Raven's Breath (The Women of Purgatory) (16 page)

Wow
. His power was impressive. Scary impressive.

"Of course. Garrett?" I motioned for his help. We lifted her easily and carried her to my room, and minding her wings, laid her gently on the bed. Upon our return, we found Michael relaxed on the couch, his ankle crossing his knee. He gestured for me to join him.

I didn't want to be rude, but being near him made it hard to focus. "Sorry, I think I'll stand."

Michael smiled, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. "All right, let's begin. Though you may already know some of this story, it has many parts and begins a very long time ago, so prepare for a long tale."

Garrett settled into the chair and I propped myself against the fireplace and nodded for Michael to begin.

"The covenant that gives Death his power has many specific rules that were laid out by both Heaven and Hell. Death's Reapers are always male, chosen automatically in accordance with the world's expanding population at the time of their human deaths. They are required to look and operate in a certain way––obeying the law of free will. This has always been the way of things and cannot be changed."

Garrett and I remained still while Michael continued to explain.

"Another less-known aspect of the covenant, however, revolves around Death's pardon from Purgatory four times a year. His reward for keeping the balance, if you will. The bargain was struck and through the melding of spirits from both Heaven and Hell, Death is allowed to walk the Earth only during those times."

"Wait. What do you mean, through the melding of spirits? And I've always wondered, why only four times a year?" Garrett asked.

"Only during these cosmological events is the feat possible. On the morning of a solstice or equinox, an angel from Heaven and a demon from Hell are sent to Death's chamber to prepare him for his pardon. A small piece of each of their souls are placed within Death, then he's transported to Earth to begin his visit. By the end of the day the soul fragments dissolve and he's transported back to Purgatory."

Whoa.

"What does he do on Earth that would make him want to visit more often? If he likes power so much, he's got plenty of it here, why would he venture to a place where restrictions are put on him, as I assume they are?" Garrett questioned.

"Actually, it's quite the opposite. It's the restrictions in Purgatory we think Death is trying to escape."

What the
heck?
I was so confused, but luckily Michael continued to shed light on the situation.

"Death is no longer the same as you or Raven, he cannot enjoy the taste of food, or quench his thirst with a good wine. He is as dead as the phenoms of this world. That is the price he pays for the magic he wields. It's only on Earth that he's able to experience the joys of such things again. I imagine that's now the life he craves after serving as
Death
for so very long."

This was blowing my mind. I thought back to our dinner in Holli's room. Death
had joined us, but I couldn't remember him partaking in any of the food or drink. "So you're telling me all of this is because he wants to quit his job?" I declared. "You've got to be joking."

"The position of Death isn't something one simply
quits,
and therein lies the problem. If Death were to remain topside for too long, Purgatory would fall and the Reapers would cease to exist; ghosts would overrun the Earth, and Heaven and Hell would battle for control."

Garrett looked straight at me. "What did I tell you? Apocalypse!"

27

After the shock wore off, Garrett continued to hammer Michael with questions. "What does any of this have to do with Raven?"

"Ah, yes. Now we come to the next part of the story."

"
Great! How many parts are there? Aren't we already neck deep?" I quipped.

"As you're both aware, there are three things that can happen during a Reaper's retrieval. One: The person's soul chooses to willingly go with their Reaper, and depending on their pre-destined fate, are delivered either to Heaven or Hell, via the Reaper's portal. Two: The person's soul chooses to not go with their Reaper, and instead tries to run. This is a choice we have to let them make in order to honor free will. The runners are then stuck to their Reaper until they return to Purgatory where they become phenoms; lost souls. Three: In rare cases when a runner escapes his Reaper, they remain on Earth as a ghost. There was no way for a ghost to be brought back to Purgatory...until you, Raven."

Garrett and I exchanged a dark look. Tension filled the room.

"Things changed the day Death figured out a way to create a Valkyrie," Michael stated.

"What?" I balked.

Garrett's head snapped in my direction
.

"Garrett's correct. I
am
talking about you, Raven."

"What? No. There's no way I'm a
Valkyrie
. This is completely ridiculous." I frantically shook my head back and forth.

"Please listen and let me explain." Michael continued. "In Norse mythology, Valkyries were known for being female figures with the task of choosing who lived and died, then escorting the fallen soldiers to the hall of the slain. They were also sometimes accompanied by ravens. When Death felt the connection of life
and death that your
female
spirit possessed, he borrowed from this ancient system and created you to do his bidding. This was done outside of the covenant and therefore allowed him to mold you and give you perks that no other Reapers could ever have."

My jaw popped and my wings flared. I wasn't sure which words pissed me off more, "do his bidding" or "created" and "molded."

"So you're saying that as long as Death chooses a female, he can turn them into whatever kind of Reaper he wants. Giving them perks and 'molding' them to serve a specific purpose?" Garrett reiterated.

"Not exactly. As I mentioned––and I believe as Death has recently explained to Raven––it's due to her illness that she was predisposed to become a female Reaper. Not just any woman will do."

I looked at Garrett. "He's right. Death told me that he recruited me because of my ailment. That I'd been touched by death while I lived, and that's why he was able to make me a Reaper."

"Yes. And it was something neither Heaven or Hell foresaw, but a loop-hole Death took full advantage of," Michael summarized.

I pushed off the couch and with a quick pump of my wings, glided to the kitchen. I snagged a beer and walked back to the living room, hoping I hadn't bent the hinges on my refrigerator.

"Okay. So now we know I'm only here because Death created me to be his bitch. And we know he suddenly wants to live large on Earth in a permanent sort of way. But HOW does all this relate to Holli or the increase in phenoms and why Death would need to sneak into Heaven?" I chugged the beer, not minding the loud, un-ladylike gulps I made.

After lowering the bottle, I stared at Michael but it was Garrett who spoke up.

"I think I can help here." He turned to Michael. "You said he needs a piece of an angel's soul and that of a demon's from Hell to be able to visit Earth, right?"

Michael nodded, a quick dip of his chin.

"Most likely, that's where he's been during his absence. To Hell first, and now, to sneak into Heaven." He raised his hand to halt the slew of questions he knew were headed his way, then turned to me. "And Raven, you said that Holli's only purpose here was to help you collect the increased number of phenoms that started showing up, right?"

"Yep. That and apparently to protect Death from the hit-squad over here." I joked, gesturing at Michael.

"Okay. Then let's think back to the one thing you're forgetting to mention," he instructed.

"How the hell am I supposed to think about something I'm obviously forgetting? Cut me some slack here, Garrett, there's been a lot going on."

"Yes, a lot has been going on. Including your lovely visit with Holli to her secret castle and the Phenom Room you told me about."

Oh shit!
I had completely forgotten about that.

"What is a '
Phenom Room'?" Michael asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"Apparently Death created a hidden castle for him and Holli to frolic in. It
exists in an alternate dimension which no one can see or sense, according to Holli." Garrett went on to relay the details from our previous conversation.

"Holli said that Death wanted a place where they wouldn't be watched and could be safe," I continued to explain. "At the time I thought he meant to keep her safe, but now, I think it's to keep his secret safe. There is a large room, with a black steel structure that Death uses to pull the phenoms inside. You already know he's been experimenting with them, right? Well, this is the place."

Michael's jaw flexed and his breathing grew heavy.

"So, here's what I think Death's really been up to," Garrett added. "Raven, you said that he visited Holli on Earth every day before her death, correct?"

"Yes."

"Okay
. Well, we already know you were right about Death being responsible for the increased number of phenoms."

Michael interrupted. "Yes, and that's why we gave Raven the ability to save people, to effectively lessen his pool."

"All right, stay with me here. What if all the phenoms that float through the sky in Purgatory had a purpose?" Garrett posed.

"Wait...what? I thought once they were sucked into Purgatory the whole point was for them to NOT have a purpose. They are
lost souls...stuck for eternity," I countered.

"True, but what if Death figured out a way to use them to make trip
s to Earth?"

My
jaw hit the floor.

Garrett raised his eyebrows, and that cocky bob to his head was a tell-tale sign he thought he had it all figured out.
"I think, based on the process used during his pardon, Death's formulated a way to use a massive amount of souls from Purgatory to become corporeal and visit the real world.
But
...until he's able to infuse them with the pieces of soul from Heaven and Hell, they would only sustain him for a short amount of time. That's why he created Holli. So you and she could supply him with an endless buffet of phenoms that he could test his theory on, until he could find a way to make his stay permanent."

Michael's power began to build and the air thickened. I could feel the hum of it slide across my skin and worried what the outcome would be. I didn't want to lose my memories again.

"If your hypothesis is true, it appears we're at the final stages of Death's plan. I have to return to Heaven and stop his search for the missing piece of an angel's soul." Michael stood and kissed me, barely leaving a thought in my head, and in another flash, disappeared.

28

I'd spent the night asleep on my couch; Garrett chose the floor. Holli had yet to wake up and was still sprawled across my bed. I wondered if Michael had forgotten about her? I didn't mind her being here, as a matter of fact, I was happy she was free of Death and that damn castle.

Garrett stirred,
throwing off his blankets. "Morning," he said groggily.