Chapter 19 Rui #2
She heard a slippery voice in her ear. “Nothing can bring your mother back. But I can offer you revenge, a chance to make
amends and redeem your sorry little soul.”
Tears stung her eyes. It was all her fault. Her fault for throwing that tantrum. Her fault that her father was now a broken
man. If she hadn’t insisted on going to the Night Market that night, her mother would still be alive.
The visions vanished. But doubt and the guilt remained.
Ten looked triumphant. He knew he’d gotten under her skin. “Would you like me to find the one who killed your mother and hand them over to you to do as you wish?” His words shone down like the sun, and the vicious weed Rui nurtured inside her raised its head.
This was what she wanted.
“Are you sure my mother’s murderer is still alive?”
Ten pulled his gloves back on with the air of someone who knew they’d already won the fight. “The nature of deals is such
that they have conditions that are agreed upon, and each condition must be fulfilled accordingly. There is no deal in which
one side is left empty-handed. I would not have proposed that condition if I knew I would fail to fulfill it.”
“Then I want more,” said Rui. “If I help you find Four, you have to bring me my mother’s murderer and you have to make sure I get my magic back.”
Ten seemed impressed by her boldness. “I could sweeten the deal further—”
“Why?” she said, instantly suspicious.
Ten looked irritated by her interruption. “I might be speaking too soon, but I think I’m growing fond of you, rude little
mortal. So I am willing to throw you another bone. Find my brother and, in return, not only will you have what you just asked
for, but”—he patted Yiran’s cheek—“your friend will also live. Do we have a deal?”
Rui nodded. This time, of her own volition.
“Then a deal has been made,” Ten said with a grand gesture.
“Just like that?” Rui had expected a crash of thunder or something, but nothing happened, and she didn’t feel any different
after making the deal with the King.
“Not everything has to be dramatic, my dear.” Ten smiled. “Death’s touch connects you to the underworld, and it is that connection
that may draw you to my brother.”
“May? You’re not sure of this?”
“All avenues must be explored in this search, and you are but one small tool in the grand scheme of things.”
At least Ten was direct with her, and he didn’t seem to care about her lapse in honorifics. “Where do I start?”
“My brother is likely here in the mortal realm, and there is a chance . . .” Ten paused, looking repulsed. “There is a chance he may be in the form of a human.”
“A human? How’s that possible?” This was getting more absurd. What had she gotten herself into?
“You do not need to know the how or the why to fulfill your task. All you need to know is he is in this city, and I think
you will be able to sense him.”
“You have to give me something better than that. The city’s huge and full of people. I can’t go waltzing down the street,
checking to see if I sense a connection with anyone.”
“Not just anyone. Remember that this mortal houses the soul of a god—it will not be anyone ordinary.”
“It’s someone extraordinary?” Rui frowned. Did he mean— “Someone with a strong spirit core, someone who can do magic?”
“That should whittle your field down. Oh, and one more thing—there is another reason you should hasten your search. A little
incentive, perhaps.”
Ten giggled when Rui made a frustrated sound. She didn’t like the imbalance of power between them. How he was stringing her
along, how he seemed to know everything, and she, nothing at all. Still, if he could find her mother’s murderer . . .
“What incentive?”
“Humans would not treasure life if they knew nothing of death, and death loses its meaning if one never experiences the full
spectrum of life. Life and death exist symbiotically, as do our realms. My brother’s disappearance disrupted this balance.
Our Reapers collect the souls of the departed, and if souls are not ferried safely into my realm, they will linger as spirits
in yours, vulnerable to the Blight. What do you think will happen if my brother is not found?”
Rui swallowed dryly. “More Revenants.”
“Clever girl. Now you know why you need to hurry.” Ten swiped at his arm, as if brushing away invisible hands tugging at him. “Speaking of time, I must leave your world now.” There was an off-color tinge to Ten’s face, a translucency she hadn’t noticed before. He was fading before her eyes.
“Wait! How do I contact you?”
“Focus on your search. I will find you.” The specter of the Tenth King wagged a gloved finger, whispering, “Remember, this
is our little secret. No one else must know of this or the consequences will be grave. We do not want to alert my brother,
or anyone else who may be helping him.”
Ten vanished, and the world was in motion again.
“What are we waiting for?”
Rui yelped in surprise.
Yiran was looking at her quizzically. “Are you okay?”
“I . . . yeah,” she said, unable to take her eyes off him. He seemed perfectly fine and alive, untouched by any death god
magic.
“Well, you’re really pale.” Yiran shrugged off his jacket and held it over her head. “Let’s get you out of the rain and get
those fries you were talking about.”
He made no move to squeeze under his jacket with her, putting her comfort first. Rui was surprised he was capable of such
a chivalrous and kind act.
As they headed for shelter, she pondered over her encounter with Ten. The enormity of her task daunted her. But now, there
was a way to get her magic back and have her vengeance. She glanced sideways at Yiran. And there was a way to save this foolish
boy’s life. Finally, there was some hope in sight.
But first, she had to hunt down a god.