back to Caspian so I could continue my own share of the fight against the Hermessi.
I’d never questioned the possibility of sacrificing myself in this fight. But I was certain that I still had a long way to go before dying to save my people. I wasn’t done here, and neither was Ramin. There was more work to be done, and it required us alive and in one piece.
Standing before a ghoul, I braced myself for what would probably be yet one more weird and dangerous experience to add to my GASP portfolio. As long as Herbert didn’t eat me.
Harper
It took me a while to get used to the ghoul standing before Ramin and me, almost as tall as the Fire Hermessi. Despite the long black claws and its hungry-looking eyes, Herbert didn’t do anything that could be considered a threat. Then again, I was still safe inside Ramin. That might change once I was handed over.
Ibrahim handled the negotiations with Herbert. According to Corrine and Kailani, the ghoul’s demand in exchange for information on the Reapers and Death was difficult to consider. He wanted to be free, out of that charmed pencil box forever. The implications were obvious. Herbert could easily just go on a rampage and eat souls, of which there were plenty inside the sanctuaries, probably easier to eat than, say, living and conscious people.
But Herbert had been tamed and trained, by far the most docile of all the ghouls to have ever been held in the Witches’ Sanctuary. Ibrahim was equal parts doubtful and hopeful about how this would turn out. I listened as he and Herbert spoke in their whispered ghoulish language. After a few minutes of back-and-forths, they turned to face us.
“I have his word that he will carry you safely back to Neraka, and that he will go as far away from here as possible,” Ibrahim said. “I cannot make him promise not to eat another soul ever again, but he has assured me that he will do his best to stick to corpses. Ghouls can survive through necrophagy, even if it isn’t their lifestyle of choice. And, before he leaves with you, Harper, he will transfer everything he knows about Reapers into my mind.”
“Can we trust him, Grandpa? Honestly?” Kailani asked, her brow furrowed. Her hands were in her tunic pockets, but I could see them fumbling from here. She was likely picking at her cuticles, a sign of anxiety coming from her.
“Herbert and I go way back,” Ibrahim replied. “While I worry he might give in to his more primal nature, I do have faith in him. I must. He’s been a loyal servant for so long, and our rapport was never one where I held all the authority, while he had no choice but to obey. Herbert has repeatedly demonstrated willingness and common sense, despite his species’ more savage traits.”
“Plus, I assume he knows that I will bring down the entire Witches’ Sanctuary on his bony ass if he hurts our beloved Harper,” Corrine said, narrowing her eyes at Herbert, who, in turn, gave her a faint grin. Oh, he understood that, all right. Message received.
“I wouldn’t want to piss off the White Witches, either,” I muttered to Ramin. “They will stop at nothing until he’s found, drawn, and quartered.”
“We’ll let Caspian know you’re coming via ghoul, then,” Kailani chuckled.
Spine-tingling growls trickled in from the western woods. Phoenix was the first to react, suddenly stiff and ready for combat. “Those are Shills. The way Amelia described the sounds they make… it’s exactly like this.”
“The Hermessi destroyed Mount Agrith, but that only sealed the pink waters from us, not from them. They can still make their monsters in there,” Kailani said.
Indeed, they sounded different than, say, Bajangs or werewolves. The growls were sharp and scratchy, and the roars they let out reached a higher note, enough to fill me with dread. They were coming, and they were coming for us.
“The Hermessi are sending their welcoming committee,” Ramin remarked, his tone dry.
“We must hurry, then,” Ibrahim said and moved closer to Herbert. “I trust you with this girl’s life. Do not disappoint me, old friend. I am giving you freedom.”
Herbert whispered a few words, his dark purple tongue slipping between the fangs.
“What did he say?” Corrine asked.
“That freedoms are taken, not given,” Ibrahim replied. He smiled at Herbert. “You are right. And I’m giving yours back. So, please… help us.”
The ghoul nodded and pressed both hands over Ibrahim’s ears. They were so