Reaper's Hollow: The Complete Series

Chapter 6-2

“They’re definitely gone,” Raven said, her voice cutting through Nat’s thoughts like a heated blade through a block of ice. “Where they’ve gone, we can’t say for sure, but we expect it’s likely to their village.”

“I would think that would be easy enough to establish.” He had his back to her, so rolling his eyes would lose its effect. That didn’t stop him from doing it anyway. “Check the airlines, Raven.”

“Right. Anything else?”

Rather than turn and address her, he dismissed her with a wave of his hand and listened for her footsteps to echo down the hall.

It had been weeks since his failed attempt to take Rune in the woods, and since then he’d had nothing but time: time to reflect, time to regroup, time to regret. He’d been so close, and yet he still wasn’t sure exactly what it was that betrayed him. How had she seen past his defenses to realize he wasn’t Kyle, the person he’d portrayed in order to gain her trust? She shouldn’t have been powerful enough to deduce his actual identity, not until he had brought her to the portal anyhow. And by then, it would’ve been too late. Yet, she had discovered who he was in time to escape. How she’d managed to wield her powers in such a way as to practically knock him senseless was another mystery still.

Clearly, Rune was much stronger than any that had come before her. Once she had completed her training, she would be nearly unstoppable, and regardless of the fact that the Keepers were already outnumbered nearly ten to one, many of the Reapers who occupied the realm of humanity refused to do his father, Azrael’s, bidding. Those who would do as they were asked could only make their way through the portals so quickly. These things took time, something Nat was beginning to realize he was running out of.

There was no question he needed to seek the wisdom of his father, but doing so would mean admitting his defeat, which Nat hadn’t quite come to terms with himself.

He brushed his hand through his unruly dark hair, noticing more strands stuck to his black gloves than usual. What sort of a Reaper allowed the actions of the Keepers to affect them to such a degree that their hair began to fall out? He needed to get a handle on this situation and quickly.

It had helped that Zu was able to convince the Keepers that Nat had taken his cohorts elsewhere once they’d failed to get the girl. It had drawn Cutter and his little band of troublesome elves away from Reaper’s Hollow, which would allow Nat some time to come up with a strategy without harassment. In the meantime, his Reapers would travel further distances to collect the unmarked so as not to give up their location, a minor inconvenience. Nat needed to do something to gain Rune’s attention again—but what?

He gazed out the faux window, watching a raid upon a medieval village. The invaders were Reapers, of course, and they pillaged the fleeing peasants, trampling them in the streets, mutilating their corpses. It was delightful to watch, even if the entire scene was a figment of his imagination. The thought that it could be true was enough to lighten his spirits. He especially liked when the Reapers tormented the children, although he couldn’t see their pathetic little faces without being reminded that Rune had been a school teacher. It seemed everything circled back to her. He was drawn to her like a moth to a blowtorch. If he couldn’t come up with another way to lure her back in soon, he’d travel to his father’s realm, seeking assistance. For now, he’d let the tears of the children calm his nerves. There had to be something that would get her attention, let her know the importance of choosing her father’s side over her mother’s, but what could it be?

A little boy attempted to run into the nearby woods when a Reaper grabbed hold of his arm. As the child began to shriek, Nat couldn’t help but laugh. “It really is too bad this isn’t the way it works and that none of this is real. Oh, that it were….”