Reaper

Chapter 8

“The king is inviting you to another party.” The tigers voice booming through the lab.

Sitting by the window as corpses lie at my feet. The more I practiced ripping the souls from their bodies it became easier. My days were filling with this one task alone. Bodies were piling higher everyday, and it has only been a week.

“Not in the cards,” I hum softly as gently pull another soul from the corpse that laid flatly on its back on the lab floor. The lab space cleared out so we could accommodate the bodies. Fernie working tirelessly by extracting the odd parasite living in their cadavers.

Sitting against the window in a space I’ve now claimed as my own, my eyes closed as I sit cross legged. Blocking the physical world out but still hear Jadious pad around the room.

“You would refuse his invitation so soon?”

“If you take a look on the floor around you, there are fifty bodies laying around this room, and three hundred within this whole facility. I’ve only cleared a hundred, I have a lot of work to do, and Detus and Noen just found another village in the north burned to the ground.” I groan out, pulling myself out of my trance, hunched over clutching my head.

“You need rest. You’ve been at this for too long already, you haven’t moved from that spot in days. Ferdinand, please reason with her!” Jadious calls to Fernie who I hear fumble around in the next room.

“Don’t you think I wish she could get down from there?” Fernie’s voice moving into the main lab space. “She hasn’t even eaten!”

“I don’t need to eat when I do this.” I say.

“And when you come back it takes days until you can even stand.” Fernie argues.

“Detus and Noen are tracking the trail from the North.” I sigh. “You should tell the lizard to send his men north and then move far west through the forrest.”

The screaming of the disembodied voices floating around me, a splitting headache beginning to build. Groaning as I curl into myself, Fernie and Jadious still talking.

“I can hear them.” Fernie whispers in awe.

“She’s loosing control.” Jadious says and I feel him growling next to my ear. His teeth hooking into my shirt before roughly pulling me onto the floor.

Falling to the floor, my shoulder meeting the hard stone, I groan out as I feel Jadious pull my onto my back. The madness of the spirits swirling around me as I let out an exhausted breath.

Cutting through the screaming, I hear Jadious roar a loud roar. Directly in front of my face as I slap my hands over my ears, my eyes seeing nothing but the spirit world spinning madly around me. Souls clinging onto me and refusing to let go.

“Why are they so loud!” Fernie shouts. Jadious roars again, and it’s as if everything finally comes undone. The iridescence of the Afterworld falls away, giving away to the darkness of the living world.

My vision clears away to see Jadious standing above me. Silence laying over the entire room.

“Jade?” I whisper as I blink the darkness away from my eyes.

“Are you alright?”

“I think so. What just happened?”

“Your hold was slipping. The souls were out of control. We could hear their madness.”

“Bex?” Fernie comes into view and Jadious moves off me. Fernie bending down to the floor smoothing my hair away from my face. “Is this what you hear all the time?”

“Sounds like a rave no matter where I go. I just never seem to hear the music.” Fernie helps me up, gently pulling me to stand as I try to find my footing.

“I never thought I’d say this, but you need a break from death.”

“There is no such thing as breaks.” I say. “I’ll take a nap and I’ll try again later.”

“No, no, no.” Fernie shakes his head. “That party that the king is throwing, now it’s mandatory. You need to get out and finally have some fun, you need to not think about people dying for at least an hour.”

“Impossible.” I say as I lean against a table. “Literally impossible.”

“He’s right Bex. You need rest. I’ll escort you to the party, and it will be an experience I promise you.”

“I like how you chose the word experience rather than fun. Truly comforting, really.” I retort sardonically, and in what seemed like a blink of an eye, it was night.

Fernie had dressed me up in this world garb and I stood in front of the mirror. It was a dark blue long satin dress. A cape over my shoulders that fell to the floor, glittering against my brown skin. My hair done up in a neat bun, and jeweled hair clip keeping it together.

“What’s this for?” I ask peering at my reflection in disdain.

“They like the ostentatious approach when it comes to a party thrown by his majesty.”

“Can I get five minutes?” I ask. Fernie nods his head along and just as I said, five minutes later I come walking out the room feeling much better.

The dress was altered, instead of a dress I had turned it into long pants that swept against the floor when I walked, hanging off my waistline. I had sectioned off the top and made it into a shirt that showed my midriff.

I had turned the cloak into a coat, and using my magic I had changed the entire color from a calm blue into blue-black. Undoing my hair and letting it fall down my back, I left the hair clip in to hold one side of my hair back.

When I leave the room, Fernie is waiting for me with Jadious at the open door.

“You look very much like yourself.” Jadious speaks first. “What Fernie had described seemed different however.”

“Yeah sorry Fern. But I want to be able to run from the situation at any given opportunity.” I say and he laughs nodding his head, feeling no need to protest.

I slip on a pair of flats he gives me and Jadious walks me outside into the darkness of the night. The stars twinkling in the dark sky, seemingly bigger than the stars back in the human world.

“I’m sorry I cannot be of more use while you free those trapped souls.” Jadious says softly.

“Don’t be sorry Jadious. From what you’ve explained, this is just....another part of the job!” I shrug giving an exasperated sigh. Jadious brushes against me, my hand reaching out to pet him.

“I like the nickname you gave me. Jade. Like the stone.”

“Like the stone.” I hum. “You’re name is a mouthful, I’ll use it in front of others but to me, you’re Jade.”

He lets out a gentle laugh before nudging me again with his side. “Climb on. The ways to his Majesty’s home are actually quite confusing.” He says.

“Never did I see the day to where I would ride bare back on a giant tiger.” I say as Jade lowers himself for me to climb on. Swinging my leg over as I slide onto his back, he stands leaving my legs dangling on either side of him.

“You plan to make an entrance, don’t you.” I ask flatly.

He snickers at me. “Only a few days and you know me so well.”

The sudden roar that erupts from his throat has me gripping the scruff of his neck as a bright white portal appears before us. Blinding and brilliant as the muffled sounds of happy loud party goers came from the other side.

“Well, doesn’t this save money on bus fare.” I mutter as Jadious slowly walks through. I close my eyes, my head lowering as I feel an icy chill overtake me, before the muffled laughing and chatter became deafening.

Lifting my head up to see Jadious calmly walking through the middle of what looks like the biggest party I’ve ever seen.

Sudden silence falls around the room as Jadious moves on. Looking around seeing the pointed ears of the party guests. Elven. Looking around the room as Jadious carries me through the crowd. I very quickly could understand that the odd one here was me, not them.

Even though their clothing was extremely outlandish, intricate, ostentatious, bordering on something you would find in a cliche teen fantasy movie.

Or maybe it was seriously just me and my aversion to anything brightly colored. Pastels and I don’t mix.

Finally making it to the very back of the room, sitting at a long table was the lizard man himself. Seated around many like him, but also many elven women, all of them watching me with calculated eyes.

Jadious lowers himself to the ground and I swing my leg off him, dusting off my clothes of any lingering fur.

“Thanks Jade.” I hum lowly and he gives a tiger’s chuff in return. Turning his attention to his Majesty, he nods his head to him.

“Afraid of the trickster witch still?” Jadious asks, his head lifting as his voice booming over the crowd. It was very obvious that as soon as Jade stepped into the room, he was the one in control.

Peering to the side as people shivered at the sound of his voice. He had an effect on just about everyone here.

“Never would I be afraid of my guest.” Demethos spoke up fast, his royal attitude getting the better of him. Giving the fakest smile to me and Jade as he stood from his throne. My gaze shifts to the woman sitting beside him, glaring at me with cold bright green eyes.

I c**k an eyebrow at her unfazed.

Girlfriend?

People begin whispering around me as he mentions inviting me. The crowd around me turning their attention from their king, to me.

“So my king,” the woman beside him speak up, her voice light and flirtatious. Placing her hand gently on his. “Is she a trickster witch? Should we send her to the gallows?”

She looks at me with a confident smile on her face, and I couldn’t help the snort that came from me.

“Send me to the gallows?” I mutter under my breath, more in humor as the smile falls from her face.

Elves seem to have very bad intimidation tactics.

“Sending her to the gallows is the same as bringing a fish to a fresh body of water.” The king speaks up, picking up a gold chalice from the table. Typical. “She will thrive.”

“Haven’t you told them yet, your majesty.” Jadious calls the attention of the room back to him. Sounding coy, teasing him like a child. “Were you that afraid of the response you would get from introducing her.”

“No one is afraid here.” Demethos says firmly staring at Jadious.

Jadious doesn’t respond. Returning his glare with just as much authority, maybe even more. Demethos eyes lighting up at the challenge, but his eyes shift to me.

Cocking my head to the side, I can’t help the smirk that took over. My eyes locked with his, the silent threat clear as day.

Don’t go swinging just because you feel inferior.

“Everyone if I may have your attention,” the room turning to him. Heads snapping to the side like they were the audience at a tennis match. I raise an eyebrow, waiting.

“This woman here, is the companion to our friend here.” He says. “She is a Grim Reaper.”

A hush fell over the crowd, everyone suddenly turned to me. Eyes wide with anticipation as if they were waiting for the grandest show ever. I let out a deep sigh, humor dancing in my chest at how defeated he looked.

“That’s a lie!” The woman next to him suddenly stood up, I can hear her heart beating like the foot of a jackrabbit. Eyes barely hiding the panic, she seems like such a fragile little thing. “How do you know she isn’t here to kill us?”

“If I wanted to kill you that bad, you would be dead already.” I spoke up, capturing her attention. Her face turned white the minute I addressed her.

Tunneling in on the woman, I appear before her in a whirlwind of black smoke. Directly in front of her, making her stumble back in fear.

“You look so scared.” I giggled. She says nothing as I step closer to her. My eyes locked with hers, as I can’t help the wide smile. “It’s so cute.”

“You are not to harm anyone here.” Demethos says under his breath. Tone full of authority, that had me rolling my eyes at him.

“Pipe down you over grown gecko,” I suck my teeth at him. “I’m not looking to hurt anyone here.”

I grab the chalice out of his hand and take a sip. The sweet smelling sloshing alcohol washing over my tongue, I end up finishing the drink off.

“Only the wife is supposed to drink from his majesty’s cup.” The petite looking elf eyes the chalice in my hand.

“Are you two married?” I ask as I reach behind me pouring more wine into the cup.

“”We are intended to marry.” Demethos defends quietly.

“So you proposed?” I ask setting the bottle down in front of him.

“That’s not-“

“Oh.” I cut him off taking another sip from his precious gold chalice. Everyone around us gawking in shock and anticipation. Holding his gaze as I take a sip from the cup.

“Y’know when you invited me, I thought it was because the people here already knew. Now I know it’s because you didn’t know how to tell them.” I talk in an even tone, completely ignoring the crowd around us.

Talking to him as if he were the only person in the room.

“There is no fear here, and I would have told them.” He says through gritted teeth.

“I didn’t say you were afraid.” I shake my head. “I said you didn’t know how to tell them. Now everyone here is shaking in their boots at the though that I could flip at any second and kill someone.”

“You almost did.” He says stepping closer. “Me. Don’t you remember that?”

“Well yeah, but that’s only because you were a prick and thinking that I wouldn’t kill you.” I say with a shrug.

“So you suffocate me to the point of near death because I, according to you, was a prick?” He asks, his jaw clenching in anger, I couldn’t help the smirk that came on my face.

“Usually that’s all it takes.”

“You’re a sadistic woman.”

“And you look so cute when your angry.” I say still smiling. He juts back in shock as I laugh in his face. Chugging back the rest of the drink, leaving the cup back on the table I wipe my mouth with the back of my sleeve.

“I prefer red wine.” I say. Heading back over to Jadious.

“Thank you, your majesty. Thank you for allowing us to make a guest appearance at your soirée. Even if the company was less than ideal.” Jadious says and turn away as we both walk out.

“His heart is beating out of his chest at this moment.” Jadious whispers to me.

“Want me to make it burst?”

“I have a list for you if your still willing later.”

Jadious an I both laughing loudly as we reach the end of the room. Jadious lowering himself for me to climb on and we leave without looking back.

Making it back home to find Fernie sound asleep. Jadious departs on his own and promises to be back soon. I wave him off and disappear into the lab.

Finding the spare room I close the door tossing myself onto the bed. Groaning in exhaustion, finally feeling the ache in my muscles as the silence of the night digs into me.

I notice the quietness around me. No flurry of whirling loud, screaming voices. That thought soon leaves as the sound rushes in like a tidal wave. Drowning me in the cries and plea’s of the dead. I groan clutching my head, but I don’t get to focus on it too long as I feel someone tug rudely on my arm.

My body almost flying off the bed.

“You don’t seem to have any respect for the sanctity of my home and of my people!” Demethos right in front of me, holding my arm is his strong grasp.

“Oh would you relax!” I say in hushed tones. “Fernie’s asleep, and first of all you’re mad about a damn wine cup.”

“That wine cup symbolizes the unity between two houses!”

“It’s a tacky gold cup that you use only for when you want to show off to your audience. Don’t lie to me lizard.”

“You will stop calling me lizard.” Squeezing my arm tighter tugging me to him.

“Oh what? Is it making you angry, sorry, I’m just not the nicest person to someone who turns red in the face in under two seconds of light flirting.” I tease sarcastically. “You’re right, I should stop calling you lizard. I’ll call you Chamaeleon because you change color and you’re shy!”

Moving faster than my eyes could see, I feel my back hit a wall. Both of his hands on my upper arms holding me in place.

“You are the most infuriating woman, I have ever met. I loath you!” He growls.

“Get in line.” I say calmly. “I have entire generations cursing my name.”

“Do you think you’re funny? Do you think there are no consequences for your actions?” He asks almost genuine enough for me to believe him.

“I don’t care.” I state bluntly. “My only concern right now is helping Fernie find out who’s killing all those people. By the way, you might want to send your troops far west in the morning.”

“I have the same concerns! But I am not trying to scare my people!” Be whispers.

“You’re people should know.” I say defensively. “This is something that’s obviously coming for everyone. Not just the common people here that you ignore.”

“Nonetheless that is my decision. You will not give your input on matters of this world when you don’t even reside here. The people here are my responsibility.” He glowers at me, trying to be intimidating, and on any other normal person it would have certainly worked.

“Look, they’re going to find out sooner or later. You might want to be the person to tell them, before they turn against you for keeping this very important piece of information private. People hate secrets and they hate them more when it comes from someone they’re supposed to trust, take my advice.” I state as a matter of factly.

“And I’m supposed to trust you? What would ever give you the impression I would take anything you say into consideration?” He says moving in on me.

“Because you flew all this way to whine in my face, and you haven’t let me go since you pulled me off the bed a few minutes ago.” I lean up, my mouth barely a breath away from his. “Isn’t it cute how frustrated I make you?”

“No, it isn’t in anyway endearing.” He frowns letting me go, but still not moving.

“I’m sure it isn’t. You go out of your way to act intimidating, to me, and for some reason it doesn’t work.”

Jutting my chin up to him, he is suddenly pulled back and his body lands on the bed behind him. Bouncing on the bed as I use my magic to force his limbs down. Snapping my fingers, his mouth clenches shut, even though his lips practically melted together he still tries to scream.

“Calm down,” I say and crawl over him. “I’m not going to assault you.”

I straddle him, my hips square over his and I lean forward propping my chin up on my hand as I lean on his chest. He glares up at me.

“Demethos I have no intention of hurting you. Honestly I don’t. But you make it really hard to be a team player when you keep questioning everything I do. That whole party thing was me getting you back for chasing me through the sky the other day.”

He grunts but can’t say much else. I hum as I move up his torso. Practically sitting on his stomach as I stare down at him.

“Jadious says you feel for me.” I say. “Whether it’s animosity or desire, I don’t think even you know. But when you figure it out, let me know so I can act accordingly. All this hot and cold between us is leaving me very confused.” Sitting up again tapping rhythmically on his chest, I sigh.

“Y’know had you not been engaged, had you not been such a prick, I wouldn’t mind f*****g you.” I say honestly staring him down to gauge his reaction.

“But I won’t.”

I snap my fingers again and his mouth comes undone. He lets out a slow breath and his eyes move up to the ceiling.

“Let me go now Reaper.” He says.

After a beat I nod. Tugging on his shirt, effortlessly pulling him up to sitting. He rolls his shoulders trying to regain control of his body again.

“Feel free to tell all your friends how terrifying and unlikeable I am.” I say, exhaustion digging into my bones. “I want to ensure I have no one from your kingdom talking to me. Don’t want anyone else pulling another Myria.”

My hand reaching for the door knob to let him out, but the door quickly slams shut again and I see His Majesty’s hand holding the door closed.

I feel his breath on my neck.

“There is a strong chance that what I feel for you is a fluke of some kind. Jadious is mistaken and you and I could never be a thing.”

I turn to face him.

“Then why when I sat on you just now, did your heart start racing?” I ask tilting my head to the side. “Why did I feel your d**k through your pants get hard?”

I knew even in the darkness, he was best red.

“That’s just the body reacting-“

“What ever you do or don’t do with those thoughts of me in your head, I couldn’t care less. The only thing I need from you is your cooperation to bring Mathis down. Then I’ll be gone, like you never saw me.” I say.

He states at me, wordlessly watching me with a unreadable expression.

“f**k,” I say. “Too bad you’re taken.”