also here on official business, but a cold drink before we get started sounds nice. Shall we?” He stepped to the side, giving me room to punch in our code.
The door clicked open, and I hurried inside, as much to do a quick pickup of the gathering room as to put space between us. We still hadn't discussed the help he gave me when he announced our sentences. Though curiosity gnawed at me and an alarmingly large amount of suspicion had crept in during the interval, I wasn't sure I wanted to dredge it up. When questions were asked, one should always be ready for the answers. And I didn't hold much hope that I would like them.
Chapter Six
Despite my reluctance, I still found myself rubbing the raised device beneath the skin of my wrist as we made pleasantries. The room's awkward atmosphere only contributed to my urge to just whip out the paperwork and be finished with everything. Shadow ran off as soon as we entered the unit, likely heading to her tree branches to hide and nap. Was it wrong to be envious of a soul?
“Let's start with the regulations. I did not get to have input on all parts of it, but I can answer any queries you have,” Master Akai announced after he sat on the couch beside Grace.
After adjusting his clothes, he folded his thin hands in his lap and stared in my direction. Grace shied away, then tried to cover it with more shifting as if she simply needed to move. Somehow, she seemed even smaller against the tiny, old Reaper. I couldn't decide if he took up so much more space because of the surety he projected, or if she just worked so hard to disappear that she shrunk.
Dragging my mind from the dichotomy of the pair on the couch, I reached into my pocket and drew out the giant bundle of papers. Altogether, they were about the thickness of one of the volumes that we stole from the King. Three of which we still had stashed around Enyre since I hadn't had an opportunity to replace them and because I no longer planned on giving them back. I slid between Axton and Trace.
“The Codification and Regulation of the Office of the Ministry of Investigations, Earth Branch,” I read off the top page. “Blah, blah, King, Masters, Powers, blah. Bunch of numbers and shit.”
As Master Akai cleared his throat, I flipped the page, swallowing the fear that spasmed in my throat, and pretended I didn't hear him. Truthfully, I'd forgotten for a moment that he remained there. I skimmed the next few pages that held little information and skipped the listing of each header. That would become useful later, but not when I needed to study every phrase and pick it apart, probing for concealed implications.
“Oh, here we go.” I paused and glanced up when Trace bumped my leg.
Kian stood beside him, his outstretched hand offering me a mug of something. Giving him a meager smile, I accepted it and sipped the weakened alcohol. His answering grin displayed a peek of his sharp teeth before choosing a seat on the other side of Grace.
“What were you saying?” Axton asked as he attempted to peer at the half-opened stack in my lap.
“Um.” I pursed my lips and reread the page. “So, this just defines the department. Basically, this is a temporary Office that will be concentrated on the handling and resolution of Earth and its souls. Once we return to business as usual, we will be shuttered. Projected date of completion is Puxnal 2 Helia. Apparently, I will retain my title regardless.”
Their sharp emotions hit me and communicated their disgust with the date. While I was fully expecting them to complain later, they held their tongues in front of Master Akai. I flipped through a few more boring pages that told me surprisingly little before finding something worth relaying.
“Here it starts to establish the statutes. We are authorized to pull six Grims from each shift for soul retrieval. Once we are halfway through the project, we will be obliged to assign six Cherubs per shift.” I halted there, unable to fathom how the King expected me to clear the entire planet and repopulate it with so few to complete the job. Especially in the ridiculously short amount of time he allowed us.
After I muttered all of my favorite foreign curses and guzzled some of my drink in hopes of lulling the monster, I looked