by Ali Winters
Her feet pounded harder along the ground. The crystals were nothing but a blur as she raced through the tunnel until she reached the bottom of the stairs. She stopped suddenly and pressed a hand to the cold, stone wall to steady herself as a thought struck her.
She’d once been a Hunter like Kain. Nivian straightened and looked down at her hands. Had her body been stolen? Did Hades plan on doing the same to Kain as Silas had done to her? Or… was she reading too much into it?
She couldn’t let Hades turn Kain into a Reaper, he had to remain a Hunter.
Nivian bounded up the circular staircase and burst through the hidden doorway into Silas’s throne room and ran for the double doors. She threw her cloak around her shoulders and transported mid stride to the top floor, right outside Caspian’s office.
In the past, breaking that particular rule would have bothered her, now it just seemed superfluous. They didn’t have time for formalities.
Caspian stood looking out of the center arched window. His hands clasped behind his back, the fingers of one curled into a tight fist.
His back went rigged then, slowly, he turned to her, face slackened.
“Am I dreaming?” he whispered, the muscles of his face slackened by awe.
“Caspian,” Nivian said, panting as she crossed the room and slammed her hands down atop the desk. “I need—”
“You’re back,” he said softly, as if not hearing her speak. He moved around the desk and took her face in both hands and looked at her as if he were afraid she’d vanish into a puff of smoke.
He seemed older to her somehow. Though he was ageless and never changed, something about him was different now. Had she done that to him?
Nivian placed her hands on his wrists and lowered them from her face. “How was I turned into a Reaper?” she demanded.
Caspian stared, his dark obsidian pools storming over. “I—you—you…” he stuttered.
He took a moment to collect himself, putting on a mask Nivian hadn’t seen since… actually, she couldn’t remember a time when he looked as he did now. As if he were debating on whether or not he should give her a truth or a lie.
“I am unsure,” he said slowly, “but that doesn’t matter now. You are back and we can perform the ceremony for you and then I will need you to help with Holter’s.”
She shook her head. “No, you don’t understand, I need to know how I became a Reaper—it’s important.” Nivian clasped her hands around his, desperate.
Caspian’s face darkened. “Nivian, you cannot bring Kain back. You must put such things behind you and do your duty.”
“You’re wrong.” She stepped back. “I can bring him back. Please Caspian, tell me how.”
Caspian stood perfectly still. Pain streaked across his eyes before he looked away. “It was Silas. He did something. I wasn’t allowed to be there,” he said, his words painfully quiet.
Hades had nothing to do with her transformation… so when she brought Kain back he wouldn’t turn into a Reaper. It had been Silas who’d done this to her. That was all she needed to know for now, though she could tell there was a lot more to his story than Caspian had shared.
Caspian looked up, the turmoil of the memory gone from his expression. “We are running out of time.”
“What are you talking about? We have months. Just—”
“No, Nivian.” Caspian frowned. “You have been gone for almost a year, time is running out.”
Almost a year? It was impossible for that much time to have passed.
And all at once, her strength left her. She stumbled to the side. Caspian caught her and guided her to the chair. As soon as she felt the cushion hit the back of her knees, she let herself drop.
She looked ahead, unseeing. “H-how much time do we have left?”
“Days… a week at most. Then the realms will begin their permanent separation. From there, it will only be a matter of days... Or hours.”
She dragged her eyes up to meet his. “I can bring Kain back.”
“We need to perform the ceremonies,” he countered, ignoring her.
Their gazes locked in a battle of wills.
“Nivi…” he said after a while, kneeling to eye level.
“It’s not a hope, he’s at the gates of the Underworld right now waiting for me to return.”
“Are you sure?” He looked doubtful.
His hand brushed over her forehead, but she shoved it away and stood. A sliver of doubt had crept into his voice so she took hold of it and embraced her mission.
“Yes, but… I need your help. I need you to trust me and what I’m about to say…” Nivian trailed off as the gravity of the situation came crashing back.
Stupid. She was so stupid. She had let herself block out the worst part—that she would have to reap an undeserving Hunter.
Caspian considered her request. Nivian begged him silently to believe her, to trust that what she had to do was necessary. To not think she’d lost her mind.
“I am always on your side, Nivian. I will listen to what you have to say.”
“I know I disobeyed orders by leaving in the first place, but you know me, you know I would never do anything like that if I thought it might harm the balance. I did this because we both know Kain is the only one who can survive the transfer of powers,” she babbled on until he held up a hand to silence her.
“Tell me what must be done.”
In that moment, his trust in her meant everything. He could have forced her to the ceremony, refused to listen. But even when she presented him with something wholly unbelievable he still gave her a chance.
“To bring Kain back… Hades is requiring a soul of equal value in return…” She let that sink in for a few seconds then clarified so there would be no misunderstanding. “He is demanding a Hunter in exchange.” She hiccupped on the surge of emotions bubbling their way up, trying to steal her voice. “I don’t know how—who—”
His eyes widened. “We cannot reap a Hunter whose time has not come. Do you want to start another war with the little time we have left?”
She drew her brows together. “Caspian, you know I wouldn’t just reap someone… I don’t know how, but I do know that Kain is the only way.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
She could feel his anger radiating off him in waves. Though his outward appearance remained stoic and calm, a storm raged in the endless obsidian of his eyes.
“The Moirai have told me—wait!” Nivian pushed past him and rounded his desk as an idea struck. “I can prove it to you, I think.”
She placed her hands upon the Tome of Fate.
“I should probably give this back now,” she said, glancing up to gave him an apologetic twitch of her lips. Then, reaching for the leather cord around her neck she pulled out the eye of the Tome and replaced it into the setting on the cover.
He tightened his fists at his side and with his lips pressed into a hard, thin line he looked as if he might chastise her right then and there. Instead, he only nodded for her to continue.
Light raced over it from top to bottom as it sealed itself into place. Nivian opened the book and asked, “Is what the Moirai told me the truth—is Kain the only one who can become the Guardian of Life?”
The page before her lit up with a warm yellow light as shapes and letters swirled in a mad rush along the parchment. Nivian hoped she was right, that the Tome could answer this question. It was the only way she could think of that could work. He might think her crazy, but he would believe the Tome. Lying was not within its capacity.
The shadows danced for a long time and she thought it might go on forever, or until he tired of waiting and closed the book. But then, slowly, a single word formed atop the page.
Caspian choked and sputtered but Nivian didn’t take her eyes off the paper until she saw his hands framing hers on either side of the book.
“So it is true…” he finally said. He paled, almost taking on a slight greenish hue. Caspian swallowed hard. “You must g
o and ask for a volunteer, we cannot force this burden upon anyone.”
“How can I do it?” she whispered. Hot tears sprung to her eyes. “How can I ask someone to willingly die?”
“Because if someone does not volunteer, then we are all doomed. If Kain is the only option we have, then we have no other choice.” Caspian reached across the desk and plucked up a piece of parchment, then he dipped the gold tipped quill into the ink bottle and wrote.
He handed her the mark, blank, save for the time limit.
Exactly twenty-four hours from that moment.
Nivian looked up at him, head listing to the side.
“It is all the time we can afford to give,” he said, answering her unspoken question.
He capped the bottle of ink and cleaned the quill before placing them in a small bag, which he held out to her. She couldn’t stop looking at the note. When she didn’t take it, he lifted her hand and placed it in her palm, wrapping her fingers around the soft velvet bag.
“The Hunter who will make the sacrifice must sign their name to make it official. We must go now.”
“We?” she asked quietly, almost unbelieving.
“I will go with you.”
She couldn’t put words to how much it meant that he would be with her while she asked for one of their friends to make the sacrifice.
Azira led them through the underground tunnels of Hunter Corp. She kept stealing glances back at Nivian, which she pretended not to notice. Eventually, Azira turned and started walking backward and looked from one Reaper to the other.
“You two have been really quiet, it’s a bit unnerving… what’s wrong?”
Nivian looked at her friend, wanting to give her an answer, but she had no idea where to start.
“Azira…” Caspian said. The way he spoke her name made Nivian look up at him out of the corner of her eye. “We—we must hurry.”
Azira nodded, turning around and picking up the pace. A few minutes later, she was ushering Caspian and Nivian through their usual meeting room. Nivian had never expected to be there again.
Her eyes drifted around to the various items. It was a bit of a mess now. Maps and notebooks scattered around the far end of the table. Books in disarray on the shelves, stacked on their side in crooked columns.
“You could probably find this room yourself at this point,” Azira joked lightly, accompanied by a nervous laugh. She cleared her throat then pressed a button along the side of the watch like device attached to her wrist.
Beams of light popped up and Azira typed something in the hologram type pad that appeared then swiped at the display when she was done.
“The others should be here soon,” she said.
The room seemed colder than Nivian remembered, but perhaps it was only her nerves leeching the warmth from her bones. She pretended to study the map on the wall, tracing her hand along an invisible route. Anything to avoid the unwavering stare of her friend and her questioning expression.
The door opened and, seconds later, Nivian found two strong arms encircling her tightly. Then they spun her around and she was face to face with Holter as he crushed her to his chest again.
“You’re back,” he said, echoing the words Caspian had spoken earlier. “When? How? Where did you go?” he asked in a rush.
Nivian pulled back slightly. “I’ll explain it all in a moment.”
Anxiety guttered in her stomach as the rest of the usual Hunters piled in, Colin, Azira, and then a man she’d never seen before. She clasped her hands tightly in front of her as they all took a seat and looked on expectantly.
Caspian gave her a nod of encouragement.
She squeezed her hands, knuckles almost popping. “I have been to the Underworld.” Someone snickered somewhere in the back, followed by a low oomph, but she ignored it and pressed on. “I have found a way to bring Kain back—”
Silence fell as everyone in the room stopped breathing.
“That’s impossible,” Colin spat.
“I assure you, it is not,” Caspian cut him off before he could say anything further.
“Nivian,” Holter said as he stood. “Is this true? Where is he?”
She took a deep breath and forced herself to lift her chin and look each of them in the eye. “He’s waiting for me, with Hades. There is one condition to bringing him back.”
Colin scoffed. “And we’re supposed to trust you after what happened to Finn? If bringing the dead back to life is possible like you claim, then why aren’t you bringing him back too?”
“Silence,” Holter hissed.
Azira inched closer to Caspian, her eyes wide with fear. It was almost like she could sense what Nivian was about to say next.
“Hades is requiring an exchange—a soul for a soul. In order to maintain the balance, a Hunter must volunteer. I would like permission to speak with all of the Hunters and ask if one will willingly take his place.”
The weight of her words pressed down on her chest, squeezing her heart until she couldn’t breathe. Nivian waited for Holter and the others to refuse, or allow, her to speak to the group.
“There is no need to speak with everyone. I will do it,” Holter’s voice boomed through the silence.
Nivian’s head snapped up. No.
This hadn’t been what she'd wanted, she’d only wanted a meeting.
“No,” the Hunter Nivian didn’t know spoke up. He crossed his massive forearms over his chest. Tattoos completely engulfed one arm up past the sleeve of his crisp, white button up shirt.
Holter snapped his head to face the man, silencing him with a single look. “I was going to be next to attempt the ceremony anyway.”
“You can’t be serious, you’re the head of this organization.” Colin waved his hands in the air, then glared at Nivian. “We need you here, Holter.”
“Kain is my son, and I would be honored to be able to give him a chance at life.” Holter stood and crossed to Nivian, taking her hand in his. “Tell me what I must do.”
With shaking hands, Nivian pulled the small bag with the piece of parchment, bottle of ink, and quill from inside her cloak and set them on the table, spreading them out.
“Sign your name,” she instructed, the words barely making it past her lips as her throat tightened, trying to strangle them.
He did.
The ink shimmered, then dried, sealing his fate.
Without looking at the others, Holter faced Nivian as if she were the only one in the room with him. “Would you mind taking me home now?”
Nivian nodded, unable to speak.
Holter took her arm and nodded to the others once before guiding her out.
TWENTY-NINE
NIVIAN
NIVIAN SLID HER arm from Holter’s as they appeared at the end of a long gravel driveway. She pressed a hand to her head, warding off the slight dizzy spell from the exertion of transporting him. While not as powerful as Kain, his pure Hunter’s blood ran opposite of her own, creating a drag on her power.
Holter moved to walk toward the large home.
“Can I ask why?” Nivian blurted. She bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, she hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
He turned to her with eyebrows raised and waited for her to speak her question.
“Why you insist on it being you?”
Holter smiled, but a sadness coated it, stealing the brightness the look should have held. “I haven’t been around for most of his life, he isn’t too attached.”
Nivian tilted her head. There was something else he wasn’t saying.
He glanced back at the house, then said, “I will only be a minute, we can talk about this after I’ve said goodbye to Auri.”
And with that, he walked up the steps to the front porch and knocked on the door.
Nivian transported to inside the house, landing at the top of the stairs. She crouched down on the first step and wrapped her arms around her knees.
A beautiful woman walked into view, her hair pulled up into a slightly mes
sy ponytail. Everything about her brightened as she opened the door.
“Holter! Why are you knocking?” She laughed at him and threw her arms around his neck before giving him a deep kiss. “I didn’t hear you drive up.”
Nivian averted her gaze and looked at the long row of photos lining the wall. Each one of them were of Kain. Some with his mother, and some without. But in every single one, he had the biggest, brightest smile showing off the singular dimple in his cheek.
Part of her wanted to find his old room and see what things he liked when he was younger. But she stayed put. There would be future days for such things. Days when she would try to help him remember who he was.
An old, black dog barreled through the house and skidded on the hardwood floor before colliding with Holter’s legs. Nivian covered her mouth, suppressing a giggle. He bent down and scratched behind its ears.
“Nice to see you too, Bear,” he said, then placed a kiss on its head.
When Holter rose to full height, he took Aurelia by the hand and led her into the other room. She could see some of each of them in Kain.
Nivian walked down the stairs, careful not to make any noise, and sat on the bottom step. Bear curled up on the floor at her feet. Absentmindedly, she reached down to pet his head; he was so soft, she wouldn’t have minded snuggling up next to him. She would think about getting one someday.
Holter’s voice carried from the other room. He sounded happy. Happier than she knew was in his heart.
“I have to leave on a last minute trip tonight for the office,” he said.
“Oh no, when will you be back?”
“A week, two at the most,” he lied.
There was an audible thickness to his words. Sorrow.
Aurelia asked him when he had to leave and the disappointment she felt at hearing the answer was tangible.
Nivian bit her lip and stood, placing her hood over her head. This wasn’t her conversation to listen to. She wasn’t entirely sure what had possessed her to go inside in the first place.
“Have a good trip. I will see you when you get back, maybe we can go on that second honeymoon?”