Chapter 10 Peter #2
Peter rolled his eyes. “I stayed to help put her bed together while she slept alone.”
“That was very thoughtful of you; I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.” Lucy smirked.
“Don’t sound so surprised,” Peter said, wanting to change the subject. “Anyway, Mrs Crawford mentioned Ian could be banished from Foxford, and if he tries to come after Faye, he could be reported to the Order, since he would no longer be a citizen of Foxford.”
“If banishment doesn’t deter him, we can request assistance from the Order, yes – but getting the Order involved is risky. Our citizens might not like hunters lurking on the edge of our borders, even if it’s for a good reason,” Lucy said, staring at him like he had two heads.
“No one has to know about the Order’s involvement,” Peter suggested.
“There’s no way news involving the Order would stay quiet in Foxford, especially since the coven would have to vote on whether or not to involve them,” Lucy countered. “Besides, this is all hypothetical; Ian would have to break the banishment order first.”
“I don’t like the idea of Faye having to be in danger because we didn’t act fast enough,” Peter fretted.
“I feel like you have a specific plan here. Can we skip to the part where you tell me exactly what you have in mind?” Lucy said bluntly.
“Emerson works for the Order,” Peter said.
“He’s in academics. He doesn’t deal with hunters or the persecution of magical creatures that harm non-magical people.”
“He would know hunters, some who might be willing to track down a dangerous vampire,” Peter said. “Unofficially.”
Lucy hesitated, digesting what he was really saying. “You want me to ask Emerson if he knows any hunters who might be willing to take out Ian?”
“I can’t intervene with the living,” Peter said.
“So, this would be my idea to protect Faye,” Lucy said.
Peter nodded.
“If it got out that, as High Priestess, I sanctioned the assassination of a banished member of our sanctuary with the Orders’ hunters, the coven and our community would lose all trust in me. We’ve moved past the days of killing without trial.”
“Ian has tortured her for years—”
“My hesitation isn’t to protect Ian, but her. If a hunter goes after Ian, they’ll torture him to find out every detail about what he’s done. To confirm Ian is telling the truth, the hunter might come for Faye and interrogate her.”
Peter stared at his boots. He hadn’t considered that.
“You’ve been trying to get Ian away from her for months. Why?” Lucy asked.
“I just want her to be happy and safe.” He shrugged.
“We all do, but I’m surprised you’re willing to work with hunters to protect Faye. The same hunters who work for the Order who sentenced your father to death,” Lucy pressed.
Peter ran his hands through his hair. Silence hung between them.
“She’s a collection,” Lucy said sadly.
Peter refused to look at her.
“You’ve been assigned to collect her soul, and now you’re trying to stop it.”
“I can’t talk about assignments, you know that.”
“That’s not a no.”
Peter clenched his fists. “I can’t intervene, but certain choices can result in different outcomes.”
“Have you not learned that you can’t alter fate, trick death?” Lucy asked softly.
“She isn’t dead yet.”
Lucy let out a long sigh. “You can’t tell me any details?”
He shook his head.
“I’ll talk with Emerson and see if he knows anyone who can talk to Ian,” she conceded. “He might know someone who can frighten him into complying with the banishment orders without involving the Order.”
“Thank you,” Peter said, hating to put this task on her.
“Don’t thank me. Faye is under my protection,” Lucy said, but she didn’t sound pleased.
This was why Reapers didn’t tell the living that death was coming.
It put a weight on their shoulders that they could do nothing about.
“Promise me you won’t try and alter fate.
If your soul is destroyed for breaking Reaper law and your family finds out I helped, they would never forgive me. ”
“I promise,” Peter said.
Lucy didn’t look convinced. “I mean it. Losing you nearly destroyed them once.”
“I promise, if the day comes when I’m meant to collect, I’ll do as I’m charged,” Peter promised. “But if we can buy her some time, not stop fate but slow it down, would that be so terrible?”
Lucy sighed.
“One last thing,” Peter said.
She looked him in the eye. “What?”
“No one can know we had this conversation – no one. I hate making you keep a secret from Benedict. Still, you could be in trouble if it becomes known you’re colluding with a Reaper to prevent a collection.”
“I won’t tell a soul, but Benedict’s already suspicious of your recent behaviour. Though he thinks you’re in love with Faye, not trying to save her life.”
“Both could be true,” Peter confessed.
Lucy let out a sad chuckle. “Oh God, this isn’t going to end well.”
“We don’t know that.”
“I understand how you must be feeling. If I was assigned to collect Benedict’s soul, I’d flood the world first,” Lucy told him, looking as stressed as he felt. “Now, go away. I’ll reach out to Emerson, and I should be able to draft the banishment order and ensure the coven approves it by tonight.”
“Thank you. I know this is a lot to ask.”
“I should have let the knights take your head,” Lucy joked, cutting the tension.
Peter laughed. “Just think how dull life would be without me.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” Lucy said, getting up. She gave him a quick hug, catching him off-guard. Before he could say anything else, the vault door closed behind her.
“You missed your collection this morning,” Gregory said, smelling the flowers on the windowsill outside the library.
Shit. Peter stilled on the steps.
“I’m sorry.” Peter faced his mentor and was greeted with a cold, disappointed gaze.
Talking with Lucy had caused him to lose track of time; he felt sorry for the poor soul he had abandoned in their final moments.
Not being present at the moment of death was cruel, as it offered no solace or comfort in those final moments.
The soul would be left to wander the earth until, and if, another Reaper completed the collection.
“What’s the first rule I taught you?” Gregory said coldly.
“Never leave a soul waiting,” Peter said, glad Gregory had found him here instead of at Stoker’s. From the couple passing in the street giving him an odd look, his mentor had decided to remain invisible to others. Peter cloaked himself so it wouldn’t look like he was talking to thin air.
“I’m sorry. I was in the vault and lost track of time.
The protections in the tunnels messed with my senses.
” Peter knew it was a pathetic excuse. Gregory wasn’t one to drop by for visits; he preferred spending his days training new Reapers, so Peter was in trouble if he was here.
“Here to visit Lucinda? She’s inside and would love to see you,” he added, trying to distract him by mentioning his grand-niece.
Gregory’s family had lived in Foxford for generations, but he preferred not to get too close.
“I was waiting for you,” Gregory replied, not taking the bait. “You’ve never missed a collection in ten years. I thought something might have happened to you.”
“I’m sorry about this morning, but it won’t happen again,” Peter said, wishing he had made his collection before talking to Lucy. It was sloppy, and the last thing he needed was his mentor checking on him.
“You’re being reassigned,” Gregory said bluntly, heading down the steps.
“What are you talking about? Foxford is mine,” Peter protested, following.
“Foxford is still your jurisdiction,” Gregory clarified.
“However, you need to return to Purgatory for a time for some perspective. Before you argue, I watched you leave Ms Parker’s café this morning.
You know there are strict laws about the living and the dead.
I don’t want to see you make a mistake, to be demoted and sent back to the administration.
You were on the verge of a breakdown when I pulled you from soul sorting, and you’ve come so far to go back now.
I spoke up for you with the other Reapers.
Given how you came to us, the higher-ups thought it was too soon for you to be promoted to collections and that you needed another decade or two to adjust. Still, I put my reputation on the line and convinced them that you were just a misguided kid who had made a mistake in his grief and could be trusted.
You collected souls without incident for ten years, and now you want me to believe this slip-up is merely a coincidence? ”
“I’m grateful you took that risk for me. I appreciate you assigning me to Foxford and trusting me. But I’ve proved my worth time and time again. I’ve halved my sentence of ten thousand souls. I’ve been serving without complaint or a single infraction,” Peter argued.
“Until now,” Gregory countered. “You can’t change Faye’s destiny, and getting so close to her will only complicate things when the time comes. I can assign her to another Reaper if it’s too hard for you.”
“No,” Peter snapped, too quickly. “I don’t need you to reassign her. I don’t want a stranger by her side when her time comes. Faye trusts me and deserves to find peace with someone who cares for her.”
Gregory hesitated, standing outside the tarot shop as he stared in at Grams. Peter guessed he missed his sister, but he didn’t go in. Peter wished he had his restraint, but feared that was the point Gregory was trying to make.
“For Ms Parker’s sake, I’ll leave her in your care, but I’m assigning you back to soul sorting until I believe you can be trusted.”
“Gregory—”
“It’s for your own good. You’ll report back to Purgatory with me immediately.”
The thought of returning to a desk job made Peter dizzy. Still, if that was what he had to do to show Gregory he could be trusted, he would smile and nod until Gregory believed Faye wasn’t a threat to his soul.
“Can’t I say goodbye?”
“You’re proving my point. Faye shouldn’t even know to miss you,” Gregory reasoned.
Peter hated abandoning her, but Lucy and the others would protect her.
He glanced across the square toward Stoker’s before following Gregory back to Purgatory.
He had to prove that he hadn’t gone rogue before he could return.
All he could do was hope that Faye would forgive him for disappearing without a word.