The Innocence of Death

by E G Stone

  “I don’t understand,” Janos said softly.

  “I know. But you must trust them,” I said. I pushed myself to my feet and sucked in a breath. It took me a moment, but I managed to shuffle over to where Janos stood before Justice’s prone form, valiantly defending something beyond his comprehension. I put my hand on Janos’ shoulder. “They’re not bound by your laws, in any case.”

  Janos looked at me uncertainly. He took Life and Death in again and nodded, though I could tell something in him broke. He stepped away from Justice. “You…you won’t exact vengeance?” Janos asked.

  Mercy stepped forwards, her expression showing some kindness. “No, human. They will show him only mercy. It is all that can be done, now.”

  “I could insist that he remain alive,” Life hissed. “He did this in my name.”

  “No, wife,” Death crouched down next to Justice and shifted him so that Justice was laying with his head cradled in Death’s lap. “He did this because he loved you. There is a difference.”

  “He does not deserve my love,” Life spat and strode off. Justice winced.

  Death studied the wounded figure for a moment, shadows sparking around his head. “Do you know what you did?”

  Justice let out a sob and turned to cling to Death like a child. “I didn’t mean to do it,” he cried. “I was just so…it hurt so much.”

  “That is one of my wife’s favourite attributes. It can be overwhelming and has undone many a stronger being than yourself,” Death murmured, stroking Justice’s hair back. I noticed that my boss was wearing gloves of dark leather. The leather wasn’t as dark as his skin and it streaked the blood in Justice’s hair. The aurai leaned into the touch, though. “You served me well, Justice, when I needed you. But you also failed me.”

  “I’m sorry,” Justice breathed. Death nodded and continued stroking Justice’s hair.

  “I know. It is one of the hallmarks of being alive. Sometimes, you make mistakes. Have you learned from them?” Death asked. Justice nodded weakly. “Very well.”

  Justice turned to Mercy, who stood with her hands folded in front of her, head bowed. Her dark skin seemed to glisten with a power and I realised that this was what she was here for. She had come with Death to serve in an official capacity.

  “Oh,” I said quietly. I couldn’t turn away, though. Justice didn’t deserve to have me look away in shame. He was a murderer, yes. Part of me hated him for it. Another part of me understood. I wasn’t sure which part scared me the most. Whichever it was, I had an eternity to get to know it.

  “Please,” Justice shook with crying, salty tears mixing with the bloody streaks on his cheek. Mercy took a step forwards, a small knife in her hand. It shone silver and seemed to hum with calm, peaceful energy. Justice turned to bury his head in Death’s shirt. “Please, let it be you,” he muttered, the sound muffled.

  Death’s hand paused. “Are you certain?”

  “Please,” Justice begged. The shadows surrounding Death grew. I shivered, a cold breeze blowing in the gravel lot.

  “Very well,” Death said. He reached to Justice’s face again and slipped the blindfold from the aurai’s eyes. I shuddered. Justice’s eyes had been gouged out. The empty sockets were scarred and the remaining tissue was permanently pink. It looked like they’d been carved out with a key. Justice shivered as his empty eyes searched the area. The tiny muscles in his brows and around the eyes twitched, making the scar tissue jump. Death lay his gloved hand over Justice’s eyes.

  “May you find peace in what awaits beyond,” Death said, voice firm. “May you remember and be remembered. And may you know that you chose this end.”

  Death leaned forwards until he was almost bent in half. His black skin reflected the light, until I was looking at nothing but a void. Then, Death lay his lips gently on Justice’s head. A kiss.

  Justice screamed in agony so great that, despite his weakness and his wounds, he bent backwards. His limbs jerked, the joints locked and the muscles spasming. The scream was torn from Justice until there was no air left. When the echo ran silent, Justice was dead. His body turned to ash in Death’s arms.

  Old Man Death

  My reaction to this mess was to fall backwards and practically collapse on the ground, my hands flying to my mouth to keep from screaming myself. Yolanda just lowered her head, her fists clenched tight. Janos threw up.

  Life stared at the whole spectacle with her arms folded and her mouth drawn tight into a frown. “He was mine to deal with, husband,” she snapped. Death rose and the last traces of ash were blown away.

  It might have been just me, but the shadows that danced around his form were more lively, as if they revelled in the death they had caused. I swallowed and looked away from them. I had enough problems without my going mad.

  “Justice was dying, wife,” Death said calmly, removing the gloves from his hands. “He stood on the threshold between us. And he made a choice.”

  “He was mine to deal with,” Life hissed. Death shook his head.

  “He would have died in any case,” my boss said. “There was nothing even you could do to stop that, not without destroying the balance and taking more power than is your right.”

  Life shuddered, a small moan of pleasure escaping her. “Be careful, husband, or you might give me ideas.”

  Mercy let out a strangled sound in the back of her throat, “Please, milady, you must consider the consequences of—”

  Life swept out her hand, power rushing from her in a wave. Mercy let out a cry and was thrown backwards. She fell to the ground and stayed where she was, head bowed. “I know the consequences. Do not presume to preach to me, Grand Master.”

  “No,” Mercy said in a low voice, one of complete obedience. Death let out a breath through his nose and said nothing. He walked over the gravel towards Janos, though he made no sound. Janos looked up at Death and flinched.

  “Mortal human,” Death mused. Life huffed and stalked over to stand beside her husband, her own feet crunching on the gravel as would be expected.

  “He interfered,” Life growled. She raised a hand and the skin on her fingers began to glow with power. Janos whimpered and scurried backwards. He didn’t make it far. Death caught Life’s hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

  “He was only fighting for what he believed, my dear,” Death said.

  “You’re not…but you…” Janos spluttered.

  “He is just as foolish as all the rest,” Life said, lifting her chin. “He cannot even comprehend what it is we are and what we have done.”

  “Not everyone has as much experience with the world as those in Elsewhere,” Death pointed out. Life frowned. “Even so, you would not kill the mortal who has done so much to stand up against you, not merely symbolically, but in actuality? You would not deliver him directly to me, would you? After what he has done today?”

  Life paused, obviously considering Death’s words. That alone was terrifying. But the smile she turned on Janos was even more so, filled as it was with the promise of everything a person could possibly want. “My husband has spoken true, mortal, which is a rare enough occurrence that I should take heed. You have fought against me this day. For this, you have earned my favour. Take my hand and I shall bestow on you everything you could desire.”

  “Don’t!” I yelped, stumbling to my feet. Janos blinked, his hand already outstretched. He frowned and looked between Life, Death and myself. “It’ll destroy you,” I said desperately.

  “But she said that I would have everything,” Janos replied, his words muddled and almost slurring together.

  “She’s Life,” I tried to explain. “Not just a powerful being, but Life. Think about it! Life is cruel. She is unkind. She is deceitful. She is beautiful and wonderful and intoxicating and marvellous and full of amazing things, but she is not inherently good.”

  Life tossed her hair, the seductive scent reaching even me, and I was about fifteen feet away. It hit Janos like an actual wave of force. He staggered backward
s a step, his eyes widening and his nostrils flaring. “Pah,” she dismissed me with a casual wave of her hand. “He works for my husband. He is biased, dear mortal. He knows not what he says.”

  I looked at Death, desperate for interference. “I can do nothing, Cal,” Death said. “It is the prerogative of mortals to chose their fate. If the young human detective chooses to embrace Life, then he is free to do so, no matter what the consequences may be.”

  I licked my suddenly-dry lips. Janos was reaching for Life again when I spoke, playing my last card, “Magnus was her last favoured mortal.”

  Janos froze. The grogginess faded from his expression and he looked at the spot where Justice had died. Then he looked at me and Death. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, though I doubt it helped much.

  “Who are you?” Janos asked, looking at me. “They are not human. Not of this world. But you…”

  I kicked a piece of gravel. “Yeah. I’m human. About four days, maybe five ago, I was about to be shot. And then Death, there, offered me a job. I used to be a marketing agent. Had a good life, too. Now…I don’t know.”

  Janos shook his head in disbelief. “How do you keep from going mad?”

  I scoffed and shook my head, but I did smile. “With the things I’ve seen and done, I’m not sure I haven’t already gone insane.”

  The Norwegian detective nodded. He straightened and looked at Life, who was watching all of this with the attention of a hunting cat. She licked her lips. “I will decline your offer,” Janos said firmly. “I like things just the way they are.”

  Life’s mouth split into a grin and she practically purred at Janos, “We shall have a good deal of fun, you and I.”

  She spun on her heel and vanished, leaving a vacuum of air in her place. Janos started coughing violently. Death waved his hand and the air pressure normalised, leaving Janos gasping for air. Death nodded formally to the detective. “I apologise for my wife. Know this, mortal. You have challenged her and fought her. And you have won. She will not make things easy for you in the future.”

  “C-can you, ah, make me forget?” Janos asked, barely louder than a whisper. The shadows around Death solidified for a brief moment, making him darker than the void he already was. “I…I don’t know if I can, well, you know.”

  “I have done all I can,” Death said and took a few steps away from Janos. He didn’t look back at detective Janos, as though he were beneath Death’s notice now that he had chosen his role in life. He kept walking until his shoulders lined up with mine. “I will see you at the office.”

  Then, Death vanished, too. Only he was polite enough to leave some air behind him. I raised my hand in a belated farewell. “See you later,” I said into thin air. Janos coughed out a strangled sound.

  “Cal,” Yolanda said uncertainly, shifting her weight between her feet. “Should we do something about him?”

  “Nah,” I said, walking over to help Janos to his feet. He clasped my hand with a lot more surety than I had expected, given his last request. “I think he’ll be alright.”

  “Alright?” Janos challenged. “The world I knew has been turned inside out. I just watched a man die by some means I cannot possibly explain. I was made an offer by, what, Life herself? And then that man, he was so dark, so…he would not let me forget.” Janos shivered. He looked up at me, a sort of pleading in his eyes.

  “I don’t know if you really want to know everything,” I murmured. “It’s…it’s not a happy story.”

  “Who was that man? The one who killed that Justice creature,” Janos demanded. I hunched my shoulders and shook my head. “Please. Don’t make me beg. I just want to understand.”

  I got that. Really. If I had just experienced something completely crazy, I would want to understand, too. I mean, geez, hadn’t I been bombarding Yolanda with questions the entire time I had been in Elsewhere? I had questioned Fionn until he stuck knives in me—and, if I’m being honest, afterwards, too. I had questioned the Order of Silence to the point that they were ready to torture me for challenging their beliefs. I still had questions I wanted the answers to. I hated not knowing things. But I also knew, in hindsight, that I would probably be a much happier man had I just kept my head down. I might have been alive, or better yet, going about my work without the knowledge that I wasn’t really human anymore.

  Being impossible to kill may have been sort of cool in the short run, and it had definitely served me well in this ridiculous investigation, but it also had given me a very firm understanding of pain. And—the more lasting problem—a very definite fear of pain, as well. I couldn’t be killed. I didn’t have the option of being released from pain. One day, someone like the Order of Silence could grab me and make me bleed and scream over and over and over again without end. I doubted that Death would come for me, to save me. That wasn’t really what he did. I had already endured more in less than a week than I had in my entire life in the mortal realms.

  There was also a point where being immune to Death would leave me feeling desensitised and less likely to care about life. I mean, wasn’t that the whole point of being mortal? Wasn’t that why Life loved Magnus rather than Justice?

  I would give a whole lot to be able to go back and never have to worry about facing these demons. I also wouldn’t give it up for the world.

  “Alright,” I said. “If you really want to know, then I’ll tell you.”

  “I must know,” Janos said. “If this is to be my reality, I must know.”

  So I told him.

  I left out a few details, like my particular condition and most of my encounters with the creatures in Elsewhere trying to kill me. Janos stared blatantly at Yolanda as she revealed her troll shape. But he didn’t burst out screaming like Rousseau had. And when I told Janos about Death, well, the man just nodded as though it made perfect sense. I explained about the Ennedi Tiger and Magnus’ death. I explained about Life and Death and Mercy and Justice. And when I was done, Janos was pale and drawn.

  “I…I would ask now to forget. I have received my answers. I don’t need them any more,” Janos rasped. He licked his dry lips and flicked his eyes between Yolanda and myself. “I just wanted to know the truth for a short time. Make me forget. I’ll keep searching for Magnus’ killer. I’ll keep doing my job, but it will be normal. Not this, this insanity that you forced on me.”

  “I don’t have the power to make you forget,” I said. Janos curled his lip, eyes flashing with anger and desperation. “Yolanda?”

  My assistant walked over and looked down at Janos with a small frown on her face. “I am sorry, human. Much of the time, your kind does not even take notice of our world. Or there is a rational explanation that they can supply in its place. I have no explanation that would make this nothing more than a bad dream.”

  “Please,” Janos pleaded. “Isn’t there someone you can call? Anybody?”

  “I am sorry,” Yolanda shook her head. “Perhaps in time, you will learn to adjust.”

  “You may never come across anything like this again,” I tried to reassure Janos. He looked at me skeptically.

  “I know this new, other world exists now. I know that Life is an unpredictable, potentially malevolent being and that Death will kill me with kindness. I do not think I can simply pretend it doesn’t exist,” Janos said. He put his hands in his pockets and scowled. It was darker than the scowl he had worn when we first met.

  “Try not to jump at shadows,” I said, pushing my glasses up my nose. It was all the comfort I had to offer. It wasn’t enough.

  “My colleagues will think I am insane,” Janos frowned. “And I will have to explain to Chief Wilkerson about your sudden departure from the case. And then there is the issue of Magnus’ murder. I cannot say that a…ah—”

  “Aurai,” Yolanda provided. Janos studied the ground, brows drawn together in bemusement.

  “An aurai,” he continued slowly, “I cannot say an aurai—whatever that is—murdered the thief.”

  I looked around th
e gravel lot, my eyes settling on Rousseau’s warehouse. “I’ll tell you what,” I pointed to the warehouse. “You go in there and tell him that the people he just saw want him to tell you everything about Magnus.”

  Janos turned to consider the warehouse. “Rousseau? We did not think that he was involved. The man’s records were clean and he is a coward, though he pretends otherwise. What did you do to him?”

  “Nothing,” I insisted. “He just didn’t react to the fact that the supernatural, paranormal, magical world—whatever you want to call it—exists. He won’t be giving you any problems, I guarantee that.”

  “And you? Will you be giving me any more problems?” Janos demanded, sounding more like an angry cop than a man whose world had turned upside down.

  I didn’t answer. Instead, I caught Yolanda’s eye and tugged at my amulet. She nodded eagerly and we touched the pieces of metal. The world vanished into darkness, leaving Norway and Detective Janos behind. I had a feeling that he really would be alright.

  Beyond the Grave

  When Yolanda and I appeared in the office, I expected to be engulfed by a feeling of peace and the possibly mundane routine that was being a marketing agent. I expected to have my space be as calm as I remembered, with the chair exactly as I left it before leaving on this insane tour across Elsewhere. I had planned on having a shower and an enormous meal and perhaps not getting out of my pyjamas for a whole day.

  What I did not plan on was walking into a war zone.

  Mercy was standing in a defensive stance, one hand on the hilt of the knife at her belt, her expression twisted in anger—more expression, essentially, than I had seen from her since our meeting, even considering my ordeal with the Order of Silence. Standing opposite her was Agravaine.

  He wore a pair of loose linen pants that belonged in a Bruce Lee movie and a white t-shirt. His bad arm was held in a sling, but that didn’t stop him from holding—I kid you not—a letter opener in the other. Agravaine was also looking angrier than anyone should really be in my office.