"You must be Syxe," he says as he pulls away from Juliet. "It's good to meet you." Tobias holds out his hand for me to shake.
I take it to return the gesture. "And you must be Tobias."
"The one and only." He grins widely. "I'm sure you've heard all kinds of terrible things about me from these two."
"Not at all," I answer hastily, not wanting him to think I've been gossiping about him with his friends.
"Hmm. Then they need to do something about that. I have a reputation I need to uphold."
Juliet snorts. "Yes, your terrible reputation as the youngest ever Ilex Grove Captain."
"Ignore him, he doesn't know what he's talking about," Mathias adds. "Are you ready to choose the materials for your scythe?"
I nod, though I'm not sure if that's the truth. I'm more nervous than anything else. I don't know enough about how scythes work to know whether I'm going to be stuck with what I pick today for the rest of my life. What if I make the wrong choice and I can't do any reaping?
Juliet and Tobias walk ahead, the two of them chattering away as if they haven't seen one another in a couple of days, which I suspect isn't the case.
We follow, giving them enough space so we don't intrude on the conversation.
"You don't have anything to worry about," he says quietly. "Just follow your instincts like you did in the grove when you first arrived and you'll be fine."
"Is that really all it takes? What if I make a mistake?"
"It isn't really possible to," he assures me. "So much of it is done by what feels right. On the off chance you get it really wrong, you'll be able to do something about it. Most reapers use the same scythe until it breaks, but others change every few years. It isn't unheard of."
"Oh." Phew. At least no one will think I'm a failure of a reaper for not getting it right the first time. "Thank you for being so patient with me. I know it must be annoying to have to explain all the basics over and over again."
He shrugs. "It's not a problem. We don't get taught the specifics until we come somewhere like Scythe Grove anyway, so you're not that far behind."
"Except that you've had eighteen years of knowing you're a reaper to prepare for this. I didn't even know I was one until a few days ago."
"But you're picking it up quickly, and that's all that matters."
"Because I haven't started classes yet," I point out. "Once I do, I'm sure the lack of knowledge will become far more prominent."
"That's what you have me and Juliet for. We'll make sure you know the things you need us to. I think Jules plans for the four of us to go on a trip out of the academy in a couple of days time to show you what we do," he says.
The other two still aren't paying any attention to us as we approach a table loaded with different materials.
"Are we allowed to do that?" I ask.
"Encouraged is more like it. We're supposed to go out of the academy and find ghosts who need reaping. Jules and Tobias are one of the best pairs in the academy, even if they are still first years."
"They're not just in a relationship?" Interesting. I wonder how common it is for the reaper pairs to date one another?
I don't dwell on the question, not wanting to have to explain to Mathias where my mind is going. I'm not sure he'll appreciate me wondering about his relationship status.
"No, they're reaper-paired. But they requested it after they won the Grove Captain competition together. I don't blame them. It's unheard of for first-years to win."
"Does that mean Juliet is a seer?"
He shakes his head. "Tobias is the seer, Jules is the porter. Like me."
"I'm still not sure I understand the difference," I admit sheepishly.
Mathias flashes me a reassuring smile. I'm not sure why he's being so patient and understanding with me, but I appreciate it. The way the other students are acting around me may be a surprise, but it's a welcome one. I want to feel like I have a place here, and they're all helping with that.
"There's a bit more to it, but the basic distinction is that seers can talk to ghosts and porters are the ones who can help them move on to the next realm."
"Porters can't speak to ghosts?" A light breeze dances around us, causing the loose strands of my dark hair to tickle against my face. I need to make sure I get more hair ties for when we're doing our reaper thing.
"No. It's why we go out in pairs. The seer does the talking and finds out why the ghost is stuck there. And after the reapers have sorted that out, the porter uses their scythe and helps them move on."
"So why do I need a scythe if I'm only there to talk to ghosts?"
His eyebrows knit together as he considers the question. "I have no idea. Maybe it's just tradition? Or in case something goes wrong. Stronger seers can learn how to port, maybe this is so they can."
"Oh."
We come to a stop in front of the table. The left side of the table is full of different shafts and handles. Some are simple, others twisted by the natural form of the wood, and there are even some with intricately carved patterns. On the right are hunks of metal with no shape or form.
"What do I need to do?" I ask the three of them. I'm guessing they've all made their scythes already and can point me in the right direction.
"We have about five minutes before the smith arrives. You just need to choose which of the materials you want your scythe to be made out of and he'll do the rest," Juliet explains.
"Is there anything I should be looking for? Materials I should be avoiding?" I don't want to do this wrong. Especially not when it's going to impact so much.
"No. I'm sure some of them are easier to work with than others, but we've never been told which is which. You just need to find what's right for you." Juliet gestures to the table as if unsure what she should be doing with her hands.
I bite my bottom lip but nod anyway and approach the table. I reach out to touch one of the handles, hesitating before my fingers can brush against the material.
"Am I allowed to touch?"
"It's encouraged," Mathias responds.
I flash him a grateful smile, noticing that Juliet and Tobias have already pulled away to talk to one another until I get to the next stage. So long as they don't forget we're here completely.
The wood is smooth to my touch, without any ornamentation or fancy features. This is the kind of thing I feel as if I should be drawn to. But I'm not. I feel no connection with the polished wood.
I move down the line, examining each of the scythe shafts in turn to try and determine which of them will fit me the best. I've never even imagined myself doing something like this, even with the countless fantasy books I devoured as a child. It makes the whole situation rather surreal.
I pass by a metalwork staff. It's beautiful, but looks as if it would catch on my clothing at regular intervals. Not exactly the most practical choice. Then again, if what Mathias says is true, I have no reason to doubt it, seers don't have to use their scythes too much.
"It's this one," I blurt out the moment my hand rests on a cylindrical piece of dark wood, taking myself and everyone else by surprise.
"Okay." Mathias lifts it from the table and takes it over to a second smaller table I hadn't noticed before.
"You're not going to question me?" I check. Shouldn't he be asking me whether I'm sure of my choice or if I want to double-check?
He shrugs."We've all been in your position. If you say that's the right choice, then it is."
"Oh." I suppose that makes sense. My new friends did say I needed to trust myself like I did in the grove. "Now what?"
"You do the same again for the head of the scythe." He gestures to the other side of the table where the lumps of metal sit.
I nod, apprehension building within me. The shafts are one thing, but lumps of metal are another. How can I know for sure which is going to be right?
I do the same thing as before, running my hands over the different metals and waiting for one of them to feel right. I don't understand how this process works,
and maybe I never will, but I'm starting to feel more confident about trusting my instincts.
"This," I say softly, resting my hand on top of one of the blocks. I have no idea what metal it is, and even if I'm told the name of it, I doubt it'll mean anything to me. I haven't spent a lot of time learning about the different properties of metals.
Or wood for that matter. I'm not sure whether that will change now I'm at Scythe Grove, but I guess I'll find out.
"Good, the smith is here waiting," Mathias says, nodding to a large man with arms the size of my entire body.
Ish. It's a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. If I had to guess his occupation based on his appearance, a blacksmith would definitely be it.
"Have you decided on your materials, Miss Weston?" the smith asks in a deep rumbling voice.
I nod and pick up the block of metal to take it over to the wood.
"Excellent choices," he says. "I need you to touch both of the pieces and hold still for thirty seconds."
"Why?" I place my hands on the items even as I'm asking.
"It will help me forge them into the perfect scythe for you."
"Ah." I fall silent, counting to thirty in my head while waiting for him to tell me I can stop. I don't want to get this wrong.
"All right, that's everything. I will send a message to your dorm room when your scythe is ready to collect," he says, picking up the wood and metal as if they weigh nothing and heading away.
"I guess that's it, then," I mutter. "What now?"
"We can spend the rest of the afternoon doing what we wish to," Mathias says.
"Would you bring me up to speed on all the things I need to know before class?" I ask before I lose the nerve. "I know it's not particularly interesting for you, but I don't want to make a fool of myself when the time comes."
"I'm happy to," he assures me. "But don't worry about me being bored. I'm happy to help you in any way I can, Syxe."
I love the way he says my name. It's like he sees me in a way no one ever has before. And it isn't just him. Juliet makes me feel the same way too. Like I matter to the life of the academy. It's a welcome change, and one I hope won't go away.
Chapter Eight
It isn't until we're approaching the entrance to the Sakura Grove tower that I realise Tobias is still with us.
"Is Tobias allowed in the common room?" I ask, confused about how this works.
"Of course, why wouldn't he?" Mathias returns.
"You said he was the captain of Ilex Grove, right?" Doesn't that mean he's banned from setting foot in one of the other Grove's spaces?
"Yes, but that doesn't really mean anything. The Groves are more a way of mixing everyone up so students don't always spend their time with the people they've been friends with for years," Mathias explains. "A lot of reapers live near one another as children, so we go to school together even before we get here. The academy wants to shake it up."
"Oh."
"You seem disappointed?" He pushes the door open so I can go through it.
"It's just not what I expected."
"Is any of this what you thought it would be?" he points out.
"I never really thought about this as an option," I remind him.
"Would you like a drink?" he asks, gesturing towards the vending machine.
"Coffee please."
"I can't believe you like that stuff," he mutters, but goes over to the machine anyway.
"We have a Grove Captain meeting to go to," Juliet says before I can ask them to join us. "We'll catch up with you later?"
I nod. "Thank you for going with me today."
"Always." She smiles warmly at me.
I misjudged her badly when I first arrived here. I thought she was going to be stuck up and act as if she's better than everyone, but that's far from the person I've experienced since.
She waves goodbye, and the two of them disappear through the door that leads into the rest of the academy building.
"Where do you want to sit?" Mathias asks, holding out one of the small paper cups.
"Anywhere works."
He directs us over to a pair of armchairs.
I set my coffee down on the table between them and take a seat with Mathias opposite me, his own steaming vending cup. Now I'm thinking about it, perhaps there are better options for hot drinks.
"So, what would you have been doing if you weren't here?" he asks.
"Huh?"
"You said you'd never thought about ending up here, so what did you think you were going to be doing?"
Ah. That's a difficult one to answer. Partly because I don't know the answer. The Shadow Oath is a mystery to all of us.
"I don't know," I say honestly.
"You never thought about what career you'd want to pursue?"
He seems genuinely surprised by that, and I suppose I can understand why. Most humans think about that kind of thing and plan for what they're going to study at university once they're done with school. I just always assumed that what happened after the Shadow Oath wouldn't allow me to pursue anything.
"Honestly, no. Maybe a part of me has always felt like I was different and that's why. I mean different other than being able to see ghosts." I lean forward and pick up my coffee. I blow across the top of it before taking a sip, having learned the hard way not to drink it too quickly.
"I suppose that makes sense."
"When was the first time you saw a ghost?" I ask him.
"I don't remember. They've been around for as long as I can remember. But my parents took me and Tobias to a graveyard when we were six or seven to properly introduce us to one for the first time."
"That's a bit grim."
He chuckles. "Is it? We already knew we were reapers and would be dealing with the dead, it isn't anything weird."
"I hadn't thought about it like that."
"Which is understandable," he assures me. "I know you haven't had any clue about this before."
"It's all a bit new and overwhelming," I admit. "I'm not sure what I need to do to catch up with everyone."
"I wouldn't worry about it too much. From what I've seen you pick things up quickly. You'll be up to speed on everything you need to know before too long."
"I hope you're right. I don't want everyone thinking of me as a lost cause."
"No one will think that," he promises.
"You can't know that for sure."
"True. But I've known a lot of the people who go here for many years. And it's a small academy. Everyone knows everything about everyone. I'm not trying to say that no one has any faults or anything like that. Obviously, that isn't true. But it's a generally accepting place."
"I hope you're right."
"You'll discover I normally am." A cheeky grin stretches over his face.
"I'll believe that when I have proof of it," I tease.
"I plan on giving it to you."
I believe him. Everything I've seen from Mathias so far suggests he's a genuinely good person. Though perhaps after realising how badly I judged Juliet, I shouldn't be trusting my opinion of him quite yet.
But I want to believe people are genuinely decent.
"You still haven't told me much about how you grew up," he says, bringing me back into the conversation.
"No."
"No, you admit you haven't, or no, you don't want to tell me?" He sets his half-empty cup on the table.
I sigh dramatically. "It's very boring. I'm an orphan. I was taken in by a group of people and brought up with a few other orphans. The rest of my childhood was standard. I went to school until last year and that's it."
"What happened to your parents?"
"I have no idea. I don't even know their names."
"Does it bother you?" he seems genuinely interested and something the way he's asking makes me want to tell him.
"Yes. But I've asked and no one will tell me anything." I pick up my paper cup and take a drink, mostly for something to do rather than because I want it.
"Ha
ve you tried to find anything out yourself?"
"I didn't get very far. I don't know the name I was given at birth, but apparently, it isn't Syxe Weston."
"Ah. I can see how that's a potential problem."
"Maybe knowing they were reapers will help." I frown. "They're probably both reapers, right? I'm not some kind of half-reaper?"
"I doubt it. You haven't had any problems doing reaper things yet, and that would be the case if you have one human parent."
"That's good to know, thank you."
We fall into a comfortable silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I'd given up on the chance of discovering the truth of where I came from, but this gives me a chance to change that.
I don't think I'm ready to do anything about it just yet, but it's good to know I'll be able to when I am.
Chapter Nine
My scythe rests heavily against my back, an unusual feeling. I'm sure I'll get used to it over time, but as this is the first time I've worn the harness for it.
There's no way around it, though. Without the scythe, I can't go out and do reaper things. Though I have to wonder if I'm ready. I've only had a couple of lessons and I'm still not too sure what I have to do.
Tobias and Juliet walk ahead of us, making their way into a small room. When they said we were going outside, this isn't what I had in mind. But the headmistress said there were other ways to get in and out of the academy. This must be one of them.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I ask Mathias.
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'm not ready. I have no idea what I'm doing. What if I do something wrong?"
"You're not going to do anything wrong. We're going to be with you the entire time."
"I thought reapers only worked in pairs."
"Sometimes we work in bigger groups. And we thought you'd be more comfortable if there was another seer with us when you go out so you can have peace of mind."
A small smile spreads over my face. "Thank you. I appreciate it."
"We want to make this as easy as possible for you. I can't imagine how overwhelming it must be for you to have all of this thrown at you." He pauses. "How are you holding up?"
Shadow Seer (Scythe Grove Academy Book 1) Page 4