The Reapers (The Hunted Series Book 1) Read online

  As the sun peaked, the voices joined once more in chanting the words in their original language, calling out to Yeva, beseeching her to wake up and rule once again.

  Silas

  Silas sat on his large throne in the Great Hall, drumming his fingers on its arm. This hunter had been unknown to him until recently. What was he up to, and why now? Why had he come out of hiding to only destroy a few reapers? It didn’t make any sense. If the hunter wanted war, then he had a poor strategy. He called too much attention to himself. Or was he showing off his power, as if spitting in Silas’s face? Mocking him to try and stop him. Silas was not about to wait until the hunter attacked with more frequency to find out. Even one reaper was one too many to lose. After all these years of being silent, they chose now to make their presence known. He would not lose his power to these hunters, whatever they were up to.

  He paced back and forth, his temper and impatience getting the best of him.

  “Damn Yeva!” he swore under his breath.

  He had taken care of her centuries ago. She had been placed in a deep sleep, no longer able to interfere with his powers. This hunter could ruin everything he had taken great care to put into place. Silas hoped the hunter wasn’t the one who had the ability to destroy the balance. A rogue hunter who lost his mind would be easy to take care of. Hunters and reapers were currently only existing on a frail truce.

  He walked over to a platform hidden in the dark shadows in the back of the room. Pushing back a heavy curtain revealed a large round basin set on top of a podium; milky blue Waters of Soyala filled it. His hand reached for the chalice that sat on the edge and dipped it in, scooping water into the sacred goblet. Holding up the cup he looked into the water, it swirled and cleared. Silas took a sip and set it down, looking into the pool of water. He watched close as an image formed.

  “Yeva,” he whispered. His voice was hoarse, sadness choking him. Unconsciously, he slid the hood off his head and leaned forward.

  She lay on a white marble bed placed on a large dais surrounded by tiny white flowers. Flowing white silk created a canopy around her. Looking peaceful, her red hair fanned out, encircling her head. She still slept in the prison he had created. A spell enveloped her, creating the illusion of a large ancient and knotted tree occupying the space where she lay. He had tried to bring her to Mophar where he could have kept her close, but it had drained her powers to a dangerous degree. Unwilling to risk Yeva’s life, Silas created a sanctuary, placing it in a land far away from civilization in the human realm. Most didn’t even know it existed.

  The land was cold and frozen, surrounded by mountains, valleys, and hidden cliffs, dropping out of nowhere. A place blasted with fierce winds, blowing snow, and ice. In the center, high on a mountain, was a warm tropical forest. Silas had placed her in the heart of it. As humanity expanded, so had the spell. Soon the humans wouldn’t be able to find the land. Any human who managed to get close would be turned around by the spell, ending up farther away and lost. Most were never seen again, few ever made it back to the land they knew.

  Silas longed for the simplicity of the beginning of existence. A time when there was no struggle for power. As his mind wandered back through his memories, he saw her smiling face before him, heard her laugh ring out. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, even to this day.

  They had been close, Life and Death working together to create the most important balance ever to be known. They had spent so much of their time together just being, enjoying each other’s company. They had happily shared the power then. The two of them watched the beginnings of the human race blossom and grow. They took joy from the beautiful existence; humans had let them experience things as they were meant to be experienced.

  The memories tugged at his heart. It was hard to believe anything could pull them apart. He thought they would be together for all of eternity, but their happiness had ended all too soon.

  “You are not alone, Yeva. I am always with you.” He longed to be able to touch her face once more. It hurt to know his presence there would break the spell he had placed over her.

  He sighed, closed his eyes, and willed his emotions back down where he kept them locked up. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. Remembering how it used to be wouldn’t help him now.

  He looked down into the bowl and watched as the vision in the water backed away from her face, giving him a complete view of her and her surroundings.

  Lunging forward as the new image formed, he knocked the goblet to the side, spilling the remaining water. His hands gripped the edge of the bowl. He brought his face closer to the water. A small group of five figures surrounded her, cloaked in the red of the hunter. Silas waved his hand over the water enhancing the image. The hunters chanted softly. His chest tightened in anger as he listened and focused on the chanting.

  After the silence of all these centuries, he had thought he had won, that there would never again be another war between them to rival The Dissension. The hunters had managed to find the only spell that could possibly wake up Yeva. Once she woke, and if he let this go uninterrupted, she would wake up, there would be another great war. One more dangerous than before with more causalities than either of them could afford. The call of power was too great to avoid. There would be no stopping it. She could not be allowed to gain power again.

  Furious, Silas picked up the chalice and threw it across the room. It landed with a clang and spun. He ground his teeth. Nivian had better be doing her job, or else she would have him to answer to. His wrath would not be pleasant. The consequences of her failure would be irreversible—it would mean a power shift so large, it was unfathomable. He would not allow this to happen.

  Waving his hand over the water once again, he cleared the image of Yeva and the hunters. He would see how Nivian’s marked hunter was doing. With any luck, he would be in a casket buried deep under the surface of the earth.

  An image formed, showing a young man passed out facedown on his bed. Still in his clothes, his jeans were bunched up on one leg, and one foot was missing its sock. Slow movements of his torso indicated his breath. He slammed a fist down on the podium. She had not completed her mark yet!

  This hunter looked unassuming, but Silas knew better. And he would not underestimate this enemy. He had once, long ago, and he still paid the consequences for his inactions.

  With a loud sigh, Silas picked up the chalice, dipped it into the Waters of Soyala, and once again took a sip. The milky water swirled and formed an image of Nivian. She stood in Caspian’s empty study, next to his desk. Her back pressed against the door as she looked down. Silas narrowed his eyes at her image. ~What is she up to? Before he could make out what she was doing alone, Caspian appeared. The next moment, his arms held her. Silas knew Caspian had feelings for her. It seemed to him as though she had been waiting on him to declare his love. He kissed her and… disgusted, Silas waved his hand, clearing the image. Nivian was wasting her time. Their romantic interludes were their business but, they had better not interfere with her doing her job, and fast.

  The five figures shrouded in red remained kneeling around Yeva’s sanctuary, chanting and singing late into the next night, unaware they had been observed.

  Eleven

  Nivian

  Nivian walked with purpose through the halls of G.R.I.M. Headquarters toward the library. If she was going to defeat this hunter, she was going to need a strategy. Forget stalking her prey as she had planned—she would have to make sure she used the best tactics possible to ensure success—and not risk her existence carelessly. It didn’t matter how long it would take, Nivian would find what she was looking for. Whatever that was.

  Shelves that almost reached the vaulted ceiling of the library contained every book a reaper could ever need. Everything that has to do with reapers, their history, and powers was here. The books contained a variety of topics, from the elements, claiming their power, the history of reapers, time, the basics o
f life, death, and energy, and more.

  A thick layer of dust covered the books from disuse, muting the once bright covers. There hadn’t been any new reapers created in centuries. They were all thousands of years old, and adept at their assigned specialty, having learned everything they needed long ago. There was no longer any need for any existing reaper to use the library. Nivian shook her head and heaved a heavy sigh at the neglected and forgotten books.

  Dragging her finger along the spines of the books, she walked through the aisles. She examined every title for any that could give her any useful information on hunters. In all the time she spent researching in the past, she couldn’t remember having ever seen any. Every book imaginable was here; there had to be at least one that would aid her. The question was, where exactly was it?

  Nivian frowned and bit her lip. How they could they have been forced to forget the biggest event ever to happen to them? Something felt off. She didn’t buy that it was because they no longer needed to know—there had to be more to it.

  She had been at this for hours and had found nothing. She had searched every shelf, twice. Nivian sighed and leaned against the cold, stonewall. She tilted her head back and rubbed her forehead. There was nothing about hunters here. Had Silas destroyed those along with the memories? Letting her head tilt to the side, she peered through a small gap. Between the wall and shelf, a door she’d never seen before was visible. She sucked in a breath and squeezed herself through the space. It was a tight fit. Placing her hand on the brass doorknob, she turned it. The latch released with a soft click. The door creaked open to expose a small alcove. Squinting, she cautiously pushed the door open a few more inches and stuck her head through.

  Inside was a small round table covered in a thick layer of dust, with a solitary oil lamp sitting in the center. Books covered the walls and spanned the entire length of the room.

  The room was blocked off because someone was trying to hide it. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she stepped into the room. Light from the open doorway flowed into the room. Specks disturbed by the movement of air floated before her, dancing in the beam of light. Everything in the small room had a thick layer of grime. Dust covered every surface, dulling the titles of books and turning the entire room a strange muted gray.

  Nivian made her way to the table. She lifted the glass oil lamp and blew on the chimney, clearing the dust. She lit the wick, illuminating the small room with a soft yellow glow. She made her way around the room, examining every book and dusting off the bindings to better read the titles.

  Hunters… they were all about hunters! Her heart beat with excitement as she grabbed all the books she could hold, and made several stacks.

  ‘The Hunter and You,’ ‘A Hunter’s Power,’ ‘What To Do When You Encounter A Hunter,’ and ‘A Hunter’s History.’

  A pile of books she had gathered sat near the door. Nivian took one more pass around the room for any books she might have missed. A small book that had fallen off a shelf, stuck out from behind a bookcase on the floor in the far corner. She bent down and picked it up, dusting off the faded cover. The cloth of the worn cover was ripped; she could barely make out the title.

  “The Either,” she whispered.

  The beat up book was smaller than the rest. She settled herself down on the floor, crossing her legs, and opened a book. Within minutes she was engrossed in all the hidden books she had found. They detailed various parts of their forgotten history Caspian had spoken to her about.

  Surrounded by open books, she picked up the small book and opened it. The pages were yellowed and fragile from the passage of time, and gave off a musty odor. With gentle movements, she turned the first pages over, scanning them until she got to a passage about a human’s life force.

  “A human’s life force is energy. That force is then sent back to the earth to recharge and once again be reborn as a new life.”

  Nivian skipped ahead a few pages. This section was elementary information, it wouldn’t tell her anything new.

  “During The Dissension the life energy was used as a weapon against the other side. Neither wanted to surrender their power and greed fostered mistrust. This caused a dangerous imbalance, breaking down the veil between realms. The watchers kept the reapers from collecting the life of the mortals they were required to reap. Without any other options, and their power dwindling fast, the reapers were forced to gather the life force of the living without discrimination. These actions together caused great destruction among the living.”

  Nivian shook her head, she couldn’t believe the energy of a life force had ever been used in such a way. It’s a waste of precious energy.

  The door to the library slammed shut. She jumped, startled by the noise that broke her concentration. Cautiously, she closed the book and set it down. Pushing herself up off the floor, she snuffed out the lamp.

  It was odd that another reaper would be in here. It wasn’t that it was off limits to be in the library, it was that no one ever came here anymore. What she did know was a hidden door was hidden for a reason. She inched her way up to the door and closed it, leaving a small crack to peer out.

  Hushed voices grew closer to her hiding spot.

  “…I will take care of it.” A deep voice resonated off the stone walls of the main room.

  Caspian. She’d recognize the deep timbre of his voice anywhere.

  “Good. I trust it will not be an issue,” Silas responded.

  Caspian was having another meeting with the ancient. Nivian could only assume it was about her and the fact she had once again delayed taking care of her mark.

  She clenched her fists until her fingernails bit into the skin of her palms. Silas should understand if it were a task only she could carry out. Why wouldn’t she want to have the chance to study him like they did every mark? The opportunity to compile a strategy so she would have the best chance at following through and not getting destroyed in the process… Continuing to exist was high on her list of priorities.

  “There will be no issue,” Caspian said in a reassuring voice.

  “I have always been able to count on you, my friend. It is imperative she take care of this mark. There have been more cases of reapers disappearing over the past century than anyone knows. The imbalance now grows with each reaper lost to these monsters.”

  “My Lord.” Caspian frowned, “why is this only an issue now, if it has been happening for as long as you say?”

  “It was always a problem. However, a hunter who took out a reaper had always died in the process, restoring the balance. Therefore there was no need to take any steps to rectify anything. It has only been this new hunter who has made his presence felt. He can destroy us with no damage to himself.”

  There was so much more to these hunters than Nivian could have imagined.

  They walked through the library, their voices growing louder as they approached her corner. Nivian backed up, pressing her back against the wall. She held her breath and peeked through the opening. Only a bookshelf separated Caspian and Silas from her hiding spot. Silas had his back to her and, as usual, his hood was up. She bit the side of her bottom lip. She had genuinely hoped he’d have it down. All reapers have been trying to steal a glimpse, since they realized Silas never removed his hood. She was hoping, even now, to be the first.

  Turning back away from the door, her foot tapped the pile of books. The top book fell from the stack with a muffled clomp.

  “Crap!” she bit out, cringing.

  There was complete silence on the other side of the door. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, hoping they didn’t find her.

  “Did you hear something?” Silas asked.

  Nivian pried open her eyes and peeked through the narrow opening, and held her breath. Silas looked around the room, his gaze stopping in the direction of her hidden corner.

  Caspian raised an eyebrow. “I did not hear a thing. Now,” he said, placing a hand on Silas’s shoulder turning both of them back in the direction of the
main doors of the library. “Are there any more instructions?”

  Silas walked alongside the other. “No. You know what to do. I trust it will get done.”

  Caspian put his arm around the other reaper’s shoulder and led him toward the door. “There was favor I wanted to ask of you…”

  Camira

  Camira crouched down on top of the bookshelves, pulling as far back into the shadows as she could. She wanted to know what Nivian was up to. Her friend had been digging herself deeper and deeper into things, and whatever it was she was getting into couldn’t be any good.

  She watched as Nivian pulled open a door and stepped through.

  Strange, she’d never noticed that door before. Though what could a door behind a bookshelf hold that would be of any interest? More than likely it was just another one of Nivian’s ridiculous ideas, one she wasn’t going to waste her time talking her out of this time.

  Narrowing her eyes, Camira thought back to how their friendship used to be. There had been a time when Nivian came to her over every little thing she learned or was curious about. Camira had to talk her out of many stupid ideas. Somewhere along the line, the two reapers had grown distant, and Camira resented it.

  Nivian must be too good for me now, she thought bitterly.

  Nivian now went to Caspian for everything and left her in the dark. It was rare that they ever sat and talked anymore. Even Silas had given Nivian special treatment, giving her more powers than all the other reapers.

  Why is she so much stronger than all the others? She’s so weird, and it’s not like she did anything to earn those powers.

  Nivian had a ridiculous fascination with humans, but Silas had granted her the power to blend in and allowed her to live in their world. Camira could never figure out why. Nivian wasn’t even that good of a reaper, if you asked her.

  Camira pushed herself further into the shadows. Silas and Caspian walked in side by side. Their voices too muffled to make anything out. She strained to hear. Why couldn’t they talk louder? Camira rolled her eyes. She wasn’t going to waste any more time watching Nivian read books. She pulled her hood over her head and vanished.