by Liz Long
“Like who?” Tessa butted in.
“Dunno.” Rhys shrugged. His eyes twinkled as he smirked at her. “Maybe witches.”
She scoffed at the dig. “Or a greedy shifter.”
Rhys almost smiled at her return, clearly enjoying the dynamic. Tully stuck his hand in the middle of the table to get between them.
“Now, now,” Tully said, “if we had to guess, I would insist on the obvious choice of a demon.”
A shadow seemed to come over our table, our expressions sour at the mere word. No one liked demons. Both the witch and shifter paused long enough to consider the Reaper’s statement. When the silence continued, Tully nodded to his confidante.
“Thank you for your help, Rhys,” Tully said.
Rhys drained his beer bottle and nodded, slipping out of the booth. “If you need anything else, you know where to find me. Ladies, here’s my number if you need anything. Anything at all.”
He dropped a piece of paper across the table and gave us a nod. He snuck in a wink to Tessa, who rolled her eyes. I looked down at the table to prevent Tully seeing my grin. Rhys made his way to the exit, slipping out the door without another glance.
“So what’s the big deal exactly?” I asked. “Sounds like people are hanging on for dear life is all.”
Tully gave me his usual stern look, unamused by my joke. “We are leaving now. Tessa, will you meet us in that large hospital closest to your apartment? Intensive care floor?”
Tessa nodded and finished her drink, curiosity all over her delicate face. We walked outside and Tully immediately departed, disappearing from my eyes.
“What’s his problem?” I muttered.
Tessa half-shrugged. “Not sure yet, but sounds like he’s about to come clean. Meet you there.”
She pulled a glass vial from her pocket and threw it onto the concrete. It exploded and purple smoke clouded up; when it cleared, she was gone. The supes standing outside smoking didn’t even blink at her departure. I followed suit and reappeared next to both of them inside the ICU of the hospital six blocks from Tessa’s place. Lucky for our witch, no doctors or nurses were currently standing in the room. I looked to Tully, who jumped back into the conversation as though we hadn’t just leapt through time and space.
“I appreciate your patience. I had to confirm my suspicions,” he said.
“Suspicions about what?” I asked.
“That Reapers - and therefore souls - are in danger.”
Tully’s face grew more worried by the minute. He glanced around, checking on patients as they laid comatose in their beds.
“There shouldn’t be this many living,” he said, taking a look around.
I blinked in surprise, had assumed he and I were here now to guide a few souls. “That’s what we’re here for, right?”
He shook his head. “I mean there are too many souls crowded in here. No Reaper has been here to collect them.”
Without another word, he popped out of view, leaving me openmouthed at the thin air.
“Well, that’s just great,” I muttered. “Dropping a bomb like that and disappearing. Love when he zaps in and out of places without even a clue as to where- gah!”
My whine was interrupted by Tully’s reappearance. The sudden arrival made both Tessa and me jump.
“Tully, what’s the problem?” I demanded to know. “So there’s a few extra souls around, big deal. We’ll help them cross over and then figure out where the Reaper took his extra long lunch break and have a chat with him.”
“It’s as I thought,” he said, more to himself than me. “This is the sixth Reaper failing in their duties.”
“So what, they’re out of a job?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. Tessa and I shared a look.
“You do not understand,” he said, his arms flapping up and back down to his sides in exasperation. His accent sounded more pronounced and I raised my eyebrows in question. I’d never seen him so animated.
“Then explain it to us.”
He sighed. “Reapers are gone, disappearing. That’s highly unusual. Six of them - one more makes a magical number. Dark magic is suspected.”
“Is that where you zapped off to, the grand poobah council?”
“Child,” Tully said, his voice so serious I dropped my attitude. “Reapers. Are. Gone.”
My eyebrows furrowed. “What does that mean? Are they dying?”
“We can’t die.”
“Are you one hundred percent certain about that?” Tully’s face dropped at my question. The hesitation was enough to tell me everything, and he knew that I’d seen it. When he spoke, his voice was lined with wonder and fear.
“No, I…I suppose not.” He shook his head. “There has never been a question. We are between the two worlds, made to guide souls. We take no sides, we are no threat. We do not procreate; we only invite other souls to be like us.”
“Tully, the Reapers who have disappeared, who are they?”
He cleared his throat before speaking. “There are others, but the ones I know are Samuel, Roslyn, and Michael.”
I followed my gut instinct and blurted out my next question. “Were they all True Reapers? Or were they invited in like you and me?”
Tully’s face clouded in confusion. “What would that matter?”
“Humor me.”
“Aye, they were like us. Made.”
My heart sank - well, it felt like it did, anyway - as I considered the details. What if Mades were the targets? We were on someone’s list if they were taking out Reapers who had been human. If I was in danger, what did I do? How could I defend myself?
“Why would anyone do this?” I could hear the panic build in my voice. “Reapers don’t die-“
“Child, I didn’t say Reapers are being killed, I said they’re disappearing. Trapped and taken by some dark entity, it could be demon or witchcraft or any number of things.” I could almost hear the defeat in Tully’s sigh.
“Can Reapers, ya know, be controlled? Are they susceptible to spells and stuff?”
“I suppose it’s not out of the question with enough power behind it. Perhaps Tessa could advise me on some witchcraft inquiries.” He turned to the brunette witch, who’d been reading a patient’s chart.
She looked up, her expression serious. “I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised by anything nowadays. That’s some serious black magic though, way beyond my expertise.”
Tully nodded. “I would have to agree. I have more questions than answers right now, unfortunately.”
Irritation flashed through me. “What questions can you answer?”
He shot me a look, the one he used to give me when I first became a Reaper and let my mouth run rampant. I held my hands palm up in truce.
“Sorry, sorry. Look, I’m a little nervous, okay? I don’t want to be to under some demon’s clutches…” I trailed off as a look of realization dawned on Tully’s face. “What?”
“That’s just it,” he replied. “It’s not about the Reapers - if we can’t die, which I still believe is true, then it’s obvious, isn’t it?”
I stared at him, boggled, and he pursed his lips for a moment before speaking.
“Whoever is taking them, they’re after human souls.”
My brow furrowed. “But taking Reapers just keeps the human souls in their bodies.”
“Not if the demons come kill them,” Tully replied. “If their physical vessels die, souls are left wandering the Earth with no place to go.”
“And why would demons want that?” I asked, not wanting to hear the answer.
Tully’s lips pursed. “Consumption, perhaps. Souls make them more powerful when ingested.”
“They could also be taking them for barter,” Tessa added. “Plenty of demons deal in all sorts of trades.”
“Why take Made Reapers?” I asked.
“Because there’s not a chance in hell - I suppose literally in this case - True Reapers would give in,” Tully answered. “They are bound by their own existence. Perhap
s the attacker believes Mades are more susceptible to giving up their power.”
“But if we can’t die or be tortured, what’s the threat?” I wondered aloud.
Tully went quiet with thought and various scenarios flung through my mind. If we couldn’t die…someone else could. My face must’ve lit up with realization because Tully looked at me and rose his eyebrow in question.
“How old were the others? Recent?”
Tully thought about it, nodding slowly. “Samuel and Roslyn were perhaps twenty or thirty years into their new lives.”
“Whoever is doing this is threatening human lives,” I said. “That’s why they’re taking Made Reapers. They don’t need magic. They’re getting who knows how many souls by threatening a Made Reaper’s living family!”
If I’d still been alive, nausea would’ve hit me. I squeezed my eyes shut as their images flashed in my head. My little sister would be twenty now, in her junior year of college; my twin brothers turned sixteen last month.
“Tully, they’re going to come after me,” I said. Tessa flinched at my words.
Shock registered on Tully’s freckled face. “You don’t know that, child.”
“I’m one of the newer Mades. I have living family. I’m a perfect target.”
A peculiar look appeared on his face. “You might be right.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Roslyn was a Reaper close to the area of your lifetime.”
I blinked at him in confusion, quickly translated what he meant. The area of my lifetime…he meant my hometown. A Reaper had been taken near my town right under our world’s supernatural noses and no one had put it together.
Tessa raised a hand in question. “How would demons know about you, though? About your personal history and families?”
“Good question,” Tully asked, his tone dark.
It didn’t matter how demons would find me; the only thing I could think about was my family. I couldn’t bear to see a demon kill my family and take their souls. They’d already had enough to deal with when I died. Panic hit me and my hands came up as I spoke frantically.
“I have to go back, they need my protection!”
“No, that is not possible,” Tully said in a stern voice. “That would be playing right into the enemy’s hands.”
“But they could be in danger, too.” My hands waved around as I spoke. “You can come with me. You know, to keep me in line or whatever.”
He shot me a disapproving look. “I cannot possibly aid and abet your breaking protocol to see a living relative.”
“Whoever is doing this, we can’t sit back and let it happen. What happens when they run out of ones like me and chase after older guys like you?”
“I have nothing to fear.”
“Well I do, which is why we need to get to them right away,” I insisted. “My sister, my brothers and parents, they can’t die because of me. Please don’t make me responsible for that. I couldn’t bear a lifetime of it.”
Tully blinked hard and I knew he saw my side of things. I attacked the final argument.
“I know they are going to die Tully, but if they die at the hands of this enemy, who knows what happens to their souls? What if they’re doomed to the wrong fate? I don’t want to be the reason they died, especially because of something they have no part of in my afterlife.”
He was mentally flipping through his list of excuses. “The other Reaper in the area might not like our sudden and very unorthodox visit.”
“If that’s Roslyn, she’s already been taken. If it’s another Reaper, they could also be in danger,” I said. “That’ll be our cover so they don’t know why I’m really there. We can ask for their help, maybe find a lead on who’s doing this.”
“I’m more curious about the why,” Tessa butted in.
“We could save them. Maybe we could even stop this demon.” I almost didn’t want to picture it, the idea of being a hero and maybe being accepted into our world as a True Reaper instead of some copycat wannabe.
“Child, the laws…”
“My family is in danger. I’m in danger. Please, let me do whatever I can to keep their souls intact.”
I could see the pain in Tully’s eyes as he heard my anguish. He wanted to help me, I knew he did. We’d both be breaking a lot of rules if we did it our way, though.
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of silence, Tully exhaled a quick, sharp puff of air and nodded. His shiny blue eyes never left mine as he spoke.
“If we do this, no one can know. You’ll need to periodically check on your souls at the retirement home to avoid drawing attention to your absence.”
“I can figure that out. Last favor: Tessa comes with us.”
I kept my voice firm, knew I was pushing what little luck I had left. Granted, I hadn’t asked if she’d be up for the adventure, but I had a hard time imagining Tessa not wanting to join in. She was a three-hundred-something year old witch who’d grown bored with the usual scene. She would be pissed if I didn’t invite her.
“Duh,” Tessa said immediately, confirming my first thought.
Tully’s face hardened and I could tell he was trying not to roll his eyes. I needed to show reason for my request.
“Tessa has magic if we run into a situation; she can help us with whatever we need,” I said.
“Fine,” he said in a clipped tone. “Tessa, you will go with us. You two will have to keep the ninnying to a minimum, you know.”
“Ninny- oh never mind,” I said, not wanting a historical grammar lesson at the moment. “So we’re going back to my family?”
“You must not be seen.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
I ignored his pointed look and took a deep breath as I made my decision. I would have to go back; how could I not? I would never leave my family’s souls to chance.
CHAPTER FIVE
We popped back to Tessa’s to regroup. Over the next hour, Tully’s frown was obvious even under his ginger beard. I waited for him to speak and finally prodded him when he remained quiet.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “I mean, besides…everything.”
Tessa rolled her eyes and I shrugged, not knowing what to say. Coaxing information out of Tully had never been easy. She shot me a look, her eyes daring me to push harder.
“I’ve been thinking…” Tully trailed off and I raised an eyebrow.
“About?”
“I want to consult the elders; I must at least warn them of what’s happening.”
“What?” My hands waved frantically. “Terrible idea. They can’t know what we’re doing.”
“I will not reveal that,” Tully said with a frown. “I am saying before we go through with this plan, let us see if they know anything about it. Maybe they are already aware of the situation. They may have answers and spare us from getting involved.”
“So why haven’t they done anything about it yet?” Tessa asked. I happened to agree with her thinking, my concerns still with my family. Her huffy tone made Tully’s posture straighten.
“This is a dangerous game we’re playing and we need answers. I have to speak with someone I never thought I’d see again,” Tully said.
“Who’s that?” I asked.
“Alistair.”
I jerked at the name, my lips parting in surprise. “Why do you need to see him?”
Tessa huffed. “Him who?”
“My mentor,” Tully said in a clipped tone.
“Oh, geez,” Tessa mumbled. She might not have known the name, but I could tell she knew the meaning behind it.
Tully pushed past her to stalk out of the room, but I raised my arm to stop him. “This is literally the first time you’ve ever referenced him other than to tell me his name when I prodded. Why is it so important you talk to him now?”
Tully looked taken aback at my serious reaction. Whatever the reason, he gave in. His shoulder slumped for an instant; he tried to cover it up by crossing his arms over his chest. His jaw clenched.
“Alistair is one of the oldest Reapers, part of the first wave of Trues.” Tully’s monotone voice flattened his usual Irish inflection. “He may be able to provide answers on why Mades are disappearing.”
“Would going to him put him in danger?” I said.
Tully shook his head a bit too hard, anger on the edge of his tone. “Alistair does not leave the elders’ location.”
Now I was puzzled. “I guess I thought you kept in touch.”
“He made me,” Tully said, his blue eyes going hard, “but that is the extent of our relationship.”
I was tired of the mysterious attitude. His bout of silence pushed me over the edge and I snapped. “Can you fill us in on the whole story? If not, then we should get going and find a reason for the disappearing acts.”
Tully looked at the ground for a long moment before coming up to meet our eyes. “Alistair is a True and would never let anyone forget it. He is so old, he might as well be considered created by Death. When he made me, he did not greet me into this new world as I did with you, Grace. He gave me the basics: the pull of souls and how to guide them; to stay away from living family; how it will take a few decades before your death becomes meaningless.”
Yikes. I immediately regretted my outburst. Tully was a pretty tough Reaper to please and I usually did just as he asked. I could only imagine what it was like to have someone like Alistair throwing me into the deep end without so much as a good luck.
“He did not explain the new world to me,” Tully said. His eyes flitted to Tessa. “Magic, witches…I could not have ever been prepared.”
He referred to his first meeting with Tessa, I realized. His attempt to reap her had finally introduced him to the supernatural world. A glance to Tessa showed her eyes meeting briefly with his and down on the floor. The twist in her mouth said she’d knowingly left that part out of the story. I would never have guessed they had such a thick history together.
“He would answer my questions and help me through certain situations. Terrified souls and the like,” Tully added at my raised eyebrow.
“When was the last time you spoke with Alistair?” Tessa asked.
“1912,” Tully promptly responded. “After he asked for my help with the RMS Titanic.”
