Bringer of Night

Bella Forrest

Description

"Who had the Elders been before the Night Bringer came?"Continue the journey in Book 4 of Season 10.

Informations

• Publié par: Distributed by eBookpartnership
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781697873672
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Copyright © 2019
Hot Pancakes Ltd
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SEELEY
W e 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, now I know!” I snapped. “You didn’t mention that earlier!”
“I had… suspicions. It wasn’t enough.”
“Screw that! Suspicions could’ve worked, too. I would’ve been better prepared,” I replied, getting up from the rounded rock I’d settled on. I turned to face the ocean, finding a sliver of tranquility in its deep blue ripples. “I spent entire days in chains, at the mercy of those maniacs! They could’ve destroyed me! They could’ve turned me into a ghoul!”
Clouds gathered in the distance, black and gray masses tumbling toward one another. A storm was coming, and the ocean trembled.
“I’m sorry, Seeley… I didn’t know how deep… the poison ran…” Death said.
“What about Nethissis? What do I do with her?” I asked. “She was killed by one of their ghouls. They’re keeping ghouls as pets, for Pete’s sake!”
“Her… body… where is it?”
“Lumi says it’s back at the palace, preserved under a swamp witch spell. The Faulty twins don’t know as much Word magic as the swamp witches, but they were able to keep her body safe,” I said.
“As… long as… body… safe… still a chance.” The connection was breaking.
“Why is Nethissis able to hide from anyone holding a scythe? When Amelia picked up Yamani’s blade, she could see the spirits on Mortis. Even Nethissis, when she was alive and held his scythe, she could see the spirits. What changed here? How come she can do death magic?”
“Protect Nethissis,” Death replied. “She’s…” The words became garbled, fading and bursting back incomplete. “Special. She’s… not a regular… soul.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, frustration pressing hard against my temples.
“Special…” Death’s voice fizzled away.
“Death? No, come back!” My whole being felt suddenly cold and utterly lonely.
There would be no answer. Not for now, anyway. I’d gotten as much as I could out of Death. It wasn’t enough, but it was better than nothing. Of course, the idea of Nethissis being special brought all sorts of theories to mind. She could be becoming a Reaper, and the thought made my heart sing, because it meant she wouldn’t have to move on. It meant I wouldn’t lose her. Another theory involved the Word’s influence, given the unnatural circumstances of her death. Maybe it wanted her brought back to life, which would explain why Death wanted her body kept safe. Then again, had it not been for Lumi’s imprisonment on Neraka, the swamp witches would’ve gone extinct on Eritopia during Azazel’s reign. There was no way of knowing for sure, but it beat bumbling through the darkness.
I got up as Sidyan approached me. Behind him, Maya and Rudolph were busy devouring a deer carcass. It hadn’t taken them long to return from their hunt. I assumed they were faster and more efficient together.
“What did she say?” Sidyan asked, his brow furrowed. I understood his concern, given he’d asked me to hold back from speaking to Death. However, he knew there were too many things we didn’t understand, and that she was the only one with the answers.
“If you’re worried about yourself, stop,” I said. “She didn’t sound like she cared. Besides, I bombarded her with questions as soon as I caught a telepathic link. I doubt she had time to fuss over your decision to save me. Hell, I bet she’s pleased.”
“Okay. Good. That’s good to hear.” He sighed, genuine relief lighting his expression.
“I couldn’t get much out of her, though,” I replied. “The connection is terrible. I think we need more seals to come down before we can have a proper conversation this far away from each other.”
Sidyan nodded slowly. “What did she say?”
I motioned for Lumi and Nethissis to join us, making sure Rudolph and Maya stayed out of earshot. They got skittish whenever Death was even mentioned, and I needed them both to be alert and confident, not terrified of their maker-especially Maya.
“What is it?” Nethissis asked. “Did you get ahold of Death?”
It was difficult to concentrate around Nethissis. She’d died in her serpent form, so her spiritual figure was naked. Her long copper hair covered most of her intimate parts, but still… I’d died a man, and the mere sight of her was enough to make my very soul catch fire. It was hard for Nethissis, as well. Self-consciousness followed her everywhere.
“I did. She said that as long as your body is safe, she might be able to do something.” I gave her a soft, encouraging smile. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get more out of her. The line was… bad.”
“So, she admitted Nethi’s death was unnatural?” Lumi asked.
“No, not in those exact terms,” I said, trying to find the right words. I hesitated to convey Death’s entire message, mainly because I couldn’t give any additional explanations as to why Nethissis was different. We could spend days talking about what Death might’ve meant.
Nethissis frowned. “Then what terms did she use, precisely?”
“She said you were… special. I swear I couldn’t get more out of her. I tried, but the connection faded,” I said. “Special? I’m special?”
I nodded. “I wish I could tell you more.”
“What could she have meant?” Nethissis murmured, looking at Lumi for answers. But the seasoned swamp witch didn’t have any answers, either.
“I don’t know, but I think we should take it as a good sign. Death could’ve easily told Seeley to simply reap you,” Lumi replied. She was right. I was expecting such an order, and I had to admit, I was relieved.
Hope glimmered in Nethi’s white eyes, the amber circles around her irises shining brighter than ever. It felt goo