Reaper's Order (Founders Series Book 1)

by Mari Dietz

They rushed forward to steady her.

  She held up her hands. “I’m fine.” The sun rose, and she looked over and saw Samuel. She smiled. “What are you doing back there so quiet?”

  He didn’t respond and kept facing forward.

  “Samuel? Samuel?”

  He turned, but his eyes were dull and a faint smile was on his face.

  Vic stopped a shout of rage from leaving her throat. Her eyes zeroed in on William. Her voice was low, anger rising in her. “What did you do to him?”

  He looked away.

  She grabbed his shirt. “What did you do to him!” She shook him, and Kai pulled her back as she tried to kick William. She staggered. “You didn’t have to do this!”

  “I didn’t have a choice. He cut out his orb.” His shoulders slumped forward, and this was the most rumpled Vic remembered seeing him.

  She jerked out of Kai’s grip. “What?”

  She’d seen that he needed to charge the other day, but why would he do something suicidal?

  William’s eyes flashed. “His orb is gone!”

  Vic shoved him. “I could’ve helped!”

  William caught her hand so she couldn’t shove him again. “How? You know it only works once or twice at best.”

  “We get him another orb.” Vic knew the situation was hopeless, but she couldn’t help it. The ghost of Samuel’s laughter and true smile lingered in her mind. She barely knew him, but losing his easy-going cheer hurt.

  “You know that doesn’t work. This was his only option. He chose this.” William’s eyelids were swollen from shed tears. He acted like he barely existed.

  Vic clenched her jaw. “It looks like he chose to be a mog.” She waved her hand at Samuel. “Not some brainless light lover.”

  William stepped closer. “You met him twice. Don’t pretend to know what he wanted or who he is. You’re just a magic-addicted bitch. Go back to your founder life, where you can have anything you want.” He spat the words. This was the first time Vic had seen William lose control.

  “Fine, I’m privileged. He loved you. How could you do this to him? Where were you when he cut out his gicorb? Too busy chasing after what Daddy wants for you?” Vic wanted to hurt him. All the pain and frustration she’d gone through this last week had found a target in William.

  William straightened his shoulders. “I don’t need to hear this.” He nodded to them. “Enjoy your day.” He walked away with Samuel following.

  Vic stared after them, her eyes burning. Samuel had needed help, but she’d been too focused on the orbs. She hadn’t seen that he no longer had his.

  A hand rested on her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  “Is there a way to undo this?” Vic cupped her cheeks. Her body hurt, and her mind felt ragged.

  Kai shook his head. “I know nothing about the relics the radiant possess. Putting magic in people never turns out right. Also, taking out your orb is a death sentence.”

  In school, they taught that some imbs had experimented with imbuing others with magic. Either the historians had never said what had really happened to those people, or it was too graphic for children. Apparently, whatever had resulted had made it forbidden. The rings and scythes took away power, but the rings could also put something else back in. No one knew what. What purified radiant could tell them?

  “He didn’t want this.” Vic’s heart felt heavy. She stumbled again.

  Kai helped her walk to the wall. “What happened tonight?”

  Vic stared down the path where the brothers had disappeared. “Dei knew we were watching them.”

  She explained what Nel wanted from them.

  “She wants us to get GicCorp involved. That way she’ll be the number-one Order.”

  Kai paced behind the back wall of Nyx. “This whole time, I thought Dei didn’t care about numbers.”

  “It turns out she likes to eat.”

  “Don’t we all?” Kai sighed. “I don’t see how we’ll get into GicCorp.”

  Vic waved her hand. “Founder’s daughter. Might as well use all my privilege for something.” Bitterness sounded in her voice. Separating herself from them was impossible.

  Kai pointed at her band. “Also, you missed this, but because of the constant shock …”

  She held up her arm. The buffer had become blackened and cracked.

  “We might need a new one,” Kai finished.

  “Or we can cut off your finger,” Vic teased.

  “Ha. Let’s try asking Bomrosy first.”

  Vic nudged him. “It’s only one finger. What do you need it for?”

  He traced her chin. “I can’t think of anything.” He leaned down, his gaze moving over her face.

  The whole week had been awkward. Vic leaned into him. Her sore body felt warm next to his. “Maybe we should give it a fond farewell.”

  She pressed closer to him. Her heart pounded. She’d shelved any feelings she had for Kai since they had more important things to deal with. Now, she let her walls fall a bit.

  “I still think there’s an easier option.” He pulled her closer and pressed their sides against the cool stone of the back wall.

  “Spoilsport.”

  “We could cut off your hand.” He traced his fingers down her arm.

  Vic smacked him. “Yeah, I don’t need my hand.”

  He laughed and helped her get over the wall. She landed with a thud and rested her hands on the ground to steady herself. He jumped over after her.

  “I think you need to lie down before we get involved with GicCorp.”

  Vic closed her eyes and stood. “I’m fine. Let’s see if Bomrosy has another buffer for us.”

  Kai shook his head and grabbed her. She shouted in surprise as he went to his open window on the first floor and tossed her in.

  “Thanks.” She stood and rubbed her bottom.

  He winked. “Rest first. Bomrosy will still be there, and Xiona’s not going anywhere either.”

  He helped her onto his bed and took off her boots. Vic snuggled into the mattress and relaxed. Kai lifted the covers and snuck in next to her, the blanket separating them and his face next to hers.

  “You’re something else, Sparks.” He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Is that a compliment?” There were laugh lines at the corners of his eyes.

  “I’ve grown fond of you.”

  “Fond?”

  “Since I nearly froze my bits off.”

  Vic snorted. “How romantic.”

  He pulled on a strand of her hair. “I aim to please.”

  Vic drifted off as he radiated warmth next to her. When she woke up, Kai sat at the desk, gazing out the window into the distance. She stretched with a groan. “See anything interesting?”

  “I thought being part of the highest Order would help out my family, but soon, I may be in the lowest Order.” He smiled ruefully.

  Vic swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood next to him. She grasped his shoulder. “Will your family be okay?”

  Kai put his hand on hers. “As long as GicCorp doesn’t blame us all for padding the numbers, we should be fine. Maybe they won’t withdraw all their support.”

  “I can’t say I know Tristan’s father very well, but he seems like a reasonable man.”

  Ethan Nordic ran the founders. He wouldn’t like Nyx’s cheating. He ran a tight ship, and she wondered how much chaos it had caused when she’d refused to marry Tristan. She’d let her father deal with the aftermath. Part of her was surprised that her father hadn’t dragged her back home.

  Vic tied her hair back with a tie she kept in her pocket. “Let’s see if we can save your finger.”

  They walked out of the room, Vic tried to ignore all the stares from the other reapers. She didn’t know how many knew Xiona was punishing her. Nothing like not belonging in her new home. With the founders, she’d been used to feeling isolated since she openly stood against Haven. So much for a new start.

  They made their way to the workroom with Kai
holding on to Vic’s scythe. Bomrosy stood over a bulb giving off light while Kai locked Vic’s scythe away again.

  “It’s lasting longer?” Vic reached out to touch it.

  Bomrosy smacked her hand away. Her teeth flashed in a smile. “It’s hot, so I wouldn’t touch it. It’s lasted a whole week so far.” Her eye glimmered. “I also have something better for you two.” She held up a black box the size of her thumb.

  “Cute?”

  “Yes. Very cute. It also blocks small amounts of magic. I can’t get it to work on a larger scale, but it uses the same currents as the non-magic light.”

  “And this means?” Vic couldn’t follow what she meant half the time.

  “We can take off the band.”

  Vic shot her wrist forward, and Bomrosy placed the device on the band. She clicked the lever, and Vic felt a shock. Then the band loosened and fell off her wrist.

  “We should probably put it back on,” Bomrosy mused.

  “Probably, but I need to go out anyway. I can put it back on when I get back.” This would ensure she had enough time to see Ethan.

  “Where are you going?” She placed the device inside a container and handed it to Vic.

  Vic smiled. “To make a deal.”

  “Fine, keep your secrets. I think you’re trying to protect me in some weird way, but I’m already in waist deep.”

  Vic hugged her lightly, the smell of leather filling her nose. “The less you know the better off you’ll be.”

  She raised her eyebrow. “You know I know the most of everyone?”

  “True.” Bomrosy wasn’t a reaper. If there was a fallout with GicCorp and Xiona didn’t insist on keeping her, what would happen to her? “Take care of yourself. I’ll see you later.”

  Vic left the room with Kai, and they went back to his room, Vic hiding her wrist from sight. She got ready to jump out the window.

  Kai lightly grabbed her arm, stopping her. “Don’t you think I should go with you?”

  “The Nordics are secretive. They won’t like me coming to see them about this, and I’m technically in the same circles as them.” She patted his arm. “Plus, you’re the decoy.”

  Kai gripped her shoulders and brushed his forehead against hers. “I’ll make a great decoy. All my years of training and I get to sit on my ass.”

  Vic bit down her grin. “A fine ass to sit on.” She glanced around the back of the Order to make sure no one was out training, then with a quick wave, she jumped down. Her legs wobbled a bit, but she tried not to let it show since Kai watched her. Another look around and she scaled the wall.

  She stuck to the alleys as she made her way to the GicCorp headquarters. In the late afternoon, people headed home before night fell. Workers came out of various founder factories. In the north, GicCorp transferred the blight to where it would be purified in Haven. The vitals stayed in their own section of the city, away from the rest of the population. The heroes of Verrin.

  Vic made her way past the front gate to the family entrance. A short, stately man greeted her.

  “Victoria Glass. I need to see Ethan Nordic about something I’ve uncovered.”

  The man lifted his nose and huffed. “He’s busy. Perhaps you can arrange a visit through your father.”

  “This is reaper business, and it has to do with the Order of Nyx. He’ll want to hear this personally. If I’m wrong, you can take away my relic.” Not that she had it with her, anyway.

  “I will inform him you’re here, but he’s a busy man. He doesn’t have time for nonsense.”

  “Neither do I.” Nervous energy filled her, and she bounced slightly on her toes.

  The man shut the door in her face, and she heard his footsteps walking away. She realized he might not tell Ethan Nordic she was here. The sun set, and Vic stood outside the door as the last of the workers left. Some gave her strange glances.

  The door creaked open. “He will see you.”

  Vic smiled brightly. “I thought so.”

  He sniffed and walked away, leaving Vic to chase after him. The entrance to the Nordic home was as stunning as she remembered it. The stained glass in the ceiling darkened with the setting of the sun. Her sister had always liked to look at other work by those in the Glass sector. Now, Vic tended to notice it too.

  The man took her to the right and led her down a hallway. He opened the door to a large, impressive office. The whole thing was spread out, with a large black desk in the center. It might have been made from one solid stone. The wooden floors were stained gray, and the shelves behind the desk had objects Vic didn’t recognize.

  “Sit here and wait.” He gestured to a few wooden chairs with black cushions.

  Vic didn’t feel like sitting, so she paced the room and let her footsteps echo on the wooden floor. She stayed that way for an hour. The sun set, and the blight swirled in an ominous yellow through the windows.

  The door opened behind her, and Vic turned to see Xiona. Her face twitched, but she tried to keep her expression normal.

  Xiona silently shut the door behind her. “I think we both knew there would be no compromising with you.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean.” Vic tensed and distanced herself.

  “You were never going to be okay with corrupting people. I had to give you a chance because of your founder blood.” Xiona strode closer to Vic.

  Vic’s body urged her to run. She stepped back to put some of the furniture between them. If Xiona was here, that could only mean one thing. “The Nordics already know you’re padding your numbers.”

  Xiona twirled a pair of cuffs in her hand. “You could say that.”

  Vic swallowed, then it hit her. “They told you to do it.” Of course they knew.

  She stepped forward. “Come now, little newbie. Let’s take you to your new home.”

  Vic took the wooden chair and threw it at Xiona. She dodged out of the way. The chair slammed into the wall and clattered to the ground. Vic rounded the desk, grabbed the strange objects, and threw them at the commander’s head. Some of them hit and shattered against her.

  Xiona glared and swiped away the fragments. She grabbed her folded scythe from her harness and used it to knock away some of the thrown objects. Xiona crunched over the broken projectiles, jumped onto another chair, and landed on the desk. Vic veered to the side, nearly tripping on the desk chair, but now she had a clear shot at the door and darted to the exit. A flash caught the corner of her eye, and she saw a blade coming around toward her neck.

  Vic dove, and the blade swooped over her head.

  “Killing me now?” Vic scrambled backward on the floor to get away from the vicious blade.

  “No loss for me.”

  Xiona lunged forward. Vic rolled out of the way and barely avoided the blade as it came down on the wooden floor, chipping the perfect wood.

  “Nordic might not like that you messed up his floor.” Vic gasped as she jumped to her feet.

  Xiona smiled and swung at Vic. “The blood will be harder to clean up.”

  Vic’s jaw tightened, and she sidestepped another swing of the scythe. Xiona had more reach with the weapon. As soon as she swung again, instead of dodging, Vic caught the wooden handle and yanked, bringing Xiona forward. Vic kneed Xiona in the stomach, and then she clutched Xiona’s head and slammed her knee into her nose.

  With a grunt and a crunch, Xiona toppled. Her relic clattered to the floor. Vic stole the relic and ran out of the room. Her mind raced. Where could she go in this city? The walls felt more like a prison now. She could beg Dei to hide her? She ran down the hall, and then in front of her stood six reapers. She halted and tried to run back, but they surrounded her.

  She swung the scythe and hit a few as they came at her, but she was outnumbered. They tackled her and pinned her arms and legs down. They parted as Xiona approached.

  Xiona stared down at Vic. She picked up her relic and pressed the blade to Vic’s neck. Her skin broke open—just a nick but warm blood dribbled down her neck.

&n
bsp; “Let’s get this one a new brand.” Xiona removed her blade, and the other reapers dragged her out of the Nordic house. With all the hands holding her, it was impossible to budge. Vic tried to twist her arm away while she hung in their grasp. Did all the founders know what was happening to the people of Verrin? What about the vitals?

  A sick feeling overcame Vic as she glanced at the passing city in the darkness. There wasn’t anything beyond the walls except blight and swamp. There was nowhere to run for those who didn’t like what the founders were doing. Helplessness filled her. She had to try. She needed to keep Kai and Bomrosy out of this mess she’d found herself in.

  They reached the Nyx Order, and they dragged her to the room where she’d received her brand.

  “Start the fire,” Xiona ordered.

  A few reapers ran forward and brought the flames to life.

  “You’re all okay with hurting others and letting them get corrupted?” They made her kneel on the stone floor. The heat of the fire caressed her skin.

  The reapers ignored her as they worked. Five of them held her down, and one came up to hold her head to the side, exposing her neck.

  Vic couldn’t see very well, but Xiona put something in the flames.

  “It’s easy to take you out of the Order, Victoria Glass. Keep in mind how little power you hold. It doesn’t matter who your daddy is,” Xiona sneered.

  Vic twitched as Xiona held up another brand, this one a solid square. The heat from the new brand singed her hair as it drew closer. She pressed the brand to Vic’s neck.

  This time, she wasn’t gentle, and it seared into Vic’s flesh. The smell of her own burning skin filled the room. Pain lanced down her side. When Xiona finally withdrew the brand, Vic felt a layer of her skin go with it. She bit down on her tongue and trembled as the mark burned.

  Xiona stared down at her and tossed the black branding iron back into the flames. It clunked against the burning wood. “Take her to the lower cells.”

  Delirious from pain, Vic felt them carry her away. They went down some steps and to a wall in the back of the holding cells. One of them pressed a hidden latch, and the stone wall opened. More stone steps led down farther into the ground.

  Human waste hit her nose, and they dumped her in a cell. Blackness overcame her as she stared into a pair of red-rimmed eyes.