by Ali Winters
“You have witnessed how this human works. No other reaper has that knowledge. You alone know about this human. Use that to your advantage.”
Nivian nodded. She had been given an assignment, and she would complete it. No one had ever refused a mark before. There was never a reason to. She would not be the first. Silas was the original reaper, and he knew what he was doing. If he took the time to assign a mark, then he had a reason. There was no use fighting it, not that she had a choice in the matter. This shorter time limit made her doubt her abilities to plan her mark and avoid her own destruction. Caspian believed she could carry it out. It was his job to know the powers and strength of all reapers. She would have to trust him.
She inhaled a slow, deep breath, willing her fear to back down. “All right, Caspian, I’ll do it. If you and Silas both believe I’m the only one, then I know I can.”
“Thank you.” Caspian looked into her pale blue eyes as they stormed over with determination and a hint of fear.
Caspian
Not knowing what else to say, Caspian dismissed her. How could he convince her she would be okay when he had his own doubts and fears to untangle? He hated that he had to convince her of the certainty in this situation, a certainty that even he didn’t have. To tell her something against Silas’s orders would bring about a result he just couldn’t risk. He couldn’t let his personal feelings get in the way of protecting all existence. She only knew him as a friend, but she was more to him than she would ever realize. The insecurity that overcame him in her presence was an utterly ridiculous reaction for him to have and it affected his ability to focus entirely on what needed to happen, regardless of the necessary sacrifices. The sooner this mark was finished, the sooner things could get back to normal.
Eight
Nivian
Nivian waited at the center of the downtown district for the familiar pull of a mark’s movement. The crisp, late autumn breeze rustled her cape against her legs. The distinguished tug slowly grew stronger. It was time to attempt her mark and get this unusual situation behind her. Either she would live or she wouldn’t, but she’d be damned if she didn’t do everything in her power to make sure she survived this. Caspian had told her she would be all right, and Silas said she was the only one who could carry out this mark, but part of her doubted her ability. No reapers had ever had to face death. Reapers were death. Part of her wondered how humans could live their lives and be happy knowing for a fact death would eventually find them, and not knowing what awaited them on the other side. Facing this problem annoyed her. She didn’t know how to deal with it, and she didn’t want to deal with it.
She pulled out the pocket watch attached to Kain and followed the pull of his energy. It led her downtown to the small café where she had seen him one of the first times. She could feel him moving closer to where she stood. Leaning back against the wall in her chair, she waited.
The evening rush was over in the dimly lit café, leaving a small group of customers sitting at the small tables to leisurely drink their coffee. Having chosen a small table toward the back, partially hidden behind a ficus plant, she could observe the main door without being seen. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, and the soft hum of voices surrounded her. Nivian waited for Kain, keeping her eyes focused on the main entrance.
As she sat, hidden behind the plant, she contemplated her situation. It was a curious feeling; she had never needed to hide before. Under normal circumstances, a reaper’s cloak prevented anyone from seeing her—yet another problem this guy was causing for her. Somehow it didn’t work on him. She wanted to catch him off guard—giving her the advantage—rather than have him attack her, as he had the others.
The only problem with her plan was she didn’t have one. How would she carry out the reaping if he knew why she was there? She chewed on her lip and tried to devise a strategy. So far she came up empty. She was so preoccupied with watching the front entrance that she didn’t hear the bells chime as a customer walked in through the side door.
Kain
Kain stood in the doorway, shock registering on his face. He hadn’t expected the girl to be here. She sat near the back of the little café, and he could almost swear she was trying to hide behind a potted tree. She chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes focused intently on the main entrance. Had she had finally run away from her cult?
Shaking his head, he went up to the counter, making sure to take the long way around, keeping his back to her. He glanced back at her over his shoulder. She still hadn’t noticed him. On most days, the café was packed at this time, but tonight it was a ghost town.
After he ordered his coffee and flirted with the barista, he turned to leave. His eyes locked on hers, a jolt of surprise shot up his spine. She’d spotted him. The girl moved out from the corner, and stepped into the open space between tables, never breaking eye contact. Her long white hair fell around her shoulders and surprise, or fear, clouded her face. The world fell away, and all he could see was her. Her wide, sparkling eyes.
Kain sighed; this was ridiculous. He needed to find out what this girl wanted with him. Whatever game she wanted to play, he would put a stop to it, right now. He turned his back to her and walked slowly over to the side counter. Kain grabbed a few packs of sugar, and added them to his coffee. With casual movements, he inched his way closer to where she was standing, doing his best to appear natural, so he wouldn’t spook her. He was determined to confront her and get answers. Casually, he picked up the carafe to add cream to his coffee, still watching her out of the corner of his eye. He placed the lid on his coffee, took a steady breath, and turned to face her once more.
She stood only a few feet away, her lips parted and wide, frightened eyes bored into him. Her eyes were so full of fear, he immediately felt sorry for being annoyed with her. Standing this close to her, he realized how beautiful she was. Her eyes were a light ice blue, framed in thick, black lashes and her frosty white hair cascaded down around her shoulders, falling just below her waist. Her lips were a dusty pink, and her cheeks were a rosy color, as though she had been standing outside in the cold for a long time.
Opening his mouth to speak, Kain lifted his hand to reach out to her. The sudden movement startled her. She backed up, shaking her head, and held her hand up like a shield. He closed his mouth, his words vanishing from his mind. He had never seen anyone react with such fear to the attempted start of a conversation before.
She threw her hood over her head and turned away from him, vanishing into thin air.
Kain's eyes widened. What the hell just happened? Frantically he looked around the café and searched for anyone else who might have seen the girl disappear. She had been standing directly in front of him one moment and gone the next.
The other patrons continued their conversations as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Not one person even so much as looked in his direction. Could he be losing his mind? Had he been thinking about the girl so much that he only imagined her? No. She was too real, too unlike anyone he’d seen before. Shaking his head, he cleared his racing thoughts. He walked out of the café and hurried down the street before he could conjure her up again and cause a scene.
Nivian
Nivian rounded the corner of the Great Hall and headed to Caspian’s study.
That was so close… He was too close. He could have attacked me. Closing her eyes, Nivian inhaled, and tried to swallow her nerves. She wanted to talk to Caspian. She exhaled loudly in frustration. It was so new and unnerving, she didn’t know how to feel or how to handle it. What she needed was a strategy that got the results she needed, but kept her at a distance. This mark, Kain, had a knack for not being in the right places for her. He stuck to safe areas where she couldn’t use her powers at the distance she preferred. Did he know she was a reaper sent to collect his life energy? Was he drawing her in, trying to get her to make a fatal mistake?
Hushed voices floated through the open door, echoing down the deserted corridor, stopping her in he
r tracks. That sounds like Silas and Caspian.
Panicking, she hid in the shadows behind one of the massive pillars, hugging her body flat against it. She wasn’t ready to talk about this with Silas yet. Peeking her head out into the hallway, she watched as the two ancient reapers rounded the corner into her line of sight. With a sharp breath, she jerked her head back into the shadows.
“Give her incentive if you have to, Caspian, but make sure she quickly carries out her assignment,” Silas spoke with clipped words. His anger with her was palpable, even from this distance. Silas had given her three days to complete her assignment. She still had time. How could he not understand she was doing her best? He had to know Kain was no ordinary mark. After all, Silas had personally assigned her that mark. Whatever this mortal was, he was dangerous. Any reaper would be smart to fear him at least a little. Besides, she never rushed her marks. Silas knew that. Peeking one eye around the pillar, she narrowed her eyes at the back of his head.
She prided herself on her ability to make everything go just as it should and that the reaping fit the human’s life as well as the location and time. It wouldn’t make sense if she dropped a person who was afraid of the water into the middle of the ocean to be eaten by a shark.
“Surely, my Lord, she has a right to know about the danger he poses to her? He is no ordinary hunter.”
“Tell her nothing,” Silas barked. His hand slashed through the air in a cutting motion. “No one is to know until I find out why his powers are so much greater than a hunters were ever meant to be.”
Caspian gave the reaper a curt nod.
“Fear not, Caspian. She is no ordinary reaper, or have you already forgotten?”
“No, my Lord, I have not forgotten. Though I fear she will find out on her own.”
“If that happens, I will be the first to know.”
“Silas?” Caspian questioned, tilting his head to the side.
“I have Camira watching her for me. She has been my eyes and ears ever since I first noticed this human’s strange energy. I have been aware of everything your little reapling has been up to.” Silas raised one eyebrow. Nothing that happened regarding reapers ever went unnoticed.
Nivian’s heart stung with the shocking betrayal. How could Camira spy on her, following her and reporting her actions to Silas, as if she was some common double agent to watch? Camira was her best friend. Friends didn’t do this.
Nivian grit her teeth, seething in anger. She trusted Caspian, but now doubt tainted her decision. Her faith in him had been misplaced. From what she’d overheard, he’d given her half-truths, holding out information she needed. Why wouldn’t Silas want her to know what she was up against? It was clear that Caspian doubted her ability to take care of this mark and survive.
Her head reeled from all she had overheard. Nivian knew one thing for sure: what she was dealing with was some sort of unusual hunter. She was on her own. There was no one left to confide in, no one she could talk to. And now, she didn’t know where or who to turn to for help. She had trusted Caspian and Cami. Now she understood they were not loyal friends, but instead, were watching her movements like spies and reporting every move to Silas.
It was disrespectful to teleport in or out of the walls of G.R.I.M. Headquarters, but she refused to care anymore. Her small world had been turned upside down. Throwing her hood over her head, she vanished, reappearing on the balcony of her apartment.
Shoving the balcony doors open, she ripped her cloak off and angrily threw it across the room. She stormed over to her bed, dropped down on her back, and let out a loud sigh of frustration. She needed time to think. Restless, she pushed herself up off the bed and walked back out onto her balcony. Hopelessness weighed heavy on her heart. The heart that shattered with a few words, destroying the world she thought she knew.
Nivian sank to the concrete floor and leaned against the cold metal railing. Her eyes welled up with angry tears.
A tingling sensation ran across her skin. She could sense Caspian’s energy in her apartment. Dealing with him was the last thing she felt like doing.
“Go. Away,” she spoke slowly through clenched teeth. The pain and sorrow gave venom to her words.
She never acted cold toward him, regardless of the situation. But they had never dealt with anything like this before. He had to know why she was upset. How long did he think he could hide his doubt from her?
He cocked his head to the side. “What is wrong, Nivian?” His voice gave away what they both knew. She had overheard, but the question remained: how much of the conversation had she caught.
“Go away, Caspian. I don’t want to talk to you. I want to be left alone.” Her eyes scanned the streets below. She unfocused her vision, turning the lights of the city into multicolored stars moving about during the day, trying her best to ignore his presence.
The weight of his gaze made her cheeks grow warm. From the corner of her eye, she watched as he regarded her. A long moment had passed before he spoke. “Silas wants to know if you have completed your mark yet.”
With a heavy sigh, she faced him. He could see the anger flash across her eyes. She snapped, “No, Caspian, I haven’t completed my mark yet. You and Silas already know as much. I still have time, so you can tell him to back off. I’m already on a shorter deadline than normal. I will get it done, so don’t worry your pretty face about it.” She turned her head away.
“Nivi, this is not like you,” he said softly, kneeling down and placing a hand on her arm. “Tell me what has caused you to act like this.”
She glared at him, her lip curled in disgust. He had a lot of nerve to come to her home and act like he knew nothing. “You know exactly what is wrong. Just… go away.” Her voice trailed off in a whisper. She averted her eyes to once again watch the movement below. Emotionally she was drained; she wanted someone she could trust, someone who didn’t hide things from her, someone who didn’t treat her like a criminal. “You can tell Silas I plan on scouting him out again tonight, and I will carry out the mark if the opportunity presents itself.”
“Nivi...”
Her head snapped in his direction once again. “No, Caspian, you don’t get to do this. You don’t get to act like you care. I’m the one at risk here. Not you. Not Silas. Not anyone else. Just me. Leave me alone.”
Caspian nodded and straightened up. “I will let Silas know of your plan.”
“I had no doubt in my mind that you would,” she bit out.
Nivian sat on the balcony for hours. She watched the sun as it fell from the sky and disappeared below the horizon. She needed help, but it wasn’t going to come from anyone she knew. There had to be another source of information she could seek out. Silas sent her on a death mission, but that didn’t mean she had to lie down willingly and die. If she had to risk her life, she at least wanted to know why. She still had several hours before she planned on going out to find her human again. In the meantime, she would do a little research of her own. Determined to find some small bit of information, Nivian stood, and went inside. Grabbing her cloak, she threw it over her shoulders, and vanished.
Caspian
Caspian seethed and clenched his fists at his sides. He was furious. Furious at this hunter causing problems for reapers, at Silas for putting Nivian in this situation, but mainly at himself for not going against Silas and telling Nivian everything he knew she should know. The expression on her face showed how much she was hurting. He knew she doubted him; he had seen the flash of her hair in the Great Hall when he was talking with Silas just before she left. Caspian had no doubt Nivian had overheard their conversation, but from her hostility toward him, he knew she hadn't heard everything.
Nine
Nivian
Nivian appeared outside the doors of Caspian’s study. She crouched down low behind a pillar and waited for him to leave. While he spent most of his time there, researching and scheduling the marks, she wouldn’t have to wait long before he went to hand out the next batch of assignments. Minutes later,
light footsteps echoed through the corridor toward the spiral staircase. Slowly she slid up the pillar and carefully peeked around, keeping her back flush against the column. She waited until Caspian started his decent before she made her move. Stepping out of her hiding spot, she hurried into his office and quietly closed the door behind her.
She leaned back against the door and closed her eyes. Blowing out a relieved breath, she pushed forward and walked over to his desk, immediately spotting the Tome of Fate. Her heartbeat frantically against her rib cage as she reached out for the book. She licked her dry lips and gently ran her fingers over the cover. Few reapers in the history of time had ever held the book. It was definitely above her position, and she risked severe punishment just touching the cover. Part of her wanted to leave now before she got caught, but she needed to stay and find answers. Her shallow breathing echoed loud in her ears as she carefully lifted the massive tome. She stood unmoving, mesmerized by the ancient book, gathering her courage to open the book.
The pages were blank. Disappointment formed in the pit of her stomach. “Where are all the words?”
She flipped a few pages hoping to find anything. There were always words when Caspian used the Tome. She moved to set the book down, but stopped when words swirled and then formed on the page.
Nivian began to read.
“At the beginning of time, when life was new, there was an immediate imbalance in the universe; the realms of gods and living beings began to merge, slowly crumbling. There could be no balance without both life and death.
Silas created his reapers to collect the life energy at the end of its cycle and return it to the earth to renew and once again be reborn when it was time.
Yeva created her watchers to observe the humans and protect them from meeting their death sooner than the fates foretold.”