Chapter 32 #2
Grim’s face remained clean of any judgment.
“Common in child rippers. Instead of ripping and transmuting, you just returned it to the sender. You might not be able to do that unless in mortal danger—like I said, most rippers have specific sources they tend to draw from. Working with us will give you control, though.” His eyes darkened.
“And then you can break their bones on purpose if they try to harm you.”
Still uncomfortable, she voiced another question. “What do you think I’ll be able to do?”
Anxiety rushed through her. She just wanted to be able to protect herself again. She hated being the weakest one in a fight.
Maya’s grin was vicious. “We’ll dabble in the areas I think you’re most likely to excel in.”
“Such as?” she asked warily.
“Nature and death, obviously. We’ll start with plants and work our way to necromancy.”
Her stomach bottomed out now. “Necromancy,” she repeated.
Grim grunted in dissent. “Not necromancy. Anything but necromancy. You don’t see Aidan running around abusing his chthonic powers or bringing corpses back to life. He keeps them here where they belong.” Elysia was pretty sure he said something about a rule-breaking degenerate under his breath.
Maya's face flattened. “While your domain remains the harvesting and transport of souls, his is the entirety of death and the dead, and you would do well to remember it. He simply hides it—likely because of your hypocritical disdain. How do you think your reapers are made? There would be no reapers without Aidan calling them into new undead life. He’s so ashamed, he doesn’t even look at your reaper choices.
He plunges his hands in the dirt, calls them, and leaves. ”
“That’s not—”
But Maya was already breezing past Grim’s protests. “Okay, first things first, you need to improve your ability to immediately find and rip magic from your surroundings. We’ll start easy. I’m going to hide several highly magical objects, and your job is to find them.”
Elysia nodded.
“Once you’ve collected them, we’ll practice ripping.”
She picked at a loose thread in the rug. “Do you think if I get better at this, I could find the talisman?” She’d tried every evening since coming to Aidan’s realm, and every time she failed.
Grim looked at her intently. “You’ve been trying to subvert the death voyage?”
She turned to him. “Who’s to say that isn’t a part of my death voyage? I was told to find the talisman—we don’t have time for the fates to decide I’m suddenly worthy of a grand reveal. Of course, I’ve tried. I’ve tried every day,” she muttered.
Something shone in Maya’s eyes at this. “You haven’t felt anything when you try?”
She shook her head. “It’s like slamming into a brick wall.”
“They’re blocking you then. Likely snipping any threads that would allow you to find it.” Her face settled into harsh determination. “No matter. There are ways around that.”
“This is the shit you both can’t be doing. This is why you have a babysitter, Maya.” He turned to Elysia. “And you, don’t fuck directly with the fates. That’s how we got in this godsdamn mess in the first place. If you want to push back, it has to be thoughtful and planned.”
Elysia cocked her head. “We’re in this mess because Aidan made a stupid deal with Garrison.”
Grim’s face tightened along with his posture, but he said nothing. His dark eyes fastened onto her though, telling her she didn’t have the story quite right.
Elysia nodded to herself. It sounded like the conversation Aidan didn’t want to have was becoming more and more pressing.
He had explained his role in the Fall of Kava, taking the blame without hesitation or pause.
She never sensed any deceit when he spoke about the deal with Garrison, but like most things, maybe it was more complicated than its appearance.
Then again, maybe that was wishful thinking.
Because no matter how much she was attracted to him, she’d be lying if she said that his past wasn't an obstacle for her. A glaring obstacle. He was the reason her kingdom and people were dying. The reason her sister was sick. Fresh guilt constricted her. It was too easy to forget what he had done when she was near him. He’d done her a favor in withdrawing, and she needed to remember that.
Maya snapped her fingers to get Elysia’s attention. The ledger, scissors, and hourglass disappeared, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. Handing Elysia a tiny brass bell, she instructed her. “Find all three objects and then ring the bell.”
With that, she exited, leaving Elysia staring at Grim with her mouth half-open. Okay… Apparently, Maya was more of a sink or swim type of teacher. Unsurprising, really. She smiled tentatively at Grim. “Want to come along?”
Grim pressed up to standing, looking like he knew this was a bad idea. “I told Aidan she couldn’t handle mentoring anyone.”
Elysia took a seat on the stiff floral couch. Bad idea or not, Maya was the only one who had even bothered to explain her magic to her.
“I’m going to look for the hourglass first.” She paused, twisting to find him gripping the back of a deep-seated velour chair. “You’ve seen what can happen when I search for sources right? It’s been better, but I don’t want you to be surprised if I go into a trance.”
He nodded seriously. “We may not know each other well yet, but we’re going to be in each other’s lives for a very, very long time. It’s my job to have your back. You can trust me on that.”
Tension left her at his words. Grim might not be the life of the party, but she could see why he was Aidan’s right hand. She’d take his loyalty and common sense over frivolity any day. Rubbing her palms on her thighs, she answered the blunt, but strangely sweet reaper.
“That means a lot. Thank you.”
She closed her eyes and envisioned the bronze hourglass and its white sand as she sent her magic out through the Deathlands.
Seconds passed, and then there was a snag, her attention narrowing to a single spot.
She tried to send herself into that pinprick of space, to see where it was, but as usual, there was a hook behind her navel, prompting her to her feet.
She stood, hurrying out the door and through the halls of the house with Grim trailing closely behind her.
Grabbing a coat, she left the house, boots pointed at the woods.
A haunting, mournful song played in her ear.
In all the times she’d sought a secret or source, there had never been anything like the sighing, soulful cry reverberating inside her now.
She stumbled on her feet, racing over the soggy Bonewoods floor.
She didn’t notice the gothic white fingers scraping upward, or the small branches snagging on her wool coat.
Unlike in Kava, she wasn’t ruled by the magic, but nonetheless, it bore down on her, demanding she listen and take note of what it told her.
They reached a small stone bridge that crossed over a stream to an enclave.
Grim’s large hand grabbed hold of the back of her coat, bringing her to a sudden stop on the bridge.
His chest worked beneath the slim, flexible jacket all the reapers wore when on duty.
Irrationally, she wanted to throw herself out of his grasp and sprint ahead.
They were close, and the magic pulled as the music vibrated within her body now.
“What?” she snapped, her gaze already looking ahead over the bridge even as he held on.
Grim’s grip didn’t loosen as he forced her to look at him. “Eyes, focus.”
She blew air out of her nose, sending her gaze to his. “Yes?” Her tone was still short, but she was listening.
“Up ahead, all you’ll find is graves.”
Annoyed, she shook him off. “Everyone’s dead here. Why would there be graves?”
His expression faltered before hardening. “It’s everyone who didn’t pass the death voyage in time.”
“In time?”
He stared off past her. “Some people run out of time. Or never earn the talisman. It’s all the same in the end. If the fates don’t decide to make you a goddess, you end up here.”
Her brows rose as well as her temper as she connected what he was saying back to the item Maya had sent her here to find. Her voice went deathly low.
“Are you telling me that the hourglass SHOWS HOW LONG I HAVE TO LIVE?” Her yelling echoed out through the woods, causing a skittering of animals and birds as they fled.
Grim shifted into the ready stance of a seasoned general, his even tone telling her to calm the fuck down or he’d make her. “We didn’t want you to feel even more pressure than you already do. You’ve been doing everything you can. It’s impossible to know what will please the fates.”
Pissed, she reached for the hilt of her dagger, but Grim held his hand over hers, stopping her.
“You’re right. We should have told you. It’s been hard to know what’s enough or too much.
Maya was the only one who voted to tell you.
I have a feeling this little treasure hunt of hers is going to illuminate a few things we’d decided weren’t helpful for you to know. ”
Fingers gripping the handle, she didn’t pull it from its sheath, but still she fumed. Having a clock on your life seemed like something that ought to be shared regardless of the anxiety it inspired. Spinning around, she marched off to find out just how much time she really had left.
The enclave wasn’t beautiful like the rest of the realm.
There weren’t wild dead grasses waiting to turn green in the spring or spindly trees.
It was just dirt. Dirt, tombstones, and a mausoleum.
Gray marble, chipped and speckled with the mineral remnants of precipitation, it stood alone.
Ducking inside, brass plaques marked two people whose time had run dry.
She ran her chilled fingers over the fading plaques, but all they gave were their names.
The bronze hourglass sat plainly on the dirty floor.
Her heart turned cold as she stared at the trickling sand.