The Reapers (The Hunted Series Book 1) Page 15

  “Prepare me?” She echoed, frowning, her insides twisting into knots.

  “Yes. As I said, you are currently not powerful enough to carry out this mark. You can only withstand his attacks,” he said, guiding her to the back of the room where the dais sat shrouded in shadows. It wasn’t until she stood a few feet in front of the podium that she could even see there was anything in this part of the room. A small gasp escaped her lips as she spotted the small pool of water sitting upon the dais. Silas walked up to the pool, grabbed the chalice sitting on the edge and filled it with the water.

  He walked back to Nivian and handed her the cup. “Drink. Now,” he instructed.

  Nivian placed the cup to her lips and quickly drained the liquid. The purest water she had ever tasted, almost sweet, slid down her throat.

  Instantly, the power washed over her in cold waves. Her body grew light, she wasn’t sure if gravity had abandoned her or if it was the headiness from the changes beginning to form. As the power coursed its way through her, she closed her eyes.

  Ice formed throughout every cell in her body with a sharp, intense pain. It started in her center, traveled its way through her until it overtook every inch of her body. The power coursed violently, rushing through her veins. She threw her head back and let the feeling flow through her from her core to every inch of her and back, burning as it spread. She gasped as the icy feeling began to recede.

  Lifting her heavy eyelids, she knew without a doubt, her powers had grown more than she had ever thought possible. Motionless, she stared at Silas with wonder, unable to breathe. Her entire body screamed from the pain of the sudden onslaught of energy. The slightest movement threatened to evaporate every cell of her body, leaving her afraid to even blink.

  “Try not to move yet. Let the powers within you rest and merge.” His jaw clenched, betraying the coolness of his voice. “The power from our reapings is returned to the earth through this pool. The power is slowly released into the air of Mophar when needed, keeping us immortal. No other reaper has experienced the raw power you have been given here today. It would destroy an ordinary reaper.” He watched her rock unsteadily on her feet. “You should be feeling the power begin to settle now.”

  She nodded weakly. The pain in her body calmed down to a dull, throbbing pain. She licked her dry lips; her mouth feeling like sand.

  “Nivian, your mark must be carried out. He is a risk and has upset the balance to a dangerous level. We cannot risk another war like The Dissension. There is too much at stake.” His voice echoed through her mind, bouncing off the inside of her skull.

  “How? He’s clueless. Most hunters died in the war, and there are more reapers now. They could never overpower us.”

  “We have no idea how many hunters escaped, but I believe they have been in hiding this whole time, slowly rebuilding their numbers.”

  “The war is over. What would be the point?” Her voice croaked out. The strength to stand, speak, and think was fading fast.

  “While it is true the hunters started the war; it was not just their jealousy that grew. Their powers rose to unimaginable levels. They were never meant to hold that type of power. By killing reapers, they were able to take our powers and use them against us. When we use the power we collect from the life forces, we return it to the earth to recharge, but when they use the power, they use up everything until there is nothing left. I believe this is their ultimate goal.”

  This was not what she’d expected. According to Silas, the hunters were on the move again, and he still wanted her to carry out her mark against Kain. She still felt as though he was keeping something from her, talking in circles around her. It didn’t help that her body felt weaker by the second, stealing any chance of her trying to keep everything straight in her mind.

  “I believe that is enough for one night. Rest, Nivian, your body needs it to incorporate its new powers. I will call Caspian to take you home.”

  Nivian nodded, wobbling on her feet, unable to speak anymore.

  Caspian appeared in the doorway and walked to her.

  How long had he been standing there? How long had she waited for him? Time melted into itself, no longer making sense. She swayed, as the ground tilted from under her.

  She felt the warmth of his chest as he scooped her up in his arms.

  “Nivian,” Caspian whispered.

  She knew she had not been ready for the surge of power Silas had given her. Silas had given her new power in a way that was meant to punish her. Blindly following orders and not questioning things was never something she’d done, or would ever do. She would always fight to do what was right no matter the consequences.

  Nivian could feel Caspian’s arms tighten around her, the familiar tingle of transporting flowed over her. The moment they were in her apartment, the cold, dry air of the human world wrapped itself around her. She began to shiver uncontrollably. Tears ran down her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes tight and tried to fight it. Unable to bare the pain any longer, she let go, and let violent sobs rack her body.

  Caspian gently set her down on her bed and placed a blanket over her.

  “Let go, allow the power to flow through you,” His voice whispered softly in her ear.

  Nivian still clutched the sleeve of his shirt tightly in her hand. Her soft features twisted up in agony. “Stay.” Her broken voice pleaded.

  He lay down next to her, pulling her into his chest, offering what little security he could. She curled up against him, crying herself to sleep.

  Eighteen

  Nivian

  Nivian awoke the next morning with sharp pains shooting through her entire body at each attempt to breathe. She winced, opening her eyes. Even her eyelashes seemed to scream at her in pain. Placing her hand on her temple and cringed at the pounding, she massaged her head in an attempt to silence the frantic drumming that echoed inside her skull. She had never felt anything like this. Slowly, painfully, she pushed herself up to sitting.

  A rustling noise came from the kitchen. She turned her head to call out, but a coughing fit stopped her. She groaned and squeezed her eyes shut again. Her throat felt like sandpaper. What had happened to her? Oh, right, Silas happened.

  “Good, you are awake.” Caspian smiled down at her. Nivian cringed at the volume of his voice. She hadn’t noticed him walk up. He had removed his cloak. She’d never seen him without it before. The sleeves of his crisp, white, button-up shirt were rolled up. His black slacks and a black leather belt completed the look that matched his personality. Relaxed, but proper.

  “It’s good to see you awake so early. I did not expect you to awaken for another day.”

  Nivian looked out her balcony window at the morning sky. Caspian had pulled the chiffon curtains back, letting the warm morning light flood the room. The sky blazed red and orange as the sun rose higher.

  Caspian held the glass out to her. “Drink this.”

  After what Silas had pulled, she would generally think twice about drinking something handed to her. But this was Caspian. Cautiously, she took the glass and pressed it to her lips, eyeing him suspiciously. She took a sip. Water. It was plain, ordinary water. Feeling the ice-cold water slide down her parched throat, she tipped the glass and chugged the rest of the cold liquid. Instantly, the dry, scratchy feeling disappeared.

  “Thank you.”

  Caspian sat down next to her. “Tell me what happened with Silas.”

  “I told him about the hunter—that I don’t think he’s dangerous. He didn’t even know he was a hunter, and I believe him.”

  “You spoke with your mark?” His eyebrows shot up.

  “Yes.” Nivian looked down at the empty glass in her hands, turning it around and looked for invisible flecks of dirt to wipe off. “He had snuck up on me earlier when I was checking my mail.” She nodded her head to the pizza coupon on the nightstand next to her. “He didn’t attack me. He even helped me when I was doing laundry.”

  Caspian laughed. His deep baritone filled the quiet room. “Why
on earth would you be doing laundry?” he asked, as he struggled to catch his breath. “A reaper doing laundry? That is unheard of, Nivi.”

  Nivian glared. “It looked like fun. How was I supposed to know it would be dangerous?”

  He pinched his lips together to avoid bursting out in another round of laughter at her expense. He nodded for her to continue.

  “Anyway,” she said, still glaring at him, “after he saved me, we talked. He swore he didn’t know anything about reapers being destroyed, or anything about the hunters. Nothing. I think if he’d been lying he would have attacked me. After he had left, I found a note for me in the kitchen. Silas summoned me.”

  “The hunter was here?”

  Nivian nodded. Emotions she couldn’t identify skidded across Caspian’s face.

  “I see.” He rubbed his chin. “And that is when you told him you did not think the hunter was dangerous?”

  “Yes. He said it is possible Kain isn’t a threat, but he still needs to be dealt with.” Nivian stopped, taking a sharp, shallow breath. Closing her eyes tight, her body shuddered, and she opened them when she felt his hand over hers. Her fists gripped the blanket in her lap. She couldn’t remember Caspian taking the glass from her.

  “It’s okay, Nivi, take your time.” He gave her a gentle smile, but it failed to reach his eyes that blazed with rage.

  “He said I needed to be prepared, that Kain was too powerful. Silas gave me the chalice. I thought it was just a weird drink for ceremonial purposes.” Tears fell, the tiny droplets landing on his hand. “I never felt anything like that before,” her voice cracked.

  Silas had either punished her or tested her strength. Most likely, it was both. Bitterness toward the ancient grew. She had not meant to anger him, but she did—and she’d paid for it.

  “I’m so sorry, Nivi.” Caspian pulled her into him, stroking her hair. Timidly, she wrapped her arms around him.

  He sighed. “You are so much stronger than anyone knows. If I could have taken the pain for you, I would have. It is not my place to judge the virtue of his actions. But Silas is right, this needs to be dealt with, and you need this power to be able to carry out your mark.”

  Nivian pulled back and searched his face. “Do you really believe I should? Even though he is innocent?”

  “You know I believe you. Though I fear Silas is correct—he is a threat even with his lack of knowledge.” Caspian stood up and glanced out the window. He narrowed his eyes slightly. “I will leave you to rest now. Take care of yourself, Nivi.”

  Caspian walked across the room, picked up his cloak, and with one swift motion, he threw it over his shoulders and vanished.

  Sitting back in bed, Nivian leaned against the cool wall, staring straight ahead, and concentrated on the pulse of power as it flowed over her like steady waves of the ocean.

  Camira

  Now that was close! Camira thought, wiping her hand over her forehead. She had moved before Caspian had spotted her.

  She leaned over the edge of the roof of Nivian’s apartment building just enough to see her sitting in bed spacing out. That girl needs to get a grip on things.

  There was nothing new to report, just boring mushy crap as always between those two.

  Camira just wanted to get back to reaping again. It had been too long since she did her real job. Even a Timeless reaper got bored when they didn’t have enough assignments. And right now, any mundane assignment would add a little excitement in her life. Who would have guessed, following Nivian would make her job seem exciting? It wasn’t as prestigious as being a Silencer by any means, but anything was better than this. Camira hated playing babysitter to Nivian. She liked her well enough at first, but lately Nivian had turned on them all and was risking everything for someone who would destroy them if given half a chance. Angry, she threw her hood over her head and vanished in a swirl of wind.

  Nivian

  Nivian forced her aching body up. She needed to move. Sitting in one spot wouldn’t make the pain go away any faster. Picking up her neatly folded cloak on her antique chair, she pulled it over her shoulders.

  She appeared in an apartment similar to the layout of hers, only mirrored. A few unpacked boxes lay scattered on the floor, dirty cups sat on the kitchen counter. An open pizza box with a half-eaten slice left on the floor sat next to a half empty cup of milk.

  Gross. Nivian crinkled her nose, skirting the mess. Turning the corner, she spotted what she was searching for. She walked over to a foldout couch near the balcony windows. Kain slept, half-covered in a blanket not quite big enough to cover all of him. His lower half seemed to have partially slipped off during the night and found the floor. Standing over him, she tried to suppress a giggle. Is this how humans sleep? She wondered how much longer her human would be like this.

  Nivian crouched down and gave his nose a light poke. He twitched but didn’t wake up. She poked him again. Kain’s nose twitched, as he forced one eye open and blinked it twice before both eyes shot open. He scrambled to stand up, his hand over his heart, and he pressed himself against the wall.

  Taking deep gulps of air, he yelled, “What the hell, Nivian! Are you trying to kill me?” He turned away in exasperation and mumbled, “Of course you are trying to kill me…” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “I thought we had a truce.”

  Nivian blinked. “I need to talk to you.” She dropped her head. Interacting with humans was not something she normally did outside of reaping. But that was different than any interaction she’d had with this mark.

  “Why couldn’t you knock on my door like a normal person?” He sighed, pushing his hair out of his face, and gave her an exasperated look. “I only live a floor down from you.”

  “I talked to Silas last night. I told him you weren’t a threat. He believes me—”

  He strode over to Nivian, gathered her into his arms and spun her around, forgetting she had broke in and almost scared him to death. “That’s great!”

  Nivian blushed and looked away when he put her down.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Nivian avoided meeting his gaze and waved her hand up and down at him, indicating his clothing choice. Kain looked down and realized he was still in just his boxers.

  “This is why people knock, by the way,” he said, grumpily walking over to one of the boxes scattered around the room. He fished out a pair of sweat pants and pulled them on.

  “So what did you want to talk about?”

  Nivian followed him into the kitchen area, watching him rummage through the fridge for a carton of milk, and lift it to his lips. Nivian looked away, when he turned to face her, his chest still bare. It was uncomfortable talking to him like this, but she couldn’t pinpoint why exactly. How a human dressed had never bothered her before. She could feel the heat climb up her neck and spread over her cheeks.

  “As I was saying, Silas believed me, but he said you still pose a threat. I did my best to convince him to reverse the mark, but he refused. He—” Nivian hesitated. “He strengthened my powers so I could carry out the mark on you. Until this point, we were evenly matched.”

  Kain studied her face. “Is that why you’re here now? To kill me in my underwear?” he asked, lifting a skeptical brow. “It’s not exactly the way I would have chosen to die.”

  “No. This situation doesn’t feel right to me. If you’re going to do anything, I suggest you do it now—before they force my hand. You should prepare yourself.”

  Kain nodded. His mouth set in a tight line. “I have something to do this morning. But after that, I’ll see what I can learn.”

  “I’ll be back later to see what you found.” Nivian turned to leave.

  “I will.” Kain caught her hand, stopping her. “Thank you. I don’t know what you are risking by doing this for me, but I swear I won’t take it for granted.”

  Sliding her hand out of his, Nivian nodded and pulled her hood over her head, vanishing. Now all she had to do was bide her time until Kain talked to her. It’s not as if
he could run. She could find him anywhere. Even if it was a possibility, she knew he would honor their deal.

  Yeva

  Her lids fluttered. More than a millennium of sleep had left her weak. A tiredness caused by her long slumber pulled at her, weighing down her eyelids.

  The calm of solitude called to her, doing its best to lure her back into the pit of darkness for a few more centuries. Yeva’s mind hovered in the place between unconsciousness and awakening. Yeva had been stuck in a dreamless sleep with only her thoughts as company. Over time, her body had slowed to the point of all but shutting down. One at a time, each of her senses slowly came back to her. The soft chirp of birds in the forest, low chanting, the feel of the soft breeze on her skin, and the fresh smell of the air, they all pushed to the front of her mind. The strange song grew louder to her ears and drowned out the noises that had surrounded her for millennia.

  The hooded figure in the center shifted with stiff movements. The rustling of her cape echoed like sandpaper in her head. She was weak, but slowly life was once again filling her, as it rushed through her veins. All the time she had been held prisoner would soon be worth the pain.

  One by one the figures all stood, chanting as loud as they were able, calling Yeva back to them, back to the world of the living. They had been chanting for days without stopping. The ancient knew their bodies were weak without food, water, or rest, their voices on the verge of giving out.

  Yeva’s eyes opened and blinked up at the blinding sun high above the trees. She pushed herself to sitting, her muscles weak from disuse, and dropped her legs off the edge of the dais that had been her bed for far too long. She stood, graceful in her every movement. The chanting voices faded and stopped. The five figures stood unmoving.

  “My children, thank you. It feels good to move again.” Yeva moved forward, one small step at a time. Trying to get the feel for how her body worked once again. She was unsteady, and her bones ached, but would not let such weakness show in front of her hunters. They had sacrificed so much to awaken her. She would be strong for them.