“I suppose my reputation precedes me,” Unending murmured, lowering her gaze.
“No, it’s your resemblance to Death. It’s a clear giveaway. You’re Unending,” Anunit said. “What the hell are you doing all the way out here? Did she send you?”
Panic was beginning to set in, so Unending took a couple more steps forward, raising her hands in a calming gesture. “I promise you, Death doesn’t know where you are. She doesn’t even know I’m here. I’m always warded from her, for my own sanity.”
“How do I know you’re not lying?”
“What reason would I have to lie?” Unending replied. She was, in fact, an excellent liar, I had to admit. Even I almost believed her. “If I wanted to hunt you, you’d be wrapped up and delivered to Death already. I’m here because, like I said, you can help us. You’re the only one who can get us what we need.”
Anunit cocked her head to the side. “Oh, yeah? And what’s that?”
“A living body,” Unending said. “It’s your most precious talent, isn’t it?”
“We want to start a family,” I managed, cautiously getting up from the boulder where I’d been practically frozen for the past few minutes. “I’m alive, but Unending—”
“Isn’t,” Anunit finished my sentence for me. “Well, this is odd…”
Unending moved closer, putting the Reaper on edge. “I just want to free you, that’s all,” she said.
I still worried Anunit might vanish the moment she was free, but we’d agreed the risk was necessary. Besides, we’d found her once. We’d find her again if we had to. Unending dropped to one knee and tore some of the grass off to reveal a glowing green line. Using her scythe, she cut through it and broke all the seals she’d put in place. Anunit exhaled sharply as if she’d just felt her own release.
“This is my token of trust,” Unending said to her. “My proof that I am not working for Death.”
Anunit stared at her for a second, then vanished, leaving both of us looking a tad foolish. We’d hoped it wouldn’t go this way. The expression on Unending’s face broke my heart. She looked at me and wanted to apologize, but the words refused to come out. We’d made it all the way here. We’d gotten so close…
Our dreams of family were beginning to drift away, left to wander in a sea of questions and second guesses. Anunit had left, and we were no closer to our goal. I could only imagine how Unending felt, since this was her dream first and foremost. Our quest was driven by her desire to bear children despite the seemingly impossible obstacles that stood in our way. But I didn’t want to see her give up so quickly.
“We knew this might happen,” I said.
“Or, I could just stick around and listen to what you have to say.”
At the sound of Anunit’s voice, we whirled around to find her sitting on the boulder we’d occupied prior to her appearance, one leg crossed over the other as she used the tip of her scythe to pick at a cuticle on her index finger.
“You decided to stay,” Unending said. “Thank you.”
“Speak,” Anunit shot back. She obviously wasn’t into small talk. Normally, I’d appreciate that, but I kind of wanted her to like us. This whole situation made me feel like we had to come across as trustworthy and likeable—much like human parents did with adoption agencies back on Earth. Oh, the trials and tribulations of those who wished to have children at any cost…
“Death won’t help me, but I’m told you can bring Reapers back to life,” Unending said. “You’ve done it before.”
“No, I haven’t.”
Unending frowned. “Then why is Death after you? Mar-El told us everything.”
“Ah. Okay, so you’ve actually done your homework,” Anunit muttered, giving us a cold glare.
“Yes. We wouldn’t have made it all the way here otherwise,” Unending replied. “Listen, it’s all I really want. A living body of my own. I wish to live, so that I can create a life. I want children more than anything else. It’s a desire I cannot control…”
Anunit chuckled softly. “I’d say you’re crazy. They’re high maintenance. Exhausting. Loud. Don’t even get me started on the filth. Have you ever tried cleaning blueberry jam from a curtain? I reaped a lady once who died after she fell off a stool and broke her neck. Do you know what she was doing at the time? Cleaning blueberry jam stains out of a curtain after her son flung the spoon around and splattered it all over the kitchen.”
“Are you even reaping anymore?” Unending asked, slightly confused. “I thought you were being actively hunted. Surely reaping would require your participation in the system, thus revealing your location.”
“It happened a long time ago. Before I became a persona non grata, I suppose,” Anunit said, putting her scythe away. “Okay, so you really want babies. Death wouldn’t help?”
Unending shook her head. “She said there’s no way I can ever become a living person, because I was never alive to begin with. I never had a living body of my own. First Tenners are just copies of the souls of people who’ve already moved on.”
“Hm… I heard something about that, but I never got the details,” Anunit replied.
“Did your friend, the Spirit Bender, tell you?” I asked, unwilling to let her relationship with that monster slide by unnoticed. We needed to address that issue before moving forward. I’d promised Unending I’d let her handle this conversation, but she’d also promised to let me cut in where I deemed it necessary. This was one such instance, and she didn’t object.
“I got as far away from him as I possibly could,” Anunit said. “He tried to get me involved in his Hermessi scheme a few decades back. I wanted nothing to do with it, and he got angry. Perhaps too angry. I didn’t feel safe anymore, so I left. Thankfully, I’d picked up a few spells from the guy, just enough to keep myself off his and Death’s radar.”
Unending scoffed. “Is one of those spells the spirit-locking tattoo you put on Mar-El? That was sick, you know.”
“Don’t you dare judge me,” Anunit snapped, jabbing the air with an angry finger. “Leave him out of this. We’re talking about what you need here, and what I can give you.”
“Indeed,” Unending replied. I knew she’d approach the subject later. We had to get her to cooperate with our request, first. “So… can you help us?”
Anunit thought about it for a while. It felt like forever to me. “Maybe. But it will cost you.”
“What are the implications of me getting a body, to begin with? How can a living body hold a spirit as powerful as mine? And if I succeed and have children, will they inherit any of this power? Before I even consider going forward, I feel like this needs to be addressed,” Unending said, raising her chin.
“I specifically choose the bodies to hold a Reaper’s spirit, which is, by definition, enhanced with death magic,” the rogue Reaper replied. “You won’t be retaining your powers, though. I’ll have to infuse them all into your scythe, which will stay with you for the duration of your living life. Once you die, the spell will break, and you’ll be back to normal. I’ll make it so because you’re a First Tenner and not an original soul. With regular Reapers it’s easier. I get to keep their scythes and powers when they die. I wouldn’t try that with yours because that would really put me on Death’s hit list. Besides, you’d automatically become a First Tenner again as soon as the spell breaks, so that would be out of my control, anyway.”
She looked at me, then back at Unending.
“But you’ll be fine,” Anunit added, “provided you stick to your living conditions. You can’t practice death magic, but all the spells and things you’ve done up to that point will not be canceled out, if that’s what worries you. I advise against practicing death magic as a mortal because it might break my spell sooner, and there’s no telling if you’ll immediately revert back to your initial form, or you’ll linger in-between realms like a ghost. It’s important that you follow these instructions from the beginning, because the formula I’m going to use is delicate. Best not to change terms and con
ditions and play off innocent assumptions. It could end poorly for both of you. Second, the baby issue. No. No special genetics here. The child will carry your body’s physical genes, not your magic, since that’ll be all locked inside the scythe.”
Unending gave me a brief glance, and I offered a faint nod in return. It sounded like a pretty good offer. But what would be the cost?
“Name your price, then,” Unending said, as if she’d just read my mind.
I worried Anunit might ask for something she couldn’t give, mainly because I knew Unending would push herself to meet the Reaper’s demands if that compliance would lead to what she longed for so deeply.
“I’ll need a favor. One day, I’m going to call in a favor with you two. You will have no choice but to help me, no matter what I demand. It is a deal made with death magic, and it can never be undone,” Anunit replied.
Unending looked at me, as if seeking my approval. “I’ll say yes if you say yes,” I told her. “Like we agreed. Together until the very end.”
The smile she gave me warmed my heart and made it grow until the rest of my body seemed small in comparison. But it felt amazing, and I only wanted more. Content with my response, Unending agreed to Anunit’s terms. “Okay. You’ll have a favor. We’ll death-shake on it.”
Something told me the favor would eventually entail Unending helping Anunit once we delivered her to Death. But that was a bridge to be crossed later. Our mission here was nowhere near over. If Anunit was the real deal, then Unending and I were in for a life-changing journey.
“Cool. But before we get to that point, I’ll have you go through a series of trials. I need to make sure you understand what you’re doing. What you’re asking.”
“Excuse me?” I blurted, almost offended.
“Pipe down, mortal,” Anunit retorted. “It’s for your sake as much as mine. I do it with all my… clients, let’s call them. The path back to life is a perilous one, especially for a Reaper like Unending. When she dies, she’ll be brought back into our realm. She won’t be allowed to move on. That, along with the fact that she isn’t an original soul, makes this quest incredibly dangerous. There are risks involved.”
“Such as?” Unending asked. I saw fear flicker briefly in her starry eyes.
“There’s a chance the body I find for you will reject your spirit because it’s a copy. You must understand that I have only worked with Reapers who were once living people, thus original souls. You’re not. We’ll try that first, and if it fails, I’ll have to make you a body from scratch, which is an absolute nightmare. There’s a chance that its genetic structure will change once you enter it. Sterility has been an issue before, even with regular Reapers. There’s a chance your mind won’t cope well with a physical body, thus driving you insane. I saw that happen once, too.” As Anunit listed the inherent risks, I was overcome with crippling fear when I considered each possibility.
But Unending didn’t flinch. She was ready to take a chance on this.
“I’ve been in bodies before. Though the circumstances were different,” Unending replied.
“Ah, yes, your little stint on Visio. Spirit told me about that. Yes, this is a different story altogether. Those were seals. Your spirit was never… contaminated by the living body.”
“But I can still see the people she used to be. They’re all inside her,” I said.
Anunit smiled. “Those were personalities. Memory packages. Not the actual bodies,” she said, then looked at Unending. “You were separate elements, bound together by his magic. This is different. More profound. Real. And riddled with terrible risks.”
Unending cleared her throat. She was nervous. Perhaps wavering, even. “Then so be it. I’ll take my chances.”
“Are you sure?” I asked her, and she gave me a soft nod.
“Are you?”
“We talked about this, Unending. Together until the very end. I meant it. But if you want to stop at any point down the road, I’ll be right there with you. If not, we’ll reach the finish line together, no matter what.”
“Aw. That’s kind of sweet,” Anunit chuckled, though there wasn’t much humor in her voice. “But this is exactly what the trials are for, mortal. For me to see, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Unending is willing to do whatever it takes and that she understands and accepts what this endeavor entails. Once I am convinced that you are fully on board and possess crystal clarity about the journey ahead, we’ll shake on it, and I’ll give you a life to live.”
Unending gave me one last look—the most piercing thus far. She gazed right into my soul. We were on the same page. Maybe we were also a little crazy, but this wasn’t the first dangerous challenge we’d faced together. We’d jumped through hoops of fire before. We’d defied the odds for other insane desires like freedom. Starting a family might not be any easier than what we’d already overcome, but it couldn’t be harder. We were ready.
“Let’s do it,” Unending said, making her decision.
I took her hand in mine and squeezed, mustering my patience and determination. Anunit eyed us both carefully and put on a sly grin. I wanted to feel encouraged by her approval, but there was something slightly off about her, or maybe about this whole situation. Then again, we were likely going to betray her and hand her back to Death once we got what we wanted. I didn’t feel sorry about that—Anunit was clearly a dangerous and charming Reaper, the kind who’d taken powers from Reapers and kept them to herself, as per the deals she’d made with previous clients. I could definitely see why Death wanted her contained.
We’d be forging ahead before we’d get to that unpleasant moment, however. For better or for worse, Unending and I had promised that we’d never give up on each other. She needed me now, and I was a man of my word. I loved her more than I could ever hope to express, and she deserved my support. She deserved to have anything, everything, she wanted.
And if what she wanted was a child of our own, then why the hell not? I just had to trust I wouldn’t lose her in the process.
ASOV 88: An Isle of Mirrors
Dear Shaddict,
Thank you for reading A Shade of Mystery!
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A Shade of Vampire 87: A Shade of Mystery Page 22
