The Artifact Reaper Saga Box Set

by Jen L. Grey

  “Look, we are in a lot of trouble and were told to get it.” And I thought this was going to be easy. “We didn’t know it belonged to anyone.”

  “You were wrong.” The middle guy still hasn’t put his word down and seems to be getting angrier instead of calmer. “You need to get away from the Mother Crystal now.”

  “Mother Crystal?” Becca looks at me. “What is he talking about?”

  “I have no clue.” I glance at the guy. “You said if I put it down no one would get hurt. Why do you still have your swords pointing at us?”

  “Because you aren’t from here.” He glances around the room. “How did you get in here?”

  We’re going to have to get out of here and soon. I don’t see these guys calming down. “We got lost and found our way here.”

  “Lies.” The one of the left jerks. “There is only one way in and out.”

  “Look, we aren’t here to cause trouble.” Becca lifts both hands up. “We aren’t even armed.”

  “She still has the glow of the crystal.” The middle one points at me. “She can use our Earth against us.”

  What the hell is he talking about. “How in the world can I do that?”

  “If you are after the Mother Crystal, then you know what she’s capable of.” He growls and his body begins to shimmer. “I will not let you destroy Bramble.”

  They’re going to attack us. There is no getting around this. They know we’re here for the crystal, and it’s a bigger deal than the council let on. Whoever controls it can control the earth of the realm they are in. Why would the council want something like that? What does this all mean?

  The middle guy is watching our every move, while the other three are communicating. He’s been distracting us. Shit’s about to get real.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  I glance over at Becca and whisper, “I hope you know how to fight.”

  “What?” Her blonde hair whips around as she faces me.

  Before I can add anything else, the middle guard walks toward us. He raises his sword high. “You will need to come with me.”

  “Why is that?” I take a step backwards, wanting distance between us.

  His black eyes look at me. “Because our king will want to meet you. You touched the rock, which is forbidden.”

  They aren’t going to let that go, are they? “It was only for a second.”

  He pauses. “Why would that matter?”

  “Isn’t there like a five second rule?” Becca lifts her hand, palm facing up.

  The three men stop talking and glance over at us. The one on the right scratches his head. “Why would time matter? A rule is a rule.”

  Closing her eyes, Becca begins reaching out her arm and points her finger out like she did in my room when she made the portal here.

  I guess it’s “lets distract the guys and try to get back home” time.

  A small, purple orb begins to form when the guy closest to us zeros in on it. “She’s a realm leaper.” He rushes forward and grabs her arm. “You can’t leave.”

  Oh, shit. “She wasn’t trying to leave.”

  The other three guards rush forward and surround me. The one that is the thickest snarls. “How dare you come here and try to steal and then lie to our faces?”

  “Why would you accuse me of lying? I’m not.” Of course, I’m lying, but it’s not like I’m going to admit that. I’m trying to get us out of trouble, not in more hot water.

  “Are you that dense?” The one on my right lifts his sword. “We can tell when you’re lying.”

  Huh, that would have been good to know about ten minutes ago. I might have gone about this a different way.

  The one holding the sword grabs my arm with his free hand and yanks me toward him.

  No, this isn’t going to happen.

  Thoughts of Randy pop in my head and the knife he held at my throat. These guys don’t seem like they would be as easily distracted. As he yanks me toward his body, I raise my knee and nail him between the legs. I hope that these guys have privates like the guys back home do.

  He drops his sword and lowers to the ground with a groan. His hands slide in between his legs, holding on to his own personal jewels.

  “What did she do?” The thicker one behind me gasps.

  “Get her!” the one holding Becca yells.

  After the third one shakes his head, he springs into action. He hurries over to me and lifts the sword over his head. “You will pay for that.” He swings the sword down, and I roll to the left, barely missing it.

  As I push up from the floor back onto my feet, I grab some loose dirt from the ground. When the guy comes back at me with his sword raised, I throw it in his eyes.

  “Agh!” He lowers the sword and rubs his eyes.

  There is a growl coming from the side of the room. I spin around to find Becca lowering her body to the ground and using her weight as leverage to throw the guy who was holding her over her shoulder.

  Heck yeah, that girl can kick some ass. An arm grabs me and spins me around. The thicker guy comes into my line of vision and the smell of sandpaper fills my nose.

  “You fight dirty.” He shakes his head. “Do you not have any respect?”

  “Look, I’m just trying to survive.” Isn’t that obvious? Hell, I wouldn’t be here otherwise.

  “Too bad it was all in vain.” He moves his arms to my neck and begins to squeeze.

  My body begins to scream and I can’t take in any oxygen. Shit, this is going to be the end and fast if I don’t figure a way out. I glance over at Becca, but the two guys I had incapacitated are now up and both have her in a tight hold.

  The world begins to gray. Shit, I’m running out of time. There is one thing left to do. I search for my dark magic inside me, my reaper magic, and spin it like I had to for the last two souls I reaped.

  It flares almost in desperation, almost as if it knows it’s my last saving grace. I reach out my hands and touch the guy’s chest. The sucking begins, and his eyes widen. Soon, his soul is separated from his body, and the hold on my neck slackens then is gone as he falls to the floor.

  “Did you just kill him?” The thicker guy lets go of Becca and takes a step closer. His dark skin seems to pale a tad.

  “I… I’m sorry.” The cold, foreign feeling is back inside me, but at least I’m alive. It will go away eventually.

  “She’s a death bringer. She will kill us all. It doesn’t matter if she takes the crystal or not.” The guy who Becca had tossed on the ground rises as he clutches his arm. “We have to get out of here.”

  The three of them grab their weapons and leave, not even glancing back.

  “Well, that was anticlimactic.” Becca’s tone is light, but she’s staring at the dead body at my feet.

  “Those things usually are.” I walk away from the body and head back to the crystal. I don’t want to make a big deal about the reaping. It’ll freak her out more than she already is.

  “So, you think it can do what they said?” She walks up beside me and stares. “It’s gorgeous.”

  “Yeah, I actually do believe it can.” I felt it inside me, but I won’t tell her that. It’s even strange for me to admit. “But let’s get it and go. There is no telling if they’ll come back.”

  I reach out, and right before I grab it, a swirl of greens and reds appears. I watch in fascination as it morphs into the witch. Oh, hell no. “Come to finish me off?”

  She raises a hand. “No, I’m not here to harm you.” Her eyes flicker to the crystal and she walks toward it. “It’s magnificent.”

  “What are you doing here?” I don’t want to fight with anyone else. I’m tired and just want to go home.

  “That’s a fair question.” She laughs. “Your demon is holding my sister over my head so don’t worry. I can’t harm you, but I do want you to know what you’re up against.”

  The council. That’s who I’m up against. “I know. You don’t have to tell me.”

  “No, you don’t.” She gra
bs my hand and a cold shiver passes through me. “You have more enemies than one. Your friend is not whom he seems.”

  What the hell is she talking about? I have more enemies than the council. That can’t be true. “You’re lying.”

  Becca stands so close our shoulders bump. “Don’t mess with her. She’s been through enough just now.”

  “Oh, how cute.” The witch tilts her head. “Even his puppet is taking up for you.”

  “Can we move this along?” I don’t want to be here any longer than we have to.

  “Ask yourself this.” She flips her hair back and lifts her chin. “Whoever holds the crystal can control Earth’s elements on all the realms. They can cause natural disasters, famine, earthquakes. The world’s fate is in their hands. That’s why Damien wants it. He wants to end the world.”

  “So, why are you helping me?” There has to be a catch. She just tried to freaking kill me.

  “Because I don’t want that evil demon to win.” Her green eyes fill with rage. “He is going to kill my sister if I injure you because you’re the key to get what he wants. However, if you give it to him, we’re all dead.” She walks over to me and grabs my shoulder. “Do not let him win.” Then she vanishes from our sight.

  I glance back at the crystal, at a loss as to what to do. The threats from earlier flash through my mind; the piece of Beth’s dress, the rock thrown through the glass, and the hung baby doll. If I don’t take this, my life, along with my parents’ lives, will be cut short. I can’t have that on my shoulders.

  “We have to go.” Becca closes her eyes and creates the portal with her fingers once more. The purple swirling appears for us to walk through.

  Ugh, we do have to go, but I’m not sure what to do about the crystal.

  “They’re in here.” An angry tone rings through the room. “Be careful. The dark-haired one is a death bringer and the blonde one is a realm leaper.”

  “We’ve got to go now.” Becca grabs my arm.

  I resist just enough to grab the crystal. I can’t be the cause of my parents’ demise. But am I going to wind up destroying the whole world instead?

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  As we walk through the portal, the crystal weighs heavy in my hands. The power courses through me like before, but the burden sits hard on my shoulders. What am I going to do? I can’t let the demon have a piece of this crystal.

  “Are you okay?” Becca’s hazel eyes are filled with concern, and she reaches for me before hesitating.

  That’s a loaded question, one I’m not sure she wants the answer to. At this point, I don’t think anyone would want to open that can of worms. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just not sure if I made the right decision.”

  “Yeah, I’m not sure you did either, but you had to in order to save your own self.” She glances around my room and takes in the mess. My furniture is out of place and clothes and papers are still strung everywhere. “We’ll figure something out. We still have to find three more things before it becomes an immediate problem, right?”

  Who knows at this point? When I think I’m a caught up, someone pulls the rug out from under me again and again. But I don’t want to worry her. She’s been through enough, and she’s human. At least, I think she’s still human. Can humans realm jump? “Good point.”

  “All right, well, I’m going to get out of here.” She glances around and grabs a piece of paper and pen from desk. After she scribbles down her number, she holds it out to me. “Here is my cell for if you need me again.”

  I grab the piece of paper from her and stick it in my back pocket. “Thanks. I appreciate all your help.”

  “Sorry. I’d hang around more, but this place gives me the creeps after being hidden here like I was.” She closes her eyes and makes another circle, but instead of it being a purple swirl, it’s a white one.

  “Hey, why is that a different color?” I take a step closer, checking it out.

  She shrugs. “I think it’s because I’m going to Damien’s place, and it’s in the same realm. I think it's only purple when I’m crossing realms.”

  Huh, that’s interesting and makes sense I guess. “Oh, okay. Be safe and talk soon.”

  After a moment, she hurries over to me and wraps me into a hug. “You be careful, too.” Then, she rushes back and walks through the portal.

  That was unexpected, but a small smile spreads across my face. Maybe there is hope she and I can be friends when things cool off after all. I get she’s not Beth, but there is still something about her that draws me to her.

  The crystal pulses in my hands, bringing my focus back to it. My power rotates inside me, syncing with the brown power flashing inside the crystal. The brown magic clashes on the outside of the shell as if it’s trying to get out and connect with my hands while the same thing happens inside me.

  Is this what happens to everyone who handles it? It’s overwhelming and every one of my cells seem to spring to life. My hands begin to glow and the crystal warms in response. Shit, this can’t be good, but I can’t seem to put it down.

  I need a distraction. I put the crystal on my bed and force myself to take a few steps back. All right, let’s clean. This place is awful.

  First order of business is picking up everything on the floor. I bend and pick up all the various pictures and papers that have been scattered along the ground. Thank goodness the wind was isolated to the room and not my closet. That would have been an even bigger disaster.

  Next, I work on straightening up the furniture; however, every few minutes, I turn to focus back on the crystal. It’s almost as if it’s calling to me. Each minute, it gets harder and harder to ignore. What the hell is wrong with me?

  This isn’t working. I grab my phone and stare at it for a minute. I begin dialing Brad’s number, but right before hitting send, I delete it. No, I can’t get him more involved than he already is. There is one person I need to call. I take a deep breath and dial Charlie’s number, pressing send before I chicken out.

  It rings once and my finger hovers over the end button. Why am I doing this? Yes, we called a truce, but I still can’t get past our past. It rings again, and right when I’m about to hang up, he picks up on the other line.

  “Hello?” His tone is worried. “Christina, is that you?”

  Huh? I expected anger, not concern. “Yeah, hey, it’s me.”

  “Why’d you take off like that?” A door shuts in the background and he lets out a sigh. “I thought we were in this together.”

  His words make my heart skip a beat. He’s always been hateful to me, and this is different. Maybe he doesn’t hate me after all. “I know, but Damien said I had to do it alone.” I glance out the window and cringe when I notice where the tree is burnt from the witch’s attack last night. “Hey, I need your help. Do you think you can come over?”

  A car engine starts and something clicks. “I’m on my way.” Then the phone disconnects.

  Well, that was easier than I thought it would be. He’s already in his car, so he should be here soon. My eyes zero back in on the crystal. The power is pulsing, almost as if it’s enticing me to it. What the hell. I almost feel as if I’m in Lord of the Rings. I’ve got to snap out of it.

  I head into the bathroom and splash cool water on my face. When I look up, I almost don’t recognize the girl in the mirror. Yes, appearance-wise, I look the same, but there is something else to me. It’s almost as if there is something changing underneath that’s giving me an outwardly glow. It’s not visible to the naked eye but more of a magical change.

  The doorbell rings and I startle. Holy crap. He’s coming in the front door. I jump up and grab the crystal and slide it under my pillow under my bed. Smooth. What am I, five? I go to grab it again, but there is a knock at my door.

  “Christina?” My dad’s voice calls out. “You have a… um… visitor.”

  There goes that idea. I force myself to step away and go open my door. I find my dad and Charlie standing there, side by side.

  Dad’s s
taring at Charlie with his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed,

  while Charlie’s focused on the door and tapping his foot on the ground.

  “Thanks, Dad.” I grab Charlie’s arm and pull him inside. “I need to talk to him about something.” I shut the door behind us.

  A smile spreads across Charlie’s face followed by a chuckle. “Want me all to yourself?”

  “What?” Oh, dear God. Does he really think that? “No.” I cringe at how loud that came out.

  Laughing, he raises up both hands. “Chill out. I was just teasing.”

  “Stop it.” I cross my arms. “We don’t have time for that.”

  “Okay, okay.” He glances around. “Where’s the fire.”

  Who is this guy, and where did my serious Charlie go? And why did I say ‘my’? He’s not mine. I head over to my bed and lift my pillow. “Here.”

  His face turns serious, losing all humor. “How the hell did you manage to get that?”

  “When I reaped the third soul, I located it. It was in Bramble, another realm.” That’s pretty much the story. I’m sure he doesn’t want the gory details.

  “You went to a different realm?” His eyes widen and he takes a step toward me. “How?”

  “Becca. Apparently, she can now realm jump since I brought her back.” I shrug. I don’t want to make this a big deal and blow it out of proportion. It’s a good thing or I don’t know how I would have gotten it.”

  “Wait… this is what the council wanted you to get?” He points to the crystal lying there.

  The crystal looks normal again and isn’t doing the weird power thing it was doing when it was alone with me. “Yes, and the demon.”

  He grabs the pillow and throws it against the wall. “Of course, they both want it.” He spins to me. “Do you know what it is?”

  At least, I can be thankful for the witch for one thing. “Sure do. Whoever holds it can control the Earth’s elements on all the realms.”

  “And?” He raises an eyebrow.

  Oh, there is an and? Dang it. I got nothing. “And can use it for good or evil?”