Reaper Mine: A Reaper Novel (17 page)

A dark figured had stood in the shadows. Elle had refused to look deeply into the shadows at that one figure. She hadn’t wanted to look, because she had been terrified to. Afraid if she looked into the eyes of a Reaper and she died if her soul was taken she would never find her body again and therefore never be reborn again. Or whatever it was that happened to her that brought her back to life when she died and came back. But the figure in the shadows hadn’t moved when people had died. And light didn’t shine for them either.

Elle had prayed for them hoping they had gotten where they had been meant to go.

“All souls end up where they are meant to be Elle,” Victor reassured her.

“Can you read my mind?” she accused him.

Victor snorted. “Of course not.”

She wasn’t sure she believed him. He often said or answered questions she had before she even knew she was asking them. “Don’t you have somewhere you should be?”

“Yes, in point of fact, I do. Do you have your walls up?” He asked. Even though he shouldn’t care, he did.

She rolled her eyes. “Yes.”

“Humor me,” he growled. “I don’t know how long I will be gone.”

“Just go already.” She brushed past him. “I’m sure I will survive while you are gone. Believe it or not, I was able to keep myself alive, long before you came along.”

“Really because the last couple of days were such a stellar example of your ability to take care of yourself,” he shot at her.

She continued walking down the hall, she was not going to let him goad her into an argument.

“And if I recall, it was you that asked for my help. You called me remember? You essentially, begged me for my help,” he reminded her. “And, if it wasn’t for me, you’d be fodder for Aldon, and his pets. And he would be doing gods only knows what to you! I mean, each time they’ve gotten their meaty paws on you, they have killed you!” he ended. Bellowing the last words.

She saw red and turned on him; he was so close to her, she ran into him. She pushed him away. “You are an overbearing asshole. You realize that, don’t you? If I recall I begged, pleaded for you to leave. I ran away from you, twice. This isn’t your fight,” she screamed back.

“You made it my fight when you summoned me,” Victor shouted back.

“I unsummon you.” Elle dusted her hands off. “Problem solved. Go back to the Infernos, back to your life. I don’t want you here anymore. ”

His eyes turned nearly black and he walked away from her. Elle just stood there unable to believe he had walked away from her without saying a word. The moment he left, she felt the crushing wave of emotions settle around her. Thank the gods her internal wards were strong enough to hold them back.

“He didn’t even say goodbye,” she whispered to herself, and tears rose up to choke her. She swallowed past the lump and the tightness in her chest. She suddenly felt alone and looked around not sure exactly what she was supposed to do or where she was supposed to go. She didn’t know these people. Didn’t know what they expected from her? She was a burden on them, and she had put them all in danger.

It wasn’t just the emotions crushing down on her; it was the weight of the lives here as well. And, she could blame it all on Victor. When next she saw him she was going to kick his ass. If he came back. She wasn’t sure he would after the way she had just treated him.

Elle lowered herself to the floor, and rested her chin on her knees. It was a horrible position she was in and she had no idea what she was going to do. And right then, she didn’t even know who she could trust. It was all she could do to hold back the tears.

That was exactly where Kyra found her, like a child, sitting on the floor trying not to cry.

“Hi.” She said it quietly as if speaking too loudly would frighten Elle.

Elle looked up at her, noticing how strong Kyra looked. As a Druid, and an Elemental Enforcer Kyra must have her shit together. It only made Elle feel that much more insignificant. “Hi.”

“I know things look pretty bleak, but I’m sure we will come up with a solution,” she offered.

Elle couldn’t stop the hysterical burst of laughter that came tumbling out. “Are you being serious?” she asked.

Kyra lifted her shoulders in a casual shrug. “I’ve seen worse. Been in worse circumstances.” Kyra offered Elle a hand. “Let’s see what Fiona has to say.”

Elle really didn’t have any options open to her so she took Kyra’s hand and followed her down the hallway, and down a flight of stairs. When they came to a large doorway made of iron Elle stopped in her tracks. “Um, so not going to happen.”

She wasn’t about to willingly go into a room of iron, she could be trapped in there.

Kyra opened the door and showed her the room; it was well lit lined with rows and rows of bookshelves as far as the eye could see. The actual size of the room was undetermined because it was so large and packed with so much stuff Elle couldn’t see where it ended. Tables cluttered with items, pots, and books and so many different items she couldn’t begin to put names to them.

It looked like a treasure trove of old and new things. But she still wasn’t setting foot in there. An old woman, with salt and pepper hair hanging to her waist, walked around a corner. A book in one hand and a smoking pot of incense in the other.

Elle felt a little dizzy looking at her. She tried not to prejudge the Druid, but couldn't help it. The last powerful Druid she had had contact with, cursed her. Elle could feel the power practically radiating off this woman. She took a few steps back. “Ah there she is,” Kyra said stepping into the room. “Fiona I have brought Elle to meet you.”

Fiona looked up with soft brown eyes. She smiled at Elle. It reminded her of a warm fire and comforted her immediately. Which Elle thought was odd. Then it struck her. She had a spell of some kind to make her feel comfortable. It irritated her and put her on edge. Which was at odds with how comforted she felt at the same time.

“Please come in, come in. I am so happy to see you up and moving around. I was very worried about you,” Fiona said putting down the book and pot she was holding.

Elle moved to the doorway but still didn’t cross the threshold. “I’m not sure I want to.”

Fiona laughed quietly. “Oh I totally understand. It being iron and all, but I can assure you the wards on this room are against darkness only and it bars it from entering.” She smiled and beckoned Elle in.

“Uh… You do realize a dark Druid cursed me right?” she asked. “Are you sure the wards against the darkness won’t attack me on that level? I mean what is it supposed to do against darkness?”

“Render it lifeless of course.” Fiona said it as if she was giving her an update on the weather.

“Yeah I’ve already died twice this week. Can we go upstairs?” Elle asked stepping away from the door.

Fiona nodded. “You do have a point,” Fiona said moving toward the door. “However, I would love to try it out.”

Elle shook her head. “Maybe another day.”

Fiona took her arm as she moved through the door. “Of course. Let’s go upstairs and have a cup of tea.”

Kyra followed behind her. “Don’t let her kindness fool you. She’s a shark.”

Elle stumbled at Kyra’s words, but Fiona patted her arm. “Don’t let Kyra worry you. I’m a lamb, she just thinks that because I helped to train her.”

Kyra laughed. “That and she has threatened to turn me into a frog.”

Elle couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Druids were many things but workers for magic like that they were not. “That I would like to see.”

“I’m sure I could find something in a book somewhere,” Fiona said as they made their way into a large living room.

“I’ll go get the tea,” Kyra offered.

Fiona sat in an overstuffed chair and motioned for Elle to take another chair close to her. Elle looked at the window. “Shouldn’t we be out fighting those things?”

Fiona shook her head. “No. The brothers are probably having the time of their lives out there, killing the beasts at the gates. They may bluster and complain but they live for this type of thing.”

“There will just be more were they came from,” Elle said sadly. It broke her heart. The last thing she wanted, was to think more and more monster would appear and one of them might get hurt.

Her feelings must have been written on her face. “Don’t worry about them. They fight like a well-oiled machine when they are together. Why don’t you tell me how you got cursed?”

Elle chewed her bottom lip, she hadn’t talked about it for so long. Had kept everything about her curse locked down so tight she was almost afraid to talk about it.

“Is talking about it hard?” Fiona asked.

Elle laughed a little. “I have forced myself to not talk about it so long it feels weird to do so.”

Fiona nodded and leaned back looking like she had all the time in the world.

Elle sorted through her memories. “It was so long ago,” she started. “Back when the world was such a different place, when the Gods had rule over a landscape, fought for their lands and their people.”

“When I was brought into being during the great reign of the Gods, when Atlantis was still new and the Gods played at being Gods, I was one of many demi-gods; hundreds tossed among the mortals as play things.” She shivered. “I was able to control emotions, I banded with Helena who deified the gods and mortals because of her beauty, with Chaos and Tiffany for her golden hair. And Others, so many Others. We thought ourselves above the laws of man.” Elle stopped to wipe tears from her face, she didn’t realize she still held so much emotion over the situation, she hadn’t thought of Tiffany and the others for so long.

“We were cursed originally by the Gods because we felt we were not as strong as the gods themselves and cursed to roam the mortal plane. When the mortals realized the Gods had abandoned us, and realized they could harness our gifts for their own means we became a plague to ourselves. The Gods hunted use. Destroying us, before we became a weapon against them. The mortals and Others hunted us to use against the Gods.” She shivered. “I was caught in a war, when a Dark Druid found me and cursed me.”

This was the part she dreaded, and she thanked the Gods when Kyra interrupted by bringing in a tray of tea. She poured it for the three of them. Elle went to pick up her tea, but her hands shook so much she nearly spilled the tea all over herself. She put the tea down and smiled at the two women, taking several deep breaths.

Fiona asked her to continue her story. Elle looked at her, dreading what was to come. “Please understand I am not proud of who I was then. The demi-gods then and some now are selfish and horrible creatures. This is not who I am now, I have learned so much since then.” She would pay for the rest of her existence for what had transpired then. And it made her sick to think of what happened.

Fiona gently patted her hand. “We understand things might have been done different then.

Elle shook her head. “No. You don’t understand,” she said. “I was cursed for a reason. When it came down to a push and shove situation, I sacrificed mortals, to save myself.” Kyra jumped up. Elle wouldn’t blame her if she threw her out of her house. Fiona gave Kyra a pointed look.

“Let her explain. “Fiona said.

“How many?” Kyra asked.

Elle was breathing heavy, and her hands were fisted in her lap. And lights were flashing in her vision. “It was a contingent of soldiers. About eighty men. They had been sent by a lord who thought to imprison me and my brothers and sisters. They were simple soldiers hired by a petty lord who just wanted to control the demi-gods.”

“And what of your brothers and sisters?” Kyra asked roughly. “Why did none of them dirty their hands?”

Elle looked at Kyra. “Chaos…” Elle started. “He… usually helped me. Only he had already been caught years before. The others abilities had lain in other directions. But, in using ones emotions, I had the ability to turn them against each other. So, it was up to me to keep the group safe. So when they moved in to attack…I turned them against one another.”

It had been an ambush. Absolutely no warning. Taken completely by surprise, Elle hadn't thought, she had just reacted. Before she knew it, the men had turned on themselves and killed one other. She had just stood there, in the early morning light, while her brothers and sisters had stood watching the fighting. Cheering them on, until no one remained. It had made her sick. She had stumbled into the bushes and thrown up.

Helena had pulled her out of the bushes and hugged her telling her how wonderful she was. But Elle hadn’t felt wonderful, and all the power she had over the mortals felt like a burden for the first time in her life. And she understood why the gods had abandoned them from the heavens. However, none of them expected the flurry from the dark druid, who swept through their camp as dusk.

“We should have left, but we were cocky demi-gods,” Elle said shaking her head. “We won the battle. We thought we had at least a couple of day’s grace. She showed up that night as soon as the sun set, right at twilight.”

“Did she give you her name?” Fiona asked in a whisper.

“No,” Elle whispered back. “One moment, I was sitting before the fire. The next, the fire was banked and I was floating above it. My brothers and sisters scattered, like leaves in the wind. I have never seen a power like hers before or since.”