offer, thank you.”
“Though, judging by the look on Herbie here, he’d need half that sanctuary just to look like one of us again,” another ghoul said from the back, clearly amused. From what I could tell, the original ghouls sort of looked down on Herbert’s kind.
“You never told me,” Kill continued, his gaze fixed on us, “what brought you right here, to this place.”
“Oh, I was actually looking for you,” Herbert replied. “I remember you knowing more about Death and the reason behind her exile to Mortis. I would like to know more.”
Kill grinned. “I take it you made the connection between this emerging ritual and Death’s absence from the picture?”
“It didn’t take a scientist,” Herbert grumbled, “especially since I remember you and the old crew specifically joking about how Death was in a crappy mood since the first ritual.”
The other ghouls chuckled, prompting Kill to let out another short and cold laugh. It made me tingle on the inside, as if I’d just swallowed a bucket of ice. This wasn’t the laughter of a decent creature. It belonged to an evil monster, despite his polite demeanor. That would’ve changed if he’d become aware of my presence, I was certain of it.
“So… What is it that’s keeping Death away from this obviously ginormous problem?” Herbert asked.
Kill took another step forward, and Herbert moved us back. It made Kill smirk, but he didn’t bring it up. “Have you ever heard of Thieron?” he asked instead, and Herbert shook his head. “But you do remember the Reaper’s scythe. We lose our ability to hold one when we become ghouls, but still, you can admit that they are powerful weapons.”
“They most certainly are, especially in the hands of Reapers,” Herbert said.
“Not so much in the hands of others,” Kill replied. “Some creatures are gifted enough to be able to wield one, but that is more theory than fact because, despite the many scythes lost by Reapers-turned-ghouls over the ages, no one seems to have come across one. Not that I know of, anyway.”
I knew of one now. Taeral. Well, Taeral and his crew. They had Yamani’s scythe.
“Back to your question. Thieron was the name of Death’s scythe,” Kill continued. He paused, anticipating Herbert’s gasp of surprise, which didn’t come out as dramatic as Kill might’ve hoped for. He even seemed a little disappointed. “Death’s scythe is the first scythe, the original. It is an extension of her power. Without it, her abilities are reduced, from what I’m told. Which is why we ghouls can walk these worlds like nobody’s business.”
The information was new and shocking to both Herbert and me. A few questions I’d had in the past had gotten their answer just now. “I’d often wondered why she didn’t just kill us, since we’re repeatedly referred to as unnatural abominations,” Herbert said thoughtfully.
“We’re fast and slippery,” Kill said. “And Death doesn’t have the kind of sprawling omniscience she used to boast. And her Reapers are obviously a little too busy reaping to bother hunting all of us down.”
“What happened to Thieron? I assume she doesn’t have it anymore?” Herbert asked, following up on Kill’s statements. It was a reasonable assumption.
“Well, the word is that one of those ancient Hermessi—you know, the ones who started the first ritual—the word is that one of them managed to steal Thieron from Death, somehow,” Kill replied.
Herbert and I were understandably baffled. “What?”
Kill nodded, delightfully amused. “I have no idea how that happened, but it did. Death transferred a significant amount of her power into Thieron, long before the Hermessi even cooked up their ritual, and no one knows why she did it to begin with. Point is, one Hermessi saw an opportunity, and they took it.”
I now understood why Herbert had considered this detour necessary. This was an incredible development, and I was already even more eager to return to my body, so I could reach out to GASP and tell them everything I’d just learned.
“That’s amazing,” Herbert managed. “A little disappointing, coming from Death, but…”
“Oh, don’t hold it against her.” Kill laughed. “I think stopping the ritual wore her out enough to make her momentarily vulnerable. I only know what I heard from other Reapers before I dropped out, and from other, older ghouls.”
“Would you know where Thieron might be?” Herbert asked.
Kill thought about it for a moment. He took a deep breath and flashed across the twenty yards of white dust that had separated us until now. Before Herbert could react, Kill was right