Reap & Redeem

by Lisa Medley

  The most-used train track was still well maintained, but one abandoned line veered off into the woods before vanishing into the undergrowth. The demons followed the path less traveled into the darkness of the woods. Nate and Bo stayed as close behind as they dared until the tracks ended at an abandoned railcar.

  Thing Three and Thing Four entered the railcar, and seconds later a flash of light filled the container, pouring from the dilapidated sides for a split second before vanishing. Nate hesitated, considering his options. Should he continue his search for Kylen, or find the others and lead them to the portal?

  He decided to flash himself back to the hospital chapel to rendezvous with Maeve. Surely she would know what to do. He was all out of ideas.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Kylen landed in Purgatory and stalked through the steam leaching up through the cracks in the stone floor, pushing aside anyone or anything that had the misfortune of stepping into his path. He was walking a fine line by being physical with the other reapers, but he didn’t care.

  His needed answers.

  Purgatory was a no man’s land where reapers of all races and species brought the souls of their dead for sorting. The Grand Central Station of death. Everything except for demons and imps, both of which were born of Hell, had a soul. And all those souls required reaping.

  The angel Rashnu spotted him as the other reapers made way for him. When the angel raised an arm over his head, Kylen was certain for a moment that he was about to be struck down for insubordination, but instead Rashnu pointed to a tunnel at the end of the station, which illuminated of its own accord.

  Kylen walked toward the tunnel, the other reapers parting before him like the Red Sea before the Israelites.

  As he stalked his way into the tunnel, he was blinded by the searing light that seemed to emanate from the walls. A heavy wooden door sealed off an arched doorway to his left. He recognized it as the door to Rashnu’s quarters. Turning, he put his back to the wall and waited, his scythe still drawn.

  After a moment, Rashnu joined him. “I thought you were going to incite a war out there. It would have been a shame to have to smite you after all you’ve survived.”

  Kylen scoffed, unconvinced by his forced concern. With a wave of his hand, Rashnu opened the door. “Please,” he said, motioning toward the bar. He pulled out a chair for him before walking behind the counter and setting down three glasses.

  Kylen frowned. Three?

  Rashnu muttered and mumbled beneath the bar, his long dark hair a wild mass bobbing up and down like a buoy on the sea. Finally he rose to his full height, a bottle in each hand. He carefully measured out a shot from each of the bottles into one of the glasses before returning the bottles behind the bar. He topped off his own glass from a dark decanter, and then filled the third glass from yet another bottle.

  “You are a drinking man, yes?” Rashnu slid a glass toward him.

  Kylen picked up the tumbler and sniffed its contents. It smelled like whiskey and something sweet he couldn’t quite place. Not entirely unpleasant, but something held him back.

  “Why aren’t you drinking the same thing?” Kylen asked.

  “Because I’m not taking the same journey as you.”

  The only thing Kylen hated more than riddles and evasions was…yeah, nothing. He had come here for answers, and he wanted them yesterday.

  “Talk sense.”

  “Why did you come here tonight, Kylen?” Rashnu tipped his glass to his lips and sipped. “I can sense the rage in your heart.”

  “Where is Grim?”

  “If you’ve come to see Grim, he’s unavailable. But rest assured that I can help you with anything you need. So, again, I ask you, why did you come here tonight?

  “I want their souls returned.”

  “Whose souls?”

  “Ruth’s and…Olivia’s.”

  Rashnu tipped back his glass and let the remaining liquid slide down his throat. “I’m afraid that’s impossible considering the current state of affairs.”

  “Where are they? I know you know. Tell me, and I’ll retrieve them myself!” Kylen slammed his fist and his scythe into the top of the bar.

  “That would be difficult considering the fact that they both still hold their souls.”

  Kylen blinked. First he was unsure of what he’d heard, and then he was positive it was a trick. “They are alive? Both of them?”

  “Yes. Both are alive. Although, Ruth is gravely injured. And Olivia…”

  “Where are they?”

  “Ruth is under Deacon’s care. And Olivia is with another. I do not know where. I only know that she is alive. For now.”

  Kylen’s blood sizzled in his veins. He wanted to reach across the bar and tear the angel’s head from his shoulders. Rashnu was purposely messing with him, and he was in no mood for games.

  “Who is she with?”

  “I think you know. Haven’t you been wondering why those imps have been following you?” Rashnu downed the rest of the drink with one gulp and held the glass up to the light, admiring it.

  “How do you know about that?”

  “It’s my job to know about lost souls, Kylen. It’s your job to make the right decisions so that yours can be found. Even more so now that you have committed yourself to the Authority. Or has your resolve already waned?”

  “I’m sick of your bullshit, angel. Who has her? And how can I get her back?”

  “Who do you serve, Kylen?”

  Kylen blinked and sat back in the bar stool like he’d been struck.

  Who did he serve?

  Himself, that’s who.

  “You prayed earlier and asked for help, no? You arrived here unharmed and now have private audience with me, answers at your fingertips and a stiff drink before you. All you have to do is choose. Who do you serve? Sure you’ve been installed as an Authority, but you and I both know your heart is not yet in it. You’ve seen the best and worst both sides have to offer, no? Very few ever get to have that experience, Kylen. They choose without nearly as much information as you have at your fingertips, damning or saving themselves in the process. So what will it be? Who do you truly serve? There are really just two choices. Good or evil? Light or dark? Pick one and choose your path. Once and for all.”

  Kylen’s head reeled. Why should he have to choose? His earlier plan of disappearing was looking better and better, but he was well beyond that option now. He was sitting with an angel in Purgatory while Olivia was…somewhere with Camael. Yes, he knew there was only one who could have taken her. He was the one creature vile enough to use a dying woman as bait, to take the woman Kylen…loved. Even now he could barely think the word.

  He should have known the imps weren’t there for him to command. The whole time, they’d been there to keep an eye on him. Camael had known all along that he could still tune in to Hell. The bastard had kept the channels open to him hoping he could use the connection to entice him to return. Hadn’t that been the reason for all his nightmares? Now that he was being honest with himself, he’d known that all along. Had known and let that knowledge fester inside him because he thought he deserved to be damned.

  Could he ever clear his memories of the time he’d spent controlled by Orithidon? No, he knew his destiny. He would always remember. The question was whether or not he would let himself be ruled by those memories.

  “Who do you serve, Kylen? Your answer will make all the difference in how we go forward.”

  Kylen swallowed hard. His hands shook as he wrapped them around the glass in front of him. He realized he wasn’t just choosing for himself. He was choosing for Olivia, too. If he chose wrong, she’d be damned as well, and that he couldn’t allow. He’d carried Kara’s soul to Purgatory so that she could ascend. When the time came, he’d do no less for Olivia, no matter how painful it was for him.

  “The One True Light,” Kylen said, his voice sounding weak even to himself.

  “Well, thank God for that.” Rashnu tossed back the last half inch o
f his drink and slammed the glass down on the bar with a hearty whack. “Now drink up. You’re about to have a visitor.”

  Kylen snapped up his gaze to meet Rashnu’s glittering, green eyes. “Who? Olivia?”

  “No, you’re going to have to save Olivia on your own. Drink if you want to find out.” Rashnu walked out from behind the bar, heading for the door.

  Kylen picked up the glass with both hands and pressed it to his lips. It trembled there for a moment, and then he tipped his head back, letting the amber liquid slide down his throat, feeling more like a death sentence than a rescue. A purple mist emanated from his throat and chest as the drink made its way through his insides like a stream of molten lava. He slammed the glass down onto the bar and tried to curse, but he couldn’t pull in enough breath to force out the words. Panic rose up from his gut, and he was sure he would suffocate from it when he heard the door open and shut behind him.

  When he turned, Kara stood before him.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Kylen closed his eyes and rubbed them hard with the heels of both hands. What had that damn angel given him? He needed to lie down…for a month. This entire debacle was exhausting. But when he opened his eyes again, she still stood before him, wearing a flowing white robe, her green eyes luminous.

  He stared at her, unable to believe she was anything other than an illusion.

  When she took a step toward him, he startled and nearly fell from his bar stool.

  What the hell?

  “Kylen. It’s me. It’s not a trick.” Kara held out a hand in a placating gesture like he was a frightened child or a wild animal to be tamed.

  Her eyes sparkled as she approached him, but her smile was what shattered him.

  Planting his feet on the stone floor, he took a tentative step toward her. His legs crumpled beneath him, leaving him on his knees before her. He hung his head and gasped in ever-more labored breaths, trying to keep himself from passing out. When her hands tangled in his hair and pulled his face up to meet hers, he couldn’t hold back the groan that choked from his heaving body.

  He was ruined.

  If this was a trick, he was lost.

  She stroked his hair and pulled his face against her thighs as his arms wrapped around her of their own accord. He wanted to stand but couldn’t make his legs work.

  Mercifully, she knelt in front of him, and he raised his trembling hands to the sides of her head. Cradling her face between his palms, he studied her against his memories. Her green eyes and straight white-blond hair were the same. He smoothed a hand down her cheek, letting it linger there. She pressed her face against his palm, and he broke.

  “How?” he asked, not wanting the answer but desperate for it, too. He’d dreamed of seeing her again, yet he’d never believed it was truly possible.

  “I came back to bring you a gift, Kylen. A gift of life.”

  “Return to me.”

  “I can’t. Purgatory is as far as I can come and only this once. Rashnu broke all the rules to get me here. He wasn’t supposed to let me return to the fourth Heaven if I chose this, but he figured out a way…if you made the right choice first.” Kara stroked his face and pushed the hair from his eyes. “I’m so glad you did.”

  “I’m sorry,” Kylen said, his voice cracking.

  “Why are you sorry? You saved my soul. You gave me everything.”

  “I betrayed you.”

  “With Olivia? Kylen, you still have a life to live. Live it. You betrayed nothing. I know you love me. You proved it when you saved me and Deacon and a thousand times before that. You deserve to be loved by someone who’s alive. Let her love you.” She leaned in and kissed his lips. He was paralyzed by the fear that she’d vanish.

  “How?”

  “The same way you loved me, Kylen. Utterly.” She kissed his forehead. “Fiercely.” She kissed his closed eyes. “Completely.” She kissed his lips once again, and then drew a vial from her robe and offered it to him. Its pink contents shimmered and swirled in the light.

  “What is that?”

  “It’s the essence of the Valkyrie. My essence. My strength. I don’t need it where I am now, but if you give it to Olivia before it’s too late, you can save her. If you take a sip here and give the rest to her when you find her, it will bind her to you. It’s been blessed, Kylen. Olivia will be healed. So no more thoughts about giving up. Keep your light and your head, and you’ll keep your woman. You have a job to do and a life to live out to its end, however long that may be. Live it well, love.”

  Kara unplugged the vial and held it to his lips. His lips parted, and she poured the liquid into his mouth. The room before him fractured as his vision exploded, shattering everything into a million disjointed images. Memories unraveled from his mind, the worst of them, the demon’s, torn out like weeds, streaming away from him in a visible line, much like the souls he’d purged thousands of times.

  He fell to the floor prostrate and laid his forehead against the cool stone as Kara caressed his back. Nausea came in wave after wave as the demon’s memories were purged from him. When the pain finally ceased, he lay weak and helpless on the floor.

  Kara wiped the sweat from his brow with the hem of her robe, and then plugged the vial with the stopper, tucking it into his pants pocket. “Find her, Kylen. Save her. Save yourself.”

  She leaned down to kiss him, and he struggled to hold on to her for a moment longer. Gaze upon her for one more second.

  “I love you,” he pleaded, tears searing down his face.

  “I know.” She pulled away and walked to the bar. Raising the glass, she tipped it toward him. “To your health, Kylen. I’ll love you always, too. Be well. Be loved.”

  As soon as the liquid disappeared down her throat, she began to shimmer. In a blink of his eye, she was gone. Again.

  Forever.

  He closed his eyes and tried to believe it was all another dream. A crazy, cruel dream, but the vial in his pocket proved otherwise. And now that the worst of his demon’s memories were gone, a glimmer of hope ignited in him.

  He had a chance.

  A chance to say goodbye and a chance to save Olivia.

  He’d made his choice.

  Now all he had to do was find her.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Kylen had no idea how much time had passed when he finally managed to pull himself together. He scrubbed a hand down his face, wiping away the evidence of his emotion. With renewed purpose and much steadier legs, he stalked across the room to the only door, scythe in hand. As he reached for the handle, Rashnu pulled it open from the other side and stood in the doorway.

  “Now what?” Kylen asked.

  Rashnu laid his hand on Kylen’s shoulder and squeezed. “Welcome back…for real this time.”

  “Let’s not get all Dr. Phil just yet. I still have to find Olivia. Now.” Kylen shrugged from his hold.

  “Yes, I have work to do, and you have a woman to save. Good luck, Kylen.”

  Kylen pushed past him, but then stopped just outside the doorway. He stared down the long tunnel, unable to look the angel in the eye. “Thank you, Rashnu.”

  “You are most welcome. I’m happy you chose well.”

  “Thank you for…all of it.”

  “Yes.”

  As he turned, Rashnu touched his shoulder and flashed him out of Purgatory.

  * * *

  Kylen landed in Ruth’s hospital room.

  “So it’s true. They’re alive?” He looked at Ruth’s burned and bandaged body, so frail in the cold room.

  “Kylen?” Deacon offered him an awkward embrace. “What happened to you?”

  “Kara. I got to say goodbye.”

  Deacon nodded.

  “You asked Rashnu to do that for me, didn’t you?”

  “I planted the seeds, but I didn’t know what the outcome would be.”

  Nate and Maeve appeared in the doorway, disheveled and out of breath.

  After stepping into the room in front of her partner, Maeve
gave Kylen an appraising once over, her forehead wrinkled with a question. “You’re back? We thought you’d gone postal.”

  “Not yet.” Kylen said.

  As Maeve told them the story of Olivia’s kidnapping, Kylen grew increasingly agitated. “We’re running out of time.”

  Deacon turned to look at Maeve. “I need you to stay with Ruth. Promise me you won’t leave her side.”

  “I promise.”

  “Where do you want to start?” Deacon asked, stroking his hand through Ruth’s hair.

  “I found an exit portal. I followed two demons to it. Do you think he would have taken her to Hell?” Nate said.

  Kylen shook his head. “No. I think he’s holding her as bait. We should start at Good Hope, where Olivia was taken.”

  “Maybe Bo can pick up her scent,” Nate said. “He’s in the chapel.”

  * * *

  Olivia awoke on a hard wooden pew. She was afraid, and had no idea where she was other than in an empty church. Two of the windows to her right were broken and boarded over with plywood. Moonlight illuminated the room with slants of light, enough for her to make out the typical accoutrements of a church, but from this vantage point she couldn’t get a true sense of the size of things…or a possible escape route.

  Her rapid breaths reverberated through the otherwise silent room. Exhaustion coursed through her body, making her limbs heavy and her bones hurt. Pressing the little button on the side of her watch, she saw that it was 3:00 a.m. Three hours since she’d died.

  Clearly this was not Heaven. Or at least no version she’d ever imagined. Bits and pieces of the night floated back to her. The cats, yowling and hissing. The fire. The terrifying car ride. The cemetery. She drew her knees up to her chest, curling into a ball on the bench. The small movement reignited the pain from the wounds in her calves. Images of the handsome man with sleek black hair and the yellow eyes of a beast returned to her.

  He’d bewitched her somehow. He was no angel.

  And she was not dead after all. Not just yet, anyway.