A Reaper Made

by Liz Long

  She quickly put together powders and miscellaneous items I didn’t understand. I talked as she worked.

  “Yeah, and Allison said Brady dared their friends to go in. I bet he was testing out the magic or something.”

  “More like saving Moloch a snack,” Tessa muttered. She grimaced in apology when I glared at her.

  “There’s one thing I just don’t get,” I said.

  Tessa filled a vial, nodding with satisfaction. She corked it and zipped her bag, the insides gently clinking. “What’s that?”

  “Brady loves Allison. At least, the human side,” I added quickly at Tessa’s quirked brow.

  “He is headed down a terrible path, one that has no room for love,” Tully said behind me, using his patient, “talking to a soul” voice. The placating tone deserved a glare.

  “How do you know that? You don’t know how he talked about her. He let you two into the underground lair, knowing it’d mean our escape. He obviously hates Moloch and the idea of working with demons.”

  “Then why’d he take Allison down there? He’s putting her directly into danger,” Tessa said. My mouth opened and closed, no answers coming out.

  “He has already made his choice simply by staying down there with Alistair,” Tully said. “He is hellbent on power; Alistair is the only way he gets what he wants.”

  “He told me it was too late, that Alistair has too great a hold on him. We could break that hold, prove that we could save him,” I tried again. When he remained silent, I huffed, dropping it.

  Tessa’s pursed lips clued me in to her skepticism. Thankfully, she remained quiet and sketched out her travel symbols, the scrawls of chalk now recognizable. “We walked right in last time thanks to Brady, but I don’t know if we’ll arrive inside the tunnels.”

  “They will have prepared for that after our last visit,” Tully added.

  “Spell’s ready, are we?” Tessa asked.

  With no time to waste, I nodded and grabbed each of their arms. Tessa threw down her recently made vial; purple smoke billowed as it took us to our desired location: my sister.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Tessa’s spell brought us back to the room with the red door, at the stone wall between us and the tunnels. Tessa brought out another vial and smashed it on the floor, whispering one of her incantations. Pressing her hand against the stone, her hand slowly pushed through; she continued forward, eventually moving her entire body through Brady’s magicked wall. Tully and I gripped either of her shoulders and her spell allowed us passage with her entry. Once through, we stood at the bottom of an unfamiliar, dank stairway. Nearly pitch black, no lights flickered on these walls; we weren’t close to where they held Ally and those souls.

  “This is as far as we go with that spell,” Tessa whispered. “What now?”

  “We can’t split up, it’s too risky,” I said urgently to Tully.

  He nodded. “We will have to take a chance and pick a direction.”

  “This is where my idea comes in.” I grimaced at Tully before I dropped my bomb. “I didn’t want to tell you this, but sometimes I wouldn’t make it to the souls before they left their bodies. Also, a few of them like to wander off when I’m not looking.”

  Some souls took their sweet time crossing over; they’d want to look at every little thing and I would get bored and distracted by the activity around us. I’d look away from them for one second to appreciate Mrs. Ruth’s handsome grandson and then their scattered thoughts would pop them somewhere else. They’d be in a completely different hallway and I’d have to chase after them. So I’d learned how to make it easier on myself.

  Tessa looked at the ground, shoulders shaking beneath her dark hair as she quietly laughed. The lines in Tully’s forehead creased with his prominent scowl. I hurried on to explain.

  “Anywho, I can try and call the souls, bring them to me. I know they’re not my souls, but they might hear my call and come anyway. It’s happened before.” Ignoring his raised eyebrow, I babbled on with the plan. “They can take us back to Alistair and my sister.”

  “We have not discussed those methods.”

  “Yeah, I know, but you mentioned it once, so I figured it out.” I didn’t remind him he’d actually been saying he doubted my ability to learn such a skill.

  Surprise came across Tully then, followed by the smallest flicker of pride. He nodded once. “Yes, that is a fine plan.”

  I didn’t bother hiding a satisfied smile. Closing my eyes, I let my own magic run, my very being reaching out to the nearby souls in these tunnels. One of them was bound to answer me. They weren’t so constrained to the handprints that they couldn’t roam in these tunnels a little. Their own terror more than likely kept them in that tiny space. Souls had more free reign than expected. They’d feel my presence and one could come find out what I wanted.

  A full ten seconds went by before Tessa spoke. “Um, do you need to call them again or what?”

  “They have to figure it out. The fear keeps them by their Reapers, plus Brady might have some magic barriers up. I bet none of them have ventured past the doorway. Plus they’ll have to disappear without being noticed by Alistair or Brady.”

  “That is a wise assessment,” Tully said softly. Warmth spread through my chest.

  A light danced in front of us, a soul taking shape. A young woman appeared, a Reaper’s handprint on her arm. I was shocked to see the soul of deceased college student Brittany Green in front of us. She gave me a puzzled look.

  “You again? How did you-?”

  “No time,” I interrupted, hoping I sounded apologetic enough. “Can you be a lookout for us while we figure out how to save you?”

  “You can save me?” Her soft, sad voice became tinged with hope.

  “Maybe, but we have to get to that cloaked creep first. Can you help us?”

  “I can lead you back there,” she said, nodding. She pointed to her right. “Take that tunnel and then the third left turn; I’ll check ahead and make sure you’re safe.”

  “Thank you,” I said, relieved.

  She nodded and without hesitation, faded out of existence as she insured we had the upper hand. Tully, Tessa, and I followed her directions, taking the dark tunnel back to Alistair.

  We crept forward, exchanging looks at what may lie ahead. Tully, as usual, appeared stoic. Tessa, despite a set jaw, had the decency to look mildly concerned. About ten minutes later, we saw a dim light at the end of a nearby tunnel.

  Brittany reappeared, pointing us in the right direction. “No one is in there right now except us,” she said. “And some girl I recognize from my history class.”

  The knot in my stomach tightened at the mention of Allison. That made me more nervous than confident. No doubt Alistair wanted to spring a trap on us.

  I put a finger to my lips and motioned to Tully I would go forward alone. I took a few careful steps and poked my head in the room first to see what awaited us. It looked the same as before, those sad souls waiting for something to happen. The Reapers still lay on the floor, unmoving.

  I spotted the human in the room - Allison in the corner, unconscious and tied up by her wrists and ankles. I tossed a glance over my shoulder to Tessa, who’d crept up behind me to see the scene for herself. She nodded at my movement. Metal flashed as she took a small knife out of her bag so she could cut the ropes that tied Allison.

  The three of us cautiously stepped into the clammy room, keeping our eyes peeled for any sign of our enemies. Light caught my eye; the Reaper’s scythe sat on a makeshift table, alone and vulnerable. I moved towards it, the silence deafening as my hand came inches within reach.

  A deep, unamused laugh sounded behind us and I whirled around. My heart sank - there stood Alistair, obviously waiting for our arrival.

  “You are not worthy of touching such an object,” Alistair said to me.

  “You shouldn’t bring toys you don’t want to share,” I tossed back. He sneered at me.

  “Alistair, enough of this,” Tul
ly said. His bravado faltered as Alistair eyed him.

  “I’m curious to see your strength now that I am better prepared for your attack,” Alistair said.

  Tully bristled at the provocation and I shifted my feet to indicate he needed to reel in that anger until the timing was right.

  “You will not win this battle,” Tully said.

  Alistair sneered. “You think you’re smart, with your witch and spells.”

  Tessa’s lips parted, clearly offended. Anger took control for a moment. “You’re one to talk. Yours is only a half-witch. ”

  “Alistair, give this up before you go too far,” Tully said, nearly pleading. “We cannot let you damn these souls and twist fate.”

  A ghost of a smile passed Alistair’s lips. “You want to fight, like the human man you used to be? Come then, let’s see if you’re as good as you were when I found you. Angels are stronger than you think.”

  Part of me wondered if this was a trap, but curiosity about Tully got the better of me. I looked at my mentor in confusion. “When he found you? I don’t understand.”

  Tully’s lips thinned. “It was better you not know.”

  “Wise not to tell your progeny,” Alistair said, approval in his tone. “How would she be able to take your advice if she knew the truth?”

  “About what?” I asked in frustration.

  “I did not die from the potato famine as I led you to believe,” Tully said to me.

  “I feel like this story can be shelved until after we kick Alistair’s ass,” I whispered to him.

  Alistair’s harsh voice boomed. “You arrogant human, how dare you say such things about an angel warrior?”

  I shrugged. “I just did, so…I guess I do dare.”

  Alistair’s upper lip curled back, his golden eyes flashing at me. “Back in his human days, Tully was a bit of a gambler.”

  I cocked my head at my maker. “How did you die if not from disease?”

  Tully’s blue eyes dropped to the ground. Alistair waited patiently, looking almost interested in how the story would be told. When Tully said nothing, Alistair heaved a sigh.

  “I found Tully bruised, bleeding, and on his deathbed after several men beat the life out of him,” Alistair said.

  “But why?” I directed the question at Tully, who remained quiet. Alistair, looking more amused than I’d ever seen him, filled in the blanks.

  “Tully lost the boxing match he promised he could win,” Alistair said, glowering as he looked at his progeny. “When he lost men money, they took it from his person.”

  I winced at Tully’s face, the look of despair lending credit to the story. No wonder Tully walked around so serious; his guilt laid heavily on his shoulders. Tully abided every rule because he’d died in life breaking them.

  “What about your family?” I asked.

  “They died before he did. Tully here had nothing better to do than waste away after he lost them,” Alistair said, answering for Tully again.

  “Since you’re so keen to talk, why did you bother making Tully into a Reaper?”

  Alistair’s answer was short and snide. “His guilt would have turned him into a spirit. I did not have time for such trivial problems. Making him gave him purpose again.”

  “Big of you,” I muttered.

  “Enough of your mouth,” Alistair said. He reached for the scythe on the table. “Keep it up and I’ll use this to cut out your tongue.”

  “You will not touch her,” Tully said. He stepped in front of me, pushing me back a few steps.

  “You have grown to care for her,” Alistair said with disdain. He sniffed. “I suppose I should not be surprised. You’ve been holding on to your humanity all this time, it is only natural you’d pretend that girl is your flesh and blood.”

  I bit my tongue to hold back my retort. Tully couldn’t let go of his humanity? Alistair had no idea how hard Tully worked to keep the balance of fate in our corner of the world.

  The old Reaper stepped forward, intent to attack clear. Tully shoved me backwards and I stumbled; Tessa managed to catch me by the elbow and straighten me up.

  “Let us see how the human side of you fares,” Alistair said. “That is, until I break out the real weapons.”

  Alistair disrobed, his attire underneath predictably all-black. Alistair had more muscle than I’d guessed; more than Tully had guessed too, judging by his wary expression. Tully, however, brought his fists up close to his face in a boxer’s stance. Alistair lunged forward and the blows clashed.

  I stepped forward to help, but Tessa caught me. “No,” she whispered. “We have to save Allison and the souls.”

  “How do we do that?” I asked.

  Tessa looked around, desperation on her face. She jerked a thumb to Brady, who I hadn’t noticed until now. “That guy would probably know.”

  Brady saw he had our attention, though I tried to glance to Tully every few seconds. I could read the half-witch like a book. No way did he want to be here helping out demons and destroying fate. I wondered if I could reach him before it was too late.

  “So, this is your witch then?” He tried to sound casual, but the bravado fell flat. He gave Tessa a once over and shrugged. “Can’t say I’m terribly impressed.”

  Tessa’s hand flew up; her magic threw Brady back. He slammed into the stone wall behind him, landing in a heap on the ground. He struggled to stand, a pained grunt escaping him.

  I couldn’t help but laugh at Brady’s expression. “Tessa’s got a few years on you, frat boy.”

  His purple eyes flashed in anger, but he kept his tone almost playful. “I have to admit, older women are a turn on.”

  “Ew,” Allison said from her spot on the floor. I turned to see her looking groggy, but alive. She at least had enough comprehension to be disgusted by her ex-boyfriend, so I put that in the win pile.

  “Sweetheart, I’ve got about three hundred years on you,” Tessa said with a smirk. “There is no way you beat me at my own game.”

  “Maybe not,” Brady agreed, wiping a touch of blood off his chin, “but you forget I don’t play by the rules. Dark magic packs a more powerful punch, don’t you think?”

  He raised a hand and twisted his wrist as though opening a doorknob. I gasped in surprise when Tessa doubled over, clenching her stomach. Blood dribbled in the corner of her mouth.

  Torn between Tessa’s battle with Brady and Tully’s fight with Alistair, I didn’t know who to help first, or if I even could. I did the only thing I could think of - I tackled Brady. We both went down hard, my elbow luckily landing right on his sternum. I heard the whoosh of breath leave his lungs and he gasped for air. I gave him another elbow to the nose as I stood up.

  “Sorry about that,” I said, unconcerned about the blood now trickling down his chin.

  I looked up in time to see Alistair reach for his weapon of choice. Before I could shout, Tully knocked the scythe off the table, out of Alistair’s grasp. It appeared Tully was about to get the upper hand—

  “Moloch!” Alistair shouted. “Moloch, I summon you!”

  “Oh great,” I grumbled.

  A few seconds later, Moloch came into the room, all scales and teeth and ugly. His beady eyes focused on Tully, who still fought hand to hand with Alistair. Moloch’s giant feet stepped forward and his clawed hand came up to rip into Tully’s back.

  Before I could move, Allison screamed bloody murder at the sight of Moloch. It got the demon’s attention. He paused, turning to find the source of the shriek. When he spotted Allison, vulnerable in the corner, she became the new target.

  Moloch went forward and I raced to her. As he reached back and prepared to take my sister, I realized there was no time. I couldn’t get there to save her. Moloch’s claws came down and Allison screamed.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  “No!” I shrieked. Moloch paid me no attention, his jaws ready to snap on Allison’s neck.

  Before I could reach her, Moloch was pushed back several feet by an invisible force. I raced f
orward, silently thanking Tessa for the small miracle. I lunged forward, getting between my sister and the terrifying demon. He was still getting his bearings from being knocked over, but his attention span had him salivating over the nearby souls.

  I tugged at Allison’s arm. “We need to get you out of here.”

  “No shit, Sherlock,” she said, a scowl on her pretty face. “I’ll be lucky to ever sleep again after this ordeal.”

  I backed away; someone bumped into me and I gasped. Spinning around, I sighed in relief to see Tessa. She looked a little banged up and blood coated her chin, but otherwise seemed fine. She reached for Allison to cut her ropes.

  “Thanks for the extra dose of magic,” I said.

  “I didn’t do that,” Tessa panted, “pretty sure Brady saved her.”

  I spared a glance to Brady, who’d let his attention briefly wander to Alistair and Tully. I nudged Tessa to keep an eye on my sister. She nodded and I took the opportunity to sneak up behind Brady.

  “Do you want Alistair to win?” I whispered in his ear. “Because if you destroy him and his pet, you can save Allison.”

  With an angry grunt, he threw me to the floor. Allison and Tessa shouted at him from their spot. They piped down when Moloch hesitated, looking in their direction. Brady’s magic touch left a burn on my arm; I looked down to see his fingerprints on me.

  “Not cool,” I said, more to myself than him. “You change the rules so much I can’t keep up.”

  He attempted a grin, though the wince kept him from looking too cocky. “Magic makes a great weapon.”

  “When you’re a coward,” I shot back.

  His face darkened and he leaned in, his voice a harsh whisper. “You don’t think I’ve done everything in my power to stop this? You think I don’t regret my actions? Try again. Moloch was never part of my plan.”

  Taken aback, I said nothing. Looks like Brady had been used as much as anyone, despite his own stupidity to want to work with Alistair. He huffed in anger.

  “I gave your witch a way out. Save Allison.”