Seeley
We took a few minutes’ worth of respite on the side of the coastal road. Everything had happened so fast, parts of it so unexpectedly, that we all needed a break. Tristan and Valaine had paused as well, their golden guards allowing the Vision horses to cross the narrow plain where a stream snaked along the tall grass. The animals needed water and grazing if they were to go any farther.
Once Tristan and Valaine’s troops were ready to continue, we let them take the lead. All of us agreed it would work to our advantage if they went after the Darklings first. Our hope was that they might at least decimate the faction, while we kept our sights set on Zoltan and whomever else might lead us to their superiors.
“Death, can you hear me?” I tried to open a telepathic connection with her.
Now knowing that the gradual removal of seals gave Death a better reach—enough for her to sense my emotions—I figured I might as well try to talk to her, despite Sidyan’s request not to. I convinced him not to fight me on this anymore, since I had a gazillion questions to ask. The biggest one was why Nethissis had been unwittingly able to hide her presence from the scythes, along with why she was able to cast death magic with a Reaper’s weapon, despite being only a spirit. I didn’t quite understand how that worked or what made her ghostly form so special. I’d even considered the Word’s involvement as a possibility, given its strong bond to its disciples. Or maybe it was more Death-related? Either way, it had served as a great advantage. As expected, the moment she’d taken a scythe in her hand, she’d become visible to all the living and beyond.
I watched her as she spoke with Lumi, both of them standing at the edge of the pasture. Sidyan kept an eye on Maya and Rudolph. The ghouls seemed to get along very well and were chasing each other around, keeping their distance from the Aeternae’s Visions. Sidyan had to occasionally shout to get Maya and Rudolph away—the temptation of flesh was strong, especially for Rudolph, who was still working on his self-control. It broke my heart to see him like this, and I had no idea what his fate would be.
“I know you can feel me, but can you hear me, as well?” I asked, my mind focused on Death. “Please… reach out.” My left hand rested on the loaner scythe’s leather-wrapped handle, my fingertips yearning for the feel of my own weapon, which was still in Zoltan’s possession. I’d get it back soon. I’d put the other blade away, since strutting around with two scythes had always felt like overkill. I could hand it off to Nethissis if she needed it.
Maya and Rudolph vanished into a patch of trees somewhere to our left. Sidyan turned around and gave me a shrug. He couldn’t exactly stop them from hunting if they were hungry. I only hoped they’d understood not to touch the horses. There were plenty of wild animals in this area for the ghouls to feast on.
Nethissis looked sad, lowering her head as Lumi raised a hand to touch her. She withdrew it, pressing her lips tight as she realized she could no longer do that. Visio had already taken so much from her, from me—from everyone who knew Nethissis, for that matter—not to mention Nethissis herself.
“Death, please. I am free, and we clearly need to talk. You’ve probably guessed by now that Sidyan and Lumi got me out. I’m part of their team now, so you have to talk to me. No more secrets.”
“Seeley…” Her voice came through, but it was faded and crackling. It was as if we were talking through a ham radio. The frequency was weak, and her words were broken, but a connection had been made, and my heart was already racing.
“I’m here. I’m here!” I said. A chill rushed through me, unsettling my stomach. It was Death, trying to strengthen our bond across entire dimensions. Once more seals came down, we’d be able to hear each other a lot better. Until then, we had to make do with the little that we had.
“Seeley… I’m glad… you’re… okay,” Death managed.
“What is going on here?” I asked. “The Aeternae have Reaper scythes and death magic! They’re capturing Reapers. Forcing them to turn into ghouls… They’ve got an entire network of operatives. It’s insane!”
“You know… Spirit.”
“Yeah, of course I know. Well,