Chapter 26 #2
Reeve cut her off by raising his middle finger, making her temper flare to new heights, until she realized he was tapping his onyx ring—his blackmist talisman.
His eyes then flitted to Braedan, with Viri following his gaze to see her brother was wearing one, too, the dark, silver-runed band gleaming against his black-veined skin.
Suddenly, Viri understood why they both needed them, and that it wasn’t just to survive a trek through the Mistwood—it was so they could escape the blackmist-riddled mountain.
“I never told you how I ended up with one of these,” Reeve said, twisting his ring.
“Remember how I mentioned a teacher who helped me learn to control my magic and avoid burnout? Well, that teacher also possessed a vast collection of magical artifacts, including the original set of talisman rings left by the ancient mages. I was gifted one so I could come and go safely from the mountain, and as soon as I was able to, I stole the rest to give to Brae, Jonas, Sage, and Ardin so they could do the same.”
Reluctantly, Viri could admit that his explanation made sense. But she still wasn’t convinced about everything else he was telling her. He, however, wasn’t close to being done.
“I know you must have a thousand questions,” Reeve said, “but for now, the main thing you need to know is that it’s the Reaper Lord—not Braedan—who has been abducting the kids and plans to use the Aurora sacrifice to destroy the obelisks.
We found out months ago”—he gestured to himself and Braedan again—“and together with Sage, Ardin, and Jonas, we’ve been doing everything we can to stop it. You already knew that part.”
“You left out any mention of working with him.” Viri’s eyes speared back to Braedan, who remained so still that she wondered if the Guardian had frozen him with magic.
“As I said before, you wouldn’t have believed me,” Reeve returned, then continued before she could say she still didn’t.
“Throughout the ages, there hasn’t always been a Reaper Lord like there’s been a Reaper Priest, but when someone comes along with enough power, they’re granted the title and given leadership over Diaboros.
” He paused. “The current Reaper Lord is unimaginably powerful, someone who can use siphoned ellixen to perform magic—a reaper who is also a mage. That’s why Brae was desperate enough to come here and use his wish to—”
“Reapers can’t be mages,” Viri interrupted, before remembering who she was talking to and quickly adding, “Not by using siphoned ellixen.” It was common knowledge that reapers couldn’t access the magic they stole for anything outside their physical body.
Heightened senses, speed, strength, healing, longer lifespan—that was the extent of their abilities.
She’d hunted enough of them to know that for sure, as had every other hunter throughout history.
“The Reaper Lord isn’t like other reapers,” Reeve said, his dark tone making it clear how he felt about the supposed leader of all reapers.
“That would be my fault,” the Guardian interjected smoothly. “The current Reaper Lord learned how to control and use ellixen from me.” He coughed and murmured, “Among other things.”
All eyes turned to the purple-robed man. Even Braedan and Reeve looked surprised by his admission.
“A magewish,” Viri breathed in realization. “You granted a wish to the Reaper Lord.”
The Guardian’s handsome face was impossible to read, though shadows crept behind his blue eyes.
“Yes and no. But that’s a story for another time, so”—he waved his hand and a roaring fireplace full of green flames appeared in the stone wall between two windows that overlooked the moonlit Mistwood, all materializing out of nothing—“please do continue. This is the most entertainment I’ve had in years.
” Another wave produced four golden velvet armchairs before the magical fire.
“Shall we get comfortable? I can summon tea?”
Viri pressed her lips together to keep from telling him where he could shove his tea.
Reeve cleared his throat and got them back on track, none of them moving toward the chairs.
“Brae came here intending to use his magewish to kill the Reaper Lord and stop the sacrifice, but what he didn’t know was that, because of the Reaper Lord’s innate power—and how much ellixen has been siphoned over the years to augment that power—in the event of the Reaper Lord’s death, all that magic would explode out in an uncontrollable surge.
That surge would be strong enough to pierce the blackmist surrounding Diaboros, allowing a city’s worth of reapers to escape and swarm Aravell.
That’s why you and I had to intercept Brae—because while the Reaper Lord’s death would save the kids and keep the obelisks intact, it would also leave Aravell overrun by reapers who are desperate for fresh sources of ellixen.
Children and adults—they won’t discriminate; they’ll siphon from anyone with the smallest lick of magic, killing without prejudice. ”
His features were tight as he finished, “None of this is good, but at least now we still have until the comet arrives to stop the Reaper Lord in a way that won’t risk freeing the reapers trapped in Diaboros. It’s not ideal, but it’s the lesser of two evils and our best chance at saving Aravell.”
He trailed off into silence, leaving Viri to stare at him. Then stare at Braedan. Even stare at the Guardian. Everything she’d just learned swirled around her mind, until she came to the only conclusion that would keep her from vomiting all over the shiny stone floor.
“I don’t believe you,” she said hoarsely.
Whether or not the Reaper Lord and Diaboros existed, she could look into that later.
Sarielle, Meera, Darik…someone would have to know, and if it turned out to be true, she would act on it—with them.
Reeve’s performance was convincing, and much of what he’d said answered questions she’d had for a long time, but she couldn’t simply accept his explanation without confirming it with those she trusted, and that would have to wait.
For now, there was something else she needed to do before she risked losing her chance forever, a mission that had consumed her for the last seven years: to bring vengeance upon the Reaper Priest.
For the first time since he’d killed their parents, Braedan stood mere feet away, and she knew it was a matter of seconds before he decided to fight or flee.
She wouldn’t allow either. In all the years she’d been hunting him, she’d always dreamed of catching him and throwing him in the Underlock, but she’d also never felt as if that would be enough.
Death was out of the question—it was much too easy.
She wanted him to suffer, to feel the same pain that she and his other victims felt, with it torturing him every day for the rest of his miserable life while he wasted away somewhere deep and dark until his final breath.
She’d never known how to make that happen before—but now there was an opportunity before her that was too good to resist.
Before anyone could stop her, Viri turned to the Guardian and declared, “I want to make my magewish. I wish for—”
“I’m sorry, Viridia Solace,” he interrupted, his knowledge of her name making her jolt in surprise, “but I can only allow one wish per person, and you’ve already used yours.”
Viri’s brow creased into a frown. “No, I haven’t. It was Reeve who made the wish earlier.”
“I’m not referring to tonight,” the Guardian said, summoning a steaming mug out of thin air with a flick of his fingers. “You used your wish seven years ago.”
Viri’s frown deepened. “What are you talking about? I’ve never even met you before.”
The Guardian sipped his tea, seeming amused. “We’ve met twice, actually,” he said. “Though the first time, you were too young to remember. And the second…” He made a humming sound. “Well, you’ve forgotten because you asked to forget. That was your wish—and I granted it.”