The Reapers (The Hunted Series Book 1) Page 16
She had taken only four steps when the small figure in the middle crumpled to the ground. None of the others dared move. Yeva took small, tentative steps over to the fallen hunter and knelt down.
“Rest now,” Yeva whispered, as she leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.
One of the others took a step forward. “Will she be all right?” He held out his hand, gesturing toward the girl. The others shuffled closer to their fallen companion. Worry etched across all their faces. Hunters were still too few in number. Each one was needed, each of them as important as the others. Her mind strived to remember them, their faces, their names. But her memory would take time to come back.
Yeva nodded. “She will recover. For now she must rest.”
Pride filled her heart as she glanced around at the small group. They had escaped The Dissension and lived on, ensuring her legacy did not end as the reapers had hoped. They had overcome impossible odds to bring her back.
Silas and his group of reapers had a lot to answer to now that she was awake.
“Now,” she pulled herself up and turned to the small group of hunters, a grin forming on her lips. “Tell me what I missed.”
Nineteen
Kain
The chilled metal of the brass bench bit into Kain’s skin through his jeans as he waited at the top of the hill of McAlister Park. He glanced at his watch. 7:42. Kain sighed. He would have slept in later this morning, but Nivian’s little stunt at the butt-crack of dawn had made it impossible. After she had left, he had decided to get dressed, knowing he wouldn’t have been able to get back to sleep with his heart pounding as it was.
He waited for eight o’clock to come and watched the droplets from the morning fog stick to the sleeve of his jacket. The morning fog was so thick, it would stick around all day.
He checked his watch again: two minutes after eight. A coffee run on the way here would have been nice, if he had been awake enough to think of it at the time.
Kain rolled his neck in a circle. The guy probably wanted to sell him a vacuum cleaner and thought the park was the perfect place to demonstrate how good it is picking up dirt. A few more minutes and he’d take off. He was curious, but not enough to sit in a park all morning. He began to rethink not bringing anything to keep him entertained. At least his sleep-deprived mind had functioned enough to remember how to put on a pair of pants before leaving his apartment.
8:19. The man was almost twenty minutes late. Letting out a heavy sigh, Kain put his hands on his knees and pushed up. He had better things to do than wait, and he was already annoyed he’d wasted so much of the morning. He didn’t have a burning desire to talk with a creepy man anyway. What were the chances he would tell him anything he wanted to know? Slim to none at best.
“Leaving so soon?” the deep voice from the phone call asked from behind.
Kain spun around, taking a defensive position. “What is it with people trying to scare me this morning?” He muttered. He was too tired for this crap. He needed coffee or a nap. “I was on time. Heck, I was even early. I would hardly call it ‘soon.’”
“Patience is a virtue.” The dark gray fedora the man wore partially obscured his face. Only the space below his nose showed. He was the same man from outside the theater—the stance, height and voice were all the same.
“Are you going to tell me why we are here or just quote proverbs to me all day?” Kain asked impatiently. It was cold, and he was tired of being outside.
“I have come to answer your questions.” The man pushed his hat up, revealing a young face. Now that Kain could see him in the light, he didn’t seem to be much older than he was.
“And what questions are those?”
“The ones about who you really are.” One corner of his mouth turned up in a smug expression.
He looked into the older man’s eyes. Though he had never seen this man before the day in the alley, when the stranger had handed him the card, the features of his face bore a striking resemblance to his own. The slope of his nose, the way his eyes smiled when his mouth did.
“You have no idea who I am.” Kain glared into the man’s face. There was something about the look on his face that felt familiar. The man standing in front of Kain couldn’t be more than a few years older, but his eyes held more wisdom than anyone twice his age could ever hope to have.
“I know a lot about who you are.” The man paused. “I am Holter Evers.” Taking off his hat, he extended a hand toward Kain. “Nice to finally meet you, Kain.”
That was impossible. His face was young, unmarred by wrinkles brought on by age. Though… the way he dressed hinted at a past generation. If what Nivian had said about a hunter’s life span were true, he wouldn’t age as fast. Holter’s hair was the same shade of chestnut brown as his, but that didn’t prove anything; it was a common color. His eyes were an golden chestnut, unlike his own forest green, but they were the same. He’d seen the man’s face when he was a boy. Kain had found photos of him hidden in an old shoebox under his mom’s bed when playing. Aurelia refused to explain who he was, but Kain had never forgotten that face. If he didn’t know better, he would have said he was staring into the face of his slightly older brother.
Kain reached out to shake the man’s hand, then stopped. If this stranger was who he claimed to be, Kain wasn’t about to welcome him into his life just like that; he didn’t owe it to him. Pulling his hand back, he dropped it to his side. His fists clenched and unclenched.
“You show up after all this time and expect things to be great between us? You left before I was born. Why would I listen to anything you have to say? You wouldn’t know the first thing about me.”
Holter dropped his hand and sighed. “You’re right. I don’t know the first thing about your life, but I do know you are my son, and that you are a hunter. It’s time you found out what that means.”
“Your son?” Kain spat out, his anger reaching its boiling point. “I’m nothing to you, and you are nothing but a genetic donor to me.” His heart pounded, and his hands ached from clenching them into fists—frustration, and annoyance at Holter’s nonchalance. He never realized he harbored these feelings toward the man until this exact moment. Growing up he had always wanted to meet the person who helped give him life and who had broken his mom’s heart. Kain never expected he would get the chance, and now he that he stood in front of the man, he was at a loss for words. The anger he thought he would feel wasn’t there. In its place was only a feeling of annoyance.
Sighing, Holter shrugged. “I had to leave, Kain. You would never have been safe as long as I was around.”
Kain crossed his arms across his chest; he wasn’t interested in excuses.
“Shall we sit while I explain this to you?” The older man continued.
Holter could be blowing smoke, but what would be the point of even showing up? Kain gave him a curt nod. Kain doubted the man could tell him anything to change how he felt about him or what he did to him and his mother.
“The moment I saw Aurey, it was love at first sight. I knew I would do anything for her.” He leaned back against the bench as he stared off into the distance. “I told her everything—except that I was a hunter. If she’d found out, she would have been in danger, and a reaper would have been able to coerce the information out of me by threatening her life. I would have stayed forever if I could, but the reapers had been growing more active. They were getting close to finding me. I couldn’t risk it.”
“So, you decided to split?”
“No. The day she found out she was pregnant with you, she was happier than I had ever seen her. She glowed.” Holter smiled wistfully to himself. “I knew we would love you more than life itself, but my duty was to protect you both. I had already decided I had to leave. It killed me to know I wouldn’t be there for you as you grew up. But it was nothing compared to what I would have felt if anything had happened to either of you. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make.”
“You left to protect us? You should have taken
us with you!” Kain ran his fingers through his hair. “You broke her, you know. She tried not to show it, but I could tell. She would act happy, but I saw her cry countless times when she thought I wasn’t around. She spent her life alone.” Kain’s voice sounded defeated, and he let out a long breath.
“She never remarried?” Holter’s eyes lit up, and the hint of a smile formed on his lips. If Kain didn’t know any better, Holter was thinking things he had no right to consider after all this time.
“Of course she didn’t. She dated a few times, but it was never serious. She wanted you.” Kain gave his father a look of disgust. He didn’t know why he was bothering to tell this stranger so much about his mother. He needed to steer the conversation in the right direction. “What does you breaking her heart and leaving us have to do with me now?”
“I just needed to know she was doing well. I never stopped loving her for a moment. Even if you don’t believe another word that leaves my mouth, at least believe that.” He paused for several moments before he continued. “We have been slowly gathering as many of us as possible, trying to rebuild our numbers for when the time came.”
“Who are ‘we,’ and what ‘time’ would that be?” Kain still reeled from learning this man was his father.
“Yeva is awake.” Holter spoke her name in a hushed whisper.
Kain looked at him, not understanding. “Who, or what is Yeva?”
“Do not speak her name so loud! Do you want all the reapers after us?” he warned. “She is the creator of all the hunters. She gave us our powers, and when the reapers tried to take everything, she gave us the gift of long life. We owe her everything.”
“That’s great and all, but the reapers are already after us.” Kain stood. “I need to be going now.”
Holter stood with him. “You must stand and fight with us.”
“This isn’t my fight.” Kain turned his back to leave.
“It is your fight. Whether you want to believe it or not, it is part of who you are, who you were born to be. The war is coming soon. You don’t have the freedom to choose. None of us do. The reapers must be stopped. The veil that keeps the balance is starting to shift, and if that happens, dimensions will collide. All life, everything you love, will cease to exist.” Holter’s voice grew tight with desperation.
“This is a bit difficult to believe. It sounds crazy.”
“I know, Kain, but your powers are some of the strongest we have felt in a long time. You need to start your training now; without it, they are useless. We need you to win this war.”
“Powers?” Kain began to feel overwhelmed. “I need time to digest this.”
“I can’t give you too much time to process this. I will contact you shortly. We need to start your training, and time is running short.”
Placing his hat back on his head, Holter turned on his heel and walked off.
Nivian
Nivian sat on her balcony railing overlooking the city. Caspian stood beside her and leaned on the railing. In silence, they watched the thick fog try to lift. It dimmed the sun, making it no brighter than the moon in the middle of the day. She couldn’t help but feel that the gloomy weather fit her current mood.
“Nivi,” he began, “I know you don’t want to hear this, but it needs to be done.”
Her only response to him was a glare.
“Don’t be like that, Nivi. I know you think he’s a good person—and he probably is. It is unfortunate, but at the same time, it is also a blessing.”
“How is that a blessing?” she demanded.
“If he were a less civilized hunter, it would be easy for you to carry out this mark. Although it would also mean that he was a greater threat who would be more willing to fight. His powers are more powerful than we can currently risk dealing with.”
“I don’t think it’s right.” Nivian chewed on her lip. Completing her mark had never given her pause before. For the first time, feelings of uncertainty held her back, keeping her from doing her job quickly and to the best of her ability. This mark was more than just a hunter; there was more to it. She just couldn’t put her finger on it.
“I know you don’t. Part of it isn’t right, but it is a necessary evil. A life force has not been cut short since The Dissension. If it were only a few human lives on the line, I would support your resistance to this. But it is not so simple. If the hunters continue on the path they are currently on, the balance will be thrown, and all of existence will pay the price.”
Nivian dropped her head. “I thought I felt a shift this morning, but I assumed it was something inside of me… because of what Silas did.”
For the first time, she began to admit to herself she didn’t have a choice, accepting that path would be her decision. As much as she hated it, she felt herself pulled to the side of logic. Caspian wouldn’t lie about anything this big and risk losing her trust—not when he had already risked it once. She understood he had his own duties to perform, and he still insisted on doing them in an honorable way.
“His presence has made you more aware of the change.” Caspian nodded. “Silas has been monitoring the veil between the realms. It began to shift a few years back. Nothing noticeable at first, but gradually it has grown stronger and more noticeable. Something big happened last night that Silas isn’t speaking about. However, it has made his mood infinitely worse.” He gave Nivian a lopsided grin. “If that is even possible—and it is not a good thing.”
“Are you positive Kain is the key?”
Caspian walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her head. She sighed and leaned into him.
“If he is not the key, than he plays a big role in all of it. I do not believe the hunters will be able to succeed without him, or they would have made their move a long time ago.”
Nivian was quiet for a long time before she spoke. “I trust you, Caspian.” She turned her head to look at him the best she could, meeting his gaze. “I just need time to come to terms with this. I am against cutting a life force short, but if not doing so means the end of existence… then I can’t justify not following through. I won’t lie to him, and I will give him a fighting chance.”
“Silas will destroy you if you do not follow orders. What he did was only a small taste of his wrath. Gaining power is never painful, but he made it so for you.”
“I’ll take my chances with him. You have both made sure I knew that I was the only one capable of carrying out this mark. Besides, Kain will destroy me if I don’t reap him first.”
Caspian nodded and released his embrace.
“I think I need some time alone. I need to think.”
“Very well. I believe you will make the right decision, and you will not fail.” Throwing his hood over his head, he vanished.
Twenty
Kain
Kain inhaled a deep breath, slowly pulling the chilled air into his lungs. He sat outside on his balcony and sipped a cup of coffee. As much as he was enjoying his view from his new apartment, the beauty of it was dulled by the stress of the situation looming over him. He couldn’t get past seeing the man he had always wanted to meet face-to-face at last. To even consider digesting everything else he had learned seemed impossible. This kind of thing just didn’t happen in real life.
There was too much to this to be able to learn it in the short amount of time he had. Taking the time to disbelieve it wasn’t an option. Being tossed overboard in the middle of the ocean, it was swim and live or refuse to believe it, and drown. That’s exactly how he was feeling now. He had to swim if he wanted to live.
He should talk to Nivian, he needed to update her on what he learned, and it might even help him figure things out. She knew all about this, while he was still clueless. Perhaps Nivian could enlighten him or at least make things sound less complicated. The things Holter had told him contradicted with what she had told him. It was hard to know whom to believe, the nice girl who was his mortal enemy, or the father who he didn’t know anything about.
He pulled himself up from his chair and headed out the door. He jogged up the flight of stairs to Nivian’s apartment and lifted his hand, his knuckles reaching the door just as it swung open. He jerked his hand back. The last thing he wanted to do was knock on the face of the reaper who was sent to take his life.
Nivian
Nivian rushed out the door and slammed into a solid form. Bouncing off, she took a step back. Kain. Her eyes widened in shock. She backed up further and created more space between them. He had good timing. She was on her way to find him to see if he had gotten anywhere yet.
“Gah-hi. Hi,” he stuttered. “Is being psychic part of your powers? You know when someone comes over?”
“No.” Nivian smiled at his naiveté of her powers. “I was on the way to find you.” She opened the door wide and motioned for him to enter. Kain stepped past her and waited as she closed the door.
“We’ll talk in the kitchen. I’ll make coffee.” She said leading the way.
Kain took a seat around her makeshift table and waited as she moved about the kitchen preparing their drinks.
“Kain, I know we only talked last night, but I am running out of time. Have you found out anything?”
Kain’s face changed from its usual bright expression to a bleak, somber one. “I did. I have been contacted by…” He paused, looking uncertain. “My father, or a man claiming to be my father. I don’t want to believe it, but I have his face. I know I should have questioned him, but the second he mentioned Ma, I didn’t want to hear what he had to say.” Kain dropped his head and stared down into his coffee. “He’s a hunter. Holter told me I had powers, and that I need training to use them. He didn’t go into much detail.”
“Yes, hunters’ powers. Though yours already seemed strong when you destroyed the reaper to save the girl.” It worried her that the strength of his powers was untrained. How strong could he be if he were properly trained?