The Death Seer (Skeleton Key)

by Tanis Kaige

  The first thing we did upon stepping inside was carry Kord’s mother back to her bedroom. It was on the other side of the stairs and was, according to Kord, just how she’d left it. He lay her down on the bed and then stepped back. Her body wasn’t twitching. Her face was relaxed. And her chest rose and fell.

  I put the skeleton key in my pocket and reached out to feel her forehead. She was warm to the touch.

  I looked back at Kord. His sunglasses were on top of his head again. He was somehow smiling and looking pained at the same time. “I remember that about this world,” he said.

  “What?”

  “All the things I can see that I don’t want to.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like how everyone is going to die. I can see the entire road map of your life right there on your skin. Including the end. I hate knowing everyone’s ending.”

  “You mean, like right now? Looking at me right now you can see how I’m going to die?”

  His eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “I won’t tell you. So don’t ask me, Brenna. Not ever.”

  I swallowed down a lump in my throat. I nodded. “What about her, then? How’s she going to die?”

  “I won’t tell you that, either. But at least I can say that she’s going to have plenty of life before it happens.”

  That was consolation enough.

  “I can do something more with my gift, too. Something that I discovered as a child and nearly drove me insane.”

  “What?”

  “I can comfort the dying. I can remove the fear for them. I take their fear and feel it for them so they can pass peacefully into the next world. That’s what I did for the dead in the underworld. Just removed death, for a little while. Freed them to feel alive again.”

  “You don’t have to take that burden on. You couldn’t possibly.”

  “I think I do have to. I can’t help everyone, but I’ll do what I can. As a child, it’s terrifying. But I understand it all a little better, now.”

  I went to him and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Come on. Let’s let her sleep.”

  I was surprised he wouldn’t want to see her wake up. But then, if he knew how she was going to die, he didn’t really have to worry about her just then. I followed him through the house, to the other side where his room was located. I stood in the doorway and watched as he wandered around touching things, reacquainting himself with everything. I couldn’t blame him. I’d only been gone a few days, and yet it seemed almost impossible that I was back.

  “You’ll have to teach me how to live here, Brenna,” he murmured.

  “I can do that.”

  Just then I heard a voice. Someone yelling. Yelling my name.

  I ran to Kord’s window and saw my brother sticking his head out the window, searching for me.

  I turned and ran as fast as I could out the front door, across the way, into my brother’s house, and into his arms. “You’re alive,” I cried into his shoulder.

  Annie was hovering just behind him. “Of course we’re alive. We just took a little nap.”

  I stepped back and looked at Todd. For a moment, understanding flashed between us. Annie might have felt she’d just fallen asleep. But Todd could remember those few seconds when he realized she’d died.

  He let me go and turned back to her, taking her into his arms. “I’m so happy you’re…awake,” he said.

  She laughed, put her arms around him, and wore an expression of delighted awe. “I’m glad. You never seemed to care that much before.”

  “I love you, Annie. No doubt about it.”

  I felt Kord’s hand at my back. I stepped back toward him, giving my brother and Annie some space.

  That night, Kord and I lay in a hammock in the back yard staring up at the black night sky speckled with stars. I checked my pocket for the key, but couldn’t find it. I figured it had fallen out, but I was too tired to go looking for it. I never did find it again.

  Kord held me in that hammock and shared memories from past lives with me. We made out and made love. We did a lot of that over the next few weeks as stories played on television about the dead finally dying again. A mixture of grief and relief blanketed the world. I think it was a comfort to people knowing they would die in the normal way again. They were happy going back to not knowing what happened after death, but knowing for sure their bodies would be put to rest.

  I felt a little bit sorry for the rest of the world. Like them, I didn’t get to know how my life would end. But unlike them, I had a guide close at hand. I wouldn’t have to crossover alone. I wouldn’t ever have to be alone.

  About The Author

  Tanis Kaige is the paranormal pen name of Carter Ashby. While Carter writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction, Tanis explores her darker side with paranormal and urban fantasy stories. She is a city girl at heart, but a country girl by birth. Her two great passions are motherhood and writing. When not involved in these things, you might find her reading, baking bread, or meditating over a pot of tea. Connecting with readers is one of the primary joys of authorship. You can reach her through one of these outlets:

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  Thank you so much for taking the time to read my Skeleton Key novella!

  All reviews are appreciated.

  If you would like to read more from the Skeleton Key series, please click on the link below:

  https://skeletonkeybookseries.com