by Ali Winters
“I take it my dad vouched for me?” Where did that come from? Kain cringed. The word had slipped from his lips without his permission. He’d have to be more careful when Holter was around.
“No, you did that on your own. You worked with us and with the Reapers. You never gave up on the true goal. It was far more than could be expected, given that you grew up away from all knowledge of it. We were never meant to be Hunters, Kain. Though we might not be immortal anymore, we still want to be the Watchers we were destined to be.”
“I didn’t have a grand plan in mind when I did any of that. I just did what I felt was right. Anybody would do the same.”
“Not just anybody, Kain…” Azira walked with her head down, one step ahead of him. It was all he could do to hear her disheartened voice. “It’s different when you grow up being taught that something is evil. It takes a lot of soul searching and the desire to change before someone can even begin to alter the way they think. Not everyone is so willing to throw out the way they think, even with undeniable proof staring them in the face.”
“You said you changed,” Kain pointed out.
“Yes, but I prefer to think logically. I don’t hold onto things as if they’re set in stone. If I’m given proof that something is incorrect, I will do my best to correct it. And… I really do hold our original purpose close. Both the facts and the balance are important to me.” Her voice trailed off and she didn’t speak further on the subject. It was then that Kain realized the real reason for the tour. To help convince him that they had changed—or some of them had changed.
“I see.”
“Do you think she holds it against us?” Azira spun on him, catching him off guard for the second time.
“Who, Yeva?” Kain was thoroughly confused.
“The Reaper…” she whispered.
“Uh, no, not at all. Nivi’s not that type of person.”
Azira tilted her head to the side, contemplating his answer. “Okay, good.” Her mood instantly brightened and she turned again leading the way through the maze.
He let his thoughts wander back to Nivian. It felt wrong not having her there with him. Kain frowned. It was possible these feelings had grown from what they’d been through together, though that explanation didn’t seem to satisfy him.
It felt like more than that.
Much more.
“Look, I’m a bit tired from the long drive, do you mind if we finish this tour another time?” Kain asked after a few moments of silence. “I’d like to see a bit of the lab before I take off.”
“Sure thing,” she said taking the Hansel and pressing a seemingly random series of buttons. “We can’t make it too easy to find the lab. I’ll teach you the code next time.” Azira explained when Kain raised an eyebrow.
He gave her a polite grin not wanting to be rude, but no longer in the mood to talk.
Lines of white lights lit up the edges of the floor and led them back through the maze of tunnels. He was glad they had brought it. On their way through, he’d thought it would be easy to find their way back. But the twists and turns they took on their return made him realize just how far they had gone. They didn’t speak as they made their way to the main lab, and Kain was happy to finish the tour in silence.
ELEVEN
CASPIAN
NIVIAN AND EVANDER had done well. Together, and with the other assignments completed in tandem, another massive shift in the balance had been prevented. If not for their efforts and those of the others Reapers working hard, the echoes of the veil between realms beginning to break down would have grown stronger and more violent. For the time being, they had been quieted.
Caspian massaged his throbbing temples and released a sigh from the stress that had been building over the course of the past few weeks. So far, he had managed to call the life forces that were required to the weakened spot, to avoid the looming catastrophe that threatened existence. The energy of each mortal was strong and hardly used to its potential. Unfortunately, their time had been cut short. It went against the most basic reaping laws to end lives prematurely, but it was the only solution that would have an immediate effect, and it was the only one within his power.
Evander was surprising in his performance. Both he and Nivian returned in half the time expected, and from what she’d reported, Evander was a natural and would soon prove to be an extremely valuable Silencer.
Caspian shifted his gaze to the box that sat inconspicuously on the corner of his desk, full of completed assignments—life energy waiting to be taken and returned to the earth. He needed to take action soon or the energy would fade away and be lost forever.
Finger tapping relentlessly on the cover of the Tome of Fate, Caspian debated on the actions he should take. Waiting for Silas to come seemed risky considering the amount of time that had passed since he’d last seen him. Time was running short and the last thing he wanted to risk was letting all that precious energy go to waste. Caspian would have to take care of the life forces himself, a task he didn’t have the power to execute on a regular basis. It would do as a last resort in this case, but could not be allowed to be a permanent solution.
With the veil between realms weakened by the constant shifts in the balance, it would not take much for things to become disastrous.
Silas had been gone too long from his duties. With Yeva’s defeat, he had assured Caspian things were back to normal. But after they had spoken, it had quickly become clear that was anything other than the reality of the situation. Unusual shifts in the balance began to take place, unlike any he'd experienced before and they could not be explained.
He pushed away from his desk, the chair scraping against the floor as Caspian stood abruptly. His hands snatched up the box as he rounded the desk and headed for the door, locking it behind him.
Traveling down to the lower reaches of G.R.I.M. Headquarters, far below the surface, his footsteps echoed off the obsidian walls of the hall and down the spiraling stairwell. He paused at the bottom of the stairs. A strange chill running through his veins gave him pause.
Slowly turning his sight to the doors across the hall, he swallowed a lump that formed in his throat. One side was closed, but the other had been left ajar. In all his existence, they were always either closed tight or wide open. Silas either welcomed the business of Reapers or demanded his privacy. There had never been an in between.
Caspian crossed the space with long strides and abruptly stopped. His hand hovered an inch over the handle. His hesitation lasted only a second before he pushed open the doors wide and strode through.
The room was cold and silent, the air unnaturally still. Not a single mote of dust had been disturbed from shifts in the air from the usual movements occupancy created, as though Silas had not been around for days. The uneasy feeling settled in his stomach. The further he went into Silas’s lair, the more he knew something was amiss.
Caspian cursed himself, he should have come to check earlier and not have waited as long as he had. He closed his eyes and reached out with his energy, feeling the space around him. A feeling of dread came over him when he could not locate the ancient’s power anywhere within the Headquarters. He expanded his search for Silas to the far reaches of Mophar and still, there was nothing. Not even so much as the faintest flicker.
“That should not be possible,” Caspian mumbled to himself. A Reaper couldn’t just disappear into thin air. If Silas were to ever be destroyed the veil… Caspian stopped as a terrifying thought occurred to him. The shifting and breaking down of the veil. Could Silas’s destruction have been the cause? Would I have not felt it?
He’d always assumed the breaking down and imbalance would hit hard and fast, that all realms would feel it immediately. The possibility that he could have been wrong in his assumptions all this time stilled him. His throat dried with the fear.
“No,” he stated firmly, refusing to believe it. There had to be another explanation. There wasn’t a being alive that could destroy Silas.
The larg
e room was immaculate, the throne sat in the very center of the dark round room. The chandelier above still glowed with the blackness of Reaper powers.
Caspian strode to the table of vials Silas kept on hand. They were all in their places, set in neat and tidy rows. He set the box filled with assignments on top of the wooden surface and continued to search for him. The watches could wait a few minutes more.
Continuing, he walked around the throne to the darkest corner of the room, the only sounds that greeted him were of his shoes against the stone floor. Moving past the center, he entered the shadows.
All was still.
A pale blue light glowed softly from a thin opening between thick panels of cloth. He reached up with both hands and pushed the thick curtain aside. Upon the dais was positioned a large, intricately designed vessel. The milky blue Waters of Soyala, where the raw source of all Reaper’s powers originated, was the source of the light.
Caspian stepped forward. His foot kicked a metal object making it skid across the stone floor, hitting the base of the dais. He glanced down, brow furrowing in confusion at the chalice tossed carelessly onto the ground. Water puddled on the stone floor under his feet. Stepping back, he bent over and picked up the sacred cup.
He’d had his suspicions, but now there could be no denying it. Something was wrong.
Silas understood how important the chalice and the Waters of Soyala were to their purpose. He would never waste the precious energy with such disrespect. It was beyond reproachable and unthinkable. Caspian turned it over in his hand examining the intricate carvings before setting it down on the edge of the basin.
With a frown, he gripped the stem in his fist and turned sharply on his heel, striding to the throne in the center of the room. He hesitated for only a second before sitting down in the seat. His hands rested on the armrests, fingers wrapping around the ends and gripping them so tightly he thought his bones might break.
Caspian took in several slow, deep breaths then closed his eyes and focused. Once again, reaching out past the Headquarters, past the edges of Mophar, and into the human realm. The fingers of his power searched; every inch, every corner, every cave, until he’d left no stone unturned.
But Silas’s power was missing… as if he’d never existed. There hadn’t even been a single filament of the ancient’s energy left behind for him to follow.
Caspian let go, his power snapping back to him almost painfully. He grimaced, already feeling the strain of using his powers in a way he was not accustomed to.
Silas had been acting different since the fight. Distracted. Ever since Yeva had walked back into his life. He narrowed his eyes and wondered if she was at the root of Silas’s disappearing act.
He remembered how her power buzzed like a steady stream of electricity, opposing the smooth steady flow of a Reaper’s. Hers had given him the sensation that thousands of bees covered every inch of his body, droning until his skin hummed with their life energy. Unsettling as it was, he swallowed hard and focused.
Caspian searched the sanctuary atop the mountain where Yeva had slept for centuries. Without her presence, the protective shield had dissipated, allowing the icy winds and snow to overtake it and killing the tropical forest that had reigned for so long. He stretched further… everywhere within the human realm.
A bead of sweat trickled down his temple. The faint hum of her power was spread across the globe. Traces fading with time. Shadows of what was left when the world had felt her again after so long had soaked up everything she’d been willing to give in the brief time she’d walked the surface.
But Yeva was nowhere to be found.
His powers recoiled and he gasped for breath. The search had left him drained and panting from the exertion as he leaned his head against the back of the chair.
He didn't know where else he could look; there was nowhere she could be. Yeva would not be able to survive within Mophar for long. Each minute would slowly break down her life force, shriveling it until it faded from existence. And the Underworld was a place only the dead could traverse. Likewise, Silas would be unable to remain outside Mophar for long before his existence was in danger.
Caspian knew he had to assume the worst had happened. He was not strong enough to replace Silas, only having the power to assign the final fate of mortals. Silas had strengthened Nivian’s powers months ago. Though she did not know it, she was second only to Silas. And she was the only one who could handle taking over his position, the only one who could handle that much power.
She would be the next Keeper of Fate.
Glancing across the room, his gaze fell upon the box he’d left on the table. The life forces of the reaped needed to be taken care of, and soon. While he could use the power he had to do it, it would drain him. And beginning Nivian’s training now would be best—for all of them.
Caspian clenched his fists. She was not ready, yet the fate of the realms rested on her shoulders. It was unfair, but there was no other choice.
Even on the chance Silas returned soon, any delay in action could lead to disaster. It would be better to start preparations now than wait until it’s too late.
TWELVE
KAIN
THE CLANGING OF gears sounded loud, rattling Kain's tired mind and echoing through the long metal corridor as the doors slid open to let them back into the laboratory.
“Well, that was quick,” Holter said looking up at Kain who was followed by a silent Azira.
“Yeah,” Kain agreed, rubbing the back of his neck.
Holter’s forehead creased. “What’s the matter? Didn’t you two get along?” he asked turning his body toward them with his hands on his hips. He looked every bit the disapproving father.
“We got along. It’s just getting late and I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Holter grunted as he placed the clear, flat piece of plastic he’d been working on down on the table and began packing various computer chips in a small padded box. Kain watched as the older man continued to clean up the station. His hands moved deftly around the table as though he had done this exact motion a thousand times before.
“What are you working on?” Kain found himself asking even as his stomach grumbled loudly, reminding him that he hadn’t taken the time to eat yet today.
Holter paused his movements and lifted the tablet, handing it to Kain. It was surprisingly heavy, just slightly larger than his palm and completely transparent save for the faint glowing red and blue lines that flowed through it in a steady beat. A floating circle hovered near the corner, rotating as it pulsed.
“That is a T-port.”
“A what?” Kain asked looking up.
“A T-Port— it’s a portable telecommunication screen.”
Kain pressed the rotating circle. It hummed, bringing up a floating, holographic keyboard filled with symbols, a number pad, and several commands, that hovered slightly above the standard keys. “This is a video phone?” Kain asked turning to Holter with a questioning glance. “Wouldn’t a cellphone work just as well?”
“It’s more than just a phone. It can work anywhere, under any condition without needing a satellite and it’s charged by light and movement.”
Pressing the rotating symbol once more, Kain watched the display vanish and the small tablet go dim. He handed it back to Holter’s outstretched hand. His shoulders slumped as he allowed the exhaustion he had been attempting to ward off finally hit him. This was definitely something he’d want to come back and explore more of once he had a chance to rest and eat, but as it was in that moment, he felt drained. He just wanted to get a decent night’s sleep. And the prospect of the excruciatingly long trip back to the city was filling him with dread.
Ever since he’d met Nivian, his sleep had been interrupted more than he thought possible. While things had slowed a bit in the past few weeks, she still had the habit of coming to visit at the weirdest hours. Though she did seem to be improving.
“One more thing then we can leave,” Holter said as he h
anded him another device that looked like a black wristband.
Kain took it and examined it. It had three buttons, two on one side, and a single red button on the other. It looked familiar, though he couldn’t place why.
“Press the single button on the side.”
Kain did as instructed. A red light in the upper corner lit up and blinked. His jaw dropped in surprise as it hit him, and he looked up from the watch. He knew where he’d seen it before. “Karen had one of these.”
“Yes, only this one has been improved. Tap the top of it twice.”
Kain did. A hologram of a small keyboard lit up and hovered in front of him. Curiosity piqued, he poked at one of the letters, and instantly above it, the letter formed. He continued to type and watched as the words formed and faded. “Does this message go anywhere?” he asked.
Two chirps sounded behind him bringing his attention back to Azira who was still standing quietly. “Got it!” She beamed and gave her device a tap that brought up the random poem Kain had written.
“I’ve been dying to give these a test run. So far so good, but—there seems to be a delay…” Azira’s voice quieted as she spoke, speaking more to herself rather than anyone else. Muttering, she wandered off to the station Holter had been standing at when they returned.
“There’s some pretty impressive technology here,” Kain said handing the locator back.
“There’s a lot more we can show you,” Holter said, giving him a pointed look. A meaning behind the tone in his voice that Kain was too tired to decipher.
Holter took the band and placed it back in its box. “All right,” he said dusting off his hands. “Let’s head out.”
Azira cleared her throat startling Kain; he had expected her to go about her job again. She jerked her head in Kain’s direction a few times, and wiggled her eyebrows at Holter.