by Ali Winters
“What did I tell you about the last time you kissed me? That can’t happen between us.” Her voice lacked all conviction.
He heard her say the words, though he knew even she didn’t believe them.
“That was before, when we thought you were only a reaper, and I was just a hunter.”
“Kain…” Her voice caught, as his gaze bore into her. She cared about him, the pain written all over her expression made it clear. But regardless of their true origins or feelings, they were on opposite sides. They still had to fight.
“I will protect you, even if I die trying.” He still couldn’t look her in the eyes.
Nivian cleared her throat and looked down. She hesitated before changing the subject. “Let’s try again.”
Kain nodded. They both focused their energy and formed the sizzling mix of their powers.
“What the hell is this?” a voice shrieked. Concentration broken, their combined powers faded. Kain and Nivian turned to look. A small figure pushed her way through bushes and broken tree limbs scattered all around on the ground. She wore all black, from her knee-high lace-up boots to her low-cut black bodysuit. Kain couldn’t help but think of how fitting it seemed for her to be wearing something fashionable to fight in.
Karen stumbled over a branch as she broke into the clearing where they stood. “What the hell are you doing with a reaper, Kain? Destroy her!” She pulled back, creating a ball of pure energy between her hands.
“Don’t touch her,” Kain ordered, as he pulled Nivian behind him.
“Move out of the way, Kain.” Fury sharpened Karen’s voice as she stalked forward, scanning for an opening between herself and the reaper. Karen refused to back down.
Concentrating, Kain built up his energy, knowing he had to be ready for anything. He remembered Nivian’s warning not to use his full power unless absolutely needed, and instead, focused on the power of what he learned the last time he was on this island.
Kain opened his mouth to warn Karen once more, when a large crystal spear of dark energy shot past his head, embedding itself into the tree right next to Karen, missing her only by inches. Karen screamed, and let her power fizzle out. Slowly, Karen turned to face what appeared to be a solid form of reaper energy; it was so close she could touch it with her eyelashes.
“That was a warning shot, hunter.” Nivian grit her teeth, her eyes narrowed at the woman across from her. “I could have easily taken your life.” She held her hands out to the side, a black crystal spear of dark energy floating over each palm, ready to attack again.
“Kain, what are you doing with that reaper! Whose side are you on, anyway?” Karen’s fists balled at her sides, her face and chest red with anger.
“I am a hunter first and foremost, Karen. Don’t worry about it, but there is more to this than you know!”
Karen stood frozen and gaped at him for a long time. Shaking her head, she snapped, “What a load of crap!”
“Karen,” Kain said slowly, taking a deep breath, “I am warning you. If you even try to attack her, I will not hesitate to stop you in any way I have to.” His words were slow and measured.
“It’s okay.” Nivian stepped out from behind him, placing her hand on his arm. “I can handle this. There is no way she’s powerful enough to hurt me,” she said, making sure she looked Karen in the eyes as she spoke.
Karen eyed him. Lifting her wrist, she pressed a button on a thin black bracelet. Instantly, it blinked red.
“Karen, what did you just do?” Kain asked warily.
“Nothing that concerns you, traitor,” she snapped. Bringing her wrist up to her mouth, she spoke into it, “Daniel, Finn, Holter… I found him.”
“Damn it, Karen, I am not a traitor,” he bit out through gritted teeth. “You don’t have the power to stop this reaper, even if you tried. Attacking her will only get you killed!”
“Maybe, but backup will be here soon. She’s small, so how powerful could she be?”
“Backup?” Kain dropped his hands to his sides.
“Yes, did you think this was some kind of explosive?” Her laugh was high-pitched and without a trace of humor. “Don’t be stupid, Kain! I wouldn’t blow myself up. It’s a tracker so we can find each other.” She looked down to examine the small screen on the bracelet.
Laughter sounded from high up in the trees and echoed through the clearing. All three looked up to see where it came from. Instinctively, Kain pushed Nivian behind him again as an unnatural gust of wind swirled around them.
Camira appeared in her signature whirlwind, scattering leaves and small debris around, spraying the others.
“Oh, Nivian!” she smiled, sauntering up to her friend, “I see you have a little toy for us.” She eyed Kain. “He is a bargaining chip, is he not?”
Kain couldn’t be sure, but he sensed a tinge of anger in the reaper’s words.
“No, Camira, he’s not.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Camira shot a glare at Karen as she circled Kain. “Two against one? Shame on you hunters, I thought you’d have more honor than that. Whatever happened to having a fair fight?”
“Not much of a fair fight when you are recruiting our people to betray us,” Karen snapped.
“Oh? You think we need to turn you guys against yourselves?” Camira put a finger on the side of her mouth, looking up. “It’s not a bad idea, letting you destroy yourselves. Too bad we didn’t think of it. Sorry to disappoint you, hunter.” Sticking out her bottom lip in a fake pout, she ran her hand through Kain’s hair and grabbed a fistful, pulling his head back. A black ball of energy appeared in her other hand, her expression transforming into a disgusted sneer, as she brought it inches from his face. The heat licked his skin, trying to reach out and burn him. Kain sucked in a sharp breath and flexed his jaw. He didn’t want to give in to this new reaper, but he wasn’t about to piss her off and tempt her blow off his face.
“Cami, let him go,” Nivian demanded through clenched teeth.
“Why should I?” she snapped, pulling his head further back as she turned to look at Nivian. “He’s the reason we are in this mess. The sooner he dies, the sooner the balance will be restored!”
“He’s not the reason this is happening. Killing him would only be a temporary fix,” she pleaded with her once close friend.
Nivian brought her hand up, dark energy forming over her palm, ready to throw up a wall of crystal between Camira and Kain.
“That is enough, Camira.” Caspian’s voice was calm but firm. The two reapers stopped short at the sound as Caspian walked out from behind a tree. He walked forward, until he stood between Karen and the others. Grudgingly, Camira let go of Kain, roughly shoving him away, her lip curling up into a sneer. Kain glared and stepped away from her, taking hold of Nivian’s hand.
Caspian walked with slow, fluid strides toward Karen, his hands wide out to his sides. “I’m sorry about the misunderstanding, hunter—but he is not with us as you assumed.”
“Why should I trust you?” Karen said, a little too loudly. Her voice fell short of sounding confident. Her breath came out in shaky bursts that betrayed her. Beads of sweat rolled down her temple.
Nervously, Karen looked behind her at the sound of voices calling her name in the distance. “I’m over here!”
A figure shoved his way through to the edge of the brush. Dressed in black from head to toe, he stopped abruptly when he saw the three reapers surrounding his allies.
“What’s going on?” he asked, as he stepped up out of the brush, stopping next to Karen. She stood, her lips pinched in anger, and eyes locked on the reapers in front of her.
This is getting out of hand, Kain thought.
“Finn,” Karen choked out, grabbing on to the dark figure’s arm.
Holter pushed their way through the brush, joining them. His arm shot out against a chest, stopping the black-haired man following close behind. “Hold up, Daniel.”
“Let him go, reapers!” Finn demanded. Taking a few steps toward Caspian, he took
a wide defensive stance, arms in front of him, ready to gather his energy.
Caspian stepped off to the side. “We are not holding him hostage. He is free to go.” He held out his hand, presenting a clear path for Kain to walk over to his fellow hunters.
Kain didn’t move. Looking back at Nivian, uncertainty played across his face. How was he going to defuse this situation, when neither side would listen to each other?
“Traitor,” Karen bit out.
Twenty-Nine
Finn
Finn watched, as the older male reaper placed himself in the center of the two groups currently at a standoff. The ancient kept a watchful eye on both sides. Turning to the two young reapers who were standing behind him, he said, “Nivian, Camira, stay back, and do not let any of them touch you.”
“Caspian—” The red-haired reaper started, quickly silenced by a look.
These reapers are weak if that one is warning them about our powers, thought Finn. They are overconfident to bring their weakest to fight. He sized up the reaper, and watched for his next move, he was the most likely to attack without warning.
Holding his stance, Finn turned from Karen and surveyed the small group across the clearing. He watched Kain reach over and wrap his hand around the small, snowy-haired reaper, pulling her behind him protectively. She clung to him. Finn considered their actions—it wasn’t natural for a hunter and a reaper to protect each other.
Tightly gripping Karen’s arm, he jerked her, bringing her full attention to him. “What is going on with them?” he whispered harshly.
“I think he’s on their side,” she said, only half-paying attention to him, as the presence of the three reapers drew her eyes back to them.
“You think?” he snapped, wrenching her arm, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “Damn it, Karen! You need to be sure! We need to know what side he is on. If we trust him when we shouldn’t, then we are all dead!”
“Then don’t trust him!” Karen snarled, pulling her arm out of his grasp and turning away from him once.
“He is not against us,” Holter’s deep voice said calmly. Finn looked over his shoulder at him. He had almost forgotten the older man was there. “She saved him.”
Finn narrowed his eyes. “A reaper would never save a hunter’s life!”
“It is true,” he agreed. “Look at her face. Don’t you recognize her?” He nodded his head in Nivian’s direction. Finn’s forehead creased, his dark brown eyes squinting as he examined her face. There was something vaguely familiar about her. Then it hit him—he knew her. It can’t be, he thought.
“How…?” His jaw dropped open.
Looking her over, he recognized her small stature and delicate features, her bright blue eyes. Of course, her hair was white now, and much longer, though it used to be a rich auburn. She still had the stubborn look on her face as she always had when she was a hunter. Only now her face held a hint of confusion and… innocence? He scoffed at the idea.
They had all been much younger then, energetic, and full of life and power. Most of all, they were eager to fulfill the responsibilities of their job. Not even the tension with the reapers had been able to dampen their spirits. Nivian had lost her brother to a reaper in one of the fights leading up to The Dissension.
After her brother’s death, Nivian had latched on to him and became the younger sister he never had. One day she had been there and the next she was gone without a trace. Finn never knew what had happened to her. Seeing her like this was nauseating; he wished he still didn’t know. This was worse than anything he could have imagined. She was on the reapers’ side now. She’d betrayed them! How was it even possible for a hunter to become a reaper? No, this had to be some devious trick to finish off the last of the hunters. She was only made to look like the missing hunter. It can’t actually be her… can it?
“It’s too long of a story to get into right now. All you need to know is that she won’t hurt him, but she is not on our side. You can trust Kain. He will do what is right,” Holter continued, as if it were an everyday occurrence to see a hunter betray their already small group.
Finn nodded. He still didn’t understand what was going on between them or why they seemed so protective of each other. It wasn’t natural for a reaper or hunter to not kill on sight, regardless of their origins. The light began to fade, and Nivian’s face vanished before his eyes.
Kain
Kain reached to his side, grabbing for Nivian’s hand. Making contact, he entwined his fingers with hers, holding on tightly. He stared out at the small group of hunters and reapers, his face fell, and he knew trying to talk everyone down was a pointless task. The sense of complete hopelessness consumed him, gripping his heart. This wouldn’t solve anything.
Neither side was ready for this. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. All his senses failed him. The wind, his breathing, and his heartbeat—everything ceased to exist. The feeling of her soft skin faded. He couldn’t feel her hand. He couldn’t feel his hand. Was he passing out?
He didn’t know how long every sense in his body had failed. It seemed like mere seconds and an eternity at the same time, before his senses returned to him. Slowly, the gentle wind on his skin, the weight of her hand in his, came back. Dark shapes turned into blurs of colors and formed in front of him as his eyes fought to focus. A heartbeat. His? It was beating fast. The wind rustled the leaves, and finally the noise of murmuring came back to him. Kain squeezed his eyes tightly and reopened them, forcing them to focus faster as he looked around. No one had moved. He glanced down at Nivian. Pure shock and disbelief skittered across her face. Wide-eyed, she stared off into space. A tendril of hair blew across her line of sight, but she didn’t notice. Kain stepped in closer until she leaned against his side.
“Nivian, what’s wrong? What is it?” he whispered. She didn’t move.
Nivian turned to face him. Tears welled in her eyes. His stomach dropped. Had they failed already? Was he already dead and just didn’t realize it yet? Nivian covered her mouth with her hand.
Kain looked at her questioningly, still holding tightly to her hand. “Please, Nivian, tell me what’s happening.”
She could only shake her head in answer. She knew what was happening—that much was clear from the look on her face… but what?
“What the hell was that?” Finn yelled, reminding Kain the others were still here, waiting to fight. He shook his head to clear the last of the lingering effects. He swayed back and forth as he attempted to steady himself.
Finn poised himself to defend the hunters behind him, as he scanned the area, trying to find the source of the strange void. Karen fell to her hands and knees, gasping for breath. “They... are… attacking.” She pointed to Caspian accusingly. The reaper stood calm and composed, as though nothing had happened. Finn reached down and pulled her up, while keeping his eyes firmly on the group in front of them.
“It was not an attack,” Caspian assured her. “You would have perished if it was.” He dusted an invisible piece of lint off his shoulder. He seemed to be the only one unfazed by the strange incident.
Nivian stepped in front of Kain. Subtly, she backed up. Kain let her guide him until he was between her and a tree. She knew something, and her instinct was to guard him. Caspian didn’t seem worried, and even though he wasn’t Kain’s biggest fan, he’d protected him so far. Guarded by the two reapers, Kain studied the other hunters.
Karen glared at Kain, a look of disgust on her face. Finn cut his eyes to Nivian. Grabbing Karen’s arm, Finn pulled her back a few steps with him, until they were standing closer to the other hunters.
Caspian turned to the side, a smirk forming on his face. “Silas, I wondered when you would finally show,” he greeted the new arrival dryly.
Kain gulped as Silas stepped forward out of the shadows, his cloak concealing every part of him. He held his scythe in one of his gloved hands. He was the epitome of the classic Grim Reaper.
Silas stepped out of the shadows. He was bei
ng melodramatic—he had a lot in common with Yeva. Torn between the fear of the head reaper showing up at what was supposed to be his reaping, and not being able to take the reaper seriously with all of his dramatics, Kain was experiencing a myriad of emotions.
Caspian backed up to the edge of the small clearing, giving Silas room to pass.
“If you were so impatient, you should have called for me. This mess could have been taken care of by now,” Silas said calmly.
“Are you still pulling these old theatrics, Silas?” a soft voice called out. All eyes turned to see the beautiful woman. She had a flowing white and gold filigree dress, her long red hair cascaded down her back, highlighting her striking bright green eyes, sparkling in the early evening light filtered through the trees.
“Yeva…” Silas whispered. He took a step, then stopped, hesitating momentarily before he reached his hands up to his hood, and slowly pulled it back. It had been too long since he set his eyes on her youthful face.
Nivian and Camira gasped, their unblinking eyes glued to the reaper in front of them. He dropped his arms to his sides, ignoring the stares of the young reapers. Silas’s long blond hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck with a black leather tie. Bright gray eyes that held the weight and power of the entire universe watched as Yeva approach. Nivian watched, slack-jawed by the sudden and unexpected reveal of the face she’d never seen before. Kain tugged on her hand, pulling her closer.
The tension between the two groups was suffocating. The two originals were together again after more time than Kain could wrap his mind around.
“Silas, it has been such a long time,” Yeva said, walking slowly to meet him in the middle, her hips swayed with each step.
Nodding, Silas’s features remained impassive. The slight narrowness of her eyes, the pinched smile, all betrayed Yeva’s calm appearance. Anger rolled off her in palpable waves, threatening to boil over.
“Did you come here to make sure all of this turned out exactly how you wanted it to again?” she accused, her mouth twisting into a sneer.