Dead Girl Walking

by Silver, Ruth

  Wynter smiled into her neck. She could feel his breath tickle her skin. “Yes, although we try and wrap it around a reap in the Jade Sea. It’s typical that a few will drown every summer. Either a boat capsizes or some idiot can’t swim.”

  “Are you teasing me?”

  “Definitely.” Wynter’s hold refused to loosen. Leila rode for several hours before slowing as they reached a traveling circus. “Gypsies,” Wynter said and let go of Leila, climbing down. “I’ve never seen a circus.”

  “Never is a long time, especially for you.” Leila grinned. “What are Gypsies?”

  “They’re a group of nomads who travel through our cities. They don’t stay very long in one place. Edon once told me they always move on the thirteenth day. I don’t imagine any of them would do well as a reaper.” Wynter laughed. “They perform the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard. And Jasper insists they can tell your future.”

  “Fortune-tellers.” Leila had heard stories from within the castle walls of such people. She’d never met anyone like that before. As she slid down off the horse, her feet landed with a hard thud. Grabbing the reins of the horse, she found a tree to secure her to, before walking past small tents and animal cages. “I’ve seen jugglers and jokers at the royal court. This is a little more exotic.”

  “What’s that like? Getting everything you could ever desire?”

  “It didn’t stop me from being murdered.” She walked away from him, heading along the dirt path toward the oblong black tents. “What’s gotten into you? Did a bug crawl up your—?”

  The roar of a tiger stopped Leila in her tracks. She froze. Her hands bunched into fists at her side. Her heart leapt and her eyes widened.

  “Don’t move,” Wynter whispered into the wind.

  Leila’s head turned toward the left, where a tiger stared her down. She hoped the scroll was right, that there would only be one death here today. Her eyes locked on Wynter. The tiger growled a deep throaty roar. Leila’s feet remained planted on the ground, refusing to move.

  “Tilly!” a dark-haired woman shrieked from behind Leila. She gently pushed Leila out of the way and behind her. “Tilly. Get back in the cage!” she scolded. Tilly leaned forward with two paws and opened her mouth, emitting a loud roar.

  “Johannes?” Leila guessed.

  “Yes? How did you know my name?” She was trying to convince the tiger to get back into the cage. “I don’t have time for this, Tilly. Go!” She pointed back at the cage behind the oblong tent. “Get back in there right now!”

  Leila reached out, brushing her hand over Johannes’s shoulder, reaping her soul before Tilly could react. Leila turned her head and quickly walked away. She didn’t want to witness the splash of blood when the tiger pounced on the trainer.

  Johannes’s soul stood beside Leila a few feet from the scene. She stared at the remaining parts of her body, her dress shredded. It was the only recognizable piece left. “I’m dead? I can’t be dead.”

  “Well, you can’t go back into that body.” Wynter gestured behind him. “What would you have us do?”

  “I always knew that tiger was trouble.” Johannes walked alongside Leila, away from the dark oblong tents and metal cages. In the distance, a golden shimmer lit up the afternoon sky.

  “Go ahead.” Leila nudged the woman forward.

  Johannes hesitated for a moment before stepping into the shimmering light.

  “That was disgusting.” Leila stood beside Wynter.

  Wynter laughed. “I know, and you didn’t even look! Come on.” He grabbed Leila’s hand. “Let’s find the fortune-teller.”

  She shot him a disapproving look. “You don’t really believe a person can tell the future.” Leila didn’t believe in it. She’d experienced and witnessed a lot of strange things, but no one could know what was going to happen.

  “Don’t you?” Wynter grinned. He pulled her along with him to the small tent at the far south side of the circus. “Edon knows who is going to die before it happens. Why couldn’t a fortune-teller know what will happen?”

  Leila considered his question for a moment. “Suppose you’re right. I don’t want to know the future.” She hadn’t been pleased with how it had all gone down since becoming a reaper. “I like surprises, and I’m saving my money.”

  “My treat.” He led her to the front entrance.

  Leila shook her head.

  “Your loss.” He dropped her hand and walked into the tent without her.

  “Are you going to tell me what happened back at the circus?” Leila asked. She stretched out on the sofa. Wynter sat on her living room floor, his jacket discarded beside him. The entire ride back she’d been itching to know what the fortune-teller had said to him.

  “Not a chance.” Wynter grinned and glanced toward Jasper. “How’d it go?”

  Jasper glanced between Leila and Wynter. “What did happen at the circus? Did Wynter save a soul?” He sat on the floor, leaning toward Wynter. “If you haven’t, you’re going to have to eventually. Let it be my reap. It’ll save me the hassle of going out. If you tell me in advance, I can stay home and sleep in.”

  “Leave it alone, Jasper. I didn’t save anyone and it’ll be my decision when I do.”

  “Fair enough,” Jasper said.

  Leila cleared her throat. “How’d the reap go with Warner de Clare?” All day she’d been trying not to think about missing his reap, but it was impossible.

  Violetta grinned. She stretched out in the small chair, lying across the frame, her legs dangling off the arm. “Oh, he’s definitely dead. I waited until the last possible moment to reap his soul.”

  “Tell me more.” Leila needed all the details.

  “King Philip convicted him of treason, an attempt on Mara’s life, and conspiring to kill you.”

  “He did kill me!” Leila’s cheeks flushed with her fury. “He’s the reason I’m dead. My father couldn’t even have the decency after he executed an innocent man to admit he was wrong!”

  Violetta sighed. “Yes, but King Philip won’t admit fault in front of the kingdom. He can’t look weak, Leila. It’s nothing personal against Larkin.”

  “Or, he’s convinced he’s right.” Leila was still angry.

  Jasper reached onto the table, grabbing a piece of parchment. “I snatched this for you, but first you have to promise you won’t see Mara again. We’ve risked too much crashing parties and you two stealing the princess from the castle.”

  “She asked us to take her to the Blue Moon,” Leila said.

  “Either way, it doesn’t matter. You can’t keep visiting Mara. It will bring unwanted attention. We can’t have the princess asking questions about us,” Jasper said.

  Leila quickly agreed. “I promise I’ll stay clear of the castle.” She knew he was right. “What have you got?” she asked, reaching for the paper in his hand.

  “An invitation.” He dropped the parchment into her hands.

  Leila glanced it over. We invite you to attend the engagement party of Astin Stafford and Mara Dacre on Saturday, the 4th day of March. “You stole this?”

  “Well, it wasn’t exactly given to me,” Jasper said. “I thought you might be happy knowing your sister is getting married.”

  Leila smiled weakly. “Thank you.” It wasn’t that she was unhappy. She felt guilty that she couldn’t be there for her sister on her wedding day, just three days after Mara’s fifteenth birthday.

  Violetta sat up, positioning her legs at the front of the chair. She stared at Wynter. “When are you going to try out the wings?”

  “I’m not flying anywhere.” Wynter did not sound amused.

  “It was a joke.” Violetta grinned. “Really, Wynter, when are you going to save a soul? You have to eventually. I mean, you aren’t a grim reaper any longer.”

  His expression was stoic. “You mean I’m not one of you anymore.” He stood up.

  Leila frowned. “I don’t think that’s what Violetta meant.” At least she hoped not. She stood, grabbing Wynte
r’s arm. “Stay, please.” She didn’t want him to leave.

  Begrudgingly, he sat down on the sofa with Leila. “You all had it easy becoming a reaper, with Edon to guide you through it.”

  “You have Edon, too.” Leila knew Edon was helping Wynter with the texts and doing his best to protect him.

  Wynter shook his head. “It’s not the same. Edon is focused on the reapers. He tries to help, but his knowledge is limited. He keeps telling me that in time, I’ll meet with Juliana and the other dark angels.”

  “Are you nervous?” Leila reached toward Wynter, resting a hand on his arm. She wanted him to know she was there for him.

  Wynter shook his head. “Anxious, yes and no. I’d met Juliana once many years ago. Not under the best circumstances. I always find the thought of seeing her unsettling.”

  Leila frowned. “Well, she helped you with Mara.”

  “Did you know that reapers and dark angels used to work together?” Violetta stood up and walked to the bookshelf at the corner of the room. Very few books graced the shelf. She retrieved the thick dark blue text The History of Reapers. “The goal was to save those souls deemed worthy. However, over a thousand years ago, reapers and dark angels went their own way. There was a tiff between the entities, like feuding families. There is still bad blood between them. No one remembers what the fight was about, or at least no one is saying, but it’s been going on for so long that it’s difficult to change people’s minds about what they believe in.”

  Jasper got up from the floor and walked over to the chair Violetta was sitting on. He perched himself on the arm rest, glancing over her shoulder. “Reapers tend to work together in groups and live together. Dark angels have a tendency toward solitude. Although in more recent years, the dark angels are beginning to live together. Maybe they’re changing their ways?”

  Wynter sighed. “I don’t care what dark angels believe. I’m not going to stop being friends with you, because they’re lonesome and hostile creatures.”

  Leila grinned and reached for Wynter’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “Good.”

  Wynter stood up and stretched. “I think it’s time to call it a night.” Although he didn’t want to leave, tomorrow would be another stressful day. He was sure of it. Soon, he’d have to save a soul.

  “Already?” Leila groaned in protest. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asked him, standing up.

  Wynter grinned. “Of course.” He wouldn’t have it any other way. “I’ll come by after breakfast.” He hoped she wouldn’t have an early reap in the morning.

  “All right.” Leila dropped a kiss to his cheek. “Goodnight.”

  Jasper and Wynter walked outside, shutting the door behind them. “What was that?” Jasper asked Wynter.

  “What?”

  “Leila just kissed you!”

  Wynter smiled. “Yeah, I know. I think we’re dating.” His ears turned red. Just thinking about her made his heart soar.

  “You think?” Jasper laughed. “You two haven’t talked about it?”

  Wynter rolled his eyes. “It’s been complicated with me becoming a dark angel and Warner de Clare’s death. I guess it hasn’t come up.” A part of him was nervous to bring it up to Leila. She’d been through a lot. The last thing he wanted was to push her away. What they had was working for them.

  “You’re going to have to talk eventually, about where your relationship is heading,” Jasper said.

  Wynter rolled his eyes. “Right. You know so much about dating. When was the last time you took Violetta out?”

  Jasper grimaced. “That isn’t the point. I don’t want to see you getting hurt. You’re a dark angel. She's a grim reaper. It seems like a disaster waiting to happen.”

  “Mind your own business, okay? Leila and I are happy together.” That was all that mattered to Wynter. They’d figure out the rest as it was thrown at them. It was how they handled things so far, just fine.

  Jasper glanced over his shoulder before digging into his jacket pocket. “I wanted to give you this.” He handed Wynter a folded piece of parchment.

  Wynter struggled to read it in the dark. “I’ll look at it when we get back to the house.” At least under candlelight he could see.

  Ten minutes later, they walked into the cottage, and Jasper shut the door behind them. Wynter felt around in the darkness, retrieving a lantern. He placed it on the kitchen table and lit it. Sitting down, Wynter removed the paper, unfolding it under light.

  “Where did you get this?” Wynter glanced at Jasper.

  “Princess Mara posted it to a tree, just outside the market. She’s looking for Leila.”

  Wynter felt his stomach somersault and his wings expanded, causing him to grimace. “Why?” What reason could Mara want with Leila? Had she remembered what happened that night at the Winter Solstice Ball? Certainly she would have questions about her maid Sophia’s death, but why call upon Leila for questioning? Maybe Wynter was looking at it all wrong. Perhaps Mara wanted to befriend Leila. He snorted under his breath. It was doubtful.

  Jasper cleared his throat and glanced over Wynter’s shoulder. “No idea. Do you think she remembers Juliana?” If Mara so much as dreamt about the dark angel, eventually the memories would resurface. “What do you think we should do?”

  “We can’t tell Leila.” Wynter knew that Leila missed her sister. He could see it in her eyes, and faraway glances in the direction of Casmerelda. She’d promised not to return, but for how long? Grim reapers didn’t age. Would she wait twenty years and then seek out her sister, Princess Mara? It would be too dangerous for Leila. The last thing he wanted was to lose her. “She can’t know, Jasper. You have to promise not to tell Violetta either. We can’t let Leila go anywhere near the kingdom.”

  Jasper nodded. “I swear, I won’t tell a soul, living or undead.”

  Acknowledgements

  I’d like to thank my beta readers that always provide both helpful and encouraging feedback. Brittany Elsen and Alicia Batista, I know I can always count on the two of you for honest suggestions on how to make the story stronger. Thank you to Natalie Jane Proofreading for beta reading a very rough draft of Dead Girl Walking. Your suggestions made it easier to decide which way to move the story. A huge thank you to author and beta reader Rhiannon Paille. Your expertise further shaped the story out of the fourteenth century and into a fantasy world.

  Without my editors, this book would be a mess. Thank you: Laurel L. Horan, Tracy Seybold, and Sheila Haab for all that you girls do.

  Book bloggers, thank you for taking the time to read, review, and promote my novel on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc. I appreciate everything that you do.

  About the Author

  Ruth Silver is the best-selling author of ABERRANT, a young adult dystopian adventure series published by Patchwork Press and Lazy Day Publishing, in 2013. Silver attended Northern Illinois University and graduated with a Bachelor's in Communication in the spring of 2005. While in college, she spent much of her free time writing with friends she met online and penning her first novel, Deuces are Wild, which she self-published in 2004. Her favorite class was Creative Writing senior year where she often handed in assignments longer than the professor required, because she loved to write and always wanted to finish her stories. Her love of writing led her on an adventure in 2007 to Melbourne, Australia. Silver enjoys reading, photography, traveling and most of all writing. She loves dystopian, paranormal, and fantasy young adult stories. Ruth has been actively writing since she was a teenager. She currently resides in Plainfield, Illinois.

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