Reapers

by Ain Soph

  Edric sighs and rubs his fingers gently over his black eye, trying to soothe some of the stinging before finally speaking up and saying his piece, “The Scarlet Reapers probably appeal to the militias’ humanity. I doubt every single militia working for them is evil. I’ve only ever had one conversation with Ulric, and I can tell you- he wasn’t a bad guy. But if the Reapers are doing this Project Artian with the intent to help the world, even if it’s in some sick, twisted way, then that’s probably how they get people to help them. They give them promises of a better world. They tell them peace can only be achieved through sacrifice. Our world is dangerous- people are going to die anyway. I’m sure the Reapers recognize that, and they make it seem like the disappeared are dying for a purpose- if they even are. Who knows if they’ve perfected their experiments and we have an army of Artians waiting to greet us when we finally find their headquarters.”

  My chest clenches as I listen to Edric. It almost sounds like he’s telling me that it’s okay, that I had no way of telling how truly evil Ulric was. In fact, it sounds like he’s saying that Ulric wasn’t evil at all- just misguided, and I find something appealing in that mindset. I want to hear more of Edric’s thoughts, but I need to ask Loka about Dryden. Maybe it’s a common name and she’s talking about a different person entirely, but this is the first time I’ve heard the name Dryden out of anyone’s mouth except Isoline’s. “Everyone please stop for a moment!” The conversations around me died off one by one, and they all turn to me in surprise. “Loka, what were you saying about a guy named Dryden?”

  Loka gives me a short laugh and nods her head before walking back to the control panel. She picks up a necklace from the table in front of the screens and turns back in my direction. The thing in her hand is so small, I have to squint my eyes to even make out what the necklace looks like. I gasp and feel around the inside of my pant pocket. It’s the locket I retrieved for Isoline; Loka must have taken it whenever her soldiers checked me for weapons. “That belongs to me,” I snarl, angry at her for taking something so precious away from me.

  Loka tosses it in my direction and grimaces, “Yeah, I’m actually sorry about that. I meant to give it back to you earlier, but obviously, I got a little distracted.” She holds up both of her hands in mock surrender. “I’m usually more organized with these interrogation things, but it’s been a crazy day. What can I say? I’m a busy woman.”

  I sigh and open the locket to make sure Dryden’s picture is still in it’s proper place. I have a good memory of what he looks like, but having the picture to use as a reference photo makes things easier. “Thanks then… I guess. Although you didn’t really have a reason to take it off of me in the first place.” I glare at Loka and the woman narrows her eyes and crosses her arms. I’ve made her angry.

  “You’re pretty lucky I’m in a good mood today. Even with that said, I should reprimand you for your lack of respect- fortunately for you, I don’t have time today. The sooner I send you away, the better.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Edric jerk his head in Loka’s direction. I wish I knew what’s going on in his head. He’s been so quiet since he entered the room.

  The attention of the room is now trained on Loka. She looks around for a moment before clearing her throat and continuing, “As I’m sure you pieced together, we emptied your pockets so we could take your weapons away- finding the locket was just pure coincidence.”

  I quirk and eyebrow before asking, “Coincidence?”

  Loka groans and jerks her head in Casimir’s direction, “This is taking forever. You tell her the story. You do it so well, Cas.” She gives him a tight smile and nods her head in an effort to encourage him to tell whatever story he’s holding on to.

  Casimir’s head, which was hanging down in front of his chest, snaps to attention as he straightens his back in the hard chair he finally sat down in. He coughs a few times and mumbles out a sentence or two too quiet for anyone to understand.

  I can tell he isn’t used to public speaking, so I place my hand on his shoulder for encouragement. I know Casimir is probably going to misread my intentions as something genuine and kind, but I’m actually become annoyed by how slow the conversation’s going. I’m finally going to learn more about Dryden; I’ll possibly even receive information that can help me find him- but everything seems like it’s at a standstill. I’m more irritated with Loka though than Casimir. She’s relaxing against the wall beside the control panel with a wide grin on her face. When I look at her, she gives a quick wink and innocent shrug of her shoulders. Loka knows Casimir’s bad with public speaking. She’s just eating all this up.

  “You’re fine, Casimir. Just tell me what you know about the locket. If you’re nervous about everyone else being here, just pretend you’re only speaking to me.” I turn my eyes away from Casimir’s and look straight into Edric’s by accident. He was staring at my hand on Casimir’s shoulder, but when we make eye contact, he swallows and turns his head away from me, his jaw clenched along with his hands. I look away from Edric and let my hand drop from Casimir’s shoulder into my lap. I shouldn’t care what Edric thinks, but he’s already upset. I’m not going to instigate him even further for no reason.

  Casimir takes a deep breath and start slowly with pauses in between his words, “Finding the locket wasn’t a coincidence- the picture inside was.” He looks at Loka and she signals for him to continue. It seems like her plan’s backfiring. Even she’s becoming impatient with how long everything’s taking. Casimir takes another deep breath, this time picking up speed with his storytelling, becoming more and more confident with every word, “The picture in the locket is the Dryden you’re looking for- the very one who sold out the Remnants.”

  I draw in a sharp breath of excitement. Dryden was in this camp only a week or so ago. Maybe he’s still here and I can finally get a chance to speak to him. “So where is he now, then?” I want to stay calm, but my voice betrays me. Its exhilaration is palpable.

  “Well, he actually left after bringing me here and telling the Dagger Corps about Project Artian,” Casimir looks at me apologetically, and I feel my high spirits form just moments ago rapidly dropping. Of course Dryden left.

  “What’s so important about you that Dryden had to bring you along? It doesn’t even sound like you have any purpose in being here.” Edric finally speaks up from his perch in the corner of the room. I give him an exasperated look and shake my head, but he just shrugs and gives me a sheepish grin in return before training a sharp glare toward Casimir. It looks like Edric let go of some of his anger toward me from earlier, but he’s still in a foul mood- one that he’s taking out on Casimir.

  “We’re childhood friends,” Casimir says sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck. “We stayed best friends until one day that Dryden just seemed to pull away from everyone. He was always a bit of a loner since his mom’s disappearance- staying in his room and losing himself in studying. He avoided most of the camp, but he always acted right by me. So when he pulled away, I didn’t know what to do. Later, I found out that was the day Ulric, looking for a successor, let Dryden in on some pretty dark stuff the Remnants were involved in. After learning how deep the Remnant’s secrets went, Dryden turned his back on all of us. All I really know about the situation is that Ulric and him had some sort of altercation, and afterward, Ulric just told everyone to give Dryden his space. A couple days after that, he woke me up in my tent, and asked me to come with him, saying he had a mission to do. I thought it was something from Ulric, so I didn’t question it and went along with him. Dryden filled me in on the details along the way to the Dagger Corps compound.”

  Casimir pauses and I use the break to ask a question I’ve been wondering about since the beginning, “Why the Dagger Corps though? There are a ton of militias around here. Titania isn’t too far. Actually it’s probably even closer than the Corps. So what made Dryden decide on this particular militia?”

  Loka straightens her back with pride and gives me a wide smile, “We’re ruthless
, cold, and brutal- and we like things that way. But, we’re also just and honorable. Although, I have no idea if Dryden knew about any of that. To be honest, apparently when Ulric told the kid about their contract with the Reapers, he specifically mentioned not to tell us. So, of course, Dryden ran straight to us. It sort of make you think that maybe Ulric wanted to be caught. Oh well, though, no use pondering. The guy’s dead now, and we’ll never know!”

  Casimir shifts in his chair and looks at me in sorrow, “I’m not sure if Ulric wanted to be caught or if he just made a miscalculation on Dryden’s part. Dryden was his nephew, so when he told him about the Remnant’s part in the disappearances-”

  “His nephew? So when Ulric kidnapped his sister, he was handing Dryden’s mother over to the Reapers?” I interrupt in surprise. Casimir nods his head while I shake mine in confusion, “Your story doesn’t make any sense to me though- all the way down to Dryden even being a part of the Remnants. Wasn’t he living in an old, Victorian neighborhood a couple years ago with his little sister?”

  Loka and Casimir look at each other with wide eyes, “What nonsense are you even saying right now?” Loka asks.

  Casimir sounds equally confused, “Dryden lived his entire life with the Remnants, and he never had a sister. The guy actually didn’t even know his dad either. His mom was all he had until her disappearance.”

  I shake my head again and lean back against the chair with a sigh. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t think Casimir’s lying to me- he has no reason to- but then, who was Isoline and why was a picture of him in that house? And if Isoline wasn’t Dryden’s sister, why would she risk her life to find the locket? I guess, she could have been a girlfriend or someone with romantic interest in him. She probably thought I’d be more willing to help her if she said she was his sister.

  “Does the name, Isoline, mean anything to anyone here?” I question. Everyone in the room either shakes their head or murmurs a quiet no. I look toward Edric and try to communicate to him with my expression. I want to know if he might have a theory about Isoline’s true identity. Edric just looks at me and shrugs his shoulders. He’s just as confused as I am.

  I clear my throat and sit forward in the chair, “I need to find Dryden. I don’t know where he is right now, but he’s the only one who can give me the answers I need. If anything, all of this has just left me with more questions.”

  Casimir bites his bottom lip in thought, “Dryden lived his entire life in the Remnant compound. Before he left, he said he wanted to travel around some and see more of the world. I think the first place he said he’s going to visit is the Twilight Void, but I don’t know if he’s still there. From what I’ve heard though, that’s a pretty big city, so I think there’s a good chance of you two finding him there.”

  Edric adds to the loose plan we’re forming, “Even if he’s not there now, we have a picture of him. I’m sure we can find someone there who’s seen him. If he left, then maybe they can give us information on where he went.”

  I smile at Edric in agreement and look back at Casimir, “Casimir… you said Dryden lived in the Remnant compound his entire life?” He nods his head and I pause for a moment before tentatively asking, “So then, does Dryden know what Ulric did to the Remnants? Does he know they no longer exist?” Casimir holds his breath as his eyes widen. He shakes his head and I close my eyes and sigh.

  “Wait,” Edric finally stand up and leans against the wall, “So what you’re telling me is that when we find this guy, we have to be the ones to break the bad news to him?” Edric laughs incredulously and looks at me. “Do you know what you’re doing here, Luxem?”

  “A girl died trying to find that locket of him. She claimed she was his sister, but now, who knows how she factors into everything.” I shrug my shoulders and hold Edric’s gaze. “All I know is that all the arrows keep pointing to Dryden. I know what we’re doing up until the point we actually find him. After that, it’s going to be all him. And as painful as it’s going to be, everything he knew and loved about the Remnants was gone when Ulric told him about the contract.”

  We keep our eyes locked, mine pleading and Edric’s unreadable. This is out of his comfort zone. I know I can complete the mission alone, but I don’t want to be left with my thoughts. I want Edric there as a buffer, to distract me. Edric finally nods his head and looks at Loka, “A ride back to my bike would be pretty nice.”

  Loka shakes her head and smiles, “Fat chance, Edi. Walking’s good for you anyway. It’ll keep you mission ready.”

  Edric mumbles something under his breath, and I thank Casimir, trying to drown out whatever Edric’s saying. All I need is for Loka to get upset when we’re so close to having our freedom back. Loka gives me her signature smirk and nods toward Edric, “Keep him in line, Luxem. He’s a troublemaker.” I nod and thank her before following Edric out of the room. It’s about time to get back on the road, and I finally have another lead to get me at least one step closer to Dryden (and hopefully, the Reapers). I hope I can actually find Dryden in the Twilight Void, though. I don’t want to go back to the days where I’d live my life chasing one lead after another, never actually getting anywhere. It’s time to actually complete a mission. It’s time for me to have a win in my life, not just more false hope.

  “Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.”

  -Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Dryden is easier to track down than I anticipated. Before we left the Dagger Corps compound, Casimir had a message patched through for him from the control room. Dryden wanted him to meet him in the Twilight Void. Apparently, he found the city to his liking and decided to open an auto shop there. It’s a trade that’s highly sought after since most human’s don’t have the time to dedicate to learning the skills needed to repair vehicles. From what Casimir described though, Dryden had more than enough time in the Remnant camp to become a master of whatever trade he wanted. Edric and I planned to go to the Twilight Void anyway, but, because of that message, at least we now know for sure that Dryden will be somewhere in the city. And an automotive shop shouldn’t be too hard to find.

  The Twilight Void is a six day walk, seven hour drive, from the Dagger Corps compound. It would have been tough to do on the motorbike. Edric though, in all of his charismatic glory, somehow convinced Loka to temporarily trade in his bike for a car. I was surprised he even tried to get a car from her because of his aversion to them, but Edric’s reasoning made sense. At first, Loka was completely against trading his bike for a car, saying that cars are much more valuable and she couldn’t waste them on a mission with no guarantee of success. But Edric argued that the possibility of finding Dryden is greater than the risk of failure and if we do find him, we won’t be able to transport him anywhere without a car.

  After he said his piece, I pulled Edric aside before Loka could respond, “If a car is all that you’re worried about, I’m sure Dryden will have extra. He owns own an autoshop. And regardless, we can just worry about it when we get there.” I tried to keep my voice low, but Loka still watched us curiously.

  “Yeah he’ll have cars that need fixed up or that belong to other people.” I wanted to make the trip as comfortable as I could for him, and I know he has an aversion to cars. I don’t know if Edric didn’t realize what I tried to do or if he just ignored it, but he turned to Loka and continued, “Dryden may not have a car of his own, and if he’s trying to build a business, he’s not going to use one of his customer’s. Please, commander, just lend us a car.” Edric put his hands together in mock prayer and begged Loka until she caved.

  So now, Edric and I are shoved into what feels like a tiny clown car, making the seven hour drive to the Twilight Void. So far, we’re only an hour and a half in, and the drive has been shrouded in complete silence. It isn’t necessarily uncomfortable silence, but we both know that we need to talk to one another and make sure we’re still a united team. I just don’t think either of us wants to be the first to
break the peace in the car.

  I decide to speak up first to test the waters with Edric, “We should have just taken my car at the beginning if you were going to end up switching to one anyway. It has a lot more room in it than this thing.” I don’t mean for my words to come out sounding so aggressive. I’m not trying to argue with him, but still, I seem like I’m being confrontational. I hold my breath waiting for his answer.

  Edric snorts under his breath, “Yeah, I get that, but you’re here as my passenger now. In, what is sort of, my car. So I get to drive. And if I’m going to ride in a car, I’d at least like to be the one in control.” Edric smirks at me, but I know him well enough to see through his false bravado. He uncomfortable in a car, even if he is the one in control.

  Regardless, I have to keep things light. If I call Edric out on his bluff, he’s only going to get defensive. In his case, it’s better to pretend I don’t see his discomfort. “Right. Like there’s some hierarchy in the car? I could drive if I wanted.” I’m glad Edric didn’t response to my clunky opener with irritation or anger. It usually takes a lot to make him angry, but lately, Edric’s been getting more and more on edge. Still, I can’t skirt around the issues we need to talk about- like his mom, or his confession. Those are the topics holding us back from being friends again- or at least working as a team. I just have no idea how to approach either of them. I’m sure our jokes are helping to lighten the mood, but if I start talking about either subject, it’s just going to become heavy and dark once more.

  Edric looks over toward me and smiles, “This is your chariot, Lux. I won’t lie; I really had to push myself to get it, but I want the mission to go perfectly for you. And now, we know for a fact that Dryden is in the Twilight Void, so… things are looking up, Luxie. You don’t have to feel bad anymore.”