Chase Grim

by V. B. Marlowe

  The girls looked at each other and said nothing. That wasn’t exactly the reaction I had been expecting.

  “What? Don’t you think it’s a great idea? That way everyone can have a say. All parts of Nowhere will be represented.”

  Keira winced. “Yeah, Chase. That’s great and everything but not everyone is going to be represented as long as there are only men on the council. Why can’t women be included?”

  She was right. My cheeks burned with embarrassment over the fact that I hadn’t thought of that. “You guys are right. I’ll include some women too. I promise.”

  Naomi sat beside me and lay her head on my shoulder. “You’re doing awesome, Chase and we’re so proud of you. Making these huge changes even though the richer Grims are going to be upset about it. That takes guts.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You guys want to come and hang out tomorrow?” I asked. “It gets kind of boring around here.”

  Naomi said she would come, but Keira declined. “Bram and I are going to be busy tomorrow.” I didn’t ask what they were going to be busy doing. I didn’t need to know.

  After the girls left I went back inside determined to get some reading done. Doyle had stacked my desk with a pile of heavy books filled with laws and history that I needed to know as the Lord of Death.

  One of the servants stopped me at the door. “Excuse me, my Lord, but Mr. Dunningham has been requesting to see you.”

  “For what?”

  “I’m sorry, I really don’t know sir but he says it’s important. He says there’s something you need to know.”

  The last thing I wanted to do was talk to Dunningham but I was curious about what he had to say. “Thank you.”

  I headed down to the underground tunnels. The Watcher on guard unlocked the door for me. Dunningham lay on the ground, one of his arms connected to the wall by a rusty chain. A bowl and metal cup sat on the floor beside him.

  His eyes were half-closed when I came in as if he were exhausted. He extended his free hand to me. “My son, it’s about time. I have been asking to see you for days.”

  I took a chair from the corner and sat it in the middle of the room. “Yeah? You needed to talk to me about what?”

  “I’ve been wanting to ask what you’ve been meaning to do with me. While I enjoy the solitude—it’s given me a chance to relax and clear my head—I would enjoy some reading material. Maybe a book or two.”

  “No. What do you think this is? This isn’t a vacation for you. It’s a punishment.”

  Dunningham smirked. “If you want to torture me, you’re going about it the wrong way. If you bring me some books and release me from these shackles, I’d be happy to share my most effective techniques with you.”

  I stared at him, stone-faced. “I don’t want anything from you. Keep you damn advice.”

  He sighed like he was extremely bored with the conversation. “Well, that’s extremely foolish but I wouldn’t expect anything more from a stupid boy.”

  I swallowed the insult. “I don’t need you. I’m already changing policies and I know what I’m doing.”

  After a hearty laugh that ended in a deep cough, he looked me in the eye. “And what are these changes you’ve made that you think are going to improve Nowhere.”

  I told him and he seemed unimpressed. “You are making a huge mistake. Grims your age are not capable of making decisions as serious as choosing their own life partners and your other changes—all you’re doing is taking away from the Grims who really matter and that is a huge mistake. The Grims of the Upper Estate keep Nowhere running and trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to piss them off.

  “They don’t make Nowhere run. The Grims who go on assignments and work in the Mill and guard our colony make this place run. That’s all of us. They’re only privileged and well off because you chose them to be and nothing more.” The rest had come right off the top of my head. “I want you to know that I’m tired of thinking about you living and breathing down here. You don’t even deserve the one bowl of food you get a day. I’m setting your execution for Friday in the public square.”

  He appeared unaffected just as I had expected him to. “Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to kill me, son.”

  “Really? Why’s that?”

  “I have information that will keep Nowhere from being completely destroyed.”

  7

  “What does that mean?”

  Dunningham smoothed out the black sackcloth gown he’d worn since I’d had him stripped of his expensive suits. “Can I get something to wear that’s a little more comfortable. It does get drafty down here.”

  “What does that mean?” I repeated.

  “The Ravens.”

  “Ravens?”

  “Yes. They used to be Grims but somehow, they mutated into some sort of monster bird-Grim hybrid. I’ve seen them in person and they are not a pretty sight. Anyway, they thrive off Death and consider themselves to be Death’s protectors. They will do anything to make sure Death gets what’s owed to it. That’s why I was so angry when you all left and started working with the Interceptors. They threatened to destroy our entire colony because of that. Every life you all saved could have been our complete destruction. If I were you, I would tighten down on that. Make sure all Grims are accounted for at all times and that they only leave Nowhere when they are dispatched on an assignment.”

  I sat back in my seat trying to appear unconcerned but I was. Dunningham had every right to be upset with us if what he was saying was true, although it still didn’t justify what he had done to our parents. And these Ravens, what if they did come to attack our colony? How were we supposed to stop them?

  It was if Dunningham could read my mind. “See, I’m not just the mean old man trying to keep you prisoner in your own home. I was only looking out for the good of all my people. That’s what a Death Lord is supposed to do.”

  “Why haven’t we ever heard of these things then? In all our studies, all the books that we’ve read. There’s never been any mention of these Ravens there or from our parents.”

  I was looking for any reason to prove he was lying about all this and just trying to stay alive.

  “Your parents didn’t know about this. Only me and a few of my trusted men. Not even the entire council knows about it. I’m surprised Doyle never mentioned it.”

  So was I. “Doyle knows about the Ravens?”

  “Of course, he does. He is the one person I told everything. Sadly, I have reason to believe he may as be as trust-worthy as I always thought.”

  Naomi’s words came rushing to my mind. Don’t trust him. If he wasn’t loyal to Dunningham, don’t expect him to be loyal to you.

  Dunningham looked at his nails. “He has even been bringing me some real food. A steak, sandwich, or a nice pork chop here and there.”

  Really, Doyle?

  Dunningham clucked his tongue. “What time is it?” I didn’t know why he needed to know that but I looked at my watch and told him.

  “It’s 9:15. Why?”

  He looked at the ceiling. “Because right now Doyle and the men who know about the Ravens should be having their weekly meeting in Doyle’s office. If I were you I would join them. As the Lord of Death, you really ought to know what’s going on, right?”

  “This changes nothing. Your appointment with Death still stands for Friday afternoon.”

  He leaned his head against the wall with an eerie smile as if he didn’t think it was really going to happen. He had another think coming.

  I left the room and headed to Doyle’s office. I tried the door but it was locked even though I could hear voices coming from inside.

  I knocked and a moment later the door swung open. Doyle stood there wide-eyed. I pushed my way in before he could even say anything.

  “What’s going on?” I demanded. Five chairs were placed in a semicircle and the four men seated looked as if they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

  I recognized two
of them from the council but the other two I had never seen before.

  Doyle closed the door behind him. “Oh, we were just having a little discussion about city matters. Not anything that you have to be concerned about,”

  “Like Ravens?”

  An awkward silence fell over the room.

  “Yeah,” I continued. “Dunningham told me all about it.”

  Doyle’s Adam’s apple throbbed. “He did.”

  “Yes. He also told me about how you bring him nice snacks here and there.” I looked at the other men in the room. “Gentlemen, this meeting is adjourned. Excuse us please.”

  As soon as the door closed behind them, I turned to Doyle. “So, you think I didn’t need to know about the Ravens?”

  Doyle took a seat and motioned for me to sit beside him I did. “I promise you, I would have told you about it eventually, but there is already a lot on your plate and I didn’t want to overwhelm you right away. I was going to tell you soon.”

  “Doyle, you can’t do that. I appreciate you trying to protect me but I’m the Lord of Death and I have to do my job and I can’t do it properly if information is being held from me.”

  He nodded. “I apologize, my Lord, and I promise you it will never happen again.”

  “Why have you been feeding him? How am I supposed to trust you as my advisor when you’re doing things like that behind my back?”

  Doyle took another deep breath. “I can explain that too. I understand the disdain you have for him and why you want him dead and I totally agree—but believe it or not, we need him. He knows how to defeat the Ravens and that’s information he’s never shared with anyone else, not even me.”

  I thought that over for a moment and decided that it made sense. “So, he knows how to get rid of the Ravens, but he won’t tell anyone how?”

  “No. That is how he operates. In his mind he will always be the most powerful man in Nowhere as long as he, and he alone possesses the knowledge to save our colony.”

  I sank back into my seat and rubbed my temples. I was entirely stressed out and I couldn’t imagine a lifetime of doing this job.

  “There’s something else,” Doyle said, pouring himself a drink from a table in the corner.

  “Of course, there is. Can’t it wait until morning?”

  He took a seat with his drink. “I’m afraid not.”

  “What is it then?”

  “Your friends, Bram and Keira have been missing for over twenty-four hours and neither one of them have been sent on assignment. Obviously, this is something that has to be dealt with urgently.”

  Great. Just great.

  The next morning, I headed over to Naomi’s. I hadn’t been there since we’ve been back in Nowhere and I couldn’t imagine how it would feel without her parents. Eleanor and Knox were wonderful people.

  My town car stopped in front of the residence. I hadn’t warned Naomi that I was coming although I probably should have. I was used to popping up at her place whenever and she and Keira would do the same to me.

  This visit was different, however. I didn’t get out of the car alone; those days were over. Two Watchers sandwiched me as we walked up to the front door. I also had a secretary who was to follow everywhere and take notes but I had insisted that she stay back. This was a personal conversation with my friend. There was no reason to take notes.

  I knocked on the door and Naomi took a while to answer. When she finally did, she was extra pale and had bed-head but she still looked beautiful even when it was obvious that she had just rolled out of bed.

  “Morning. Sleeping in?”

  She blinked a few times at the morning light. She looked like she was about to smile until she saw the two Watchers. “The hell, Chase?”

  “I’m sorry, but they go everywhere I go when I leave the estate.”

  She rolled her eyes and let us all in. She and I took seats on her living room couch while the Watchers stood at the front door looking straight ahead. Naomi eyes them warily. “So, what brings you to Farrington early this morning?”

  “Keira and Bram?”

  She squirmed a little and I knew right away that she knew where they were. “Yeah? What about them?”

  “They’ve been missing for almost two days and I’ve come to see if you know where they are.”

  She shook her head. “No. Sorry.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Nay.” She knew that I could always tell when she was lying so I don’t even know why she bothered.

  She looked at the Watchers again.

  “It’s fine,” I reassured her.

  “Keira has still been working with the Interceptors. You know how she was with them. She really took to it and she was good at it. Bram doesn’t agree with her doing it but he didn’t want her going along so he went with her.”

  I took a deep breath. This was even worse than I thought. I was hoping they had just left for some romantic getaway but this was the worst-case scenario. “Dammit,” I said under my breath.

  Naomi was unconcerned. “What’s the big deal> They’ll be back soon. It’s not like Dunningham is going to punish them or anything.”

  I told her everything about the Ravens after making her promise not to tell anyone. I trusted her to keep it quiet. Keira was probably the only one she would tell and I had been planning to tell her anyway.

  If it were possible, she turned even more pale. “No way. I don’t believe it. I don’t believe there’s some monsters out there threatening to kill us.”

  “Believe it, Naomi. We can’t have Grims Intercepting Death anymore because every time they do it, it pisses them off and puts us in danger. The last thing any of us needs right now is for those things to attack us.

  Naomi lay her head back and sighed. What if it did happen? What if I had to lead the colony in a war? I had no idea what I was doing. What if we lost Grims and everyone blamed me for being a terrible leader who can’t protect his own people.

  “I’m going to have to have them brought back,” I told Naomi. “I can’t have them out there. It’s too dangerous for all of us.”

  I left Naomi to digest everything I had told her and she promised to join me for dinner. Meals were lonely. Most of the time it was just me and sometimes just me and Doyle. I longed to share just one more meal with my mother and father.

  ***

  Back at the estate Doyle and I got to work. We sent Watchers out to locate Keira and Bram and bring them back. Our scythes contained a tracking device that would help find them. Then we sat and decided on the new council. We looked at records—only Grims who had no infractions and were stellar at lifestone collecting. The following day Doyle would go and personally deliver the invitations. We had even come up with a couple of alternates just in case someone declined, although Doyle said that would never happen.

  I still had the matter of Doyle to think about. I had promised him he would die four days from then, but now that he was the only one who knew how to defeat the Ravens, I had to keep him alive.

  I was about to pounce on him when he entered my study until I realized I was looking at Dunstan.

  I relaxed. “Why the hell do you have to look like him?”

  He shrugged. “It comes with being an identical twin I believe. Trust me when I say I didn’t chose to share a womb with that thing.”

  “What have you been up to?” I asked him. “Where have you been?” I’d honestly forgotten about him.

  “In one of the guest rooms.”

  “Of course.” This house was so huge an entire family could have been living there without me even knowing.

  Dunstan sank into one of the arm chairs. “I came to see where I stand with you. Are you going to go through with his execution—our execution.”

  “No.” I didn’t want to tell him I had actually set a date and everything. “Listen, do you know anything about the Ravens.”

  He pressed his lips together. “Our father used to tell us about them. I never really believed in them though.”

  “Well appare
ntly they do exist. Your brother is the only one who knows how to defeat them but he’s not in a sharing mood.”

  Dunstan chuckled to himself. “Can’t say I’m surprised. The bastard knows how to keep himself useful. Can’t say I’m angry as he’s also keeping me from being hanged.”

  “So, I take it you have no idea how to defeat these things if they show up?”

  He shook his head. “Sadly, no. Wish I did though. Still, not so sure they exist. I did want to ask you about something else.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The council. I think it’s very just of you to open the council to all parts of Nowhere, but I can’t help but to notice you left out the Hybrids. They’re Grims too.”

  Were they? That was up for debate. They were definitely half-Grim but our colony never recognized them as being one of us. They were never sent on jobs and stole lifestones from us by showing up on our assignments before we did.

  “That might be pushing it. I’m going to have enough resistance as it is by not having a council made of only men from the Upper Estates. Also, if they want to have Grim privileges, they have to stop stealing from Grims. You all can’t have it both ways.”

  Dunstan nodded. “Fair enough. I’d like to talk further and get some kind of agreement down on paper.”

  “Sure,” I told him.

  Seeming satisfied he rose to his feet and hobbled out of the room. After I watched him go, I prepared myself for my second council meeting. The major topic of discussion would be the Ravens. I wasn’t okay with keeping that information just between a few of us. The council had a right to know. Nowhere had a right to know.

  8

  The next day was to be eventful. Our council meeting started off as expected. The new men were excited about being included and the few left from the Upper Estates made faces as if they smelled rotten meat. I didn’t even what to think about what they would do when they found out about my plan to include women.

  After Lincoln read the minutes from the last meeting, I let a man named Opus from Litropolis have the floor. He looked as if he were in his sixties with straggly gray hair that reached his shoulders and sharp features. He looked worn and tired—not like a Grim.