“I don’t know.” Josie shifted uncomfortably. “I should go wake him up.” She finished her coffee and stood. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
“I’ll be ready,” I sighed.
She nodded and slipped out of my apartment.
I pulled my coffee soaked tank top over my head and went to get dressed while Saul and Coreen finished their breakfast.
My bloodied outfit from the day before was still balled up in the corner of my bathroom floor. I decided to wear something less expensive this time, opting for a pair of worn jeans and a black tank top. If I was going to fight hordes of demons, I was going to be comfortable while I did it. I slipped my work robe over everything before fixing my hair. Once again, I chose convenience over style and pulled my curls back in a ponytail.
Josie wouldn’t be back for another forty minutes, so I passed the time by cleaning and sharpening my scythe. I needed to invest in a new weapon, one better suited for warding off demons, but the scythe would have to do for now.
Saul and Coreen were waiting obediently by the front door when Josie returned with Kevin. He looked refreshed, and not at all like the lost little boy I had seen the day before. Coreen jumped up to give him a quick sniff and then took her place next to Saul.
“Hellhounds, nice.” Kevin smiled.
The hounds followed me out of the apartment. I knew they were only puppies, but having them close gave me a new sense of security, and I liked it. We all managed to crowd into the elevator, along with one frightened nephilim. Saul took the liberty of sniffing him out.
“G-good doggie,” the nephilim quaked. His wings twitched as he wedged himself into the corner of the elevator.
I didn’t bother apologizing or assuring him Saul meant no harm. If I started doing that, I would be doing it all day. No thank you. Saul finally decided everything was okay and sat back down. Five floors later, the doors pinged open and the startled half-breed hurried ahead of us.
We strolled outside and headed towards Grim’s office. The hounds didn’t bother too many people on the way, only those close enough to be potential threats. It was entertaining to watch them. I wondered what Grim would think of Maalik’s gifts.
“Oh, dear,” Ellen muttered as we entered the office. “Lana, Grim’s waiting for you in his office. Josie, Kevin, and the dogs can wait in the conference room.”
“They’re hellhounds, and I don’t think they’re going to let me out of their sight, sorry.” I sighed, annoyed that I had ended up apologizing for them after all.
“Oh, well, okay then. Go on in.”
I opened Grim’s door and Saul and Coreen followed me inside.
“What now?” Grim groaned.
“Meet Saul and Coreen, the team’s newest members.” I plopped down in one of his uncomfortable chairs and kicked my boots up on his desk so he could get a good view of the guts caked in their treads. So it was rude, but so was leaving me in the dark and expecting me to do his dirty work.
Grim grinded his teeth. “This is Maalik’s idea of a joke I’m sure.”
“Seeing as the job you’ve assigned me to puts me in constant contact with the nastiest of demons, I think they’re a perfect addition.”
“Stupid girl,” he spat.
A low growl came from Saul. Grim glared at the hound and then looked back at me. “Don’t you think I would much rather be out there myself looking for the right soul? Every move I make is being watched. Do you have any idea what could happen if I left Limbo City with Seth being here? I was forced to put him on the council. He would be waging war against us right now if I hadn’t. Being trapped here is the only thing holding him back, yet he still conspires against me.
“My secret, that you unfortunately had to learn of yesterday, is how I maintain peace in Eternity. By keeping that crucial information to myself and few others, I have insured that all the gods abide by the treaty regulations and maintain their designated boundaries.”
“If my position is so important, why wasn’t I one of those privileged enough to know the truth?” I pulled my feet off his desk and leaned forward, eager to hear his answer.
“You’re three hundred years old,” he snorted. “A child! A loose cannon. Khadija should have consulted me before gifting you.”
“If you had listened to her in the first place, she wouldn’t have.”
“You think you have all the answers, do you? Do you think it gets easier each time I am forced to reveal this information, knowing that if placed in the wrong hands it could mean death formillions?” His voice broke and he reached up to rub both hands over his face and through his hair.
I remembered what Khadija had said about him and Coreen. Guilt slithered in uninvited. “Do you think I desire slaughter any more than you do?” I sighed.
“You weren’t here to see the war. You couldn’t possibly know what it was like.”
“Maybe not, but I do know how loss feels, and I’m sure the war was full of that.” I tried to relax in the stiff chair. “Look, Grim, I’m not any more excited about me having this job than you are, but Khadija is right. Even I can see that she’s growing weak. I have to find another soul to take her place.”
“I hope you do.” He shook his head and pushed a black folder across his desk.
I flipped it open. Inside, a close-up of an elderly woman stared back at me. A dozen pages of background and family history were paper clipped behind the photo.
“You want the truth?” Grim sighed. “Horus has agreed to work with the Fates and pick out souls of old Egyptian descent. As long as I send more souls their way, they won’t ask any questions about how I’m going to use the one I keep to solve our problem in the Sea of Eternity. They’re that desperate. Their followers have dwindled so much that it almost cost them their position on the council. If that had happened, Seth would have most definitely found the army he needed to wage a war. Right now, our best bet is to find the replacement soul within the Egyptian faith.”
“If the soul we’re seeking is just Khadija’s replacement, how do you plan on fixing the problem of Caim running loose in the sea?”
“Here’s another truth for you. Caim isn’t the problem. Don’t misunderstand,” he added. “He’s a big part of it, but the real problem is an island. It was discovered two weeks ago by Coreen. Caim has been using it to set up camp and hide his legions. The island is a byproduct of soul matter that Khadija is too weak to hold. That’s why I understand, even more than you, how important it is that she retires.”
“What will be done with the island?”
“Let me worry about that.” He folded his arms and pressed his lips together into a frustrated line, clearly regretting telling me as much as he already had.
I crossed my legs and rested the folder against my knee. “This soul we’re going after today, if it’s not the right one, will we be delivering it by coin or ship? I really don’t like the thought of losing another reaper.”
“Nor do I, but Anubis is aiding Horus today, and I’m curious to find out if Caim’s attacks are random or directed specifically at your team.”
I nodded and glanced back at the folder.
“Missouri?” I read aloud. “This one looks like it might be easier than the last.” Then I took another look. “Heart attack? I hate those. They always seem to see you before they die and reach out to plead for help. It’s unnerving.” I frowned as I read over the rest of the details.
Grim stood and walked around his desk. “They were never my favorite either. Let’s join the others in the conference room. I have some news to share with all of you.”
Josie and Kevin had made themselves comfortable while they waited. Empty creamers and sugar packets piled around their coffee mugs. Josie had her legs stretched over the seat next to her and was so engrossed in friendly conversation that she hardly noticed us enter the room. I remembered what she had said about dating Kevin and wondered if she hadn’t been joking after all. Her gaze fell on Grim and she sat up straighter, letting her smile fade away into a ne
utral expression.
I leaned against the wall behind me, still stiff from the uncomfortable office chair. It was entirely possible that Grim had picked it out of an S&M catalog.
“I have a quick announcement, and then I’ll let Lana go over the details for today’s catch,” Grim said. “Kevin, your new apprenticeship will be under Lana.”
I jerked away from the wall. “What?”
“Kevin and I discussed this yesterday, and we both agreed on the matter. This could be a great learning experience for him, and I hear he did rather well yesterday. Not many apprentices would have made it through a battle of that nature on their first assignment.”
“So you demote him from a second generation mentor to an eighth?” I argued.
Kevin gave me a desperate look and stood. “I don’t care if you’re an eighth generation. I can learn more from you than anyone else, and you had your apprenticeship under Saul, the same as Coreen,” he added.
“I’ve never had an apprentice, and I haven’t even taken the required class to be eligible for one. I’m sure there’s someone more qualified.” I turned to Grim, but his stony expression was all too familiar.
“I’ve made my decision, and after this assignment is over you can take the appropriate mentoring course at the academy. I’ll even cover the tuition.” He gave me a pleased sneer and walked out of the room.
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. When I looked up, Josie and Kevin glanced at each other cautiously. The jerks. They had already known. I slapped the black folder down on the table and pulled out a chair, wondering if I was going to be even half as good at this as Coreen had been.
“We’re going to Missouri,” I said before either of them could start in about Kevin’s new placement. I’d deal with that later. “Old lady. Heart attack. Around nine-thirty. At her home or nearby.”
I tore open the envelope stapled to the folder and dumped three coins into my palm. Josie and Kevin both took one and glanced at the paperwork to find the exact coordinates.
“Sedalia?” Josie smiled. “I’ve been there before. This should be easy. It’s a small town.”
“Let’s just get this over with.”
Chapter 18
“God enters by a private door
into every individual.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Joy Henderson lived by herself in a big two story house across from Liberty Park. It was mid-autumn, so she was outside, bent over flowerbeds of bright blooms and sculpted hedges. A few hummingbirds buzzed around a feeder while a small herd of cats lazily watched from the lawn.
There are some things I’ll never understand about humans. Like how old ladies decide to feed all the neighborhood felines once their spouses die.
“Let’s keep an eye on her from the park for now,” I suggested.
Josie secured her quiver over her shoulder. “I’ll take a look around and see if there are any demon’s lurking about. I don’t know how they found us last time, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they show up here too.” She strung an arrow in her bow before taking off around the block.
Saul tilted his head back and gave the air above a sniff. The hair along his back sprang up into a shaggy Mohawk as he let out a warning growl and turned to rush deeper into the park.
“Keep an eye on our catch,” I ordered Kevin before running after Saul.
Coreen looked back at the woman and whimpered before following me into the park. When we finally caught up to Saul, he was standing under a tree, sniffing the ground. I scanned the branches for what had caught his attention, but there was nothing to see. Behind the tree stretched an old bridge leading to an island where two little boys sat fishing. A wooden cross dangled from one’s neck. They were safe.
Saul nudged my thigh with his nose, a piece of crumpled paper clenched between his teeth. I unfolded it and found it was an envelope. There were several more littering the ground. I gathered them up and quickly read who they were addressed to. None of the names were the same, but all the addresses were on Third Street, the street running between Mrs. Henderson’s house and the park. Not sure what it meant, I turned around and headed back towards Kevin.
“Demons?” he asked as I approached.
“I don’t think so.”
Saul periodically tilted his nose up, trying to grasp a smell that might prove more useful, while Coreen’s eyes never left our catch.
“Nothing,” Josie reported as she joined us.
Our catch hadn’t moved from her garden. I grabbed Josie’s wrist and flipped it around to look at her watch. Nine-twenty. Ten minutes until the fatal heart attack. Everything was going smoothly, and then the mailman rounded the corner.
Saul let out a soft growl. The man paused, only for a second, and then continued down the sidewalk. Had he heard Saul? A human wouldn’t have heard a hellhound. And then I noticed he wasn’t stopping at any of the other houses. Something was off. He turned and made his way up Mrs. Henderson’s sidewalk.
“Good morning,” he called out to her.
“Oh, good morning to you,” she answered and went back to her flowers.
“I just love this weather. Don’t you?”
Mrs. Henderson turned around again and smiled, seeming surprised that he was stopping in the middle of his route to engage in conversation with her. She wasn’t the only one. Coreen anxiously looked from me to our catch. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
“The mail,” I whispered. “Oh, shit.”
“What?” Josie turned to me.
“The mailman is possessed. Shoot him. Now.”
“What?” she asked again, baffled.
“Shoot him!” I shrieked as Mrs. Henderson slumped over her flowers and threw a hand to her chest. The mailman jumped at the sound of my voice and then sprang on our catch, pushing a knee into her stomach as he wrapped his hands around her throat.
Two of Josie’s arrows darted through the air. At first, it looked like they had pierced the man’s body, but then a yellow vapor blew off his back, taking the arrows with it.
A painful wail sounded as the vapor materialized into a more demonic version of one of the wicked witches flying monkeys. It took flight, frantically flapping its webbed wings, until Josie pierced one last arrow through its chest. It screeched, clawing at the air above, and then vanished in a burst of flames.
The startled mailman sat up and puked over the bushes, one of the milder symptoms of a dry exorcism, one without the aid of religious ceremony. Mrs. Henderson sucked in her last breath as he turned around.
“Someone help!” he cried out. Then he leaned down and began CPR on the poor woman.
I gagged and turned away. This was going to be nice explaining to her on the other side. Her last kiss was vomit flavored, from a charming, yet schizophrenic mailman, who tried to strangle her and then save her.
“Come on, Kevin. This is your second day on the job and you haven’t got to pull a soul out on your own yet,” I said.
We walked across the street and stood over the pitiful scene. One of the neighbors had heard the mailman’s plea for help and sirens were growing closer. As soon as Kevin touched Mrs. Henderson’s hand, she all but sprang out of her body, desperate to get away from her rescuer.
“Where are your manners, young man?” she shrieked. Then she noticed her body, still limp on the lawn. “Oh! Sweet Jesus! I can’t die now. I have a casserole in the oven!”
“It’s okay ma’am,” Kevin assured her as he pulled her away from the house.
The paramedics had finally arrived and moved the mailman aside. A young man in uniform bent over her body and then reeled back at the smell of vomit on her breath.
“Get the mask! Quick!” He shouted in between violent gags.
Kevin, the soul, and I joined Josie and my hounds across the street. I half expected more demons, but was nonetheless thrilled when they didn’t arrive.
“Mission accomplished.” Kevin beamed.
“Well done.” Josie smiled and gave him a high fi
ve. Mrs. Henderson gave a bug-eyed gasp.
“Let’s get out of here.” I tightened my scythe over my shoulder and found my coin.
Once again, Grim briefly graced us with his presence to inform us of what I already knew. This was not the soul we were looking for. But I did manage to stop him before he stormed out of the conference room.
“So what do our next paychecks look like?”
“Excuse me?” Grim turned around and stood in the doorway, staring at me as if I had just asked about the price of souls in China.
“Promotions usually include larger paychecks, and we’ve encountered a significantly larger number of demons than our fellow reapers. Don’t tell me what we’re doing isn’t worth more than the crummy commissions we’ve been earning for the past century.” I folded my arms and glared at him.
“Of course not! I’ve just been too distracted to go over the minor details. I think we can manage a thirty percent raise. How does that sound?”
“Thirty percent?” I laughed. “That’s how much this soul means to you?”
“Forty then,” he grumbled, giving me a threatening glare. “That’s more than fair.”
“I guess it will have to do.” Josie joined the conversation.
Yes, power in numbers. Kevin was still too new to care much about his income yet. He hadn’t even received his first check.
“Is it safe to assume that when we find this soul, we’ll receive bonuses?” Kevin folded his arms over the conference table. I’d underestimated his team spirit.
Grim tried his best to keep a neutral face, but his cheeks flushed, giving him away. He glared at me. I could guess what he was thinking. Two days, and I was already becoming a negative influence on a potentially brilliant reaper. Maybe he would change his mind about Kevin’s future training after all. I smiled.
“Of course,” Grim said, and then he lowered his voice. “Now do your damned jobs and take this soul to Duat. Horus and Anubis are waiting downstairs for you.”
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