The Reaping: Language of the Liar

by Angella Graff

  But all of that was beside the point. The demons had done what they’d done in order to have Grant escape. Perhaps they hadn’t planned on Dorian ripping the thing inside Andrew to shreds, but she had a feeling his death wouldn’t affect their numbers in the least.

  Especially with Nic’s warning.

  She hadn’t told them about that yet. She couldn’t bring herself to discuss it, not until they had everything else sorted out. She was distracted and absolutely shaken to her core by everything going on.

  So much so, in fact, that she missed the rest of the meeting and only came back to herself when Briar touched her arm. “You okay?”

  Dorian’s gaze snapped up, and she jumped to her feet when she realized Dash was back in his wheelchair and Lennox was pushing him toward the door. “Yeah. Sorry, I was just zoned out.”

  Briar nodded, giving her a little side-eye, but she stayed close as they ventured into the hall. Entering the elevator, Lennox pushed the button, then turned to the two Reapers. “So there’s that. Dorian’s off probation and we won’t have another Exorcist until they figure out what the hell is going on. I doubt we’ll be given anything more complicated than closing doorways for some time.”

  “That works for me,” Briar said. “This has been way outside of my fucking paygrade lately.”

  Dorian nodded her agreement, not ready to say anything yet. There was a lot to talk about, but she wasn’t sure how to go forward. She could only imagine Lennox’s reaction when she told him she’d declared a war of sorts. Or that Nic had come through. Or worst of all, they needed to find the rogue priest because whatever he was, he was part of this.

  ***

  In her room, Dorian was staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought. She couldn’t get the vision of Nic out of her head, and she couldn’t shake the feeling like they had to move. Sitting around waiting for some assignment to come in, waiting for something to happen next, would only lead to another catastrophe.

  She hadn’t opened up yet, and the house wasn’t pressuring her. Briar had gone off for a few days, cashing in some of her vacation time she said. “If I don’t get some R and R, I’m going to explode. Will you be okay?”

  Dorian waved her away and smiled. “I swear I’ll be fine. Honestly I need at least a week to recoup before I’m for any more adventure. And you deserve some time off.”

  Briar’s eyes narrowed as she pulled her in for a hug. “If anything comes up, the boys have my number. I will be back in an instant.”

  Dorian assured her things would be fine and watched as she headed out into the drive way and drove off. Although Dorian didn’t feel as safe with one of their members out there in the open, she knew Briar could take care of herself. Besides, for the moment the world felt calm and safe. Trouble was brewing, that much was obvious, but Dorian was determined to take this lull to re-center herself and do everything she could to make a plan for the future.

  With the betrayal of Matias shaking the Community to its core, Dorian knew it was the perfect time to ensure the boys were fully on board. With Grant’s exorcism, it only proved that Dorian was right. Things were changing and their old methods weren’t working anymore.

  Dorian found herself venturing downstairs. She made her way through the back door, and found Lennox sitting on the patio chair, leaning forward, a cigarette pinched between his thumb and first finger. When she approached, he glanced up and nodded at the pack laying on the small table.

  “You smoke?”

  “Only a couple times as a teen. Wasn’t for me.” She lowered herself into the chair next to him and sat back. It was getting darker, the sun setting on the horizon, and there was a chill in the breeze saying that winter was fast approaching.

  After a bit of silence, Lennox crushed the cigarette under his boot and looked over at his companion. “You okay there? You’ve been quiet a few days.”

  Dorian nodded. “I’ve been better, but I’ve been worse. Just… confused, I suppose.” She nibbled on her thumb nail for a second, then let out a puff of air. “I killed Andrew.”

  Lennox quirked an eyebrow at her as he sat back. “Is that so?”

  “I didn’t mean to, but I didn’t try to save him either. My powers were…” She trailed off, not sure how to explain it. “It felt animalistic, and I think for the first time I understood that we really are drawing magic from the realm of those monsters. I tore that demon to shreds as I shoved him through that doorway and there wasn’t a bit of me that gave a second thought to whether or not Andrew was going to live or die.”

  Lennox pursed his lips as he listened to her, then he gave a small shrug. “I suppose that’s to be expected. The situation was chaos and you were trying to save yourself.”

  Dorian nodded, but she wasn’t sure she believed him. Still, that was a personal issue to deal with later. “I think I’m more concerned that neither Briar nor I noticed he was a demon. Or that he had an open doorway. Maybe it was spontaneous. Maybe they’ve got the spell to reopen them already, but maybe they don’t. Maybe they’re just more clever than we suspected.”

  “Adelaide thinks so too,” Lennox said, giving her a half smile. “She rang me up yesterday to have a chat about what happened. She thinks we’re missing a piece of this puzzle, and she told me to listen to you.”

  Dorian laughed. “Yeah, I bet she did.” She stopped to think for a moment about the strange Seeker. She didn’t have powers like the others, she was special. She could read thoughts and something about her put Dorian off. She wouldn’t forget how Adelaide described herself. A thing the Community created. “She’s right though. We have to be cautious.”

  “Markus agrees. It’s why he’s not sending anyone our way for a while. We’re going to get Dash to recoup, and build up your training through smaller jobs.”

  “And we have our own mission besides,” Dorian reminded him, and didn’t miss the flicker of apprehension on his face. “We can talk more later. I was thinking about going for a walk.”

  Lennox hesitated, but he eventually nodded and stood up from his chair. “Just be careful. Take your phone and knife, and don’t hesitate to send up a signal if anything happens.”

  Dorian promised, but didn’t say aloud that she was certain she wouldn’t need help, even if a demon attacked her. Her powers were strong, and terrifying. She hadn’t been totally open about how she killed the demon inside Andrew. She couldn’t bear to think of Lennox or Dash looking at her like she was a monster. Not after all this time.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  She was nearing the main road, enjoying the quiet evening and the gentle sounds of cars passing in the distance. She liked this little suburb, the soft glow of the hooded streetlights which kept the light pollution from interrupting the sea of stars overhead. She liked the neighbors who gave her friendly waves when they saw her, and the feeling of welcoming, even if they didn’t know her.

  There were a few people out walking their dogs, a couple pushing a stroller, one young woman on a jog. It was normal. It was suburban and human, and Dorian let herself forget she was some supernatural thing walking around capable of terrible murder. At least for a moment.

  As she rounded the corner, nearing the side of the street where the houses met woods, she felt something. It was off in the distance, buzzing with power, and her feet propelled her in the direction before she realized she was moving.

  Climbing over a half-broken wooden fence, she stepped into the trees and made her way toward the power source. As she walked, she saw the flicker of fire in the distance, and she eventually came to a small clearing where a man stood over a small pyre, burning a pile of clothes.

  When he turned, Dorian was only half-surprised to see glowing yellow eyes fixed on hers. It took her just a moment to recognize who the demon was, and the body it was possessing.

  “Does anyone know you’re here?” The voice slithered out, making the flesh on her arms break out into goosebumps.

  She stepped closer to the fire and let the heat sink into her skin. “No
,” she said after a moment. “No one knows. But I think you and I both know that doesn’t matter.”

  Nic’s mouth spread into a grin, and he shrugged. “I suppose not. That was good work with your Exorcist’s demon.”

  Dorian shuffled her feet back and forth, shoving her hands in her pockets as she watched Nic tend the fire. “Are you going to let him go?”

  Nic glanced over, then tilted his head back, giving his hair a shake. “What, this body?” He paused to laugh. “I suppose at some point I must. Eventually this pathetic fool will be released into the wild.”

  “For another one to take over. Like Suc’nesh.”

  The air went boiling hot suddenly, and Nic turned furious, orange eyes on her. “You met him?” The words came out like an angry hiss, making Dorian shudder.

  “He was inside Grant. I went to interrogate the demon, and he told me his name, said to send you his regards.”

  Nic spat on the ground, the leaves beneath sizzling and burning, and he turned back to her. “What else did he say to you?”

  Dorian shrugged one shoulder up and down. “That there’s dissent in your ranks. Insubordination. That members of your army are staging a coup.” She paused before she added, “And that you set nine realms upon his. He came to you for help and you ordered their extermination.”

  Nic threw back his head and laughed. “Oh did he? I suppose he would see it that way.”

  “Is it true?”

  Nic eyed her for a moment before he answered. “If I offered you this boy, if I said I would allow a pain-free exorcism, would you take it?”

  Dorian’s eyebrows shot up. She was aware he dodged her question, but the offer was interesting. “And why would you give me that?”

  “Because I love you.” His tone was matter-of-fact, but it made her laugh all the same, and he growled at the sound. “You don’t believe me?”

  “It’s hard to when the members of your army are trying to enslave my race.”

  “It’s not me. It’s not us.” He thumped his fist on the center of his chest. “You couldn’t begin to fathom the complexity of this war, Dorian. We are not behind the spell ripping your Exorcists back open.”

  “But you know it’s happening,” she pointed out. Shuffling her feet, she paced a little in front of the flames, keeping the side of her gaze on him.

  “What do you want from me, my love? How can I prove to you that I’m in this for you?”

  She turned and faced him, her hands clasping behind her back. She could feel Briar’s knife pressed against her wrist, but she didn’t move. “Tell me how to find the counter spell. If a spell exists to rip all humans open, there must be one to close them all.”

  His face was still for a moment, then he let out a small sigh. “You know I can’t do that. And you know why.”

  “Because you need me. Because you need the humans to win your little war.” Her tone conveyed her bitterness, but not the rage welling up inside her. Here was this monster who claimed to love her, and he was torturing a man who didn’t deserve it. A man who cared about her. And the demon was doing it to further his own ends. She wanted it to be over. She was tired of Nic stalking her, trying to tempt her with his silver tongue and clever lies.

  She could win this war, and she could do it without his cooperation. There were billions of demons out there, and she only needed one willing to work with her, one who had the information she was searching for.

  In the blink of an eye, she moved. She had the knife unsheathed and she came at him. It was clear he hadn’t been expecting it, and when the blade sank into his gut, he let out an inhuman growl. His claws dug into her arms, and she went flying back onto the ground, slamming against a fallen log. She let out a choked cry as the blow knocked the wind out of her, and as she struggled to her feet, she saw Nic pulling the blade from Grant’s stomach.

  “Clever. And brave.” He laughed, tossing the blade to the side. “But it takes more than that to destroy me. And when I’m inside him, you can’t hurt me.” Nic lifted his bloody hand to his mouth and drew his tongue through the burgundy drops. “He felt it though, in case you were wondering. He felt the cold steel puncture his flesh, slice through his stomach and he’s screaming…”

  “Shut up!” Her voice shot out a wave of her magic, sending Nic flying several feet. He landed on his back with a sick thud, and he laughed as he climbed onto his hands and knees.

  “You’re getting stronger my love. Almost strong enough.” Rising, he stood against the glow of the fire and wiped the dirt from his palms. “You should do as I ask. Find that rogue priest if you ever want to know who you are. I think you’ll find it very… illuminating.”

  Just as Dorian gathered enough breath to scream again, he was gone. In the blink of an eye, she was alone beside the dying fire, and she let out a cry of frustration. It felt like a losing battle for now. The more Nic was able to toy with her, the more she knew he could manipulate her emotions.

  But he was inside her head now, the curiosity about Father Stone worming its way into her brain. The last thing she wanted in the world was to confront the Priest, but she knew if she didn’t get answers soon, their mission would fail. Whatever she was, whatever was behind her power, she had a feeling it was related to the war these demons were waging, and the spell they needed to stop them. It was time to get to work. It was time to hunt the demons and track down every avenue of information she could. No matter who it killed, or what it took for her to get it. She wouldn’t let these monsters win, no matter the cost.

  The time of the Reaping had begun.

  The End

  Dorian, Lennox, Dash, and Briar will return in The Reaping: Blood From Eden coming Fall, 2016

  About the Author

  Angella Graff grew up in Tucson, Arizona where she studied Theology, History, and Creative Writing. She currently resides there with her husband and three children.