Chapter 38 Ban #2
“Elsie,” I say sternly, cutting her off by taking her hands in mine. She’s dangerously close to a breakdown. “We will take care of it. I think you should go downstairs now and be with your mother, your family.”
She hesitates, glancing between us. Her eyes look into the room once more before she jerks her head away, gripping the banister, and rushes downstairs.
When I blow out a breath, I eye Tom. His spirit stays silent, only watching. I’ve seen spirits argue about Death, as though there’s a way to barter their way back to life. Tom is resigned, but with Neve here, I’m not sure what I want to say.
“Here,” Neve says, interrupting before I have to find the words.
“I can do this for you.” After sweeping into the room, she gently closes Tom’s eyes.
One is burned at the edges, giving her a little trouble but she works at it until both his eyes are forever closed.
I linger behind her by Tom’s feet, simply staring into the room.
Neve’s become so accustomed to Death, it doesn’t even bother her.
She screamed her heart out in the mountains for her father to listen, but now, she seems resigned.
When she looks up, her eyes are completely frozen, so blue they nearly glow.
She stands and squares her shoulders before speaking.
“There. Now he can rest. I assume he’s with you? ”
I glance toward Tom, wondering if Neve really can see more than she realizes. “He is.”
Nodding, she freezes a layer of ice over her hands before letting it slide off, shaking her hands once it’s free.
Kind of like washing her hands, a trick I’ve used a time or two.
“Well, Elsie was right. He should be buried. He’s big, Ban.
It would be hard for anyone without magic to move him from this floor. ”
I grimace, still avoiding Tom. “I already thought about that. If Elsie can point us in the right direction, we can move him to the gravesite pretty easily. Within the next ten minutes if she likes.”
“That fast?” she asks, startled. “Didn’t he just… die?”
Sighing, I look toward Tom. He hesitates, then nods, like he’s adjusting to me being the only one who can see where he is.
“Yes,” I reply, answering Neve’s question.
“About an hour or so ago. Zarev and Lucius will likely be up soon. We’ll have to discuss what to do about Ray, and who’s going to look for him.
” An idea hits me, something from years ago when there was last a tragedy in Ray’s home.
“Actually, go tell Lucius to have everyone talk with Lymara. Her fire magic is enchanting enough that it will distract the younger ones for a time. I’m sure Zarev or Lucius can provide any answers about why the family should stay away if asked. ”
“Because you’re going to move him,” Neve clarifies.
I nod. “If they want to say goodbye, they can. But that’s partially what the grave is for. So the living can have a place to visit the dead.”
“And… why will the family care about Lymara instead of Tom?”
“Lymara used to come here occasionally,” I say with a chuckle. “She does tricks with her fire magic, nothing terribly powerful, but enough to be entertaining. Ray’s siblings love it. And if everyone goes outside, the children will pay a little less attention when we move Tom.”
“Shouldn’t you ask Dahlia about this?” Neve asks seriously. “Instead of the troubled sister who just lost her big brother?”
Looking away, I focus on Thomas’ body again. Even though he’s still now, those burns make it clear he didn’t die peacefully. “No. If Ray were here, Dahlia would defer to her son for something like this. And Ray would want his brother to find peace.”
Neve sighs, and if she has more protests, she stifles them for now. “Fine. But I don’t think anyone likes me down there. I might not be the right person for redirection.”
“Elsie is stubborn,” I admit. “She’s always been one to take charge, even if she isn’t the oldest. It was her suggestion. She’ll follow if you lead.”
Seeming uncertain, it takes another moment before Neve turns toward me. She wraps her arms around me, burying her head into my shoulder, and I sweep my fingertips down her back. The chill of the frost beneath her skin grounds me to the present, and I kiss the top of her head.
“Let me know when you need me,” she says finally, pulling back. “I’ll kick the other two Reapers up here if they don’t move fast enough.”
As she leaves, I give Tom my full attention. He’s standing near the wall, looking resigned. His gaze flickers between his body, me, and back again. “Thank you for burying me.”
“It’s what Ray would want, and I know it’s what you need too. We’ll take care of it.”
“And then…” The spirit swallows, staring down at his hands. “Then it’s time to go?”
“Yes,” I reply, questions about Tom in my dream fading to the background. “Then it’ll be time to pass on.”
~~~
It takes a few hours for the family to come up in groups, say their goodbyes to Tom, and return downstairs to repeat the cycle.
Odette appears toward the end, guiding Rapunzel, and peers between the three of us.
With six bodies crammed into this little room, plus Tom’s spirit, it’s a bit suffocating. “I’m coming, too.”
“When we’re done moving Tom,” Zarev corrects. “You can’t move through the shadows. You’ll be in the way.”
“I know where the grave is,” Odette interrupts, lifting her chin. She’s a stubborn little thing when she’s pissed, and I like this side of her. “I’ll take you so the family doesn’t have to go until Tom is buried. They’re all outside with Lymara.”
Glancing at Lucius and Zarev, they don’t seem to have any complaints. It’s probably better than dragging Elsie into the mess. She was distraught enough when she came upstairs with the triplets to say goodbye. “Fine.”
“And Rapunzel’s coming, too,” Odette continues, wrapping her arm around the princess’s shoulders before glaring at us. “She needs closure. We’ll hurry ahead on foot. It’s not far when you aren’t choking on smoke.”
Thinning my lips, I can already see the gears turning in Odette’s head.
She’s going to help us lay Tom to rest because he’s Ray’s brother, but she’s still determined to go find him.
She’s doing a good job setting things up so there’s no way she’s left behind if one of us takes off to go looking for him.
“Where’s Neve?” I ask curiously.
“Distracting the family with Lymara,” Rapunzel says in that same, flat voice.
Lucius twitches at her words, and I can’t imagine why he would care so much about what she’s saying.
Maybe he’s mad at Lymara, as usual. “She never even came inside. Neve went out to talk to her; she pulled out that candelabra, and the family slowly funneled out to watch. They’re doing tricks with their magic. It’s a nice distraction.”
Lucius shifts uncomfortably, and if I didn’t know better, I would think he’s more interested in what Rapunzel is saying than Zarev is.
But it’s Zarev who speaks. “I’ll take you two through the shadows ahead of them.
That way there’s no wait time, and the family won’t see you running off.
The grave should be nice and ready when they finally come to see him. ”
Glancing toward Tom, it looks like the spirit agrees. As far as souls go, he’s pretty subdued.
“Fine,” Odette says, crossing her arms. “Good thing it’s close, or your little powers wouldn’t be able to bring two people along.”
Zarev winces at the dig, walking over to the two of them. He places one hand on Odette’s shoulder, the other wrapping around Rapunzel who tucks herself into his side. “It’s been such a pleasure traveling all over Mystica with you, Odette.”
They shadow hop away, out of sight. I turn to Tom. “Follow the pull of your body. Your death is fresh, so it’ll be easy for you to find us. We’re not going far. Once we’re away from the family… we can send you on.”
Tom nods, looking between us. “Thank you.”
He disappears, either to get a head start or to gaze at his family one last time. Sighing, I drop down beside Tom’s body, pressing a hand to his arm. Lucius is supposed to help me so we don’t jostle the corpse too much. “Well, are you coming?”
Lucius kneels, tucking his wings back. The sword clangs against the ground, and he looks toward me. “That girl… You said her name is Rapunzel?”
“Yes” I reply, brows furrowing. He’s oddly curious. Most of the time, he doesn’t have anything to say about new people. “You do realize she’s with Zarev?”
“No, it’s nothing like that,” he says, brows pinching. “She just… Her voice is familiar, but I don’t think I’ve met her before.”
“Zarev only recently met her, so I doubt it.”
Still looking perplexed, Lucius nods toward Tom. “Right. Let’s do this. I’ll follow you, and you find Zarev’s shadows.”
That’s the plan for navigating anytime we chase each other.
Reapers give off a different type of shadow magic, so when we’re tucked into the darkness, it’s easy to sense where another Reaper is if they are close by.
Theoretically, since Zarev should be close, we’ll be able to arrive at the grave site with one shadow hop.
After slipping into the darkness, I feel Lucius’s magic weighing mine down as he tags along, Tom’s body tucked between the two of us. It really does take just one hop, and then we’re sitting on new grass with the trio opposite us.
Zarev must be using some type of magic, because the grave is already halfway dug. I stand once we arrive, shoving ice into the space Zarev has already partially dug out, pushing the dirt from beneath with the block I’ve formed. In a matter of seconds, the grave is ready to go.
Without Neve present, everyone here is able to see spirits. Odette and Rapunzel laser in on Tom, who lingers behind us as we use the shadows to lift the body.
“You’re okay with this?” Odette asks, as we lay Tom in the dirt. It feels wrong, reminding me of preparing Jacob’s body long ago.