Reaping the Immortal

by Pamela Labud

  Even his twin didn't really understand. After all, Matty hadn't been as serious in his pursuits. He hadn't been all about justice and fighting for causes he didn't belong to.

  All the same, Melody gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You worry too much, boss. That girl is crazy about you. Trust me, witches know all about these things."

  She winked and sauntered out of the room.

  Just then he saw a strange car pull up in the drive. To his surprise, Holly jumped out of the driver's side and ran toward the house.

  Something was bad. Very bad.

  Heading for the front door, he ran into Mel and just barely missed knocking her over. The door swung open and Holly burst through.

  "Get your gear," she called out as she ran for the stairs. "We've got to get out of here now."

  "What?" both Max and Mel said.

  But, she was already halfway up the stairs. "No time to explain! He's coming!"

  Mel recovered before he did. "Did you hear what she said? Move. I'll cover you both as long as I can."

  Max had seen Mel do her witch thing, and as far as such things went, she was an impressive spell caster, but he doubted she was any match for what they were up against.

  "Right. He ran to his office, unlocked his desk drawer and pulled out the only thing of value that he owned. It might not seem like much, but the old talisman had been his mother’s and he'd always kept it with him. Of course, Matty had one just like it, in case anything happened to him, but still, the thought of not having at least a small piece of her close to him made him feel terribly vulnerable and extremely sad.

  "Max?" Holly called out. "Where are you?"

  "Here," he called back, slamming the drawer shut and locking it. Everything else he owned could be replaced. He'd been smart with his investments, and had at least a dozen accounts he could draw from if needed.

  Running out of the office he barely caught a glimpse of Holly, landing on the bottom stair, sickle in one hand and Artemis's covered cage in the other, when the world seemed to explode around them. He heard several things at once: Melody's scream as hot magic scorched her like fire from a flame thrower, Holly yelling a warning at him, and her familiar's screeching terror. All at once the room spun and blasts of blue flame engulfed them.

  "Holly," he yelled but his throat tightened and no noise came out of him. The blue light intensified to white and from the glaring center stepped a single, black robed figure.

  Master Renault. "Kneel before me, subject, so that I may claim your life."

  Max fell to his knees, the crushing weight of the other's magic pushing him down. He tried to fight it, but it was little use.

  "No!" Holly burst through the miasma and pushed forward to stand beside him. He immediately felt the other Reaper's magic falter slightly and the magic upon him lessened.

  "Leave, little one, lest I pour my wrath upon you," Georges ground out, clearly struggling with maintaining the powerful magic he wielded.

  "Let him go," she called out, her own strength wavering at her effort. "You will not claim this one. The Council has not ruled."

  "I no longer care for what your weak council has declared or not. They cast me out, throw me to the winds as though I have no value at all. I have no need for your pitiful guild. I have power on my own. And when I deliver your Immortal to those that have called for his soul, no guild, Reaper or otherwise will have sanction over me."

  The old Reaper's fury flared and his energy renewed. The white light increased and Max’s skin burned as the magic started to deconstruct his very soul. Just as he felt he was about to fly apart, something changed.

  Renault's power suddenly waned and Max fell forward as if he were a marionette whose strings had been cut. Landing on his face, he felt the foyer's soft carpet, the cool breeze from the open door, and the early evening dimness replaced the boiling white light.

  "Max?"

  Suddenly, Holly was beside him, pulling him over so that his head rested in her lap. Caressing his face, he saw the mixture of fear and relief touching her expression.

  "I'm fine," he croaked, though he was pretty sure he wasn’t. "What just happened?"

  "He tried to force-Reap you. Thankfully, he's not strong enough yet to complete the task."

  Surprise and anxiety burst within him and he sat up. "You mean he's going to get stronger? How is this possible?"

  She shrugged. "I don't know all the details, but he's gone rogue."

  "Reapers can do that? I mean, he's gone beyond crazy, here. He's gone bat crap crazy."

  She sat back. "I know, and he's got help somehow. Someone on the Council is betraying the other two, I think. That's the only way this could even have occurred. But, that's not the worst of it."

  "There's more?"

  She nodded. "He's found some other magic. Not of our guild or any other I know of. He means to rule all the guilds, I think. And if he does, then there will be war."

  #

  Holly's thoughts spun at everything she'd just learned. Her longtime friend and mentor was a madman with a bent toward megalomania. He posed a great danger not only to her entire guild, but also the innocent people he'd destroy in the wake of his insane campaign. And the man she now held in her arms, Max. Whatever sins he'd committed in his past, he had no part in any of this.

  But it was more than that. It was the stealing of power that threatened the very landscape of magic.

  "Hey, " Max said as he struggled to his feet. "Your idea about getting out of here still a viable option?"

  Holly nodded. "It won't put him off forever, but if we can get out of his way for a bit, we might be able to figure something out."

  Just then another staggered into the room.

  "Melody?" Max paled at the sight of her.

  The vibrant young witch was visibly diminished. Her petite frame appeared slenderer, her complexion wan. Her hair had lost its luster and her gown was torn and scorched in places, but the fire in her expression didn't dim in the slightest.

  "I did what I could," she said. "I cast a spell of separation. It'll keep him away from her for a time but he's very resistant. You need to get to safety."

  Holly climbed to her feet and nodded. "When he comes back, he'll be a lot stronger and even more determined than before. The question is, where can we go?"

  Max cleared his throat, and her attention went immediately to him. "What is it?"

  "I know a place but you won't like it."

  "If it will get us out of Renault's way for a while, I'm game."

  He gave her a dry laugh. "You say that now. Just wait."

  Max walked toward her and she saw he was limping. Although he was doing a fine job trying to hide it, she'd been trained to assess her subject's overall health.

  "You're hurt," she said, stepping toward him and pulling his arm over her shoulder, helping him to the door.

  "It's nothing. It's just a strained muscle in my leg."

  Fear shot through Holly's chest. Was it possible?

  "Let me look at it," she said. Grabbing his pant leg, she pulled the scorched fabric apart. That was when she saw it.

  "Well?" Max asked.

  The witch leaned forward. "Is that what I think is?" she whispered.

  Holly's mouth went dry. It was going to be very hard to tell him but she was sure he'd know immediately if she lied.

  "It's bad," she said at last. "You've been marked," she told him. She pointed out the Celtic circle now burned into his flesh.

  "I don't understand."

  "It's a remnant from the old days," she told him. "Back when the old Reapers would have to chase down their subjects. A life could be bought and sold. If a Reaper wanted to hold a subject in thrall, he would mark the poor soul and then force the thrall to do his will. Sometimes they would act as protectors for the Reapers, even sacrificing themselves under threat of the Reaper attacking their family."

  "Seriously?"

  She shook her hea
d. "Thankfully, times have changed. The worst you'll get is an ugly scar."

  To her surprise, Max gave her a dry laugh. "I always wanted a tattoo," he joked.

  "This is serious."

  He leaned forward wearing a lopsided grin. "What? I'm half serious. I was thinking a cool snake, or maybe an awesome dragon..."

  "Beg pardon," Melody said beside them. "You need to go now. He's coming back. I'll hold him off as long as I can."

  "Right." She turned to Max. "Can we get to this place by car? Or, do you have another form of transportation? Because, you know, slipping to an ethereal plane would be really cool right now."

  "Sorry, Reaper girl. I told you, the only magic I have is not dying. We can use your rental or my Ferrari."

  "Wait, you have a sports car? And we were riding around in converted hearse?"

  He shrugged. "It's not just any sports car. It's a statement of my identity and I had a thing for Magnum P.I., back in the eighties."

  "Your car is good. Just in case we need to drive fast. But, you're not going to be able to drive with that wound."

  "I was afraid you'd say that. Sacrifices must be made."

  The moment he started to move forward, he faltered and it took both her and the witch to get him out to the garage and into the small Italian car.

  "Yeesh," she huffed. "You barely fit in here."

  "Good thing I'm all bendy." He gave her a lopsided grin.

  It was a good thing they got him in the car when they did, because even with both women helping, he was becoming more and more unwieldy by the minute.

  "He's getting worse," Holly said.

  "Is that normal?"

  "No. It's the after effect of Renault's attack."

  An expression of concern covered the witch's face. "Will it kill him?"

  "Only if the old Reaper wants him dead, but I don't think that's the case. The old goat needs him alive. I think the magic he's seeking will come at the moment of Max's death."

  "I don't understand," Melody said. "What power could he possibly gain at the death of another?"

  That was when Holly realized just what her former mentor was up to. She swallowed. "By stealing Max's magic at the time of death, it will increase Renault's power exponentially. It's one of the reasons the Council is so strict with Immortals."

  "I thought Reapers were immortal," Melody said as Holly slid into the sleek driver's seat.

  "We are long lived, a reward for dealing in death, I suppose. But immortality for a Reaper is far different than most other races, human or Magic. Immortality increases a Reaper's power a thousand-fold. Renault is trying to change the very fabric of life and death."

  "To what end?"

  "Who knows what a madman can do if he has enough power?"

  "Right," Melody said. "I'll notify the authorities. We might not be powerful enough to take him out, but at least we can maybe hold him off for a little while."

  With that, Holly threw the car into gear and pulled out of the drive.

  "Where are we going, big guy?" she called to Max.

  His color was fast draining from his face and a fine sheen of sweat broke out on his brow. Obviously in a great deal of pain, he ground his jaw. "Underworld City," he breathed. "It's on the GPS." He struggled to lift his hand and point to the dashboard unit. "I don't know how long I can fight it off," he said at last.

  "He's only wounded you. Once we get a few miles out of town, I'll cast a spell of ease so you can have a little respite from the pain."

  Despite her assurances, she wasn't sure he even heard them. Glancing to her left, she saw that he'd already slipped from consciousness.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Max knew he was in huge trouble. More than he'd ever been in his life before, in fact. He also knew he should be more concerned than he was.

  Except that there he was, with a beautiful woman beside him, fretting about him and doing her best to keep him alive. Heaven help him, that made her so awesome that he could hardly believe it. The simple fact was, she liked him. A lot.

  Of course, he'd had girlfriends in the past. In almost every time period, he'd had the interest of one lady or another. Nowhere near the hot dog womanizer his brother was, Max didn't have to go long without female companions if he didn't want to.

  But Holly was different. Something in her drew him like no woman he'd ever known. Driven, brilliant, and strong-willed, he'd realized that he'd been taken by her from the very first moment they'd met. More than that, he knew that he'd little care for his immortality, except that staying alive meant only one thing.

  More time to spend with Holly.

  "Hey," he heard her say beside him. Her voice was garbled and echoed strangely in his ears. "I know you're having a hard time, probably feeling pretty weird, but that's the toxin that Renault gave you."

  "I thought maybe I'd already died." A coughing fit came over him then, and it was several gasping moments before he managed to bring his breathing back to normal.

  "Easy. We should be there soon. Um, wherever it is you've sent us, that is."

  He let out another breath. "It's my brother's place. I didn't have time to warn him, though. Tough to know what kind of welcome we'll get."

  "You'd think he'd be accommodating. After all, if you die, so does he, right?"

  "That's how it works," he said. "I'm sorry for putting you through all this."

  She gasped. "You're sorry? I'm the one who tried to Reap you. If I hadn't called Renault in the first place..."

  "You were doing your job. You said it yourself, some people don't have the decency to die when they should. I'm just overdue."

  "Nonsense. You are not to blame for this. I'm not sure anybody is. Madness just happens. And when it combines with evil, well, that's when bad things happen."

  In that moment, Max didn't think he could ever love anyone more.

  And he knew he had to tell her what he felt before time ran out and he lost his ability to do so.

  "Listen," he said. "I don't know how this is going to end, but if I do die, I don't want you feeling responsible for me. I've lived for centuries and I'm okay if it ends now. Of course, I'd be really disappointed in not getting to spend more time with you."

  There, he'd said it.

  "I feel the same way," she said, and he was pretty sure that he heard regret in her tone despite the distortion. "Stop it. I'm not ready to let you go, so we're going to fix this. I promise."

  "I love that you think that."

  "I don't just 'think' it, I mean to make it happen. No matter what."

  The tone of determination he heard from her struck a chord deep within him.

  Closing his eyes, he remembered others who had sacrificed themselves for people and causes they believed in.

  "Wait," he said, struggling to sit up straighter in the car seat. "Don't you dare do it."

  "Do what?" Despite her feigned ignorance, he knew she understood his concern.

  "Don't sacrifice yourself for me. I'm not worth it."

  She laughed, but it wasn't real humor, even with his wavering hold on hearing, he could tell the difference.

  "Don't worry. I've no plans to give in to Renault, to save you or anyone else."

  He shook his head and it felt like tin marbles had been set rolling in his brain. "I mean it. I'm ready to die, but not because I'm ready to lose you. My life or death will have no meaning if you go first."

  "I..." she started, but didn't finish.

  "Promise me you won't try to trade your life for mine."

  She let out a breath. "Reapers have a code, you know. We have to protect our charges until we help them cross into the beyond."

  "Well, here's a news flash for you. If you're trying to keep me alive, then you've already forsaken your Reaper-ness."

  Was that right? It felt correct, but darkness was encroaching on his mind and he doubted he would have the strength to argue much more.

  "Max, please."


  "No. I mean it. Do me this one solid. Don't die because of me." He coughed again. "In fact, don't die, period."

  He heard her sniffle and though his vision was failing, he saw her drag her arm across her face. "Fine. No dying for me. But you better fight hard to stay alive, or I won't forgive you."

  "Cross your heart and hope to live?"

  Well, he'd thought it was funny. If he was going to go out, he wanted to at least be spouting sarcasm.

  "I do. Silly Immortal," she said. "Try to rest."

  As the car turned a final corner, Max felt the usual heavy atmosphere of darkness form around them.

  "Tell my brother I said hi..."

  That was the very last of his strength and he felt his thoughts evaporate like steam in a rainforest. One by one, his senses left him. First, his sight narrowed to a small point of light, winking out like a burned-out Christmas tree light. Then, the warbling sounds of the car engine, Holly's breath and his own heart beats, diminished until there was no more sound. Max became numb, and the warm scent of the Italian upholstery no longer soothed his sense of smell.

  He was alone, separate from everything, and it was pure torture. That was the gift the old Reaper had given him. Existence without form, a living death of sorts, and one in which he knew he could not escape.

  But Holly would stay by his side no matter what. He'd heard her say so before the last of his hearing had left him. No matter what Renault had planned, something good came out of his evil intentions. Max and Holly found each other.

  Whether for eternity or for a few years, any time with Holly was more than worth it. Max would have traded a dozen lives to be with her.

  She’s worth it all, was his last thought as his consciousness popped out of existence.

  #

  The car roared into the driveway, and all Holly could think about was Max. He'd passed out minutes earlier and panic grew within her every moment since. Even though she wasn't sure he could even hear her, she talked to him, telling him about her life before becoming a Reaper. About the death of her parents, her sister getting into trouble and the foster parents who'd rescued both of them and given her the opportunity to make something better of herself.