Reaper's Novice (Soul Collector #1) (36 page)

I’m not sure whether to worry or be happy. For all I know, this could be a trap.

We dash past a section marked “Eighteenth century”. I snatch my arm, pulling us to a stop. My breath sawing in and out of my chest is the only sound filling the room. “No soul deserves this. We’ve got to—”

Zig rounds on me, blue eyes blazing. “Listen, Ana, I know the injustice. Right back there, I saw cats, dogs… souls that have done no wrong to anyone. Don’t you think I want to save them? But it’s not possible.”

“Why?”

“Because they’re no longer pure. Sinteler has done a number on them. They’ve been trapped inside those mirrors for centuries. There are over a million souls here. If we set them free, it’s goodbye to whatever little peace is left in this world and hello apocalypse.” He runs a hand over his face. “Even if we rescue the soul we came for, there is no guarantee it’s still pure. So unless you know some sort of spell to reverse all these—” He sweeps a hand to encompass the room. “—I suggest we take what we came for and run.”

I shake my head. There’s always a solution. Spells can be reversed. I could talk to Bastian about it later on. I follow Zig. The farther we go, the louder the moaning. Even the writhing in the mirrors has doubled in vigour.

We halt in front of June 15. I breathe out, relieved. The grey soul swirls inside the bottle. Without waiting, I snatch the vial and tuck it snugly inside my bra.

“Lucky soul.”

I roll my eyes. “Let’s get out of here.”

A chill slithers along the nape of my neck, freezing me mid-step. Above us, a black cloud hovers. Have they sensed us and are waiting to attack? I shiver goose bumps prickling my skin.

Zig follows my gaze and sucks in a breath. “Tarnished. Get your dagger ready.”

My shaky fingers retrieve it, holding it in front of me. The flame-like designs on the flat surface leap to life, gliding to the sharp tip.

“Now we leave. Quietly.” His gaze drops to my feet and back to my face. “I could carry you if that would help us get out of here safely.”

I glare at him. “I’ll try my best to tiptoe to your expectations.” I slip off my shoes and look up one more time. “Why isn’t it attacking us?”

His breath tickles my face as he leans towards my ear. “I’m not sure. Better not startle it. Come.” He clutches my elbow, and I pad after him, glad for the warmth of his hand on my skin. At the intersection, we pause and look back. The cloud hasn’t moved from its place. I lean over and take huge gulps of air.

“You tiptoe like a pro.” Zig places a hand on my shoulder. His face is beaded with sweat, despite his joking.

“Glad you approve.” His soft laugh rebounds off the walls. I lift my hand up to silence him, my ears trained on the voices to our right.

Zig joins me. “Want to take a look?” I nod and follow him down the corridor flanked by mirrors, but no shelves. Maybe we could learn something about Sinteler.

I look over my shoulder at the stretch of space we have to go back to the portal. “Let’s make it fast.”

I hug the wall, shadowing Zig. After about forty feet, the path pours into a cavernous room, a hallway of sorts. Huge candles are perched high on black metal holders, casting as little light as possible. On a raised podium in the centre of the room is a tall form with its back to us, head bowed, strong shoulders held confidently. I catch a glimpse of faces on wooden benches around the platform. Surprisingly, the room is full. I replace my dagger in the rucksack, tug Zig back, and point towards a crevice in the wall. We pack ourselves inside it and watch.

The tall figure raises its head.

“Sinteler,” Zig spits out. He sniffs the air and leans closer. “Frankincense, myrrh, and jasmine. He uses Frankincense and myrrh together for purification. Jasmine calms and revitalises.

I crane my neck to get a good look. From what I can see, Sinteleter has short spiky hair, with a front cowlick, a sharp nose, strong jaw, and full lips. He speaks in an intimate, friendly voice—the same voice from the library. Crap, even I feel drawn to join.

Sinteler raises his hands. Seconds later, a mist rises in the air, coiling and uncoiling to the movement of his fingers. He claps his hands once, and it freezes. Vapours swirl from a bowl on a slab of stone in front of him. A voice announces a number in a low gravelly voice. I press a fist to my mouth to stop a gasp. Pain shoots from my shoulders as Zig’s hand tightness around them.

Humans.

“An auction,” Zig says.

Another voice doubles the previous price. The number rises as Sinteler continues chanting. The bidding soon becomes overly loud, vicious.

Why do they need a soul? It’s not as if someone can have two of those in the body.

I lean back to whisper in Sig’s ear. “Must be rich individuals.”

“Sinteler has enough money. The price is the number of souls they will bring him in exchange for that particular one.”

Bile swirls in my stomach. “How will they acquire so many souls to pay Sinteler?”

“There are ways. War, hunger, the poor begging on the streets… the list is endless.”

A voice speaks up, doubling the price, followed by low murmurs. When no one else bids for the soul, Sinteler announces, “Sold” then starts to murmur under his breath, twirling his fingers. The soul descends and slides inside the vial next to the frankincense. A lanky body detaches itself from the rows of attendees and strides forwards. Before taking the vial, Sinteler extends a pen and book, I assume to sign the agreement. The process starts over again.

Zig turns me around the way we came. “We’ve seen enough. Let’s go.”

“Gladly.” As we slink down the hall, a high-pitched wail slices through the air. I double over and slap both hands on my ears. It stops, and I straighten, looking for the source of the wail. Zig looks visibly shaken, sweat beading his forehead. His gaze darts over my shoulder, and the little colour on his face falls away.

I swing around to find Sinteler facing us. A black, smoky cloud swirls at his feet and another at his sides. His eyes widen, then narrow at us.

“Time to run.” Zig grabs my hand.

My feet obey, but my mind screams, “We’re going to die!” The air fills with buzzing and pounding of feet. I glance back and see Sinteler behind us, his hands burning with what I can only say is a blazing lasso rope. The Tarnished glide above us in one massive cloud, dipping and rising.

I push my legs faster. All I can think about is getting out of here, seeing my family, and never visiting this place again. I’m out of breath and panicking as something tangles my legs.

“Zig, do something. The shield!”

“I’m trying, I can’t. There are too many of them sucking my energy.”

With my free hand, I yank my soul dagger from behind me at the same time Zig pulls his. We round a corner to the hallway. I twist around, swinging my arm in a wobbly arc. The effect is immediate. The air sizzles as the dagger connects with the smoke. I continue to swing at them. Something cold slides the length of my back and down my jeans. I don’t have to look over my shoulder to know what it is. My hand slips from Zig’s, and my body crumbles to the floor, weightless. It feels as though it’s held prisoner with invisible ropes. A scream rips through my lips. Zig curses. Something blue flashes on his hand as he swings at the Tarnished. They disperse, filling the air with snake-like hissing. Trying to catch my breath, I stagger to my feet.

Zig drops to his knees, sweat pouring down his face. “Are you hurt? Have any cuts?” His hands pat me all over.

“Stupid children. Dabbling in works too big for your miniscule brains, stepping on grounds you know nothing about.”

Zig and I jolt around at Sinteler’s voice. Zig freezes.

I push myself to my feet and fight dizziness clouding my eyesight. More Tarnished have assembled, blocking our only way out. Suddenly Zig leaps in front of me, swaying on his feet. I try to move around him, but he pushes me back.

“I dragged you into this,” I say, capturing his hand. “We do this together.”

“Stay back, Ana!”

“How noble of you, Siegfried,” Sinteler says with a drawl.
He knows Zig’s name?

“Come now, Ana Maria, do not be shy. You didn’t just drop by for a chat and tea, now did you?”

The sudden urge to use the bathroom is immense. I move around Zig to face Sinteler. The lighting in the cavernous room didn’t do Sinteler justice. His jaw line is prominently strong. Deep-set grey eyes stare back at me, and I shiver at their intensity.

Sinteler folds his hands in front of him. “Now that we are face to face, to what do I owe this pleasurable visit?”

I swallow, my heart drumming furiously. He seems so friendly, and yet… I clear my throat. “It’s not his fault.”

“Yes, Ana?”

“That was
my
soul.” My voice comes out shaky. Zig’s grip tightens, and he shakes his head. I can’t stop the words from pouring out of my lips. “You had no right to it. You have no right to hold these souls hostage, enslave them.”

He chuckles. “I have the same right as Ernest.”

“In what dimen—”

“On this one. And others. If you do not understand how everything works, learn before you open that pretty little mouth to speak.” He smiles, but I can’t ignore the underlying threat. He snaps his fingers and points to Zig. A horde of Tarnished souls lunge at him, caging him in.

Sinteler strolls forwards, stopping centimetres from me. I shiver as his hand makes contact with my forehead. My hand tightens around the dagger’s smooth handle. It doesn’t infuse enough confidence to stop my trembling knees, though.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Ana, but that toy of a knife cannot hurt me.” His fingers tip my chin up, then slide to my temple. I’m glued on the spot, and I have no choice but to stare at the eyes burning into mine. “Give me the vial.” I force my eyes shut. What is he doing to me? It’s as though his fingers are
inside
my skull, digging through the pages of my brain. My eyes snap open, and I jerk back. His hand drops, palm up, the smile long gone. “The vial.”

I count to ten and chant, “He doesn’t scare me.” But he does.

“All right then. Your wish is my command.” He bows, snaps his fingers again, and walks away. The Tarnished swarm around me in dizzying speeds. I jab and slash with the dagger, but as soon as some vanish, others replace them. Zig’s scream tears through the air, and his dagger flashes blue in the dark haze.

The pressure in the air abruptly eases. Warm air swathes me. My lungs burn as they try to accommodate the air rushing through my nose.

“I’m feeling generous, so consider this your lucky day, Ana.” Sinteler’s says, but my eyes are too blurry to see anything. “I could finish you right now, but I need you. I will give you a little parting gift to remember me by.” He strides forwards, grabs my wrist, and slams me to his chest. The other hand grabs a chunk of my hair and yanks my head forwards until my scalp bristles. The other hand on my wrists lets go, disappears out of sight. When it swings back, I catch a glint of metal from the corner of my eye. I twist and scream, trying to unhitch his hold as the dagger disappears from my line of view. I feel a nick at the back of my neck, and something wedges itself in the cut, burrowing under my skin. He lets go of my hair. I clamp a hand on my neck, stumbling forwards and away from him.

“What have you done to me?” I rub my neck as a chill spreads to my feet and the rest of my body. I pull my hand from my neck. Blood covers it.

“Something you will remember me by until we meet again, Ana.” He smiles. “Now, be a good girl and take Siegfried with you.” He snaps his fingers to the Tarnished, spins on his heel, and leaves.

I rush to Zig’s side, but before I reach him, my legs give way, numb and unable to move. Just as I’m about to collapse, hands clutch my upper arms and pull me to my feet. I lift my eyes to see Zig, struggling to get on his feet.

“Ana!” I want to ask him why he’s shouting my name, but I can’t move my lips. I think he says something else, but I’m concentrating on staying on my feet.

When I open my eyes again, I see Zig—or is it Kian? The faces blur together. I give up sorting them out. My body goes airborne, then everything goes dark.

***

My eyes peel slowly open. I try to lift my head, then halt as hot pain shoots from my neck, scattering furiously to the rest of my body. Sweat pours off my forehead and into my eyes. I try to sit up, but I can’t. I’m lying on my stomach. There’s something blocking me inside. I’m not me. I am—

I scream, but I think the sound is only in my head because I don’t hear it in my ears.

“I’m almost finished, little one,” Bastian says from somewhere above me. I twist to look but strong hands hold me down by my shoulders.

After what feels like endless years of pain, the hands lift off my shoulders. The horrible pain in my body is too much, so I close my eyes and drift away.

The next time I open my eyes, the room is lit in soft orange light. The pain on my neck has eased somewhat. I shift on what feels like a very hard bed, trying to sit up.

“Slowly, little one.” Bastian’s voice seeps through the haze in my head. “You’re not strong enough to stand up.” He helps me sit up. My eyes focus, and I see I’m sitting on what resembles a massage bed. I don’t think it’s used for that purpose, though.

Bastian smiles warmly, tucking the curls behind my ear with his fingers. They bounce back anyway. “You got what you went in for?”

I try to nod but stop at the sharp pain on my neck. I can feel the vial in my bra. No one bothered with it.

“Good.” The smile disappears. “Because I am about to strangle you and, after that, rip Zig’s heart out of his chest.” He glares over his shoulder where Zig is sprawled on a red sofa. “You two nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Is he all right?” My voice is hoarse, and my throat hurts.

“He’s drained of energy, but he will be fine. You on the other hand—” He lifts my chin so my eyes are level with his. “Don’t you ever go back in there again.” I nod. He shakes his head, letting my chin go. “Sinteler inserted one of his Tarnished souls inside you, through your neck.” I’m too shocked to speak. “I managed to remove most of it. It wasn’t easy. It tried to resist eviction.” He points to a table with bowls and candles on it. Beside it is a vial with a black substance moving lazily inside, and my dagger. “It was easier to use your dagger because it’s like poison to them. I had to cut small lacerations on different parts of your body to smoke it out.”