Death's Apprentice: A Grimm City Novel
Page 23
Death’s pallid face frowned a little in confusion. “I’m sorry, Nathaniel, but I don’t understand. What do you mean, you have changed a person’s fate?”
“Ren-Lei … we saved her.” He glanced over to the unmoving couple in the distance, and the frozen baby giggling between them. “Because of us, she can grow up and live a long, healthy life.”
Death’s expression didn’t change. “Nathaniel, what you have achieved tonight has been impressive, as I said. But if you believe it has made a difference to anything, you are wrong. You saw the Scroll of Deaths yourself. Everything that was marked down upon it has come to pass. All those who were destined to survive have survived. And all those who were due to die have died. Or at least, they will have done, once the problem that your interference has caused has been corrected.”
A dark suspicion entered Nathaniel’s thoughts. “Corrected?” he said. “In what way?”
Death cast his gaze across the tiny human being in Ling’s arms. “With the baby. The one you call Ren-Lei. She was set to die last night in the fallen angels’ temple. And die she must. Your interference has merely postponed her death, not cancelled it. Her soul still needs to be harvested. And that is why I am here.”
“No!” Nathaniel’s voice turned taut and fierce. “You can’t. Her life’s been saved. We fought to save it. Do you have any idea how much blood was shed so she can live?”
“And you believe that matters?” Death’s tone remained level and unemotional. “The laws of life and death must be upheld, Nathaniel. The balance must be maintained if the world is to proceed as it should. You know much about the workings of the afterlife, but you do not yet know everything. And if you don’t believe that, then come with me, and see for yourself why the child must die.”
Nathaniel stood silent for a moment, considering his alternatives. In the end, he saw that he had no choice. “All right, I’ll come with you…” he said. “But only to see what you mean.”
Death held out his waxen hand, ready to lay it on Nathaniel’s shoulder. But Nathaniel stopped him before the hand could touch him.
“Hold on—” He motioned to the frozen figure in the filthy overcoat, standing transfixed at the edge of the chasm. “If I go with you, what will happen to Blake? Without my help, will he be okay? Will he beat the Devil, and get what he wants?”
Death looked at the figure. But as soon as he saw the grime-encrusted coat he turned away again, uninterested. “Such a wraith is no longer my concern,” he said. “I only deal with those who pass on from life to death—not those who are trapped between the two. However, to ease your human concern, I will tell you this.… Whether you help him on his quest or not, it makes no difference. The wraith’s fate will remain the same, however you act.”
So there’s nothing I can do for him. Nathaniel looked again at his friend’s black-smudged face and tangled hair. No matter what I decide …
“Just so.” Death had read his thoughts.
“Then show me…,” said Nathaniel. “Show me what I need to know.” He saw the waxen hand rise up again and lay itself upon his shoulder. “Take me back to your realm one last time.”
28.
“I’ve been here before.” Nathaniel gazed around at the chamber. “But it seems like a lifetime ago.”
Billions of lights extended in all directions around him. The carved pedestals that supported their glass vessels stretched on far beyond the limits of what Nathaniel could see. The ancient, low-ceilinged chamber reached into the distance, seemingly without end. Above him, he could feel the weight of the earth, as if the groundskeeper’s cottage, surrounded now by emptied graves and tombs, was at the center of all things.
“Why did you bring me to the Lights of Life?” he asked. “What’s here for me to see that I haven’t seen before?”
Death walked a few yards down the chamber’s length, stopping in front of one of the vessels. “Come,” he said. “This is Ren-Lei’s light.” A cold fingertip touched the side of the glass. “It shines brightly, growing stronger all the time.”
“I’m not surprised,” said Nathaniel as he joined his former master by the glass. “She’s with people now who love her.”
“True … However, that is not what I’m here to show you. Instead, look there—”
Death pointed to the air above the glass. To the space between the vessel and the low-lying ceiling.
Nathaniel looked to where he pointed, and to his surprise, he saw another, fainter glow hovering in the darkness. It was so tenuous and dim, it looked as if it might disintegrate at any moment.
“What you see there is a soul that is waiting to be born,” said Death. “But because of what you’ve done, it has not yet been able to find a place in which to ignite. Instead, it is fading away into nonexistence, even as we speak.”
Nathaniel looked at the glowing cloud with concern. “I see…”
“But do you?” asked Death. “I have told you many times, Nathaniel, each soul here is governed by the rules of Fate. The order in which these glasses are emptied and refilled follows a predetermined plan. According to that plan, Ren-Lei’s light should no longer be here. But because it still is, you have in turn condemned another soul to die.” Death’s eyes mirrored the faint cloud of light as he regarded it. His face remained emotionless, but nevertheless firm. “The life you see here is waiting to replace that of the girl you saved. And it will be a fine life, I can tell. It is a life that will achieve many great things in its allotted time. Many people will find happiness because of this life. And many others will be inspired to be better people because of its example. In short, this is a life that will benefit the world and take it forward. It will be a glorious life, like only a handful of others throughout human history. But now, due to you and your selfishness, this extraordinary life is threatened with destruction before it has even been born. And I cannot allow that to happen, Nathaniel. No matter how much you beg me.”
Death made a move to lift Ren-Lei’s glass, ready to extinguish her light by force. But before he could, Nathaniel stopped him.
“Wait—” He put his one good hand on the glass, too, and gently pressed it back in place. “If that light above is destined for great things, how do you know the same isn’t true of Ren-Lei’s? Maybe … maybe Fate wanted her to be saved. So that she could do the world some good as well.”
“If that had been the case, then her light would have been provided with a different glass.”
“But … isn’t that still possible?” Nathaniel looked across the chamber at the countless glass covers. “What about all those other people who were killed tonight? They must have left some empty vessels behind them. So if the light above her needs Ren-Lei’s glass, then why not move her into one of theirs?”
“Into another vessel…” A look of amazed wonder appeared in Death’s gaze. “Only you, Nathaniel, could ask such a question.” He turned away, casting his eyes over the billions of flickering lights. “It is an intriguing thought. And yes … perhaps her light could be moved into another glass, if one was empty.” He shook his head and turned back. “But there is no such glass. All the others were filled the moment the lights inside them died. Search this chamber as you wish. There is not an empty vessel to be found.”
For a moment, Nathaniel made no reply. A realization, still faint as the unborn soul hovering above Ren-Lei’s, had begun to form inside him.
My face … An image returned to him, from the last time he was in this chamber. That was why I saw my face here, above her light. He knew now that he had glimpsed something which had been hidden from his former master.
“Tell me something,” he spoke at last. “You’ve always said that you can’t see my fate. That it’s closed to you. Is that still true?”
Death gazed into his eyes, and nodded. “It is.”
“So … if you don’t know when my death’s going to happen…” The words came slowly as he worked out the possibility that he had glimpsed. “Then that must mean that no other light has been
planned into the system to take over my glass when I’m gone.”
“What you say … is true.” Death’s gaze rested upon him, trying to work out what he was thinking. “The uncertainty about your death has meant that no light has been put aside to replace yours. Your glass will remain empty when you die.”
“Then there’s the answer!” It was all clear to Nathaniel now. He’d come this far. Now he had no choice but to follow his chosen journey to the end. “Let me die instead of Ren-Lei, and then transfer her light into the place I leave behind. Because that’s possible, isn’t it? You could do something like that, without it doing her any harm?”
“I suppose—” Death’s gaze shifted as he mulled it over. “It could be done … If I permitted it.”
“And let’s say that was the case—how long would she be able to stay there, after she’s moved into it?”
“That is … impossible to say.” Death had trouble keeping up. “She would have the right to stay there until a new soul could be worked into the plan to replace her. But because of the complexity of that, I cannot say for certain how many decades, or even centuries it would take.”
Nathaniel smiled, amused at the notion of little Ren-Lei living so long. “And what about her health? Could you guarantee me that she’d stay fit and strong, and never suffer from a single day’s illness in that time, no matter how long she lived?”
Death slowly nodded. “If I wished it, it would be so.”
Nathaniel drew in a deep breath. So it’s clear … He gazed down at his burnt arm. It was still a charred mess, yellowish serum weeping past the burns’ blackened edges. But that doesn’t matter now. Nothing does … He brought his eyes back up to his old master’s face.
“Then please…,” he said. “As a parting gift to me, do me this one small favor, and let me die in Ren-Lei’s place. Keep her Light of Life safe for me, and look after her for all the years of her life. Then the two of them can both exist together. Both Ren-Lei, and that other soul that’s hanging in the air above her. And who knows?” he smiled. “With them both alive like that, at the same time and place, maybe they’ll even meet each other one day, and make the world a better place together.”
Death frowned, perplexed. A note of incomprehension and even envy filled his voice. “And … you would really be willing to do such a thing? You would be willing to sacrifice yourself for someone you don’t even know?”
“I have to,” said Nathaniel. “There’s no other way.”
“But … aren’t you afraid of your death, like others are?”
Nathaniel gazed down at Ren-Lei’s light before answering. “Why should I be afraid of it?” he said. “So long as I know that the good it brings will live on after me when I’m gone. Because … you know … I think death loses its importance … if you can see that it’s happening for a reason. And anyway … we both know better than anyone that this isn’t the end. Not really.”
He looked back to Death’s baffled expression, realizing only now how incapable his old master was of change. He smiled at him with kindhearted pity, finding that his inability to look beyond the confines of his tedious daily routine made him seem much smaller suddenly, and far less threatening than he’d been before.
He’s nothing but a slave, he realized, chained to a great universal machine. He can’t ever leave it, experience how rewarding a life of choice and free will can be. No matter how many souls he harvests, he’ll never understand the essence of the lives he ends.
“Death…,” he said, turning to the chamber. “I’ve forgotten. Show me, please, which light is mine?”
Death walked a few steps farther on, then pointed to the light beside him. It was a high one this time. One of the brightest in the chamber.
“This is your light, Nathaniel. It is a fine light, and always has been. I have grown used to its presence here over the last ten years.” He paused, as if surprised himself by what he was thinking. “It will be … strange … to no longer have it here … To no longer have its … company…”
Nathaniel nodded, understanding what Death meant, even if his former master did not. He leaned forward to peer at his light. He could just barely see the reflection of his own face on the surface of the glass.
When he glanced up again, he saw a look of realization appear on Death’s face.
“What?”
“I know now…,” said Death. “At last, I understand why I could never foresee your death. Because it happens here, in this chamber where no mortal was ever meant to be. This place is shielded from the rest of existence. So the details of your destiny could never escape it.” He nodded. “Yes … That makes sense to me now. Even if the rest does not…”
With the final piece of the puzzle complete, Nathaniel reached out and shook Death’s waxen hand to say good-bye.
“And you are sure … this is worth it?”
Nathaniel smiled at him again. But he saw no need to answer. Standing there, surrounded by the Lights of Life, of course it was worth it. Just like every act of self-sacrifice is worth it, he thought. If it helps mankind move forward to a better place. And perhaps … Perhaps that’s why all the Lights of Life are kept here so close together … So that each soul on earth has a chance to feel the others shining next to it, and realize that it is not alone.…
Knowing that there was nothing else to say, Nathaniel turned away from Death and faced his own shining soul. With his one good hand, he carefully lifted the glass that covered it. He drew in one last sweet breath of air, then slowly leaned forward. And with a single puff … he blew out his light.
Death’s Apprentice—A Grimm City Novel is inspired by the following tales and essays from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm:
FROM THE COLLECTION KINDER- UND HAUSMÄRCHEN:
Der Gevatter Tod / Godfather Death.
Der Bärenhäuter / The Man in the Bearskin.
Märchen von einem, der auszog, das Fürchten zu lernen / The Tale of One Who Set Out to Learn Fear.
Rumpelstilzchen / Rumpelstiltskin.
FROM THE COLLECTION DEUTSCHE SAGEN:
Der Birnbaum auf dem Walserfeld / The Pear Tree on the Walser Field.
Der Virdunger Bürger / The Citizen of Verdun.
Tote aus den Gräbern wehren dem Feind / The Dead Rise from Their Graves to Ward Off the Enemy.
FROM THE COLLECTION DEUTSCHE MYTHOLOGIE:
Tod / Death.
Teufel / The Devil.
Seelen / Souls.
Zauber / Magic.
Zeit und Welt / Time and the World.
Schicksal und Heil / Destiny and Salvation.
Also by K. W. Jeter
The Kingdom of Shadows
The Kim Oh Thrillers
Kim Oh 1: Real Dangerous Girl
Kim Oh 2: Real Dangerous Job
Kim Oh 3: Real Dangerous People
Kim Oh 4: Real Dangerous Place
Noir
Wolf Flow
Madlands
The Night Man
In the Land of the Dead
Farewell Horizontal
Death Arms
Mantis
Dark Seeker
Infernal Devices
The Glass Hammer
Dr. Adder
Soul Eater
Morlock Night
The Dreamfields
Seeklight
Fiendish Schemes
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
K. W. JETER is the international and New York Times bestselling author of science fiction novels including Farewell Horizontal, Death Arms, and Madlands, horror/thrillers including The Night Man, Soul Eater, and Dark Seeker, and media tie-ins including the Star Wars: Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy and the authorized Blade Runner book sequels The Edge of Human and Replicant Night. After living in both England and Spain, Jeter currently resides in San Francisco, California.
GARETH JEFFERSON JONES became a writer after enjoying a successful career as an actor. For the last twenty years he has lived in Germany, where he has worked as a screenwriter, a documen
tary maker, and a story editor for television. Death’s Apprentice is his literary debut.
DEATH'S APPRENTICE. Copyright © 2012 by Gareth Jefferson Jones and St. Martin's Press. Grimm City is created by Gareth Jefferson Jones. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Lisa Marie Pompilio
Cover photograph by Christophe Dessigne/Trevillion Images
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Jeter, K. W.
Death’s apprentice: a Grimm City novel / K. W. Jeter & Gareth Jefferson Jones.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-312-54771-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-01345-3 (e-book)
1. Paranormal fiction. I. Jones, Gareth Jefferson. II. Grimm, Jacob, 1785–1863. III. Grimm, Wilhelm, 1786–1859. IV. Title.
PS3560.E85D35 2012
813'.54—dc23
2012030864
e-ISBN 9781250013453
First Edition: October 2012