“The punishment for knowingly trapping a heavenly soul here is severe. But you know that, don’t you?” His voice is low and soothing as he slowly walks toward the demon. The demon continues to back away.
The Hunter stays put, watching with the rest of us as the Warden backs the demon into the darkness. Part of me is a little sad that I won’t see what becomes of him. But another part of me is grateful to be spared the details. I don’t need to witness any more brutality. I’ve seen enough to last me forever, really.
Once the other demons “partying” with him have dispersed, I find myself standing next to the Hunter, peering into the darkness. Clearing my throat, I turn to the hulking demon. “Hunter.”
“Reaper.” We nod at each other, and he goes back the way he came, leaving the Fates and me alone again.
“Well, that was interesting,” Penn says as we make our way toward the prison of souls.
“Things are always interesting on this side of the black gate,” I say as we make our way down skull-lined hallways lit with an eerie red glow.
“Let’s just get the souls and get out of here,” Horatia says, walking with her arms clutched around her body.
“Agreed,” I say, picking up the pace a little bit.
A few twists and turns later, we’re all standing at the door to the prison. I trace the circular symbol of flowing waves with my finger.
“Are you gonna go in?” Horatia asks, but Penn is hesitating too. He knows how hard this will be.
“Once we go in, we say goodbye to them,” I say.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Galenia asks. “They’re going home. Where they belong.”
It’s exactly what I needed to hear. “You’re right.” I take a deep breath, but before I push the door open, I turn toward the woman who’s helped lead me through all this madness. “You know, you would’ve been a good Reaper, Galenia.”
She laughs, and we can’t help but smile with her. “I don’t think so. I daydream too much.”
Chuckling, I concede. “Maybe.”
Then there’s nothing left to do but push the door open and see what awaits us inside the prison of souls.
Thankfully, all three souls are inside. No one has disappeared. No one has succumbed to a worse fate. However, Andrew looks close to giving up. He’s only a shadow of his former self.
They lift their heads at once, cowering reflexively. “I know you,” Lily says from the back corner. “You said you’d save me.” My heart breaks, but I can’t take my eyes off Andrew. He’s so weak; he can’t do more than lift his head to look at us.
Horatia goes to him first, trying to free him from his shackles.
“The key. Michaela, where is the key?” she demands.
I glance at the little hook on the wall, but it isn’t there. Kismet speaks up in a voice hoarse from either crying or disuse. “It’s on the floor. Over there.”
She nods her head to the left. Sure enough, there it is. I remember now. We were in such a hurry to get out of here last time, Penn just threw the key down and we ran.
Horatia retrieves it and hurriedly frees Andrew. “What’s happening to him?” she asks.
“He’s wasting away,” I say, watching as Penn frees Kismet, waiting for the key so I can release Lily from her bindings. She looks frightened, and rightfully so. I kneel down in front of her.
“It’s going to be okay now. You’re safe.”
“I’m not safe. Not in here. Do you know where we are?” She whispers it at me, as if saying the word out loud might make it more real.
“I know. But your time here is over. I’m taking you home for good.”
“He’s wasting away?” Horatia asks.
I sigh. I can’t juggle these important conversations. “Penn, can you help me out here?”
But he’s too focused on Kismet. She’s not as far gone as Andrew, but she doesn’t look good either. Lily hasn’t been here as long as they have. She’s basically unaffected, save for a sheer and utter terror of her surroundings.
“This place, it’s bad for those who don’t belong,” I say to Horatia as I free Lily. “We need to get him into the healing rooms. Then he can go home. To be honest, I think they both need some time in the healing rooms.” I’m hoping it will be enough to bring the sparkle back to Kismet’s eyes.
Horatia is standing with Andrew’s arm slung over her shoulders. He’s totally limp against her and his feet drag lifelessly behind him. Souls do not weigh anything, thankfully, and Horatia can manage him easily. As Penn scoops Kismet into his arms, I hold my hand out to Lily.
“How can I trust you, after what happened last time?” she asks, looking up at me with fearful eyes. “You were supposed to keep me safe.”
Hearing those words again pulverizes the pieces of my broken heart into powder. “I’m so sorry, Lily.”
Galenia is at my side at once. “Lily, my sweet child,” she says in a soft tone. “She is saving you. She just needed some help. We’re all going to take you home now. You’ll never have to see the inside of this horrible place again. We promise.”
I glance at Penn and Horatia, but they’re too preoccupied with the souls they’re helping. “I think we should go. Now,” Horatia says.
“Go on ahead, Ratia. We’ll be right behind you,” Galenia says, and I’m so grateful for her. Some souls need more of a talking to, and she gets that.
I look at Penn, and he nods to me. Kismet puts her head on his shoulder, and I can see how much he’s hurting by the stricken look on his face. But he turns and carries her out of the prison for good, just as he should.
I turn to Lily and give her my full attention. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you that day. But Galenia is right. I never stopped trying to get to you. The woman who did this to you is gone. And she’s never coming back. It’s over. We can walk out of here as soon as you’re ready, and I will take you home.”
“Walk out of here? Do you know what’s out there?” she says, bringing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. She buries her face in the nest she’s made and only peeks out with her eyes, which are partially hidden by long, brown bangs.
“I do know what’s out there. But I’m not afraid.” I can’t think of anything else to say that will comfort her. You’ll be safe, I promise, won’t work. She thought that the last time. I start to wonder if another Reaper should have come here to collect her.
No. I started this, and it’s up to me to finish it. I sit down next to Lily, and Galenia takes my cue and sits on the other side. She’s tucked in a safe little cocoon between us.
“What’s your favorite song, Lily?” I ask her.
“I don’t know. There are lots.” The question changes her whole demeanor. It’s like we’ve lit a spark within her.
“I like Taylor Swift and Adele. And Bruno Mars. A bunch of my friends like Justin Bieber, but I’m not much of a boy-band person. I don’t like his music. He’s not a very good singer.” She shrugs.
“Well, Galenia, what do you think? Should we sing ‘Shake it off’ or ‘Hello’ or ‘Just the Way You Are’?”
Instead of answering me, she starts singing in a soft, melodious voice. Then she stands up and starts dancing to the tune. Galenia will never cease to surprise me. “I stay out too late…”
I get up and join her, singing along to the song I barely know. We laugh, and Lily fills in the parts we’re not so sure about. Soon, the three of us are dancing around together, singing our hearts out in the middle of the prison of souls. I know without a doubt this is the only happiness this place has ever seen.
When the song is done, we collapse in a heap of laughter, breathing hard.
“Okay. Let’s go,” Lily says with her head on my lap.
“Okay. Let’s go,” I say, smiling at Galenia, sending her a silent thank you. She squeezes my hand as we get up, and we walk hand in hand with Lily, leaving the prison of souls completely empty.
Twenty Three
Penn
The sight of Kismet takes my breath away. Horatia
is saying something about Andrew, but I only have eyes for her. Her spark is totally gone, leaving behind this opaque shell. Her hair is lackluster and matted in places, while her face is stained with tears. And her beautiful green eyes have gone dull, as if hope never existed there at all.
It’s the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever seen.
I fall to my knees in front of her, waiting impatiently for Horatia to free Andrew. She’s struggling with the old lock, working hard to get it to engage. After what seems like an eternity, Andrew falls forward into her, no longer held up by his own arms.
The key falls to the ground, but she’s too busy trying to get Andrew on his feet to stoop and pick it up.
I scramble to get it and bring it back to Kismet. Horatia is asking a question, and Michaela is talking to the little girl, but I can’t absorb what’s going on around me. All I can see is Kismet. We should’ve come back sooner. Maybe skipped the trial. We should’ve done something to get them out of here.
But there’s no point in revisiting the decisions we made in the past. We’re here now, and that’s what matters. She’ll be okay, but only if we leave now. I finally look away from her to check on Andrew. He’s far worse off than Kismet.
“We should go,” I say quietly to Horatia after scooping Kismet into my arms. I nod toward Andrew.
“I think we should go. Now,” Horatia confirms, and Michaela finally looks over. She’s totally preoccupied with the child. The little girl is free, but she’s sort of cowering by the wall.
Galenia turns and tells us to go on ahead, and I’m so grateful for that.
Without our Reaper, I anticipate being stopped more than once by the demons meandering through the halls of hell. But they leave us alone. They must know who we are, or maybe they know the souls we carry do not belong here. Either way, they do nothing more than glare at us. It makes me uneasy, but I’ll take it.
Once we reach the outskirts of hell, in sight of the gate, Horatia stops ahead of me. I quicken my steps to catch up with her, dread tightening around my heart. Is something wrong with Andrew? Is he not going to make it?
“What’s up?”
She lets Andrew go, and miracle of miracles, he stands. Smiling weakly, he holds out his hand. He’s reaching for Kismet. I look down at the beautiful soul in my arms. I made them for each other, and it shows in the way she’s looking at him, her eyes full of such devotion and love.
Slowly, I set her down on her feet, taking care to make sure she can stand on her own. Frankly, I have no idea how Andrew is doing it. He’s so far gone that I can see the gate right through him.
He takes her hand, and it’s as if a switch has been flipped. He’s so much more vibrant. His smile grows wider, and the smallest hint of a sparkle returns to his eyes. To hers. Like maybe hope didn’t die in that horrible prison.
Watching them, I know it’s the first time they’ve touched in a very long time. Something catches in my throat, and I cough to clear it.
Andrew doesn’t notice. “I thought we should walk out of here together.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Kismet says, and they slowly walk toward the gate.
Horatia hooks her arm in mine and we follow behind, close enough to catch them if they lose their strength, but far enough away to give them some privacy.
As I watch them together, my heart is made whole again, even if it means saying goodbye to the only humans I have ever truly loved.
When the gate closes behind us, I can’t help but yelp for joy. The sudden sound startles my friends, but I’m so happy. Taking Horatia in my arms, I spin her around. Andrew and Kismet laugh as they watch us.
After a little while, I settle down enough to go to my human friends, holding my hands out in congratulations.
“Now what?” Andrew asks.
“I think you should go to a healer, my friend. You need to be whole again.”
He looks at Kismet. “I am whole.”
Somehow, I knew that’s what his answer would be, but I persist. “You’ll be more comfortable in the long run if you just spend a day with the healers, Andrew. You’ll be better for it.”
“And what about Kismet?”
“She can go with you. She could use a little R and R.”
“I’ll rest when we’re home,” Kismet says.
“I understand. I’m sure you’ll be perfectly comfortable together in heaven.”
Reluctantly, I lead the way across the clouds to heaven’s gates. We don’t have a Reaper with us, so I’m not sure they’ll appear, but the angels must sense their quarry because the gates appear in all their sparkling brilliance. Stopping in front of them, I turn to face Kismet and Andrew.
“I just want to say one thing, before…” I trail off. Before what? Before I never see them again? Before it’s too late? “Well, anyway, before I lose my chance. I…”
It’s harder than I thought it would be. How do you translate your heart into words so the people standing across from you might understand you a little better? I shift my weight and they all stare at me, even Horatia. I look to her for strength, and she gives me a small, encouraging smile.
Taking a deep breath, I start again. “I wanted to say I’m sorry. To both of you. Nearly everything that’s happened is my fault. I should never have interfered. And for that, I am deeply sorry.” I hang my head, unable to make eye contact with either of them, and wait for their response. Honestly, I don’t really expect them to say anything. They only have eyes for each other now, and part of me thinks they’ll walk right past me into heaven, where they’ll live happily ever after.
But they don’t. In fact, my head jerks up at the sound of Andrew laughing. “Oh, get over yourself, Penn,” he says and claps a hand on my shoulder. I don’t feel its weight, but I can see it there, barely. “Mara would’ve done what she did whether you were there to ‘interfere’ or not.” He uses air quotes around the word interfere. “And if you hadn’t been there, Kismet would have been alone after Mara took me.”
He holds out his hand for me, and I take it. We shake as brothers, and my heart lurches with the knowledge of how much I will miss him.
“Penn, I have one question for you,” Kismet says, and I turn to face her. Being free of hell for less than half an hour has been good for her. The color is already returning to her face, and her eyes are regaining some of their brilliance. I want to take her face in my hands and hug her like I’ll never hug her again. Because I won’t.
“Why me? Why us? Nysa knew Mara, and Jeff knew Nysa, so it stands to reason that she led Mara to him. But the rest of us seemed to be random. Why us?”
It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. Why Andrew? Why Kismet? At first, I thought it had something to do with me, that it was some kind of revenge play by Webber. But then I realized it didn’t have anything to do with me at all. It was about them.
“Once she ran out of threads she knew, she chose each of you for a specific purpose. For example, she took Lily because she thought a child might save her son. The others must have suited her requirements in other ways. I don’t pretend to fully understand her rationale.” Kismet lets out a gasp, but I keep going. The time for sorrow has passed. This is the time for joy.
“Kismet, when I created you, you were the most brilliant thread the heavens had ever seen. Souls came from other departments just to look at you. Webber, the Weaver, couldn’t make you blend into the tapestry of life no matter how hard he worked. A sparkler, that’s what we called you.
“And Andrew, you complemented her in every way. You two went together. I think Mara chose the two of you because she couldn’t take her eyes off you. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Kismet snorted a little. “Lucky us.”
“Sometimes, those who are special pay a higher price for their uniqueness,” Horatia says.
Laughing at the sour face Kismet makes, I say, “I knew you could handle it.”
She sticks her tongue out at me.
“Will we see you again?” she
asks, but I can tell by the wistful expression on Andrew’s face that he already knows the answer.
“No, my love.”
Kismet falls into my arms, and Andrew wraps both of us into a big bear hug. “I don’t want to lose you,” she says through her tears.
“You won’t. You’ll find me in your happiness.”
She pulls away. I see that they both have tears in their eyes, but strangely, mine are dry. Suddenly, I’m not mourning them anymore. I’m happy for them. Their trials are finally over. And so are mine.
As if they can sense we’re ready, the gates of heaven open, and angels step out to usher Andrew and Kismet into their forever. Horatia and I stand back, arms around each other, watching them go. I feel nothing but complete happiness as I see my two greatest creations walk into paradise together.
Twenty Four
Michaela
Seeing Lily off was so satisfying. Galenia and I walk back to my quarters with our arms linked, almost skipping. But another Reaper interrupts us on the way.
“Michaela. It’s good to see you,” he says, a warm smile on his face.
I recognize him. He’s been with us for a while.
“Lyall. It’s good to see you,” I say, holding out my hand.
Smiling at the Reaper, Galenia releases me and says, “I’ll leave you here.”
“Thank you for everything, Galenia,” I say, and she embraces me with her whole heart.
“We’ll see each other soon,” she assures me.
I watch her go, and it’s like looking at an angel. She really is a special creation.
“She’s something,” Lyall says, unable to resist watching her too.
“That she is.” I turn my attention back to him. “What can I do for you, Lyall?”
“Ryker would like to see you right away.”
“Oh. Of course.”
Once his message is delivered, he shifts uncomfortably, not sure what else to say. “I really am glad you’re back,” he says earnestly.
I laugh. “I believe you. Thank you for the message, Lyall. I’ll make my way there now.”
The Children of Wisdom Trilogy Page 45