The Reaping: Language of the Liar

by Angella Graff

  Andrew barked out a laugh and shook his head. “I knew this job was gonna be interestin’. I’m off to bed. Don’t wake me too early, need my beauty rest.” He clicked his tongue against his cheek with a wink, then headed for the stairs.

  “I swear he’s punishing me,” Lennox moaned. “And not even for your infraction.”

  “I give him two hours after he wakes up to start in with the fag jokes,” Dash said.

  The thought of that sent Dorian’s head into a rage but she pushed it back. There was no time to hate on the new Exorcist. They had more pressing matters at hand. “We need to talk,” she said when she was sure the new set of ears were no longer listening. “Somewhere private. Somewhere safe.”

  ***

  Being unable to leave the house without transport to accommodate Dash, they retreated to his bedroom down the hall. As Dash got himself onto the bed, Lennox set up a handful of silencing wards which would keep out prying ears from their new guest. “These spells aren’t perfect, and if he’s skilled he can work round them, but it’ll deflect any casual eavesdroppers.”

  Dorian had no reason to think this Andrew person was sent there to spy on them. Markus might suspect something, but he was fixated on the traditions of the Community. On exorcising humans, closing doorways, and that was going to work in her favor at the moment.

  “I lied to Markus,” Dorian began, and Briar snorted a laugh.

  “No kidding,” Dash said with a wink.

  With a groan, Dorian flopped down on one of the chairs. “Was I obvious?”

  “Only because you told me you would be,” Lennox said. “And because we know you better than most.”

  Taking a breath, Dorian sat forward and rested her forearms over her thighs. “Last night the demon who spoke to me was not the same demon using Grant’s body the night we set the wards.”

  There was a silence in the room, and Lennox let out a small breath. “I see.”

  “I told you what the first demon said to me. Mocked me, threatened me. This one was… different.” Dorian then recounted everything she could remember about her interactions with the demon who called himself Suc’nesh.

  When she finished, she sat back with a sigh and let the group process everything she’d given them.

  “What I don’t understand,” Dash said, his words coming out slow as he contemplated the situation, “is what this has got to do with you. We’ve had strong Reapers before. Reapers who’ve hosted demons as strong as yours was.”

  “Yes,” Lennox said, “but we’ve had none who were possessed as long and survived the process. It’s possible these demons are attached.”

  Briar shook her head. “Bullshit. Demons don’t get attached to people.”

  “Clearly,” Dash said, his voice dark and pointed, “they do.”

  Dorian felt her face go hot as she sat back in the chair. “I think we need to take this whole thing seriously. I don’t think it’s enough just doing exorcisms anymore. We need to go on the offensive.”

  “You don’t realize what you’re proposing here, lass. You’re asking us to restructure the entire point of the Community with little to no evidence. We have your word on conversations no one was present for.”

  Dorian’s eyes widened. “Are you saying you don’t believe me?”

  “I’m saying there’s a lot of people in the Community who don’t know you and are wary.”

  Her head bowed. “Because of how long I was possessed.”

  Lennox walked over, kneeling beside her chair, and he reached out to grab her knee. “It’s going to get worse, too. When they find out about your powers…”

  “They don’t have to,” Briar cut in. “There is no goddamn need to tell anyone what she’s capable of.”

  “You don’t think they’ll see it?” Lennox challenged, rising back up. “You don’t think the moment this new bloke with his bullshit attitude sees what she can do, he isn’t going to immediately report back to the others?”

  Briar licked her lips and let out a breath. “We’ll figure it out when that time comes. I wasn’t in the room, but I felt the magic in there, Len. Whatever the hell was going on, it was some serious shit. Dorian’s on to something.”

  “I believe her, too,” Dash said. “I don’t think exorcisms are enough anymore.”

  “So what do you propose?” Lennox started pacing, running his hands through his hair out of sheer frustration. “How are we doing to defy the Community’s orders?”

  “We go rogue,” Briar said with a shrug. “We complete their assigned tasks, and in between, we start researching. We start hunting the demons.”

  “You’re mad!” Lennox threw up his hands. “You’ve seen what happens when members of the Community go rogue. Markus…”

  “I don’t give a fuck about Markus,” Briar spat. “That little worm…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “Never mind. But he and his brother can go fuck themselves. Between the four of us, we have enough power.”

  “For what?” Lennox challenged. “Enough power to do what, exactly?”

  “Dorian can find them. Higher ups. We trap them, bind them, and question them. We find the leak in the Community, we find the chain of demons leading to the ones trying to cast that spell to take over humans. If there’s a faction within a faction trying to defy their demon leaders, it means the number we’re fighting against is smaller.”

  Lennox shook his head. “You don’t know that. You can’t possibly know that. A smaller number could still be in the bloody billions.”

  “Doesn’t matter. We only need to find a way to counter the spell,” Dorian cut in, her voice small but confident. “A preemptive strike, protection over our world before they can get what they need to take us over.” She let out a small breath and shook her head. “We don’t know enough yet, but we can.”

  “Won’t that mean working with other demons?” Dash asked, leaning forward. “We’ll only get so far with capture and question.”

  Dorian bowed her head. “Yeah. Maybe it will. It might mean forming alliances with the creatures the Community has been fighting this entire time.”

  “Therein lies the flaw of this plan,” Lennox said, sinking down to the floor. He pushed his back up against the bedroom door and looked up at the ceiling. “This is treason, you realize. Against the Community.”

  “With liberation comes risk,” Briar said, and everyone turned to look at her. “With liberation comes war. If the demons are right, corruption has infiltrated the Community and right now, we can’t be sure who we can trust. Anyone could be helping them. Anyone.”

  “Shall we vote, then?” Dash proposed.

  Lennox laughed. “No. This isn’t a democracy. What you’re proposing is to create a small alliance of rebels working inside the Community against every rule and guideline they’ve held since the dawn of man. If we’re going forward, we’re going forward with a defined leader.” His gaze fixed on Dorian, and it took her a moment to realize what he was saying.

  “Jesus. You’re kidding, right? No way.” She rose, holding up her hands. “I don’t have the first clue…”

  “Except you do,” Dash said, cutting her off. “You see things we don’t. Things we can’t. I dunno how the hell you can do it, but the fact remains, love, and if you want to do this… it’s the only way.”

  Deflated, she sank back down to the chair and hung her head. “I can’t sit back and follow the rules Markus and the other Praetorani are upholding. It’s not enough. It’s like sitting back and waiting for a plague you know is coming. One that’s going to kill everyone.” She paused for a breath. “So I guess…I guess I accept.”

  “So be it,” Lennox said. “In for a penny, and God help me, but I’m in for a pound.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “I need to be there,” Dorian said to Lennox over dinner Thursday night. They received word the exorcism of Grant would be taking place the following evening just after midnight. Markus set a location, and ordered Briar along with another Reaper to be present.


  Lennox shook his head, stabbing at his chicken with his fork. “There’s not a lot I can do.”

  “Someone has to have pull with him,” Dorian said. “I won’t participate, but you know it’s important for me. Grant needs a friendly face, someone there to motivate him to fight the demon.”

  “She’s right,” Andrew said. He hadn’t been privy to a lot of the house conversations, but he was at dinner with them and surprised everyone by taking Dorian’s side. During the week he’d been a stickler for rules. He watched Dorian like a hawk, reminding her at every turn she wasn’t to so much as float a candle or mutter a practice incantation. The entire house was done with him, but Markus insisted that for now, he would be one of the resident Exorcists.

  “Really? You agree Dorian should participate in something this large?” Dash challenged. He was in his wheelchair, and pushed back away from the table. “Would you vouch for her?”

  With a laugh, the southern man nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “You bet I would. This pretty little thing needs some experience in the field, and she ain’t gettin’ it from dusty old books. She might not need to throw her magic in with ours, but she ain’t never gonna be ready if Marky don’t let her at least show up.” Andrew pushed his chair back from the table and wiped his hands on a napkin before dropping it next to his plate. “Why don’t I go give him a quick call and see what can’t be done?”

  They heard him climb the stairs, and the faint bang as his bedroom door shut. Lennox sat back and shook his head. “I don’t trust him.”

  “Dodgy bloke,” Dash agreed. “But if he can get Markus to agree…”

  “Why’s it so important to you to be there?” Lennox asked Dorian, cutting his boyfriend off. “Is it to save the lad?”

  Dorian shook her head. “I have a… bad feeling, I guess.” She couldn’t explain it, but the exorcism had been giving her anxiety all week. Something in her told her she needed to be there. “If demons are using Grant like a revolving door, there’s no telling who’s going to show up, and we all remember what happened when we underestimated a demon before.”

  There was a pause in the room before someone spoke again. “If everyone in the house petitions for her presence,” Briar said, “there’s no way Markus will turn us down.”

  Dorian hoped that was the case. She couldn’t put her finger on why, but she needed to be there. It felt like a matter of life and death.

  ***

  “Hey there, little lady.”

  Dorian turned and saw Andrew leaning against the wall near the bathroom as she was making her way toward the stairs. A wave of irritation hit her, and she shook her head. “You are a walking stereotype, you know that. Is it on purpose?”

  “Most people find me charming,” he defended, spreading his hands out. “You don’t think it’s a little cute?”

  “Not really.” She started away, rolling her eyes as she heard his footsteps echo hers on the stairs. Their group had next to no time to talk about the upcoming exorcism, and with Andrew on her back all hours of the day and night, she had no time to brush up on her skills or control. And to top it off, the group had no time to discuss future plans for their renegade mission.

  “You know, I think we got off on the wrong foot, here.” They were in the kitchen, Dorian abandoning her plans to chat with Dash, and she took a seat at the counter while Andrew grabbed a couple beers from the fridge. He offered one to her, but she shook her head. “I don’t want you to think of me as some kind of warden.”

  “Oh, I don’t,” she said sweetly. “I don’t think of you like that at all.”

  The corner of his mouth quirked up for a second, then he threw his head back and howled with laughter. “I like you. And you know, I knew I would. You’ve got spitfire in you girl, you ain’t dead like a lot of these folks. All hard and bitter from knowin’ secrets keepin’ them up at night. But after everything you went through, you still got life runnin’ through them veins.”

  “I guess.” She stared at him, trying to get a read on this obnoxious man, but he seemed no more than a simple country guy with a little bit of magic in his fingertips.

  “Don’t I at least get a thank you for convincin’ Marky to let you tag along on our little field trip?”

  Dorian’s jaw clenched at the idea of the potential death of her old friend and Markus’ son being referred to as a field trip. But there was no sense in picking a fight with this man. They’d deal with getting him transferred out as soon as they could. They needed to deal with one crisis at a time.

  “Sure. Yeah. I appreciate it.” She gave him a tense, watery smile when he looked at her.

  “I know you don’t like me. But maybe we can change that. What’s say you and I work on some of your magic trainin’ after we get done with this mess?”

  Dorian sighed, put her hands on the counter, and pushed herself up to her feet. She had no intention of ever working with this person, but there was no harm in a little white lie. “Sure yeah, that sounds great. Anyway I’m going to go visit with Dash. See you.”

  Giving him a nod, she hurried down the hall, knocked on Dash’s door, and let herself in. He was at his desk, sitting in his chair at the computer and scrolling through pages of small text. When she stepped in, he glanced over and his face broke out into a huge grin.

  “You alright there, love?”

  Dorian nodded and mouthed, ‘Andrew is listening.’ She knew the Exorcist was likely trying to listen through Lennox’s spell, so anything they talked about would have to be on the level. “Just tired. Nervous about tonight.”

  Dash’s expression was dark, glancing at the door before he let out a silent sigh. “It’s going to be fine. We’ve got some of the best men on the job. A few of whom participated in your exorcism.”

  Flopping down on the bed, Dorian put her hands behind her neck and stared up at the unmoving ceiling fan. “Yeah. I just wish I could have spent more time with him, you know? Give him a little more advice on how to get through this.”

  “Markus is feeling protective,” Dash reminded her.

  “I know.” She rolled over, leaning her cheek on her folded arms. “I get it. Just the thought that he won’t make it…”

  As she spoke, Dash was scribbling on a piece of paper and he held it up. In block letters was scrawled, ANY NEWS?

  Dorian shook her head. “You think it’ll be quick?”

  “Quick as they ever are. I’m not coming. Markus couldn’t secure a location which could accommodate my chair, and I’m not up to crutches yet with my PT. Not that it matters, Seekers are rarely on scene.”

  “But you’ll be helping, right?” Dorian asked, sitting up.

  Dash nodded. “You know it. You think I’d let my man and my two favorite girls out there all on their own?”

  ***

  Her nerves were shot before they reached the location. It was an apartment building in the middle of the city. They were set up in the basement, Exorcists walking the length of the walls casting an array of charms as Dorian helped Briar and Lennox unload.

  Andrew immediately greeted the other Exorcists, and it was clear he was acquainted with them before he came into Lennox’s circle. He glanced back at Dorian a few times, giving her a cheeky wink and nod, but she pointedly ignored him. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to get information from her or if he was hitting on her, but she could tell his offer to help her out was self-serving at the very least.

  Unloading the bags, Dorian was ushered to the corner of the room where Markus told her to sit. “Don’t move, don’t help, don’t panic. I realize this is the first time you’ve seen something like this that wasn’t your own, and it can get ugly. Just trust that the conclave has everything under control.”

  Only, she thought to herself, what if they don’t? But it wasn’t her place to argue now, and it would have been a terrible idea. She took solace in the comforting glances of both Lennox and Briar who were working hard, but they didn’t seem even remotely concerned.

  Sti
ll, something wasn’t sitting right. It was a feeling in the air, like things were about to be turned upside down, and she took a few breaths to try to calm her anxiety. “First time jitters,” she told herself. She didn’t believe it, but if she kept repeating that like a mantra, it was possible they could get through the night without anything going wrong.

  At least a half hour passed while the Exorcists worked. She didn’t recognize any of them from her own exorcism, and none of them gave her much more than a passing glance. Most of them were men, two women who looked to be in their mid-forties, and all of them were no-nonsense.

  Everyone was working hard to get this done right. Dorian had a feeling extra precautions were being taken because this was Markus’ son.

  When everything was finished, and the wards were in place, Briar came to stand next to Dorian, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. “And now we wait.”

  With a frown, Dorian glanced up toward the stairs where it was still and silent. “Are they bringing him?”

  “I think they’re taking their time.” Briar glanced at her watch and looking over her shoulder, Dorian saw it wasn’t quite midnight yet. “No sense in putting him at risk before everyone’s ready.”

  Leaning her head in toward Briar, Dorian asked, “Do you know any of these people?”

  “A few.” Briar shrugged as her gaze darted over the others in the room. “Worked with those two women a few years ago. I was called in after their Reaper was found murdered.”

  “Oh my God. A demon?”

  “As far as we could tell, it was suicide.” When Dorian sucked in her breath, Briar shrugged. “It happens more than they want to admit around here. This life isn’t easy. You see a lot of death. Eventually you either become numb to it, or it consumes you.”

  Not sure what to say, Dorian fell into an uncomfortable silence as she listened to the quiet murmurs of the people milling around. They all seemed acquainted, one man in particular standing with Lennox, and Dorian noticed a strong family resemblance.