep this up or she will burn herself out.”

“She’s tougher than you think Jadious.” Fernie says and I feel his hand on my shoulder. “Bex, c’mon buddy you need to wake up. You can do the rest later.”

“The Castors Glass shows that she has one more infraction to repair. But it’s proving to be difficult.” I hear Myria’s voice but she sounds distant.

“How is it that you see this?” The emperor is here too. Myria goes into explaining but the conversation is too soft for me to hear, and Fernie is still trying to wake me up.

I finally get the last soul free, and I hear Myria exclaim in surprise. I feel Fernie move away from me and I hear nothing more as I feel the newly freed souls move in on me.

But I haven’t moved from my position. My head in my hands as I lean forward cradling myself. Very slowly, I begin to wake myself up.

“I’ve never seen magic move like that.” The emperor says in fascination. Myria and Fernie talking but I feel fire brushing against my leg. Pushing against me, and my body double forward and I’m caught by what I feel is Jadious.

“I can walk.” I mutter, my voice barely above an audible whisper.

“No you can’t, you’re exhausted.” He says firmly. The screaming of the souls around my fade slightly as I feel his magic and mine mold together. Hearing footsteps move back into the room.

“Is she not able to stand?” The emperor sounds close.

“This is very delicate magic that you’ve just witnessed, and it’s extremely draining. She needs rest, and food. She’s been at this for a full day.”

“Bex I told you- oh never mind. I have a spare room.”

“If you’ll allow me, Doctor.” The emperor says and I suddenly feel hands on my shoulders pulling me off Jadious. I feel my body being lifted and cradled and it dawns on me how tired I actually am. I can’t even move to get myself off the floor. Even moving my fingers seems like too much.

“This way your majesty.”

I try to open my eyes as I feel the king begin to move. His steps echoing through the room as I feel him move up the stairs. Soon enough I hear the opening of a door and my body being gently lain on a soft mattress.

“She’s still awake so you can tell her about the village she sent you to.” Fernie says. “I know she wants to know. I’ll give you two some privacy.”

And I hear him leave the room. Beside me I can still feel the stare of the king. Surprisingly enough he hasn’t moved from the side of the bed since he laid me on it.

“The village,” he starts. “You were right. There were only a few survivors but everything was ultimately destroyed. And,” he pauses and I feel the tension in the air grow stronger. “There were seventy-bodies recovered with the handprint on their chests and the same black substance flowing through their veins. There was one even able to give a description of the culprit.”

Unable to speak, I only wait for him to keep talking. Strangely enough I don’t mind this.

“We were able to pick up a trail of magic leading away from the scene but it quickly disappeared and we’re at a dead end. I know your spies must be still on the trail, and that it would be easier for them. Hopefully by the time you wake, you can steer us in the right direction.” He says and I feel him move from my side, his footsteps leading away from me before they suddenly stop.

“Dr. Ferdinand Moses was right. And so were you.” He says not low and shameful but like he was gracefully bowing out of this battle. But he wasn’t done fighting.