Dead Girl Walking (16 page)

“I'll work on it.”

Teamwork

Chapter 10

“I can't believe I have a reap today! This is unbelievable.” Leila mounted her horse and rode up the hill to find Wynter. He hadn't left his house, forbidden from stepping foot outside until he could control his wings. Stalking up to the front door, she pounded repeatedly until Wynter answered. Jasper wasn't home.

“Look at this!” She shoved the scroll at his face. “I have a reap today.” She couldn't believe the nerve of whoever decided their assignments. Warner de Clare was sentenced to death this afternoon in Casmerelda, and she was scheduled to be southeast in Talivia.

“Maybe it's for the best.” Wynter let her inside and shut the door behind her.

Leila glanced around the small cottage. Their house was smaller, cozier. It surprised her. “How can you say that?”

“You're volatile. Not that I blame you, I'm just saying it's a risk, us being there. Edon's right. You need to distance yourself from Mara and from your past.”

Leila huffed. “I will, after Warner is dead.” She needed to find peace and the only way to do that was to witness his execution.

“Leave it for Violetta. She can handle it.”

Leila struggled with letting someone else take control, but she knew the consequences of missing her reap. “You could help me.” Leila hoped Wynter would go for it. “I’ll go to the execution, while you save Johannes Thorn.”

“Who’s to say her life is worth saving? Besides you’re asking a lot of me, Leila. I’ve barely learned to control my wings and you want me to save a woman’s life. I’m not sure I even know how.”

“You’ve been reading about it. Doesn’t that teach you the skills you need?” Why else had she stolen the books from Edon’s office?

“Reading and doing aren’t necessarily the same things. You could have read about riding a horse, but would you possess the skill to do it?”

Leila shifted uncomfortably on her feet. “I figured it out. Quit stalling. Are you going to help me out, or not?”

“Yes, but I’m not going to save anyone’s soul today.” Wynter grabbed his black coat and buttoned the front tight, doing his best to hide his wings.

Leila wasn’t sure how Wynter was helping her out, if he wasn’t going to do her any favors. Not that she hadn’t asked a lot of him already. He had saved Mara’s life and turned himself into a dark angel. “I’m sorry.” She opened the front door. “Let’s find Johannes Thorn.” She hoped he’d come with her. Soul saving was lonely at times, especially traveling at strange hours. Leila glanced back at the house. Jasper was gone for the day. “Can we borrow the carriage?” She’d never driven one but it had to be better than riding a horse.

Wynter laughed. “Jasper hid it around back. We’re better off sharing a ride. If you don’t mind? My balance is a little unsteady with the wings.”

“You mean you can’t fly?” Leila grinned and walked towards the side of the house, mounting Wynter’s horse. “Climb on.” She waited for him to join her. His arms wrapped around her waist and she felt his warm chest against her back. Sighing, she rode with him toward Talivia.

“Any idea about the reap?” Wynter asked. She could feel his breath tickle her neck. Leila gripped the reins of the horse tighter. Talivia was a fishing settlement and trading colony.

“Just that I can’t swim,” Leila said. “If Johannes Thorn is out on the Jade Sea in a boat, I have no idea what I’m going to do.”

“You’ll drown, but I guess it’s good you’re undead.” Wynter laughed, teasing her. “I’ll teach you when we go swimming next summer. In the meantime, we’ll hope your reap is on land.”

“You go swimming?” Leila couldn’t imagine a group of reapers swimming, but it wasn’t as though they wore dark cloaks. They dressed like everyone else.

Wynter smiled into her neck. She could feel his breath tickle her skin. “Yes, although we try and wrap it around a reap in the Jade Sea. It’s typical that a few will drown every summer. Either a boat capsizes or some idiot can’t swim.”

“Are you teasing me?”

“Definitely.” Wynter’s hold refused to loosen. Leila rode for several hours before slowing as they reached a traveling circus. “Gypsies,” Wynter said and let go of Leila, climbing down. “I’ve never seen a circus.”

“Never is a long time, especially for you.” Leila grinned. “What are Gypsies?”

“They’re a group of nomads who travel through our cities. They don’t stay very long in one place. Edon once told me they always move on the thirteenth day. I don’t imagine any of them would do well as a reaper.” Wynter laughed. “They perform the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard. And Jasper insists they can tell your future.”

“Fortune-tellers.” Leila had heard stories from within the castle walls of such people. She’d never met anyone like that before. As she slid down off the horse, her feet landed with a hard thud. Grabbing the reins of the horse, she found a tree to secure her to, before walking past small tents and animal cages. “I’ve seen jugglers and jokers at the royal court. This is a little more exotic.”

“What’s that like? Getting everything you could ever desire?”

“It didn’t stop me from being murdered.” She walked away from him, heading along the dirt path toward the oblong black tents. “What’s gotten into you? Did a bug crawl up your
—
?”

The roar of a tiger stopped Leila in her tracks. She froze. Her hands bunched into fists at her side. Her heart leapt and her eyes widened.

“Don’t move,” Wynter whispered into the wind.

Leila’s head turned toward the left, where a tiger stared her down. She hoped the scroll was right, that there would only be one death here today. Her eyes locked on Wynter. The tiger growled a deep throaty roar. Leila’s feet remained planted on the ground, refusing to move.

“Tilly!” a dark-haired woman shrieked from behind Leila. She gently pushed Leila out of the way and behind her. “Tilly. Get back in the cage!” she scolded. Tilly leaned forward with two paws and opened her mouth, emitting a loud roar.

“Johannes?” Leila guessed.

“Yes? How did you know my name?” She was trying to convince the tiger to get back into the cage. “I don’t have time for this, Tilly. Go!” She pointed back at the cage behind the oblong tent. “Get back in there right now!”

Leila reached out, brushing her hand over Johannes’s shoulder, reaping her soul before Tilly could react. Leila turned her head and quickly walked away. She didn’t want to witness the splash of blood when the tiger pounced on the trainer.

Johannes’s soul stood beside Leila a few feet from the scene. She stared at the remaining parts of her body, her dress shredded. It was the only recognizable piece left. “I’m dead? I can’t be dead.”

“Well, you can’t go back into that body.” Wynter gestured behind him. “What would you have us do?”

“I always knew that tiger was trouble.” Johannes walked alongside Leila, away from the dark oblong tents and metal cages. In the distance, a golden shimmer lit up the afternoon sky.

“Go ahead.” Leila nudged the woman forward.

Johannes hesitated for a moment before stepping into the shimmering light.

“That was disgusting.” Leila stood beside Wynter.

Wynter laughed. “I know, and you didn’t even look! Come on.” He grabbed Leila’s hand. “Let’s find the fortune-teller.”

She shot him a disapproving look. “You don’t really believe a person can tell the future.” Leila didn’t believe in it. She’d experienced and witnessed a lot of strange things, but no one could know what was going to happen.

“Don’t you?” Wynter grinned. He pulled her along with him to the small tent at the far south side of the circus. “Edon knows who is going to die before it happens. Why couldn’t a fortune-teller know what will happen?”

Leila considered his question for a moment. “Suppose you’re right. I don’t want to know the future.” She hadn’t been pleased with how it had all gone down since becoming a reaper. “I like surprises, and I’m saving my money.”

“My treat.” He led her to the front entrance.

Leila shook her head.

“Your loss.” He dropped her hand and walked into the tent without her.

“Are you going to tell me what happened back at the circus?” Leila asked. She stretched out on the sofa. Wynter sat on her living room floor, his jacket discarded beside him. The entire ride back she’d been itching to know what the fortune-teller had said to him.

“Not a chance.” Wynter grinned and glanced toward Jasper. “How’d it go?”

Jasper glanced between Leila and Wynter. “What
did
happen at the circus? Did Wynter save a soul?” He sat on the floor, leaning toward Wynter. “If you haven’t, you’re going to have to eventually. Let it be my reap. It’ll save me the hassle of going out. If you tell me in advance, I can stay home and sleep in.”

“Leave it alone, Jasper. I didn’t save anyone and it’ll be
my
decision when I do.”

“Fair enough,” Jasper said.

Leila cleared her throat. “How’d the reap go with Warner de Clare?” All day she’d been trying not to think about missing his reap, but it was impossible.

Violetta grinned. She stretched out in the small chair, lying across the frame, her legs dangling off the arm. “Oh, he’s definitely dead. I waited until the last possible moment to reap his soul.”

“Tell me more.” Leila needed all the details.

“King Philip convicted him of treason, an attempt on Mara’s life, and conspiring to kill you.”

“He did kill me!” Leila’s cheeks flushed with her fury. “He’s the reason I’m dead. My father couldn’t even have the decency after he executed an innocent man to admit he was wrong!”

Violetta sighed. “Yes, but King Philip won’t admit fault in front of the kingdom. He can’t look weak, Leila. It’s nothing personal against Larkin.”

“Or, he’s convinced he’s right.” Leila was still angry.

Jasper reached onto the table, grabbing a piece of parchment. “I snatched this for you, but first you have to promise you won’t see Mara again. We’ve risked too much crashing parties and you two stealing the princess from the castle.”

“She asked us to take her to the Blue Moon,” Leila said.

“Either way, it doesn’t matter. You can’t keep visiting Mara. It will bring unwanted attention. We can’t have the princess asking questions about us,” Jasper said.

Leila quickly agreed. “I promise I’ll stay clear of the castle.” She knew he was right. “What have you got?” she asked, reaching for the paper in his hand.

“An invitation.” He dropped the parchment into her hands.

Leila glanced it over.
We invite you to attend the engagement party of Astin Stafford and Mara Dacre on Saturday, the 4th day of March.
“You stole this?”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly given to me,” Jasper said. “I thought you might be happy knowing your sister is getting married.”

Leila smiled weakly. “Thank you.” It wasn’t that she was unhappy. She felt guilty that she couldn’t be there for her sister on her wedding day, just three days after Mara’s fifteenth birthday.

Violetta sat up, positioning her legs at the front of the chair. She stared at Wynter. “When are you going to try out the wings?”

“I’m not flying anywhere.” Wynter did not sound amused.

“It was a joke.” Violetta grinned. “Really, Wynter, when are you going to save a soul? You have to eventually. I mean, you aren’t a grim reaper any longer.”

His expression was stoic. “You mean I’m not one of you anymore.” He stood up.

Leila frowned. “I don’t think that’s what Violetta meant.” At least she hoped not. She stood, grabbing Wynter’s arm. “Stay, please.” She didn’t want him to leave.

Begrudgingly, he sat down on the sofa with Leila. “You all had it easy becoming a reaper, with Edon to guide you through it.”

“You have Edon, too.” Leila knew Edon was helping Wynter with the texts and doing his best to protect him.

Wynter shook his head. “It’s not the same. Edon is focused on the reapers. He tries to help, but his knowledge is limited. He keeps telling me that in time, I’ll meet with Juliana and the other dark angels.”

“Are you nervous?” Leila reached toward Wynter, resting a hand on his arm. She wanted him to know she was there for him.

Wynter shook his head. “Anxious, yes and no. I’d met Juliana once many years ago. Not under the best circumstances. I always find the thought of seeing her unsettling.”

Leila frowned. “Well, she helped you with Mara.”

“Did you know that reapers and dark angels used to work together?” Violetta stood up and walked to the bookshelf at the corner of the room. Very few books graced the shelf. She retrieved the thick dark blue text
The History of Reapers
. “The goal was to save those souls deemed worthy. However, over a thousand years ago, reapers and dark angels went their own way. There was a tiff between the entities, like feuding families. There is still bad blood between them. No one remembers what the fight was about, or at least no one is saying, but it’s been going on for so long that it’s difficult to change people’s minds about what they believe in.”

Jasper got up from the floor and walked over to the chair Violetta was sitting on. He perched himself on the arm rest, glancing over her shoulder. “Reapers tend to work together in groups and live together. Dark angels have a tendency toward solitude. Although in more recent years, the dark angels are beginning to live together. Maybe they’re changing their ways?”

Wynter sighed. “I don’t care what dark angels believe. I’m not going to stop being friends with you, because they’re lonesome and hostile creatures.”

Leila grinned and reached for Wynter’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “Good.”

Wynter stood up and stretched. “I think it’s time to call it a night.” Although he didn’t want to leave, tomorrow would be another stressful day. He was sure of it. Soon, he’d have to save a soul.

“Already?” Leila groaned in protest. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asked him, standing up.

Wynter grinned. “Of course.” He wouldn’t have it any other way. “I’ll come by after breakfast.” He hoped she wouldn’t have an early reap in the morning.

“All right.” Leila dropped a kiss to his cheek. “Goodnight.”

Jasper and Wynter walked outside, shutting the door behind them. “What was that?” Jasper asked Wynter.