THE REAPER'S SCYTHE: THE LOCI CHRONICLES BOOK 1

by L P PATERSON

  My eyes fell on a man who was sitting in a corner booth. His long legs stretched out in front of him and his arms were clasped across his stomach. His eyes were closed but I knew he was not sleeping. His silver blonde hair was thick and had a slight wave. It ended just on top of his shoulders. His chiselled features called out to me. He was by far the most beautiful thing that I had encountered in my life and I could not stop staring. He was dressed all in black as were almost everyone else in the bar.

  "Don't look at him." Cymon's voice sounded in my ear. I jumped slightly. My concentration on the man in the corner had made me forget that I was in a bar surrounded by people.

  "Why not?" I asked. I was still staring, hoping that the man in the corner would open his eyes. "Why not?" I repeated, and tore my eyes away to look at Cymon. His face looked grim.

  "Just don't look at him. Trust me." he said.

  I laughed. "Trust you! Are you crazy?" I turned to fully face him. "Tell me about him. I want to know." I said.

  "You really don't. That is just too complicated and you have no chance with him anyway." he said while sipping his drink.

  I felt my face warm. "What do you mean I have no chance?" I said. It's not like I wanted the guy. "Just tell me about him."

  Cymon groaned. I knew he didn't want to say anything. "That is Michael. He is powerful, dangerous, and he really has no allegiance to, or sympathy for, anyone other than one person."

  I was intrigued. I turned to look at Michael again. There was now a tall red head standing by the booth. His eyes were still closed. She sat down next to him. They both seemed tired. Who was she?

  "And that's Gabrielle." said Cymon "The one person."

  "So, are they together?" I asked. I wanted to know.

  Cymon looked at me and shook his head. "Michael is looking for his sword. Gabrielle is looking for her sister. His sword was stolen by his wife, who immediately disappeared. His wife is Gabrielle's sister and she is loved dearly by both of them. I'm sure when they find her there will be a big family discussion. But in the meantime, any woman who even looks at Michael has to deal with Gabrielle."

  I laughed. Gabrielle was tall and she looked strong. Her hair was red and fiery like mine. If she was anything like me then she probably had a temper to match. I figured that I was strong too, and in any case, I was only looking. "Well" I said, probably a little too over confident. "I think I could take her."

  Cymon's eyes bulged as he looked at me in amazement. Then he smiled and for the first time I heard him laugh. A deep guttural sound that started somewhere deep inside him and erupted from his mouth. It was a good thing that he had already finished his drink. I allowed him his amusement.

  "What is so funny?" I asked tightly. I was not happy that the one person who I actually thought I knew in this place was laughing at me.

  "Oh Audrey. You are funny. I have not had the pleasure of actual laughter in years."

  "Are you serious?" I was getting really annoyed. "And you haven't answered my question. What is so funny?"

  Cymon looked at me with what I assumed to be pity. "What is so funny Audrey is you thinking that you could in any way take on Gabrielle. In fact, it's not just funny it's also stupid."

  "I didn't really plan on having a fight with her. But I can look after myself you know." I said.

  Cymon shook his head again and sighed. "Do you remember when I told you about the hierarchy?"

  "Well, it was only a few hours ago." I replied in the best sarcastic tone that I could produce. "And yes. I know. I'm at the bottom."

  "Yeah. We both are!" he said frustratedly "And the Horsemen are at the top. And guess what, even above the Horsemen are Michael and Gabrielle." My eyes widened in shock. What. The. Hell. "Yes Audrey. There are entities that even the Horsemen are respectful of."

  Based on my scanty knowledge of the Horsemen who everyone seemed to be terrified of, I instinctively decided that I did not want to engage with Gabrielle after all. But I was not convinced that these beings were as terrifying as Cymon was stating.

  "Audrey. Please stop staring at them." said Cymon, "You're making me nervous."

  "Why are you nervous?" I asked. "It's not like they can kill us for looking"

  "Yes. They can." he hissed.

  "Stop it Cymon." I hissed back. "All I see are two people."

  "I see two angels!! They are angels Audrey. Michael is an Arc Angel. THE Arc Angel... Now. Stop. Looking."

  Shit!! Too late. I tried my best to look away but my eyes would not obey me. They were both fused to the two angels in the corner booth. I was in awe. I was in the presence of angels. My mind raced back to my childhood and forced Sunday school classes. Were these the same type of beings of bible stories? Was all of this possible? I thought I might just pass out and although I wanted to look away my eyes were still glued to the occupants of the corner booth. And then just like that Gabrielle's eyes snapped open and locked onto mine. I heard Cymon's sharp intake of breath followed by a hissed "I told you not to look." He did not look up and kept his head firmly pointed towards the bar counter. I was on my own.

  Everything around me slowed down as if almost frozen. Except Gabrielle. I could not move. I felt like I was totally paralysed. My mind was trying to flee but my body was frozen to the spot. I screamed hard and loud. Enough to burst the eardrums but all I actually heard were the frantic, hysterical and muted groans of panic which were trying to escape my lips. And still her eyes were on me. I desperately tried to find help from someone and forced my eyeballs to swivel round. I saw Rogier at the end of the bar still polishing glasses. Only the towel seemed glued to the glass and his hand didn't appear to move. Behind him was Clarice. The tray in her hand was leaning to the side and the glass on it was at an indecent angle. The drink that it held was falling so impossibly slow that it seemed suspended in the air. Poor Clarice. She didn't seem able to catch a break.

  My eyes returned to Gabrielle as she slowly peeled herself from the booth. She paced towards me. Each step an eternity as she deliberately made me wait in excruciating fearful anticipation for her to reach me. My heart thumped against my ribcage. Each step she took increased my heart rate until I was sure that it would break free from its cage of bones. Why could I not listen? I was so very new in what I was now discovering was a very old world. Why did I not just heed the instructions that Cymon gave me? Who did I think I was that I believed I knew better than those who were of this world? And for the second time that day I was in the sights of a supernatural being that I had pissed off.

  SHIT!

  "Hey Red." She said it so casually that anyone would think we were friends. She leaned against the bar and stared at me. I hated when people called me Red. It had been a name I had been plagued with since childhood. I really hated it. "Oh, I know you do. But it's something that we have in common so that's what I'm going to call you. Okay."

  Did this scary bitch just read my mind? "Hey! Red! It's not nice to call people scary. It can be quite upsetting."

  It's not nice to invade people’s thoughts either.

  "Point taken Loci. I retreat." She smiled and spread her palms in front of her as if in surrender. I was not going to fall for that. I said nothing. I was taking no chances. Behind Gabrielle I could see the drink from the tray which Clarice was holding had inched a fraction closer toward the floor. I looked at Clarice and could have sworn that I saw her eye move. But I wasn't sure and I had to concentrate on the angel. Her eyes were yellow, like soft amber and her red curls framed her face and fell behind her past her shoulders. Her creamy complexion was smooth and free from any marks or blemishes. I lowered my eyes and found that I could move again. I breathed a sigh of relief. Although she stood right in front of me, I felt that I wasn't really seeing her.

  "You don't have to be scared Loci. I don't bite." As she said this she smiled and terror rose in me again. Her smile was feral and a glint of madness shone in her eyes. "I have something for you." she said. She reached behind her head and then presented me with one singl
e strand of her hair.

  "What is this?" I asked. Why would an angel give me her hair? I didn't want to touch it. I had no idea where her hair had been. This was disgusting.

  "Take it." she said. It wasn't a request. "You will need it for next time."

  "What do you mean next time?" I did not plan on there being a second time in this place. After I helped Cymon I was done.

  "The next time I am with you.” she grinned again “Just take it Loci." she stated, dropping the strand of hair in my hand and then turned to leave. Clearly finished with me. Although I was terrified, I was not yet finished with her.

  "Wait!" I said. It came out a bit louder than I wanted and I shrank back a little when she slowly turned around to give me a questioning look. "Why can't I see you?"

  She tilted her head to the side, looking at me with interest and I guess wondering why I was mad enough to question an angel. "I am right in front of you Loci. You can see me."

  "Your true self. Why can't I see your true self?" what the hell was I doing? Did I want to die? The angel stared at me and I could feel her eyes boring into mine but I could not look away. I was transfixed. She leaned in, her face getting closer and closer to mine until I felt her warm breath on my face.

  "If you see my glory Loci...” she whispered “You will never see again."

  "I want to see." I couldn't help it. It was like a burning need inside of me. I knew that it was dangerous. Foolish even, but I needed to see her. Everything around me still moved at a pace which was impossibly slow. It must be the same as watching a tree grow. You knew it was growing but you could not see it. "Show me."

  Gabrielle stepped back and smiled. Her eyes were still locked on mine and I saw a subtle shift in them. The rich amber of her irises grew and intensified. It filled her eyes till there was no white left, only amber. Then it darkened and became black before lightening to silver and flowing across her eyes like liquid metal. A light seemed to glow from beneath her skin and this grew brighter giving her a silver hue. It spread across her face and she became bright. Blindingly bright. I felt like if the light from a thousand suns were searing into my eyes and I tried to close them. But I couldn't. My eyelids were locked open and I felt my eyes drying up like if all the water in them were being boiled away and sucked out. I gasped in pain as my mind prepared me for the scream that was to follow.

  "Gabrielle stop." I heard a deep voice command. I dropped to the floor, sure that I was dead.

  I was at the bar again. All movement was back to normal. I turned quickly to look at the corner booth. It was empty. Cymon was sitting next to me. I wondered if he had witnessed my interaction with the angel and I wondered how I was suddenly sitting at the bar.

  I looked at Cymon. "Did you -"

  "Yes, I did."

  "But you were -"

  "I could still see and hear. Everyone could. We were all still here."

  "I didn't -"

  "No. You never do. What the hell were you thinking Audrey? I told you not to look. I told you! You could have got everyone in here killed... incinerated."

  "But I didn't did I?" I said in a hushed voice. I could feel eyes on me. But everything seemed to be back to normal. And best of all I could still see.

  "That's because Michael stopped her Audrey. It's not because you're special. He stopped her and he gave you back your sight. And luckily for you no one else was harmed. You're lucky that they have more important things to worry about"

  "Like his sword?" I asked.

  "Yes. Like his sword."

  "Why is the sword so important anyway. You would think that he would be more concerned about his wife." I grumbled.

  Cymon looked at me in sympathy it seemed. "He needs his sword because the Heavenly Host is missing Audrey. But that's a whole other story."

  He was right. I didn't need any more confusion. I could tell that Cymon was upset. I knew that I had messed up and I was very lucky to have come out of it unscathed. I looked down at my hand and saw a red band wrapped around my wrist. But it wasn't a band. It was the strand of hair that Gabrielle had given me. Secured firmly to my wrist waiting for what I don't know. I was tired and once again I was scared. I wanted this adventure over.

  "I'm sorry Cymon. I really am." I saw his shoulders droop. He was tired of teaching me things that I was refusing to learn. "Really Cymon. I will try harder. I was stupid and ignorant. That was the scariest thing that I have ever been through. Worse than War! As for angels, they are the worst and I don't ever want to meet them again. Ever! There is nothing scarier."

  Cymon turned to look at me and exhaled a slow puff of breath. "You think those angels are the scariest thing huh? Well then... you really don't want to meet a Principality."

  My mouth hung open and my eyes grew wide with wonder. "No Audrey. Trust me on this. You don't."

  CHAPTER 8

  I was alive. I had looked on the true face of an angel and had survived, and I could see. I ran my hand though my hair and tried to calm my breathing. I guess I was lucky. Lucky that Cymon still needed me because I'm sure he would have ditched me a long time ago due to my inability to listen. Lucky that the gorgeous Michael, angel of my dreams, stopped Gabrielle from killing me. And even now I was searching my thoughts for some way to allocate the blame for my near death on someone else. But why would I taunt an angel? I had been born a coward. I knew that, and my mother had raised me to know that taking unnecessary risks was foolish. I still enjoyed life to the full but I had what I like to call a healthy aversion to danger.

  So why did I do it? I wanted to see Gabrielle. I somehow knew that her beauty was subdued, muted, although she was already dazzlingly beautiful. I didn't really believe that her real beauty or her glory as she called it, would blind or even kill me. Even when she warned me, I still needed to see. I looked down at my wrist to see the strand of hair wrapped there like a red band, identical in colour to my own wild waves. It twisted and swirled around my wrist like a living thing of fire but it maintained its band like shape. Had she branded me? Was this a subtle way of marking me for some future deed that she required? I hated this world.

  I was confused. In just a few hours I had been taken from my home. I knew I ran like hell at the time but that was because Mr Peters warned me to run. I wondered if he was okay. If he had survived whatever had been trying to get us. I'm sure it was shadow wraiths that he had been fighting off, giving me and Cymon a chance to escape. I had seen how War fought them. Those things were strong and hard to kill. I took a deep breath and sent out a prayer for Mr Peters. I looked at Cymon. His head was bowed as if he was in deep thought. Maybe he was thinking that portal had taken him to the wrong place. I still did not know why I was here. I was not convinced that I was supernatural like the rest of the beings of this world and, I did not have any special powers. I also still did not know why someone would take a reaper's scythe, and Cymon, for some reason was keeping that information to himself.

  A glass of red liquid slammed onto the bar in front of me making me jump out of my thoughts. Rogier was on the other side of the bar furiously polishing an already gleaming beer glass. His lips were pressed tight while his chest rose and fell rapidly. I didn't know why he was angry. It's not like Gabrielle tried to kill him. I'm the one who nearly died. I pushed the drink away and turned to Cymon who was still sitting next to me. He shook his head slowly and turned to me.

  "Do you think Rogier is going to let us use his time sphere now." he whispered. "Because I can already tell you that he won't."

  "Maybe if I ask him he might." I said. "I'll apologise first."

  "No. Just don't say anything." said Cymon. He covered his face with his hands and leaned forward onto the bar.

  I was slightly torn. Using a time sphere, whatever that was, was not at the top of my priority list. Thinking about what Papa Babash had said to us, I was not in any way keen to be 'unlocked'. What did that even mean? I really did want to help Cymon but if Rogier said no to the time sphere, I wouldn't be too upset.

  "Rea
per." said Rogier. He had finished with the glass which now sat on the back counter outshining all the other glasses on display. Oh shit. Here it comes.

  "Rogier. I can explain." Cymon jumped in before Rogier could continue.

  "There is no explanation." said Rogier "She could have got us all killed! All of us." He glared at Cymon and then turned to me. "And as for you..." he hissed at me "If you want to get yourself killed. Do it somewhere else. Anywhere else! But not in my bar." He slammed a cloth onto the counter top and started wiping.

  Clarice appeared through the doors behind the bar, she gathered the dirty plates and glasses and turned to go back into the kitchen. As she passed, she gave me a scathing look which I'm sure was intended to let me know just how dangerous my curiosity had been. I looked around the bar. There were a lot of eyes on me. Some were staring at me with unconcealed anger, others looked at me in utter disbelief. There were a few head shakes and some grumbled mutterings. I turned back to the bar. How was I supposed to know they were angels? Or that just looking at them could kill us all!

  "Please Rogier." continued Cymon. "She does not know how things work in our world."

  "Then maybe she should look... and listen before actually speaking." he replied. Yeah. He had a point there. I could tell that I wouldn't be getting any sympathy from him.

  "She is a Loci." said Cymon. Rogier stopped wiping the counter and Clarice paused at the kitchen door. She looked at me and I saw her lips curl in disdain and a flash of anger crossed her eyes. What really was her problem I wondered?

  "A Loci huh?" asked Rogier.

  "Yes" replied Cymon. "I need her help, and I also need your help." Rogier lifted an eyebrow and waited for Cymon to make his request. "I need to use the time sphere. Please."

  Rogier grabbed the cloth and leaned back, blowing out a sharp breath as he did so. He leaned forward onto the counter again. "Well. I would say no, but I don't have to do I. You know how it works Reaper. There is a cost to use the sphere, and I know that you don't have that sort of coin. I'm sorry Reaper." Rogier said with a smile and carried on wiping the counter. I looked at Cymon. He was pinching the bridge of his nose and trying hard to breath calmly.