One by one, as the Reapers descended upon us, my crew connected physically to one another, until we were all linked. I took a deep breath, and we vanished, shortly before the scythes came down from multiple angles, glistening blades aching for our throats.
In the split second of darkness that followed, I braced myself for what would come next. For Death wouldn’t let herself be approached with ease…
Taeral
This was as close as I’d gotten to the waterfall palace. I’d managed to teleport us all outside the beautiful structure, its paper walls and sturdy, red-painted wooden frame towering over us. The modular roofs looked even bigger from where we now stood, like slate-stone giants bending beneath the weight of the sky itself. From inside, candlelight flickered in every room. The plateau was simple and covered in short grass, and waterfalls gushed from beneath, pouring down into the ring-shaped pond from which streams began to slip outward through the tall forest. The sound of running water overlapped with the tomb-like silence of this place.
Amelia walked over to the edge and looked down the mountain, while Varga used his True Sight to survey the woods and the palace’s interior. The pull I’d felt earlier was even stronger now, my body fighting to stand in one place, every muscle tense in its resistance. I could barely think straight, my chest aching.
“Oh, this isn’t good,” Amelia said, looking at me. Her expression said it all. “I can see ghosts, even without your scythe, and they’re making their way up the mountain.”
“Quite a few,” I mumbled, also worried the Reapers weren’t far behind. The rest of the crew spread out, ready for a violent offensive from multiple angles and determined to allow Lumi, Eira, and me to get inside.
“Hundreds,” Amelia replied.
“What’s the view from the inside, Varga?” I asked, bracing myself for the worst.
“Um… Not much, I’m afraid. Something’s blocking my True Sight,” he said. “It’s all fuzzy and smoky and… I’m sorry, I can’t see anything in there. But I can tell you there are more spirits coming through the woods. They’re all moving like they have no other choice.”
“It’s like this place has its own supernatural alarm system,” Lumi grumbled. “As soon as we set foot here, the ghosts were basically activated, forced to come here and take us on.”
“That, and the Reapers, too,” Raphael said, gazing into the distance. “I can see fleeting glimmers across the sky, getting closer. There’s no time left. Tae, you need to move!”
I didn’t wait to be told twice. Taking Eira’s and Lumi’s hands, I gave Amelia a brief nod. “Good luck out here.”
“I’m more worried about you three right now,” she croaked.
The three of us rushed across the grassy plateau and up the wooden stairs, which had been painted black and covered in a smooth lacquer. I could almost see our reflections on the surface. We made our way to the top and stopped in front of the massive double doors, which, unlike the walls, had been made from gold, sculpted with ample mythological scenes of warriors and dragons. I couldn’t help but wonder where the story had come from, because it didn’t seem Earthly at all, and it certainly didn’t ring any bell from the Supernatural Dimension or the In-Between. This was folklore from another, unknown world, for sure, eerily similar to the ancient Chinese, though. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, since people from other cultures and other dimensions had made their way to Earth, before.
“I doubt there’s a bell we can ring,” Lumi said.
Behind us, swords screeched and clanged. A vicious fight had already erupted in the few seconds we’d spent crossing the plateau. Our crew was surrounded by ghosts that could touch them and the Reapers we’d left behind earlier. We only had moments to get in before Baethal and his cohort realized we weren’t among those on our team.
I teleported us beyond the double doors, with little concern as to whether that would be possible. The burning pain in my chest had been confirmation enough that I was closer to my target now than seconds ago.
Inside, it was quiet. Wall lamps made of polished wood and silk paper glimmered down the hallway, casting a soft, yellow light. On both sides, rooms were lined up all the way to the end of the corridor, with beautifully painted screens acting as sliding doors. But there was no one inside.
We moved through the hallway, carefully looking to our left and our right. The rooms were decorated sensibly, with soft, dark-colored carpets and low beds, bamboo tables, and chairs with delicate carvings. The paintings on the walls drew my attention—each of them depicted a single character, a beautiful young woman with white skin, lips as red as summer cherries, and long, flowing hair. The scenes varied across the rooms, from the young woman filling a pitcher of water from a white, foaming river to her riding a tall, black stallion, a long-handled scythe in her hand as the full moon rose behind her.
“This is where she lives,” I murmured. “This is her home…”
“So many rooms. I wonder who else is here with her,” Eira replied, eyes wide as she tried to take it all in. Despite her calm voice, her tremors were visible. She was overwhelmed by this entire moment, and I couldn’t blame her. A little over a week ago, she was still commanding a garrison of Cerixian troops, barely aware of who she was and what was about to be thrown at her.
“Can you smell that?” Lumi asked, her nostrils flaring.
I took a deep breath and caught the delicate scent. It was floral, but not too sweet. Intense, but not powerful. The combination made my skin tingle, as the fragrance didn’t seek to invade us, but rather charm and welcome us—a stark contrast to what was happening outside.
“It’s jasmine,” I said, finally putting my finger on it. “Some kind of essential oil, I think.”
At the end of the hallway, two screen doors awaited. Beyond, four colored lights could be seen, like fuzzy watercolors splashed against the white paper. On both sides of the doors, two small black tables had been set. On top of them, fragrance diffusers worked their magic—candles burned beneath the black clay bowls, in which water had been mixed with the very essential oil I’d just mentioned. I could see the greasy pearls as they lingered in the water, gradually evaporating. The scent was significantly sharper here.
I exhaled, glancing at Eira and Lumi. “Are you ready? We’re not sure what awaits beyond these doors.”
“It can’t be worse than what’s outside,” Lumi replied.
I smiled and pushed the screens to the side, revealing a wider hallway, with more rooms opening on each side. My heart jumped up in my throat at the sight of what stood at the end. Four Hermessi figures, four humanoid flames burning brightly white, blue, orange, and green. I held my breath for a moment.
“I take back my previous statement,” Lumi mumbled.
I noticed the soft sheen of her skin. It was as if light flowed through her veins, and she wasn’t even aware of it. I figured it had something to do with the Word, and I had to take it as a positive sign—maybe her power would help us soon, because I had no idea how we might be able to get past those Hermessi. Granted, I could try teleporting us again, but what if that no longer worked here? I had to consider all options.
This was Death’s home, and I doubted she’d make it easy. I worried that our advance so far could very well be in vain, that it had only served as a means to get our hopes up before mercilessly crushing them.
“They’re not moving,” Eira said, staring at the Hermessi.
I recognized their colors. Air and Earth stood by the left of the doors, while Fire and Water settled on the right. And, just like Eira had noticed, they were still, simply standing there. Fear threatened to cloud my judgment, but Death’s pull was even stronger. Every step I took was bringing me closer to her, and the connection was simply undeniable.
“We should keep moving. See what happens,” I whispered.
Cautious in our movements, we stepped forward. After we passed by the first rooms, we stopped, freezing on the spot. They had décor similar to that of the chambers before, with paintings of Death on the walls. Only these ones were inhabited by spirits, which simply stood close to the sliding screens and watched us. There were two of them in each room, I realized—mostly males and females from different species, all of them dressed in white, silken robes, translucent.
“Keep walking,” Lumi advised us.
Eventually, the three of us managed to move again, passing by the rest of the rooms. By now, we’d counted about a hundred ghosts, pairs silently watching us. I couldn’t ignore the sad look in their eyes, though I wasn’t sure who it was that they were feeling sad for—us or themselves.
Ahead, the Hermessi were still, but I could feel them watching. I sensed the rush of wind through my veins, the trickle of water down my spine, the blaze of fire in the pit of my stomach, and the earthly weight in my feet. Nevertheless, I kept walking, with Eira and Lumi by my side.
“It could be they’re not attacking because Death commanded them not to,” Eira suggested, her voice shaky. That calm demeanor from earlier had dissolved into an understandable state of dread, which, if I were to be truly honest, we all shared. But like I’d said to Baethal earlier, we’d come too far to stop now.
