badly the King seemed to want us to fail, I would feel much safer. Better to be smart than caught.
With my tasks done, I closed out the ferrule, replaced it, and left the room before I pushed my luck. Kian had offered to use his compulsion to retrieve the passes, but if I could avoid involving them, I would.
Tap, tap, tap. Shadow shared a memory of the time she had fun exploring the DNB. Her fascination with everything came through clearly, as did my recollection of being punished for her foray. Still, the snippet of her leaping from Reaper to Reaper, causing them all to dance around as they tried to rid themselves of the burning ache of her then-painfully freezing aura, caused a brief chuckle. I'd been getting ripped apart, and she'd been playing.
After navigating the maze of halls, I stopped by Master Akai's office. I needed a reason to be at the DNB if anyone had been watching me, and I could use some advice. As I stood outside his door, that old, familiar feeling crept over me. My hand shook, my muscles tightened, and I took a moment to center my breathing before knocking.
A buzz sounded, and I entered, bowing as soon as I closed the door behind me. Since Master Akai was a complete asshole, I remained bent forward long enough to make my lower back ache.
“Master Healani, rise and tell me what I can do for you,” he ordered.
“Thank you, Master Akai. I came to seek your guidance on an issue.” I paused as I waited for his permission to continue.
“Have a seat and get on with it. Be quick. I must attend a meeting in a few moments.” He didn't look at me, just kept reading something on his ferrule.
I lowered myself into the chair and began. He wouldn't hesitate to leave, regardless of whether I'd had time to even finish a single question.
“Thank you. As you are aware, we were allowed to pull six Grims and six Cherubs for our use during our temporary institution. I've searched the regulations, and our restrictions say, 'Those who travel to Earth must have completed and passed the official Grim testing.' This section uses the title of Reaper, not Grim. It does not mention other designations or how many positions they allow us in our structuring of the Office.”
He lowered his ferrule and looked up, staring at me intently.
Shadow rubbed her face against my cheek, her way of telling me she was there for me. It warmed me a bit but didn't provide me with much confidence.
After clearing my throat to give me time to push down the frisson of fear that shivered inside of me, I continued. “I would like to pull additional Reapers from other divisions that have passed the testing but were repositioned. They would retain their designations, but they are also certified to reap souls. Would this be a violation of the rule of six?”
He leaned back in his chair, dropping the ferrule on his desk as if it were no longer important. With steepled hands, he pursed his lips. “I believe it is not a violation. Not as long as they remain Technicians or Supply Coordinators or what have you, and they have passed testing.”
“Thank you. I would also like to enquire about Groupings. Once we sign our contracts to enter into a Grouping, the language within that contract states we become one entity with three or four parts, depending on the member number. Could I use that language to pull six Groupings instead of six individuals?”
For an instant, I thought I saw a twitch at the corner of his mouth before he nodded. “I believe you could. It would likely be wise to be very careful how you word your own contracts, but yes.”
“Of course. We would also like to pull six from each shift and each sector. It would distribute the burden of cleansing the essence, so our sector isn't overwhelmed or forced to slow due to our need for so much portal usage. The regulations do allow for each shift, but it does not mention sectors or any specific exit point. Would that be allowable?”
He inclined his head, showing me the balding top of it. “It is allowable. It is also an excellent show of leadership to consider the strain on the other Ministries and resources you will be taking.”
Was that a nice thing he just said? Did he actually give me a compliment? My poor heart stuttered, likely