“Cool. So, we need a plan for this,” Zane said. “And we need it now.”
“I’m game,” Caspian replied. “It does make me feel more useful, given what our world is dealing with.”
I walked over to Ramin, noticing the ruby-like shimmer of his long tailfeathers. “There you have it. We’re saving your ass.”
“And I am humbled and grateful,” he said. “I only hope this succeeds. Ledar might have learned a few tricks along the way, so I ask that you do not underestimate him. His daemon nature is wired for survival, and he’ll take the removal of his Hermessi power as a sort of death, for sure. I know how Brendel’s charm works. I know how she made him feel. She tried the same with me, once, and I almost believed her.”
“We’ve taken down monsters before, much more powerful than a beefed-up Hermessi child,” I replied. “We’ll handle Ledar, and we’ll get you back on your feet.”
“Mind you, I will not be fully restored from a Hermessi child, but I will have more strength than now,” Ramin warned me.
“It’s better than you being stuck inside a bird, waiting to die.”
That much was true. I dreaded a world where Neraka didn’t have Ramin as its Fire Hermessi. I feared losing a true friend, as well. Most importantly, I loathed the thought of Brendel killing any more of our allies, of taking them away from us and crushing them under the pretext of “cleansing” the universe. Her folly had to be brought to an end.
Too many lives were at stake, and not just ours. There were trillions of innocent animals out there, sky-reaching trees, and wonders of nature that had sprung up over the centuries, for millennia on end. They all deserved a future. The natural cycle had to be maintained, and the Hermessi were supposed to make sure of that, instead of tearing it apart.
Our time was coming, whether Brendel liked it or not, and, while Taeral and his crew went out to get Death what she needed to stop the ritual, I had to do everything in my power to help from this angle. Saving Ramin gave our resistance a greater fighting chance ahead.
Vesta
Zeriel spent the night sleeping next to my crystal casing. Arwen had brought over a sleeping bag for him, after she’d noticed he wasn’t going anywhere after midnight. I didn’t mind it one bit, as I’d gotten to spend more time with him. I’d been too weak to try to communicate again, but it didn’t matter to him.
Just knowing that I was there, seeing and hearing him, had been a greater comfort than anything else. It soothed me, too, to have him near me. It kept my mind busy enough not to wander off into the realms of frustration, where thoughts of my inability to help them or myself had been reigning senselessly for days on end. Zeriel kept me calm.
Fortunately, Rudolph had also been quiet. My substitute Reaper had not been happy with having to babysit me, along with Caia—whom he refused to let me see. He’d spent the first hour complaining about Seeley and about how he always put his colleagues in such difficult situations. His frustration had simmered down, quietly, upon his noticing that I wasn’t even listening.
The sanctuary was quiet, though I’d heard Arwen and Brock talking about a dinner in the grand hall, with Derek, Sofia, and the other founders—it included Taeral’s crew and a surprise appearance from Tebir, the local Earth Hermessi. No specific details had made it back to us. I was dying to know what they’d talked about, but I knew they’d clarify everything soon enough.
Outside, the night was still the master of The Shade, but the non-vampires’ body clocks were still functioning. Zeriel’s breathing was slow and even, but his rapid eye movements had decreased—a sign that he’d be waking up in a short while. He was an early riser, like me.
I didn’t even realize Seeley had come back until he cleared his throat to make me turn around. I gasped at the sight of him standing next to Rudolph, who’d crossed his arms in protest.
“It took you a while,” the substitute Reaper grumbled.
“I saw Death,” Seeley said, looking at me. “I can tell you what had irked me earlier, now.” And he did. I learned all about Ben and Grace’s encounter, aided by Kelara, who’d allowed them to see each other. I learned about the hug and how it strengthened some of the links on their life-chains. And I was speechless. Hopeful, but speechless. “I wanted to talk to Death about it, and I did. Pleased to report I come with slightly better news than I’d hoped.”
“Wait, you saw Death?” Rudolph asked, his breath stuck in his throat.
Suddenly, an eerie silence settled over the sanctuary, as if all the spirits and Reapers present, whom I couldn’t see, all had their eyes on him, waiting for the juicy details. Judging by the astonished look on Rudolph’s face, I could tell that Seeley’s encounter with Death was extremely rare.
“How… She allowed you near her?!” Rudolph squealed, unable to control the pitch in his voice. Sweat burst in tiny beads all over his face.
Seeley nodded, his gaze fixed on me. “She did.”
“Only a few of us have been allowed to see her,” Rudolph mumbled. “I didn’t think you’d pull it off…”
“You continue to underestimate me, then,” Seeley answered, and raised his voice, likely for all the other Reapers to hear him. “I’ve spoken to Death about the spirits in our care. She’s authorized us to reveal all the fae souls to each other. The spiritual isolation ends now.”
The announcement boomed across the hall, and not without an effect. First, the Reapers showed themselves. They all wore Earthly uniforms like Seeley’s—the black suits, white shirts, black ties, and perfectly polished shoes. They looked as though they’d just come off the Creepy Agents of Death assembly line, each of them eyeing Seeley nervously.
“Are you sure?” a female Reaper with a long black ponytail asked, gripping her scythe tightly enough for her knuckles to turn white.
“I didn’t come here to fabricate lies, Kelara,” Seeley replied, his tone clipped. “You all have a telepathic connection to her. You can all gather the courage to ask her yourselves, if you don’t believe me.”
A big, blond-haired Reaper stepped forward, hands in his pants pockets. “So, our rules are no longer valid?”
“They were Reaper-made rules,” Seeley replied. “Useless in these circumstances. Even toxic, for that matter, especially after what we saw earlier. Kelara and Malleus know this very well.”
“He’s right,” Kelara said, looking at the others. “Fae spirits touching has a peculiar effect. Most of you saw it earlier. And I’m sure most of us can agree that the Hermessi’s doings are anything but part of the natural order.”
“It’s time we shed these stiff rules,” Seeley added. “Allow the fae to see each other, and let’s find out if contact between them truly helps slow the Hermessi’s influence down.”
Excitement came over me in electric waves. I was ready to jump around, brimming with joy like nothing I’d felt before. It stemmed from the fickle thread of hope that I’d been holding on to upon learning of Ben and Grace’s embrace and its effect on their life-chains. Looking down at mine, I saw that it wouldn’t be long until I succumbed to the Hermessi’s influence and died, so anything we had to push that dreaded moment as far off as possible, I was more than happy to take.
The Reapers nodded slowly and raised their scythes in a single, collective move. The curved blades glinted in the rays of moonlight that came from the glass ceiling above. They whispered something, and, a few moments later, the sanctuary revealed its secrets.
I covered my mouth with both hands, my eyes bulging at the sight before me. Hundreds of fae, translucent and tethered to their bodies with blackening life-chains, like me. I didn’t know all of them, but those I held dearest were quick to pop up into my field of vision.
“Ben!” I yelped, waving at him.
He turned around and smiled, equally ecstatic. Grace showed up, almost out of nowhere, and jumped into his arms. Light burst between them, their chains clinking and glowing. Only then did I see the effect—another link on each had begun to shed the blackness, returning to the healthy, amber sheen.
“Mom!” I heard Vita cry out.
Grace and Ben moved around the crystal casings and eagerly hugged Vita and Caia. I stood there, teary-eyed, watching the scene unfold. Golden lights shone through as more fae discovered each other and got closer. Every touch, every hug, and every kiss fought the blackness on the life-chain links. It fell off like dry rust, leaving glowing chains to connect the fae to their bodies.
I couldn’t move, my aching heart swelling at the sight of much-needed relief. They’d all been isolated, like me, unable to speak to one another, unable to hold their loved ones… They must’ve suffered, being apart like this.
