I walked down the hall knocking on every door calling Naomi’s name. Finally, when I got the door at the very end of the hallway, the door swung open. Naomi stood there with red, wet eyes.
“Hey, can I come in?”
She didn’t answer but went to take a seat on the bed. “You’re the Lord of Death now. You can do anything you want.”
I took a seat next to her. “You don’t sound happy about it. This is our chance to make things better here. Fairer.”
She broke into tears, covering her face with her hands and leaning over.
“Nay.”
“Chase this is all my fault.”
“What are you talking about? What’s your fault?”
She took a handkerchief that had been balled in her fist and blotted her eyes. “All of this started because of me. If I had just done what I was supposed to do and not saved those kids at Kennedy High, none of this would have happened. We wouldn’t have had to run away from Nowhere and our parents and Dorian and Josh wouldn’t be dead. I started all of this.”
I wrapped my arms around her shoulder and pulled her close to me. What a heavy weight that was to carry.
“Nay, I totally understand why you feel this way, but the way Dunningham was acting, this was bound to happen. Keira couldn’t stay here either. She would have ended up dead just like his other wives. You guys did what you had to do to survive. You weren’t like the others who just wanted to leave because they wanted to have a good time and not have to follow the many, many rules of Nowhere.”
Naomi sniffed and looked at me. “Why did you leave?”
I took a deep breath. I tried to think of a lie, but there was no point. I might as well go ahead and tell her the truth. “Because I wanted to be wherever you were. I couldn’t imagine living in a world without you so I made my choice and don’t you dare blame yourself for it.” She had already opened her mouth and I knew what she was going to say.
“Our families are dead because of Dunningham and no one else. He was the one who gave the order and made that awful decision. It was not your fault.”
She sighed and lay her head on my shoulder. “So, what happens next?”
“I’m supposed to be coronated and then I get down to business and pretend I know what the hell I’m doing. I don’t you know.”
Just a couple of months ago I was a normal teen Grim sitting at home with my parents buried deep into my studies. Now I was supposed to rule the colony?
Naomi patted my knew and my stomach did a weird flip-floppy thing. “You’ll be fine. You just need a little time to learn, but Doyle and the council can help you. You know the laws and rules of nowhere better than anyone I know. You are going to make a great Lord of Death.”
I hoped for all our sakes that she was right.
4
After a lunch of delicious sandwiches and fresh-squeezed lemonade, Doyle appeared with several tailors and racks and racks filled with suits. I let them measure every inch of my body so they could tailor the suits to fit me perfectly. I tried on three and then drew the line there and I absolutely refused the hats.
Doyle clapped his hands. “I think that’s enough for the day gentlemen. I need to spend some time with Lord Chase.”
The men nodded and gathered their materials. Doyle pointed in the direction of the study. “Shall we?”
“I guess,” I said reluctantly moving in that direction.
The Watcher standing beside the door opened it for us. Doyle and I entered the study, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Doyle cleared his throat. “I know this is all new to you, but I’m going to teach you the first rule of being a man in power. Always find the power seat in the room and take it right away. Be the first to sit and then everyone else will follow your lead. Where’s the power seat in this room.”
My gaze fell on the massive oak desk before us. “There.”
“Correct.”
I took a seat beside the desk. The cushioned chair was more comfortable than it looked. I figured Dunningham had needed a lot of padding to support his bony ass.
Doyle took a seat in one of the two arm chairs across from me. “I can’t imagine how it must feel for you to be in this position, especially in the way it came to you. In other colonies, Lords of Deaths are groomed from birth because they know they will one day inherit the throne but you unfortunately didn’t have that luxury. Therefore, I’m going to have to give you a quick lesson in power.”
If anyone could do that, Doyle could. His position under Dunningham made him the second most powerful Grim in Nowhere and he had served the Lord of Death for decades. He was the next best thing aside from getting lessons from Dunningham himself so I was all ears.
Doyle pulled a small device from the pocket of his suit jacket. It looked like a smart phone, but it was the death dispatcher. Dunningham had used it to (unfairly) assign deaths to Grims. Doyle scrolled through the device, pushed a button and then put the phone away. “Just because you don’t know what you’re doing doesn’t mean you have to act like it. The Grims of the council can smell a weakness. Dunningham ruled them with fear and an iron fist. I’m not saying you must be like him, but you have to be firm with these men or they will shit all over you. They’ll already try it because you’re young and inexperienced but you can’t let them.”
I sank into my seat. This was sounding like too much already.
“You’ll be sworn in in three days and then you will lead your first council meeting. There’s a pen and pad there in the top drawer of the desk. You should write down what your first order of business is going to be.”
I did as he said and thought for a moment.
Doyle snapped his fingers. “Maybe it should be what to do with Mr. Dunningham. People are going to want to know what has become of their Lord of Death.”
“No, I said firmly. What happens to Dunningham is not up for discussion.” That was between me and the evil old man.
Doyle threw his hands up. “Fine. What then?”
I thought about all the things my father and I had discussed for years—things that were wrong with Nowhere. Unlike most of the men in Nowhere, my father was not one to kiss his eyes. He didn’t idolize the man or go out of his way to be noticed so that our family could get more assignments or be moved to the Upper Estates. Although my father had never said as much, I knew deep down inside that he hated Dunningham. That just wasn’t something you said out loud, especially in front of your children because it could get them killed.
I took the pen and made three bullet points. “I want to start with three things—first, we need to deal with Litropolis. They’re Grims just like us but they live like rats. They rarely get sent on assignments and they die a lot earlier than they need to. We need to fix up that city and send them on more assignments. We both know there’s a rebellion brewing and giving them what they’re owed is the only way to stop it from destroying our colony.”
Doyle raised his eyebrows and looked like he wanted to say something, but I cut him off. “Two—no one will be put to death. Gattica exists for a reason. If someone commits a crime they will be sent there, but only after they are given a fair trial and a jury decides whether they are guilty or innocent. No one Grim should be able to decide whether another Grim lives or dies.”
“But Dunningham—”
“Dunningham is the exception because his actions warrant Death. He is going to pay for what he’s done to our families one way or another, Doyle.”
Doyle nodded. “Okay. What’s the third thing?”
“Marriage. Every Grim should be able to choose when they want to get married and who they want to get married to. No more of the parents deciding.”
I’d heard many stories of Grims being paired with people they not only didn’t love, but couldn’t stand. It wasn’t fair to either person. I also thought if someone didn’t want to get married the second they turned eighteen they shouldn’t have to.”
Doyle pressed his lips together and looked to the ceiling. “Okay, I can’t say that I agree
with all those things but it doesn’t matter what I think. Just make sure than between now and then you get your arguments together for why these changes should be made because the Council is going to rip these changes to shreds. They hate change especially when it doesn’t benefit them and none of these benefit them.”
I’d be lying if I said a stone hadn’t formed in my stomach because it did. I pictured that table full of men jumping down my throat. I swallowed hard. “They can argue all they want. I have the final say, don’t I?”
“That you do, but also don’t want to piss the council off and turn them against you during your first meeting. You need their support.”
Maybe Doyle was right but I knew if I were going to make changes I was going to have to step on some toes. If it were up to the council Nowhere would stay the way it always was and I wasn’t about to let that happen.
Naomi smoothed out my silver satin tie and took a step back. “I’ve never seen you dressed up before. You look good.”
I took a glimpse at myself in the full-length mirror and silently agreed with her even though I didn’t look at all myself. Doyle had insisted I got a haircut so my dark curls were shorter than usual. I had been clean shaven and even given a manicure. My nails were trimmed, smooth, and shiny.
Keira sat on the edge of my bed, studying the case of cufflinks. “I think you should wear these—the silver ones with the Grim emblem.”
The Grim emblem was an intricate G with a skull behind it.
“Whatever.” It didn’t really matter to me.
“What’s wrong?” Naomi asked, then she pinched my cheek. “This is supposed to be the best day of your life.”
I shrugged.
“Spit it out Chase,” Keira ordered as she handed Naomi the cufflinks. “You can tell us anything. You know that.”
I could never hide anything from the two of them. They knew me better than anyone. “It’s just that . . . you know, this is a huge day and it doesn’t feel right with them not being here.”
The girls were silent for a few moments.
“I get that,” Keira said finally. “It still doesn’t feel real. It feels like their just gone on assignment and we’re waiting for them to come back.”
That was exactly what it felt like. Grims didn’t do funerals or memorials or anything like that. When you expired, you expired and that was that. Unless you were put to death, expiration happened at a very, very old age. We weren’t used to dying, we were used to collecting for Death. This just felt weird and wrong.
Naomi took the end of my sleeve. “Have you decided what to do with him?”
“No. I want to kill him so bad but I also want to make him suffer. Right now, he gets a glass of water and a bowl of oatmeal each day. There’s nothing in the room but a bucket for him to take a piss, but I have to do something worse. If I kill him, Dunstan will die too. I’d be putting an innocent person to death just like Dunningham did.”
Keira stood and smoothed the sides of her dress. Both she and Naomi wore black dresses although Naomi had on boots and Keira had on heels. “Well, you shouldn’t think about that today. This day is about you and how you’re going to change Nowhere for the better. I’m going to go find Bram. I’ll see you guys in the square.”
The square was in Farrington and it was wear all our colony gathering took place, whether it be a public execution or Dunningham giving a speech. Every Grim in Litropolis, Farrington, and the Upper Estates would be there. Every Grim in our colony would be there watching me.
We watched her leave, closing the door behind her. As soon as she was gone I turned to face Naomi, who blindsided me by pressing her soft lips into mine. She kept them there for a long time. It wasn’t our first kiss, but it was definitely the nicest. I was sad when she pulled away.
“I’m so proud of you Chase and I know you’re going to do a great job.”
I laughed. “There’s not really anything to be proud of. I haven’t done anything yet. This is all happening because Dunningham and my mom . . . ugh, I can’t even say it.”
Naomi grinned. It was like sunshine. “I’m proud of how brave you are. Most Grims wouldn’t have been able to handle such a huge responsibility being thrown in their lap like this. They would have run and hid. Hell, I might have too. But not you. You rose right to the challenge and for that I am proud of you.”
I would have been ashamed to tell her how afraid I was but she probably sensed it anyway. Before we started sharing kisses, we had been best friends since we were little Grims. After the coronation, I had a big question to ask her.”
Naomi kissed me again, but pulled away when there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I called.
Doyle stuck his head in. “It’s time. The car is waiting in the driveway.”
5
Naomi, Doyle, and I rode in the back seat of the town car, Naomi sandwiched in between us.
“You’re nervous,” Doyle stated unnecessarily. “Even though you are, I need you to pretend that you’re not. You don’t want that to be the people’s first impression of you. Remember what I told you about being in a position of power. You can never show them your fear or uncertainty.”
I got it, Doyle. He had been saying that non-stop for the past three days.
But still Doyle went on. “Hold your head up and look at them as if you’re miles above them because you are.”
Naomi scoffed. “Really, Doyle?”
“Yes. He’s not your sweet, little Chase any more. He’s the Lord of Death and the last thing he needs to be is nice. No one is expecting him to be. Be fair and respectful to the people but forget nice.”
Naomi took my hand in hers and squeezed it. “Well, I disagree. I don’t think Chase has to change who he is. He can be himself and still be a great Lord of Death.”
Doyle rolled his eyes and pulled a device from his pocket. “Once you are officially coronated, assigning collections will be your job—unless you want me to continue. I don’t mind.”
“I’ll see.” Assigning Death seemed like a tedious, never-ending job, but if it was what the Lord of Death had to do, I would do it.
The car ride didn’t take as long as I had expected it to. We pulled up behind the stage that had been set up for the event.
“Now,” Doyle said, “Normally the outgoing Lord of Death would swear in his successor, but since you insisted on that not happening, Lincoln, as the president of the council will do the honors.”
It really didn’t matter who did it as long as it wasn’t Dunningham. I’d suggested Dunstan but Doyle insisted the people would have a fit.
A Watcher opened the car door just as we came to a stop. “I will escort Naomi to her seat,” he announced.
He offered Naomi his arm. She took it, giving me one last look over her shoulder and then she disappeared around the corner of the stage. A group of council men stood at the opposite end dressed in their fancy suits. They nodded at me.
Doyle patted my shoulder. “This is it. Go ahead to the stage. They’ll follow your lead.”
Before I moved, I took a deep breath of fresh air and looked up. The sky was the way it always looked in Nowhere, a beautiful, dull gray. A few crows flew overhead and there was an ever-present chill in the air. I had missed that atmosphere when we were on Earth.
I straightened my shoulders and tried to remember everything Doyle had told me. This was going to be Nowhere’s first impression of me. I couldn’t stand up there like some scared little kid.
I greeted the Council and proceeded to the side of the stage where the stairs were located. I smoothed my hair back, took a deep breath and proceeded up the steps. I paused, remembering Doyle was going to make an announcement before I was presented to the people.
He stood at the center of the stage in his impeccable suit, his graying-black curls combed back perfectly in place. His gripped the mic firmly. I wished I could be as confident as he looked but then Doyle had been addressing crowds like this for decades. It had been his job to introduce Dun
ningham every time he gave a speech.
“Good morning, Grims. We are gathered here today for a very special occasion, an occasion that has never happened before in any of our lifetimes. We have gathered here today to crown a new Lord of Death.”
It hit me right then that while Doyle, Dunstan, and my friends wanted this, but what about the rest of the people. What about the ones who loved Dunningham and wanted him to reign forever? What if they hated me?
My question was soon answered as I finally managed to put one foot in front of the other and move my ass to the center of the stage. The square exploded with applause. I looked across the audience. All donned thick velvet cloaks as was customary when we gathered in the square. The only ones not wearing cloaks were myself, the Watchers, Doyle, and the council men.
I stood at the podium beside Doyle and scanned the front row of the crowd. I was glad to see Naomi, Keira, Bram, and a few other familiar faces giving me encouraging smiles. Doyle stepped away and Lincoln took his place. Another council member held the microphone between us as Lincoln held out the Grim Covenant. The thick book didn’t look like all the other copies of the Grim Covenant—black leather books with silver letters etched into it. This book’s cover was made of silver and The Lord of Death was engraved at the bottom of the cover.
I already knew what I was supposed to do. I placed my left hand on the book and my right hand over my heart. Lincoln nodded. I had spent the last three days memorizing the pledge I was supposed to recite.
“I, Chase Grim, because of sound mind and body accept the position of Lord of Death of the colony of Nowhere.” This next part had been the hardest and my throat tightened every time I said it. “As the direct, and only descendant of Dunningham Grim, this is my rightful place. I will serve the colony of Nowhere with bravery, fervor, and honor. I will put the needs of my people before myself. I will rule according to the rules of the Grim Covenant and I shall never betray my people, so help me Death.”
Lincoln took the book away. “Chase Grim, it is my privilege and honor to announce you as the new, ruling Lord of Death.” Another burst of applause. Never in my life had I imagined that I would be getting this type of reaction from people.
Chase Grim: The Final Breath Chronicles Book Four Page 3