a conduit.
“I take it you’ve noticed my absence from this whole Hermessi nonsense, this time around,” Death replied as she casually walked back to her throne and sat down. She seemed more relaxed now, and I wasn’t sure whether that would work out in our favor.
“At least three dimensions have noticed it.” The Word sighed. “What are you doing here? What are all those spirits doing in your rooms, just standing there? Not to mention the others, outside. Why did it have to take me coming here, along with these people, to make you talk to us? What happened, Sǐwáng?”
Death took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. “The souls in here keep me company. They’re all scholars and scientists, the greatest minds of their generations. They’re entertaining my lonely mind, in a way. I had them brought over when I first moved in. The ones outside? Well, sometimes I still go out and reap people myself, just to keep myself active. I get bored.”
“Why haven’t they moved on?” the Word asked.
“I can’t help them move on. My Reapers can now do the one thing I cannot, anymore.”
“Take souls into the next world?”
She smiled, though the sadness in her strange eyes persisted. “I suppose it’s time I told you. You do remember Brendel, right?”
I nodded. “We’re currently dealing with her as the ringleader of the ritual Hermessi.”
She and Lumi frowned at me. Once again, I’d spoken out of turn without even realizing it, while Eira was muted and still, by my side, her hand still holding mine. I figured it was the physical contact between us that did something to my nerves, giving me enough courage to open my mouth, whether Death and the Word liked it or not.
“The boy speaks the truth,” the Word said, looking at Death. “She’s spearheading this ritual.”
“She led the previous ritual, too. And it was her first. The Hermessi before her, the ones I destroyed for doing the same foolish thing, repeatedly, were just as hard-headed. Frankly, I’m baffled. Unfortunately, they can’t be permanently wiped out. If I destroy them, others must be created so that life can be sustained. Normally, I would’ve done things my way, this time around as well… but Brendel, that scoundrel… she did something,” Death replied, her left elbow on the gilded armrest. “She took something from me.”
I remembered the pictures of her, the images we’d seen on our way in. There was an object missing here. “Your scythe,” I murmured, drawing another scowl from her.
Death scoffed. “That’s right. Thieron. My scythe. The source of many of my powers… abilities I haven’t been able to enjoy for over four million years.”
“Brendel took Thieron?” the Word asked, eyes wide and luminous. “How in the world did you let that happen?!”
“Don’t you dare judge me!” Death snarled, her voice thundering across the circular hall. The black marble floor trembled, and the cherry trees quivered, pink petals flying away in droves. The illustrated cranes hid deeper inside the crowns, squawking nervously. “Brendel was a quick study, what can I say? She’d picked up a few tricks from elder Hermessi along the way… a sprinkle of knowledge of previous ritual attempts was all she needed. She made sure she was close to me when I stopped the ritual,” she explained, her voice strained with shame and regret. “The pulse I release in order to do that, in order to kill Hermessi and make room for others to take their place, it takes a toll on me. It wears me out. It weakens me. And Brendel was physically too close to me when I did it—enough to not be harmed by it. As soon as I sat down to take a breath, she swooped in and snatched… she literally snatched Thieron from my hands!”
Silence settled over us. I tried to envision that moment. I couldn’t ignore the sympathy I felt toward Death. Imagining what that must’ve been like, I sort of understood her plight and, most importantly, her shame. An entity as powerful and as timeless as her, bested by a ruthless Hermessi. It didn’t seem that far-fetched now.
“By the time I sprang to my feet, she’d vanished,” Death continued. She gave Lumi an apologetic smile. “I don’t know what she did with it. Rest assured, I’ve searched for it, for thousands of years. I’ve had my Reapers search for it, as well. We’ve yet to find it. Chances are she broke it into its three pieces, since she couldn’t destroy it.