Reapers

by Ain Soph

  “While I was packing, I found a note that told me the real reason for her reluctance. She was just a child. I guess a part of her felt to embarrassed to tell me in person, so she wrote everything out. There were a few boys who were in our merc training a couple years before our parents disappeared. They like to mess with Lucie, and although I did my best to defend her, a big part of our training was learning how to stand on your own two feet. I worried that if I fought too many of Lucie’s battles for her, she’d never grow to become independent. Lucie never saw those boys for the bullies they were though. She thought they were just trying to help her become a better mercenary, but I could see right through that. Everyone could. When we were all in school together, I never let them get close to her. Maybe it was my fault Lucie couldn’t see their true colors. I protected her too much. In merc training, you’re taught to gravitate to the strong and prey on the weak, and to them, Lucie was the weakest of us all.”

  My voice was shaky when I first started telling Dryden Lucie’s story, but as I continued, my voice became stronger. I finally stop pacing and lean on the wall. Locking eyes with Dryden, I continue, “Lucie always had a crush on the ringleader of the boys. He was a cute kid, but the meanest of the entire bunch. She didn’t see his cruelty though, and little did I know at that time, after our parents’ disappearance, the two of them started spending more time together. Even though this kid was that group’s ringleader, he didn’t have the power to change Lucie’s status as a weak link in Titania. She was already pegged as undateable between all of them. They were complete snobs. Imagine aristocrats who just want to play mercenary for fun, who would go back to their lives of luxury when they got bored. I’ll admit though, unfortunately, their group had some skill.” I scoff and shake my head in irritation. “This group… they were the type who only wanted to be with the toughest, most capable girls in the class- basically the best mercenaries- and Lucie wasn’t one of them. So the kid she was seeing tried to keep his relationship with Lucie a secret. Only, his friends found out. When you know someone your entire life, you tend to pick up on when they’re hiding something… Anyway, back to the note. Basically, she just talked about her love for this jerk and how she couldn’t possibly leave him behind in Timberwood. Then, she said she was going to get an opportunity to show all of them what she was capable of, that she’d finally get their approval. They group asked her to a small, abandoned neighborhood outside of Timberwood. There were rumors that a group of Artifs had set up camp in a couple of the mansions and this moron wanted Lucie to come check them out with his group. I guess he wanted to show his friends that Lucie was cool, that she was actually worthy of being with.”

  I chew on the inside of my cheek for a couple minutes and focus on my breathing. Calm down. Calm down. I repeat the two words in my head as a mantra. Still, my body’s tensing as my breathing gets faster and shallower. The anxiety of that days is rushing over me, making it hard to form another sentence. Dryden crosses his arms, drawing my attention away from my thoughts and to his movement. “It’s okay, Luxem. It’s in the past now. Talk about it and free yourself from its grasp.” His voice is smooth and reassuring, and I find myself nodding my head at him, my heart rate slowing with each bob.

  “I know,” I whisper. “It’s just a hard memory I haven’t thought about in a long time.” I take another shaky breath and close my eyes before continuing. “I tried to get to the neighborhood as fast as I could. I didn’t trust the situation, and I definitely did not trust those boys, but by the time I got there, it was too late. They were freaking out, running back from the manors, pointing and saying over and over that Artifs got her. I tried to get them to slow down and tell me what happened, but they just kept repeating that Artifs got to Lucie. I ran to the houses and looked around the entire neighborhood, thinking I’d at least see something- some sign of a struggle, or clues about who took her- but there was nothing. And nothing pointed to any Artifs living in the neighborhood. The rumors about Artifs living there were false. Whatever too Lucie was human, and I knew that it was the same group that took my parents. I blamed the Reapers at the time. I thought it was all directly their fault. Until my meeting with Ulric, I didn’t know that there are militias in charge of the kidnappings.” I open my eyes and cross my arms, mimicking Dryden’s stance. I finally finished the story. I actually got everything out. My breath leaves my body in a long sigh of relief. For the first time since it happened, I told someone about Lucie’s disappearance, about the anger and bitterness I feel toward myself because of it, and about the nightmare that followed.

  Dryden strolls over to the chair he was sitting in when I came downstairs and throws his body into it with a sigh. Resting his chin in his hand, he thinks for a moment before addressing Lucie’s disappearance, “I’m not sure her kidnapping was your fault though. She was taken in the very town you were desperately trying to escape from.” I remain silent, but in my head I’m disagreeing with every word Dryden’s saying. I pushed Lucie too hard and made her feel like she couldn’t open up to me. If she felt more comfortable talking about her crush or talking about her difficulty fitting in, maybe I could have stopped the entire situation from happening. No, I know I could have. Dryden drops his hands into his lap and we stare at each other for a beat before he asks, “How did the rest of the town react to Lucie’s disappearance? I’m sure the group you talked about didn’t stay quiet when they reached Timberwood.”

  I shrug, “The town never found out. I caught up with the boys while they were lingering outside of Timberwood. Apparently, not only were they not allowed anywhere near that neighborhood, but one of them had dared Lucie to enter the house alone to ‘prove’ her fearlessness and show she could keep up with the group. I guess they felt like it was their fault she disappeared and they were worried about what was going to happen to them when the town found out. But… I told them to just stay quiet and leave it to me. I said I’d find Lucie and bring her back myself. I was obviously a fool, but the town thought we were both already long gone, and as much as I hated those boys, and as much as large part of me wanted them to suffer, they were just children. We all were. The true ones responsible for her disappearance were the Reapers, and now, I know, the Remnants.” I laugh under my breath and shake my head, “That kid was so worried about getting in trouble, but it wasn’t even his fault. It was that girl’s idea-” I abruptly stop and look at Dryden with wide eyes, “Wait...” I drift off and start pacing again, holding the tips of my fingers against my head as though they’ll help remember better. I have to be wrong. There’s no way. Absolutely no way. How would I not remember her?

  Dryden stands in alarm and watches me closely, “What is it? What are you remembering?” I hold my finger to my lips and motion for Dryden to stay quiet. I need to focus. The memory’s so close, tugging at the back of my mind, but I can’t grasp it in its entirety. All I know is that I have to remember.

  I start mumbling to myself, trying to remember the group of boys that were there that day, “There was the main one who Lucie liked, his best friend, and the other two that just hung onto them, but why were there five running from the house? There was that girl there. She gone though by the time they reached Timberwood… She…” I drift off as my mouth parts in shock. My throat tightens with the sudden realization that I know that girl. “Oh my god, Dryden,” I whisper. Dryden just shakes his head and motions for me to continue while I stare off in a daze. Finally, I drop down in a chair and draw a shaky breath. “I saw her there. She was younger and her hair was a white blonde, but it was definitely her. I don’t know how I blocked it tot he point where I actually for she was there that day. I mean, she looked different, but it was her. I know it.”

  Dryden shakes his again, agitation clearly written on his face. He seems like he has a formidable amount of patience, but I know I’m testing it with my vagueness. “I don’t know who you’re talking about, Luxem.”

  “Isoline!” I yell, surprising Dryden with my intensity. “She was the girl the ringleade
r’s friend was talking about. She was with them when they were running from the houses. It was her who thought to make Lucie do the dare.”

  Dryden furrows his brows in disbelief. I know he’s trying to process. Maybe there’s a part of him that doesn’t believe me. The human mind is tricky. It plant false memories and make people remember them as truths. But I know he’s trying. I can see it in his eyes. “You’re absolutely sure Isoline is the girl you saw with them? How did she disappear in the time it took them to make it from the neighborhood to Timberwood? Where did she go? And why was she there to begin with?”

  “I’m not sure. Everything was so chaotic, I’m surprised I even remember as much about the situation as I do. But yes, I’m absolutely sure. Isoline was there, Dryden. Do you believe me?” I search his dark eyes for some indication into his thoughts, but they betray nothing.

  Regardless, Dryden hold my gaze with his own and nods his head, “I believe you, Luxem, and I think we’re going to have to go back to Timberwood and talk to the group you said was there with Isoline. Maybe, with all of the information we have, we’ll be able to start piecing together a story that can help us get closer to the Reapers. It’s a lead and a good place to start.”

  I look at him in pleasant surprise, “Are you including yourself in all of this?”

  Dryden gives me a small, almost imperceptible smile. “If you’ll have me. Ulric kidnapped my mother, remember? If she’s anywhere alive right now, it’s with the Reapers. I look like I have it all together, Luxem, but I feel as lost as you did when I held you. I’m glad you’ve found another mission to push yourself forward, but for me… Right now all I’m going is running this auto shop. I’m not doing anything to change the world. I’m just getting by. The most I can do to ease my pain is to follow in your footsteps. I think you’re a better mercenary than you give yourself credit for.”

  I flash Dryden a genuine smile, but my happiness is bittersweet. I have another mission, but I don’t know if it’s just going to end up as another dead end. And, I don’t want Dryden to suffer as I have, but I doubt I have much say in that. He’s been betrayed by family. His pain goes deeper than mine ever will. “I’d be more than happy to have you as a part of this team, but I wish there was more I could do for you. Even if all I can do is listen, you did that for me, and it helped more than you can possibly know.”

  Dryden shakes his head, “I appreciate the offer, but I think just coming along will be enough for now. My pain has to much anger with it to be able to discuss it out loud. If I broke down while speaking about it… It would be in a violent outburst that I’m not ready to show. It would be best to just wait until I can control the emotions inside me a little better. Stoicism is my strength during this time.”

  I slowly nod my head and follow Dryden as he makes his way to the steps. I don’t want to push him too hard. I can wait until he’s ready, but when he is, I want to be there for him. “I think I’d better go to bed. My mind can finally relax and let me rest. I’m emotionally drained but happy that, at least, this isn’t the end. We still have a lead to follow.”

  Dryden bows his head toward me and says goodnight, “I’ll see you in the morning, Luxem. Sleep well.” He walks past me into the darkness of the kitchen and beyond to wherever his bedroom is, and I slowly creep back up the steps. It wasn’t an easy night, but now, we have a plan, and Dryden’s in on it. I don’t know what I would have done if he chose to stay behind in the Void, but I don’t have to think about it. He’s coming. He wants to help me find the Reapers. My intuition was right about him. Dryden is helping me heal, just as I thought he would. I’m still not one hundred percent, but I feel like I can make it through another day, and that’s all that matters.

  “Jealousy in romance is like salt in food. A little can enhance the savor, but too much can spoil the pleasure and, under certain circumstances, can be life threatening.”

  -Maya Angelou

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “Edric, you need to grow up. You’re a mercenary, not a child,” my words are harshly clipped. I’m sick of Edric’s sulking. We have a lead that can tie everything together- the Reapers, Isoline, Lucie, the Remnants- and Edric can’t get over his jealousy long enough to let us work. He crosses his arms in silence and I groan in frustration before motioning for Dryden and Artia to give us some space. Maybe I can reason with him a little and get to bottom of why he feels the need to make the mission more difficult. I’m sure I have an idea, though. He woke up this morning to find that not only did Dryden and I have a heart to heart with one another, but we also came up with a plan for our next move- all without him. Dryden and Artia walk out of earshot, both looking back every now and then to make sure everything’s okay between Edric and I. When they’re far enough away, I grab Edric’s arm and roughly turn his body so that he’s facing me head on. “What are you doing, Edric? You’ve been dragging your feet and giving Dryden and I glares at every opportunity you’ve had this morning, and I’m getting sick of it. We need to focus on the mission.”

  Edric laughs bitterly under his breath and focuses his harsh glare on me, “Yeah, the mission I said I’d help you with. You. Not whatever his name is. I’m supposed to be your right hand man, Luxem, and instead of opening up to me about what’s been going on with you, you talking to Dryden! He’s just some random guy that dropped into your life yesterday, Luxem. Yesterday. I don’t like him. I certainly don’t trust him. And I definitely don’t want him coming along.”

  I pinch the bridge of my nose and try to think of how to kindly explain the situation to Edric. Nothing would have been a problem if Artia didn’t open her mouth at breakfast this morning and ask me where I ran off to last night. Apparently, at some point during the night, Artia woke up and noticed I wasn’t in my bed. I wish she would have just asked me about it privately, but of course, that girl had to wait until we were all gathered around Dryden’s large, wooden dining table with fresh juice and real eggs in front of us. It should have been a peaceful morning with good food and even better conversation, but instead, Artia ruined it. After she asked where I ran off to, Edric started getting upset, asking me why I didn’t bother to wake him up if I was going to go for a walk. Dryden added fuel to the fire by telling him that I actually didn’t go anywhere. He probably thought the situation was simple. All he needed to do was explain that I had trouble sleeping and the two of us talked until I could finally get some rest. His intentions were innocent. That set Edric off even more though, so I tried deflecting the conversation to the next leg of our mission. I gave him a brief explanation of the memory I recalled where Isoline was present during Lucie’s kidnapping. Looking back, I can see how I had poor timing. I should have waited for Edric to cool off before I brought up the mission. Learning that I went over the details of Lucie’s disappearance with Dryden before talking about them with Edric made him go silent and he’d been ignoring everyone since.

  I sigh and rest my forearm on the top of my head, trying to think of a way to explain everything to Edric without hurting him too bad. I know that’s why he isn’t talking to any of us. He’s more hurt than angry. I opened up to a complete stranger before my childhood friend. It’s easy to place myself in his shoes. If he would have talked to Artia before me about his mom, I would have been crushed. But I can’t talked to Edric about Lucie the same way I can to Dryden. Edric’s too obsessive about me, always looking for way to fix the pain, to heal me. And that’s not a bad thing. I appreciate his care. But, I don’t want someone to heal me. I need to learn how to do that for myself. All I wanted was someone to listen, and Dryden did that for me. Edric would have rushed into action before I got the first word out. “Edric, I know you’re hurting, but we have a mission right now. Not only do we have Dryden with us, which, if you remember, is exactly what Loka wanted, but we also have another lead. And I’m actually feeling good, much better than I’ve been lately. I want to use this energy to make some real progress on either finding out more about the Reapers or Project Artian. This entire time,
you haven’t been seeing me at my full potential as a mercenary because my head’s been so clouded, but now I’m back and I’m focused, and…” I let my sentence drift off and shake my head, “I don’t have time for this. Not now, Edric.” I give him a stern look to drive my point across but he looks unimpressed.

  “Have you ever considered that maybe your ‘full potential’ is just an excuse to avoid facing the people you hurt?” Edric meets my glare with an intensity of his own.

  I recoil back from him like I’ve been slapped. “What is that supposed to mean? I’m not avoiding anything. I just want to get on with our mission. We’re mercenaries, Edric. What do you expect?”

  Edric scoffs and looks away from me in the direction of Dryden and Artia. They’re still talking to one another while glancing over at our argument every now and then. “It means you use whatever mission you have as an excuse to avoid reality, and the reality of this situation is that you’re acting careless with someone who’s stood by your side, without fail, for most of your life. Yeah, I’m hurt, Luxem. What do you expect? You talked to Dryden about Lucie, but I’m the one who actually knew her. I saw her as a sister. He doesn’t know anything about her. You left me behind in Timberwood, and still, the moment I saw you, I immediately jumped on board with your mission and tried to help in any way I could. I’ve stood by you all this time, and you couldn’t even talk to me.” Edric’s voice cracks and he groans, putting his head in his hands. “I still don’t even know how she disappeared.”