us. I figure it’s only a matter of time before that Reaper I saw comes around again.”
“We’ve been at this for a day, now. It’s night again,” she observed.
Above, wherever the sprawling tree crowns allowed it, the starry sky unraveled. Somewhere to the northeast, a full moon was rising, its milky light spilling downward across the forest. Insects chirped from dark bushes, and predators prowled the area. None of them dared approach us, though. Their instincts had probably warned them to stay away.
“He’ll show up again, I’m sure of it,” I said. “He’s got a job to do.”
As if summoned by my ardent desire to confront him again, I could see the signs of his presence. I came to a sudden halt, causing the others to bump into me. Around us, the spirits were vanishing again. One after the other, they faded into the darkness of the woods.
“What’s wrong?” Raphael whispered.
“I think there’s a Reaper here,” I replied. Looking around, I couldn’t see anything suspicious on our level. However, about fifty yards ahead, at our ten o’clock, a cliff rose from the greenery, its top covered in wildflowers, and a stream poured down into a nearby river. We all heard the water rushing over the rounded stones.
Eira followed my gaze. “What do you see?”
At the top of the cliff, three dark figures stood. I didn’t have a clear view, but it was obvious that I was the only one seeing them. They weren’t moving, and I could feel them watching us. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up like spikes.
“Everybody, link hands,” I said, settling the scythe in a thigh pocket, its blade out and glistening in the moonlight. I did appreciate its short handle, allowing me to move easily with it like this.
Amelia gasped as soon as she touched me. “Holy moly, I can see them. Up there, on the cliff!”
I’d asked for them to touch me so I could teleport them to where the three figures were, but I hadn’t expected them to be able to see them simply from physical contact with me. Even so, I welcomed the development.
“So, touching someone with the scythe reveals Reapers,” Raphael concluded, his voice low. “But how come I can see them, too?” he asked. “I’m not touching you directly.”
“It’s got to be some kind of transference,” Lumi suggested. “We’re all physically connected. I bet the scythe affects all who touch its handler, even through indirect contact.”
“Mm-hm. Now, hold on,” I replied and zapped us all on top of the cliff.
This time, however, the Reapers didn’t move. They simply turned around to face us. Curiously eyeing them, Lumi broke contact, no longer connected to my scythe. She smirked. “I think they’ve made themselves visible to us all. I can still see them.”
“Who are you?” I asked them. “Why are you showing yourselves?”
From up here, the night sky was even more beautiful, though as peculiar as the first time I’d laid eyes on it. The view itself was astonishing. Lanterns seemed to light up parts of the forest, lining snaking pathways that led in one direction. Miles away, where the glowing trails met, was a massive mountain with a flat top.
On it, a majestic building had been erected, with pagoda-style modular roofs, put together like a mismatched puzzle. Waterfalls gushed from beneath it, on all sides, in clear and crystalline streams that stole some of the moonlight from above before they spilled into a ring-shaped pond that surrounded the mountain.
“Those lights weren’t there before,” Eira mumbled.
“And what is that place?” Amelia asked, unable to take her eyes off the waterfall building. We could see candlelight gleaming from inside, a soft sheen of amber that permeated what had to be thin, maybe paper walls. A chill slithered out of there, creeping through the woods, back down the illuminated paths, up this very cliff, climbing up my spine.
“I didn’t think you’d be so reckless,” the blond-haired Reaper said. Those flanking him looked like copies of him—they had the same type of black-and-white tunic, the almond-shaped eyes. Only the hair was different, though they all wore it long and softly combed down their backs. The second Reaper had black hair, as black as a crow’s feather. The third was redheaded, a delicate scarlet cascade. All males, all cold and eyeing us with a mixture of contempt and curiosity.
“We have nothing better to do,” I shot back, “since you won’t tell us where we are. So, who are you?”
The red-haired Reaper spoke first.