it. And the worse news?”
“Death says the Scholars are more like lieutenants. There should be a leader of the Darklings. A big kahuna who calls the shots and passes the orders down the authority chain. If you find him or her, it’ll bring us closer to eradicating them. The problem is that only Death can handle that last part, since she’s convinced that the Spirit Bender taught the Darklings everything they know. Sending more Reapers down there now would just put them in danger.”
“Dammit. So, what? She’s not sending anyone else to Visio?” I asked. Sidyan continued watching me, waiting for me to tell him what was going on. Where would I even begin?
“No. She says it’s pointless. If the Spirit Bender was involved, then the problem is much bigger than we anticipated. Think about it. They’re using death magic, they’re using ghouls… they’re probably kidnapping Reapers and doing who knows what to them. I admit, I agree with her on this. But if we find the Darklings’ true leader, Death will have more to go on. She’s currently five hundred seals away from freedom, with efforts on multiple fronts to speed the process along.”
Exhaling sharply, I rubbed my face with my bare hands, groaning with frustration. “This is a lot to take in, Tae.”
“I know. And I’m sorry. I promise, I didn’t tell her anything about Sidyan and Maya. She just… knew. Turns out she’s not as isolated from the rest of the world anymore. The remaining seals are still holding her back, but she’s able to partially sense her Reapers. She’s able to listen in on our GASP communications, physical or Telluris. She’s watching us closely.”
“Is she watching Visio, too?” I asked.
“Nope. Too far away.”
“How friggin’ convenient!” I snapped.
“She’s on a limited radius. For now. The more seals that are broken, the farther she’ll be able to reach,” Taeral explained.
“Okay… Okay,” I murmured, nodding and turning around several times in a bid to look away from Sidyan. His persistent staring was making me nervous. “You said you had some good news, too?”
“Yeah. So, about Sidyan and Maya…”
“Oh, geez.”
“I know. Listen. Death hasn’t decided what she’s going to do with them yet, but she wants the three of you to handle this investigation going forward. She wants you to stay hidden from sight, from both the living and the Darklings and their ghouls, and find the true leader. Keep a safe distance from the Darklings, though. They likely have traps in place for Reapers.”
I needed a moment to process all that. Sidyan grew impatient, constantly moving around so he could face me and mouth “What is he saying?” at me. I understood his anxiousness, but he wasn’t making it any easier for me.
“Do you think she’ll consider mercy if we do that?” I asked.
Taeral paused.
“That’s not a good sign,” I continued. “But fine. We’ll do it. Tell her she can count on us. But whatever information she has about the Spirit Bender, she needs to pass it on. We can no longer be in the dark here, Tae.”
“I know. She knows it, too,” he replied.
Once the Telluris link was closed, I resumed a rapid walking pace in order to catch up with the caravan. Sidyan stayed close. “What is going on, Lumi?”
“A lot is going on, but you’re not going to like it,” I said, unable to look him in the eye anymore.
“Talk. Now.”
His voice was so sharp and commanding, I couldn’t ignore it. I told him everything Taeral had said—about him and Maya, about the Darkling leader and our newly defined investigative task. Sidyan stayed quiet as we walked, taking in every word with surprising calm. His expression shifted gradually, from startled to pensive, as he weighed all the facts.
Once I was done, he didn’t say a word. When Maya came back from the tunnel, he patted the top of her head with brotherly affection. “Go back down,” he said. “Everything’s good here.”
Maya didn’t doubt him for a second, grinning as she vanished again. My stomach churned at the thought that she might come to an abrupt end soon, since Death knew about her. I’d grown rather fond of the childlike creature, despite her ferociousness. I found comfort in knowing we could at least use her skills while Death was still trapped under those seals.
“We have time to make a case for ourselves,” Sidyan eventually said, echoing my own thoughts, strangely enough. “Maya and I… We can get Death all the intel she wants about the Darklings, and