She was expecting me to murder Shezin. Because that was what it was—murder. We had absolutely no proof that Shezin had done anything to deserve such a fate, and of course I couldn’t trust Anunit for it, either. What if this was some kind of trick? What if Anunit had a hidden agenda that required Shezin’s demise?
“Three days, then I will come back for you,” the Reaper said, raising her chin. It would no longer be contested. This was our only option besides failure. She disappeared, and Unending brought her scythe out to do a brief sweep of our surroundings, confirming that she was actually gone and not hidden, eavesdropping.
“We’re alone,” my beloved murmured. “There’s something weird going on here.”
“You mean besides Death’s shamelessness?”
Unending raised her eyebrows. “Yes, I admit I did not see that coming.”
“We need to talk to Death about this,” I said, and she agreed, closing her eyes for a moment. A telepathic connection was established between Unending and Death while I kept my focus on the cobbled street. As the sky dimmed into a darker blue hue and threads of fiery red sliced through the western horizon, the city was preparing for evening. The Dainians were leaving their places of work, groups of them flocking to the taverns over on this side of the river.
They rowed boats across the water, the men tying their small vessels to massive wooden pillars. They unloaded cargo which they then carried home to their wives. I imagined children as tall as me happily welcoming their fathers and aiding their mothers in preparing supper. The Dainians had a simple, good life here. So, what was it about Shezin that made Anunit so determined to see the end of him?
He’d helped them build bridges over the river. Surely he’d contributed to their prosperity. No one here seemed weary or hungry, broken or terrified. Anunit had a point though—we’d have to infiltrate the Dainians and find a way to get to the truth. Unending had already caught subtle signs of distress, but without more information, no conclusion could be drawn. It just wasn’t enough to warrant Shezin’s death sentence.
“I can’t believe it,” Unending breathed as she returned to me in mind and soul. Her galaxy eyes were wide, round and filled with billions of stars that twinkled in the black distance. “I can’t believe it…”
“What happened? What did Death say?”
“She doesn’t know anything about Shezin. She has no idea who we’re talking about.”
I found myself breathless. “That doesn’t make sense. Anunit is lying through her teeth?”
“Maybe. She doesn’t know we’re in contact with Death and able to verify her stories,” Unending said. “It’s possible. But still… I’ll be honest, I didn’t sense any deception so far. Either Anunit’s source got it wrong—”
“Or she’s lying. Or Death is lying. Who is telling the truth?”
She put her scythe away, straightening her black leather shirt. It was cropped above the waist, and she wore a skirt that flowed down in pure white folds, briefly outlining her elegant hips. Her shoulders were half-bare, sometimes beckoning me for a kiss, her skin supple and pearlescent like the sheen of a Stravian oyster. “Given Death’s prior behavior, I would consider both options equally possible,” Unending said, resting her palms on my chest as she moved closer, her floral scent of midnight lilies filling my heart and lungs with endless love. “I suppose we need to follow Anunit’s lead on this and investigate. If anyone can tell us the truth, it’s the Dainians and Shezin himself. Think about it. What are the odds that Anunit is the one who’s lying, when she herself told us to inquire and get to the bottom of it? Versus the odds that Death sold me crap just now?”
“Has she tried to persuade you to give up on the trials?” I asked. “It would prove she definitely had something with Shezin.”
Unending exhaled deeply. “Yeah, that’s the weird part… She didn’t try to persuade me at all. In fact, she insisted that I continue with the investigation. Death is convinced that Anunit is up to something, but she isn’t sure what. She also insists she knows nothing of a Shezin.”
“Well, then it’s settled,” I said. “We find out for ourselves and see who’s lying in this whole cosmic mess.”
“I admit, I’m even more curious now that I’ve spoken to Death about it. Believe it or not, she seemed sincere. It’s confusing.”
I kissed her forehead softly. “Not for long.”
As the evening stretched overhead, Unending and I made a plan for the following three days. We would’ve liked to see the spell that Anunit would use to bring the scythes together with the Mixer, but she’d vanished and was likely beyond our reach. Besides, we had bigger fish to fry. Three days to get to the truth and potentially end up killing Shezin—our feelings remained mixed on that score, but we’d have to cross that bridge when we got to it.
Three days to complete the second trial that would bring us closer to our family dreams, as well as Anunit’s endgame. Death was right about one thing: she was absolutely up to something.
Astra
Minutes had passed since this angelic warrior had reached us and since she had basically saved our rookie behinds. We’d meant well by coming there, by trying to find our friends and loved ones, by trying to bring justice upon the monsters that had invaded our lives. We’d meant well, but we were woefully unprepared for what this place kept throwing at us.
This didn’t mean we would give up. On the contrary. This whole encounter with the shadow creatures and what appeared to be their blue-eyed master had only made us more curious, more determined to find out what was happening.
“We ask who you are, and you tell us it doesn’t matter, but it does,” Thayen said to the woman in gold and steel armor, the woman with hair like the summer sun and eyes like the summer sky. He seemed torn between awe and curiosity, his frame stiff as he stood before her, chin up and bold as ever. I didn’t need full sentry abilities to observe that she had unwittingly ensnared his attention. Truth be told, we were all dying to know everything there was to know about her. Thayen was speaking for all of us. “It does matter. You saved us just now, and you obviously know more about this place than we do.”
The woman frowned, the blue in her strange gaze darkening. “I’m not strong enough here. I need more light. The shadow creatures will be back soon. You can’t linger. You must keep moving.”
“Oh, for the love of… What’s your name?” Soph snapped, still panting from our earlier fight. My adrenaline was wearing off, and my body had begun to shake as if I’d stuck my fingers into an electrical socket. “I’m Soph, short for Sophia. I’m a half-daemon of Neraka. This is Jericho, a fire dragon and fire fae from The real Shade, and Dafne, a half-ice dragon, also of The Shade. He’s Thayen, vampire and Spirit Bender extraordinaire. And this is Astra, Daughter of Eritopia and sentry of Nevertide. See? Not that hard. Your turn.”
The woman measured each of us from head to toe, and in this heavy and strained silence, I found a moment to try and study her spiritual energy. There was so much coming off her that it was impossible to ignore. Unlike all the living creatures I’d been around, she was like a beacon of soul power. Raw life, yet… distant. Out of my reach despite being mere feet away from me.