Chapter 20
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule twenty: Avoid accidentally desecrating human remains.
Icy water swallows me.
I thrash wildly, trying to claw my way back to the surface, but the more I struggle, the more hands grab me.
The murky depths are cast in a silvery glow from the Reaper threads still clinging to my hand, revealing a scene beyond my wildest nightmares. The once lifeless corpses are now very much sentient, their milky eyes locked on me as they swarm.
A scream gets lodged in my throat.
They’re dragging me down. And no matter how much I fight, no matter how many sinewy fingers I manage to pry off me, more slither into their place.
Clammy bodies bump against mine, and soon, there are so many that I lose track of which way is up. Water burns my sinuses, but I keep trying to twist out of their grip.
I did not come this far to be eaten by water zombies.
My lungs are starting to burn. This isn’t working.
I don’t know if you can reap an undead body, but I am absolutely willing to try. I stop struggling, and am about to call on more power, only to pause as the undead hands immediately release me. There’s a slick film left in their wake that makes my skin crawl.
Spinning, I try to find the surface, but all I can see is a sea of bodies. They press in on me from all directions. It’s impossible to find my way out.
I try to tug one aside, but spongy hands push against mine, lightly pushing me away.
Claustrophobia mounting, I decide I’m out of time and call on more of my Reaper power. The threads start to multiply.
A corpse’s face appears only inches from mine, startling me. My silver threads stutter.
His light hair floats around him like a halo as he shakes his head, his brow furrowed in what disturbingly looks like worry.
He’s mouthing something.
I frown, my mind growing foggy. His mouth moves again, slower this time, but I still can’t make out what he’s saying.
Maybe he doesn’t want to be reaped?
Sorry, buddy, I don’t want to join your undead cult.
The corpse grabs my arm, just as the threads dancing over my hands glow brighter. The moment we make contact, a piercing shout echoes through my mind, as though someone is screaming in my ear. “Hide! He’s coming!”
He releases me, jabbing a finger toward my light as he urgently shakes his head.
The fire in my lungs is getting worse. I need to find air.
The wide, dead eyes turn pleading.
I look around, desperate, only to find the other corpses are wearing the same expression, some bordering on distraught.
Unease unfurls inside my gut. I’m definitely going to die down here.
Resigned, I pull back my power.
The darkness consumes me.
Something cold and firm bumps against my leg, but I don’t have any air left to scream. Still, nothing grabs me. I take that as a promising sign that the undead aren’t the biggest threat.
Layers of my dress billow around me, and I try to feel the direction it’s floating, hoping that’s the surface.
Each beat of my heart feels like an eternity, as I stare into the darkness.
Finally, I see it. A faint light, only visible through small gaps in the now lifeless limbs of dozens of corpses above me.
Someone is holding an orb over the watery crypt, searching.
Leon.
I don’t move. I don’t even dare to blink.
My body is screaming at me to breathe, and I remind myself that I was able to hold my breath for ages at dinner the other day.
Immortals probably can’t even drown. Or maybe we have better lung capacity? Either way, I’m ready to risk it.
Another moment, and the faint light disappears. Still, I count to two hundred before daring to bring back the slightest thread of my Reaper power. Hopefully, he’s moved on to searching other parts of the castle.
The dim light illuminates the same pale-haired corpse that warned me of Leon’s arrival. Briefly, I consider giving him a thumbs-up in thanks, but I really would like to find air sooner rather than later.
Just as I flex my arms to swim to the surface, he takes hold of my hand. I startle as I watch the silver thread curl over onto his lifeless fingers.
My jaw drops. Water fills my mouth.
“Do not be afraid.”
The voice is inside my head again, but it isn’t Cassandra. It’s a man.
The chatty corpse stares at me knowingly, and I nod – or maybe convulse. Honestly, I can’t tell.
“Follow me,” he continues, and the wisps of my Reaper power fully leave me, twining into a glowing sphere before settling in the undead man’s hand.
He starts to swim away before I have a chance to wonder whether I’ve been robbed. Notably, he’s swimming away from the surface, and he’s taking my light with him.
I hesitate for a moment, torn between following him and my body’s desperate need for oxygen. Coming to a decision, I mentally mutter my battle cry.
Fuck it.
Thus far, dead people have been the least of my troubles.
I follow.
He swims deeper into the gloom, and thankfully, the other corpses move out of the way, ensuring I can follow. He doesn’t swim for long before he stops, waiting for me to reach him. He’s waiting by a crack in the stone wall. It’s only a few feet high and not much wider.
Dismayed, I watch as he slips into the hole, taking my light with him.
Nope, not happening. This is my spooky limit for the day.
Apparently, the corpses disagree. Three of the undead are waiting behind me, blocking my path to the surface. I only have a second to frown before they grab me and shove me into the hole.
Jagged stones scrape against my skin, and panic claws at my throat as my skirts snag on a sharp corner.
I’m stuck.
It’s too tight to turn around. I try to push myself back out, only for more hands to clamp down on my feet and legs.
They’re not letting me out. My vision darkens as I claw at the stone, fighting to get free.
Icy fingers clamp down on my wrist and pull. Their grip is unrelenting, and it feels like my arm is being torn from its socket until finally, the fabric tears and the resistance disappears.
I’m yanked forward into a larger space, but I don’t stop fighting. I need to go back the way I came.
The corpse tugs me through the water. They don’t release me until my head breaks the surface.
I try to take a breath, but there’s too much water in my lungs. There’s a stone ledge only a couple of feet away, and I throw myself forward. The stone slams into my chest, and the impact knocks some of the water from my lungs.
Heaving, I pull myself onto dry land.
When I’ve finally stopped retching, I gasp in stagnant air. Small pebbles on the cold, damp ground dig into my skin.
I lie there for a while, trembling, until I finally manage to stand. It’s too dark to see much of anything, since the corpse that stole my light is still underwater.
I shudder. It can stay there.
Tentatively, I try to pull on more Reaper energy, and relief washes over me when the silvery light answers.
Silver lining, at least the corpse didn’t steal all my power.
As my eyes adjust to the dim light, I realize I’m in a small cave. Only I’m not alone. There are five skeletons, slumped against the wall.
Well, that’s foreboding.
Something splashes behind me, and I whirl around. Pale, dead eyes reflect off my light. The corpse that brought me here watches me, only the upper half of his face breaking the surface.
My throat tightens, and I edge back a step.
Big mistake.
The corpse begins crawling out of the water.
More gray-tinged skin breaks the surface, and I watch, horrified, as the creature swings its limbs in jerky motions, struggling to pull itself onto dry land.
Joints snap and bend the wrong way, and his mouth hangs open, locked in an agonized, soundless scream.
He’s in pain.
The realization is enough to jolt me out of my fear, and I cautiously approach him. “Hey, what are you doing? Get back in the water. You… you’re hurting yourself.”
Gently, I push his shoulders, easing him back into the water. He doesn’t resist, but he holds onto my hand, even as he slips back into the murky depths. I try to be subtle as I shift my weight, making it harder for him to tug me back under – just in case.
“We don’t have much time.” His urgent voice echoes in my mind once again.
I frown, torn between being grateful he’s talking at all and annoyed that he’s apparently on a timer. I need answers. “Who are you? What is this place?”
Milky eyes soften slightly beneath the rippling surface. “We’re just like you. Reapers.”
Shocked, I almost jerk back. “What? But how? Reapers haven’t been around for thousands of years. The Council–”
“Need conspired with the nobility of the Underworld Realm. They somehow knew who we were, across every realm. It took less than a day before we were rounded up and killed.” A bitter edge laces his disembodied words.
“But it wasn’t enough to wipe us from the universe.
She had us cursed, to ensure our souls would never separate from our bodies.
We are bound to this pool, to ensure our souls are never reborn. ”
His revelation sends a renewed wave of despair crashing through me. Need was behind the slaughter of every Reaper – and it took her less than a day.
Something wriggles against my hand, distracting me from the enormity of who I’m up against. Glancing down at where the corpse is still holding me, my stomach twists. I’m feeling his skin blacken and decompose.
I try to pull my hand back, but he holds firm.
“Uhm, maybe you should get back in the water?” The stench of rotting flesh permeates the air, and I fight the urge to gag.
His face hardens. “Not yet. Not until we are finished. We need help.”
Tiny holes start to mottle his flesh, and I swallow thickly. “Okay, okay,” I murmur, trying to appease him, even as I lower myself onto the stone, submerging our hands.
“How can I help you?” I ask, when I’m no longer distracted by the feeling of his skin turning into Swiss cheese. “Do you want me to reap your souls?”