The black guard laughed, his tone dripping with pure mockery. “My friend, the only way that collar is going to come off is when you turn into a ghoul, and they’ll have to fit you with a new one.”

“Hurry up!” Zoltan’s voice boomed through the hallway.

We were going deeper and farther than I had ever been. I doubted we were even below the palace anymore, as all the side corridors vanished, leaving us all in a thick line through what had grown into a massive tunnel.

“Where are we going, exactly?” Seeley insisted, his eyes sometimes finding me.

“The east coast. We’ve got another place there. It’s a tad more secluded. No one will be able to hear you scream,” the black guard said. His words made me quiver.

Esme had stumbled upon the Darklings down here, it seemed. And Zoltan was leading the Darklings out of here. He was running away, and that said a lot. It confirmed one of my suspicions: the Lord and Lady Supreme likely didn’t know about this whole operation. Otherwise, Zoltan would’ve stayed here, undisturbed and undeterred.

It meant that we could still rely on the Aeternae for help. Chances were that my people were already preparing to go down into the dungeons and turn that whole place upside down. I could only hope, at this point, that they would find enough clues to realize that we were dealing with Reaper scythes and ghouls and dangerous death magic.

Once Seeley was free, we could even go back to the palace and warn them. I didn’t want my friends to spend another night on this planet without being aware of what lurked beneath its beautiful surface.

Kelara

“This place is too beautiful,” the Soul Crusher said, looking over a vast expanse of lush forests and sparkling rivers and grassy hills. It seemed to stretch on forever, a dream of nature eternally suspended beneath a perfect and clear blue sky.

“That’s your takeaway from all this?” I said, my eyes feasting on the splendor.

Emerald crowns rolled around the rounded hills, on which flowery orchards grew, their branches reaching for the heavens. Blossoms burst everywhere with yellow, blue, red, pink, and orange petals, following the sun above the fading horizon.

Small houses with flat, square roofs were sprinkled across the land, with no sense or direction whatsoever. It was as if the people here had learned to live in nature, not around it, not above or below it. Ivy-like plants covered most of the whitewashed walls, and flowerpots decorated every window.

We had been searching the In-Between for days, following rumors and legends scattered across civilizations, stories about sightings of extraordinary beings and blessings of godlike creatures. We’d checked worlds that had once been known as homes of the Unending, of the Morning Star, and of the Night Bringer. After hours of asking and studying ancient monuments and tombs, we’d finally come across a lead regarding the Night Bringer—a constellation map carved onto an old tombstone, suggesting an origin for this particular First Tenner. It was a place we had yet to check. This planet… this haven of freshwater and blossoms.

“I’m just saying, it doesn’t look like the kind of place where the Night Bringer would settle,” the Soul Crusher replied.

To my dismay, both the Widow Maker and the Phantom seemed to agree.

“He’s right,” Phantom said. “It’s too bright. If the Night Bringer were here, it would be dark. He and his sister tend to affect the environment they’re in.”

“We could at least check on the locals, see their lore,” Widow suggested. “They might have something of use.”

I groaned, genuinely frustrated. “I’m getting awfully tired of this crap.”

Soul shot me a cold grin. “No, you’d just rather be on Visio, looking for Rudolph, since he hasn’t been responding to any of your telepathic calls.”

“Well, yes, that too,” I muttered.

We made our way down the slope and reached a battered path, which snaked through the woods. Houses rose on both sides, and I could see people moving around—slender creatures with strange, enormous eyes and long, thin fingers. I wondered how they had come to live here, and how long they had been around. I didn’t even know the name of this planet, it was that far outside my Reaper scope.

“Death and the Time Master are dealing with that,” Widow said. “Let them.”

“I just don’t get why I’m wasting my time here. The First Tenners we’re looking for won’t even talk to me, if we do find them. They’ll only talk to you,” I replied.

Phantom smiled, leading the way into the inhabited forest. “She sent you here for a reason, Kelara. Believe it or not, she trusts you and your judgment. This is a test of your character, and believe me when I tell you that you don’t want to fail it.”

“To what end, though?” I asked. “What does she want from me?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Widow replied. “She wants to see what you’re made of. That’s usually a precursor to a promotion. Don’t you want to move to the higher circles?”

I sighed, wondering the same thing. Did I not want progress for myself? What harm was there in doing Death’s bidding? After all, there was a reason behind everything she did, even if it wasn’t immediately evident to me.

We walked slowly past the people, and I couldn’t help but notice their pale faces. Dark rings had settled under their eyes, and they could barely stand anymore. The youngest were literally exhausted, snoozing by the doors, gradually sinking into the tall grass. The elders struggled to go about their business, using canes to bend down and collect berries in wicker baskets.

“Something is off here,” I said, frowning as I looked around.

Soul scoffed. “Duh. They’re all about to die of fatigue.”

“Don’t you wonder why?” I asked.

The First Tenners exchanged a few brief glances, and we spread out and checked the entire settlement. Everywhere we went, it was all the same. Creatures so tired, they couldn’t even see properly, occasionally bumping into trees. A few collapsed in plain sight, and no one batted an eye. They just went on, struggling to complete what looked like basic tasks—laundry, cleaning, gardening, cooking, and the like.

“Okay, I’m stumped,” Phantom said once we met back on the path.

“I didn’t see any kind of knowledge repository here. Not a single monument. A book. A scroll… Nothing. Absolutely nothing,” Widow replied.

“It’s not that beautiful, then,” Soul said. “I guess I was wrong. Whaddya know.”

“But the constellation on Martez… it was pretty accurate. It pointed us here,” I said, crossing my arms. “If the Night Bringer isn’t here, what’s going on? What is wrong with them?”

Phantom let a deep sigh out. “We can ask.”

Even when we revealed ourselves, the people didn’t react. It was as if we didn’t exist. The weird was getting weirder with every second that went by. If I’d been any of them, I’d have jumped out of my skin right now, given the four black-eyed weirdos suddenly standing in the middle of the path.

“We’re looking for the Night Bringer,” Phantom called out. “Have any of you seen him?”

“Way to get right to the point,” Widow mumbled.

“Would you have preferred some tea and chitchat beforehand?” Phantom shot back.

It had been blunt, yes, but also strangely effective. Suddenly, they had all stopped, slowly turning around to face us without saying a word. My skin crawled. None of this felt right, and I failed to see a connection to the Night Bringer.

It got even stranger when they all spoke in unison, like the collective mind of a hive come to life. “Welcome, brothers and sisters. It has been a while. One of you I don’t even know.”

“What the…” My voice disappeared.

Soul, Phantom, and Widow were equally perplexed.

“I have missed you,” the people said. “How is Mother?”

It hit me then that we were dealing with a First Tenner. But which one? I looked at Phantom. “Who the hell is this? And how are they doing it?”

“Oh, dear,” Widow grumbled, as if realizing something.

“Care to share with the rest of the class?” I replied dryly.