The Reaping: Language of the Liar (22 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Excited’s not the word,” Lennox said as he twisted the glass of beer in his hands.  “Bit nervous though.”

“Eh, he’ll be fine.  He’s been half-Seeker this entire time anyway,” Briar said, waving her hand in the air.

Dorian, who was sipping on a gin, watched the exchange.  She’d been with them a while now, and accepted as family, but she still felt apart from it.  She was dealing with the strange manifestation of her powers, and she felt very alone.

“…yeh, lass?”

Dorian’s gaze snapped up to Lennox who was staring at her.  “Sorry, what?”

He laughed, then shook his head.  “You’re a thousand miles away.  Penny for your thoughts?”

Rubbing her hand down her face, she gave him a sheepish smile.  “I guess.  Just kind of…”

“Dealing with your freaky new powers?” Briar offered.  When Dorian’s eyes widened, Briar rolled hers.  “Oh like I wouldn’t tell him about your attempt to burn down the basement.”

Cheeks red, Dorian looked down at the table.  “I didn’t mean to.”

There was a tense pause before anyone spoke again.  After a moment, Lennox reached across the table and put his hand over hers.  “It’s okay.”

Her laugh came out almost bitter, and she looked up at him.  “Is it, though?  I mean be straight with me.  Is it okay?  No one’s had anything like that before.  Have they?”  Her last question came out like a plea, and when Lennox’s face fell, she let out a frustrated laugh.  “That’s what I thought.  I mean, you can be as encouraging as you want, but the both of you know as well as I do, we don’t know what any of this means.”

Her words were interrupted by the arrival of food, but she wasn’t hungry now.  She pushed her plate away from her and sat back in the chair.  It made her feel a little like a petulant child, but she deserved a moment of being frustrated.  No one had answers for her.  For months she had nothing, and now this?  She was tired of being a science experiment.

“Markus is working on it, I promise,” Lennox said after he swallowed a bite of his burger.  “And you can trust him.”

Dorian’s tongue darted out along her bottom lip.  She knew the entire Community trusted Markus, but there was something off about him.  Maybe it was his rigidity, or his focus.  Perhaps those things came across as a lack of empathy.  Maybe it was because she didn’t know him all that well.  But whatever it was, something about him didn’t sit right.

“I just want answers.  I just…”  She paused, looking away from both of them.  “I want to feel normal.  Even in the abnormal world I’m a freak, and it’s exhausting.”

Briar’s face was still, but her eyes widened just a fraction and she gave a sharp, stiff nod.  “I get it.  And once we figure it out, once you figure out your own abilities, that feeling will go away.  I promise.”

Dorian let out another breath and nodded.  Maybe Briar was right.  She had to figure every Reaper felt that way.  Dealing with being possessed, the feeling like you were losing your mind, that wasn’t easy.  And when it was all ripped away, you were thrust head-first into the demon world with powers and spells and things no average person could hope to understand.  So yeah, Briar probably did get it.

Half-way through the meal, Lennox’s phone rang and he rushed out to take the call.  It wasn’t long, and when he got back, his face was pale.  “That was Markus.  We need to move.”

Dorian’s brow furrowed as she stood up.  “What’s wrong?”

“Problem with our next job, and the new Exorcist’s was delayed until tomorrow morning.   We need to head over to the safe house and strengthen the wards.”

Dorian felt panic well up in her stomach.  She’d only attempted the one spell, and she was not prepared to use more magic.  “I don’t…”

Lennox grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her close.  “The most important thing you can have, especially with powers that are leaping out of control, is faith in yourself.  Faith you can do this.  You’ve got me and you’ve got Briar.  And we believe in you.  So try a bit of belief in yourself.”

Letting out a breath, she nodded, determined to try.  She couldn’t hide forever, doing nothing more than melting candles in a dark basement and memorizing spells on paper.  She was going to be in the field.  One day she would be the sole Reaper in the house, and she had to be worthy of that title.

Close on Briar’s heels, they darted into the parking lot and took Lennox’s car.  He peeled out of the parking lot, onto the main street, and headed east.  Ten minutes into the drive took them deeper into the woods, and a few miles later, he turned down a bumpy dirt road.

“Where the hell is this place?” Briar asked, holding on to the door handle for support.  The road was unmaintained, and it was throwing them from side to side.

“Never been,” Lennox said as he navigated around huge dips and bumps.  “Markus didn’t give me a lot of information.  Just uploaded the coordinates.”  He tapped the side of the GPS which was blinking directions.

Briar shook her head, glancing back at Dorian before speaking again.  “Is it just me, or is he acting shady?”

Lennox let out a puff of air.  “Things have been off.  And I don’t know why.”

The silence in the car grew tense, and Dorian wondered if maybe her gut feeling about Markus was right after all.  She hadn’t forgotten that the demons she overheard talked about a leak in the Community.  She didn’t want to believe it was Markus, couldn’t believe it was him, but the paranoia was there all the same.

They reached the house twenty minutes up the dirt road.  Climbing along the path at an agonizingly slow pace, they crawled to a stop near a clearing of trees, and Lennox shut the car off.  Around the side of the small cabin, Dorian could see Markus’ car parked, and several of the lights upstairs were on.

“Is this like the rehab facility?  The glamor spells and everything?”  Dorian peered through the front window, trying to see through any illusions.

“I don’t think so,” Lennox said as he reached onto the floor of the car for a small bag.  “Just wards.”  He pulled out a couple of pentagram amulets which he handed to Briar and Dorian.

Dorian slipped the chain around her neck, feeling the warm pressure of a protection spell enveloping her, and she reached for the door handle.  “And he didn’t say what this was about?”

“Not specifically.  Only that he needs assistance with the current possession.  We’ll be performing an exorcism once we get our newest member.  For now, we just need to contain the demon.”

Dorian felt a shiver of anticipation and nerves running up her spine.  She hadn’t dealt with a possession since her own, and the memories were pounding against her head.  How could she look this person in the eyes and tell them it was going to be okay knowing it might not be.  Knowing things could go as bad as hers went.  Or worse.

Steeling her nerves, she stepped out of the car into the chilly night, and followed Briar and Lennox up to the front door.  As before at the rehab center, there was a small pad beside the door where Lennox scanned his wrist.  The lock on the door fell back with a loud snick, and the three walked in.

Markus was there to greet them immediately.  He looked stressed and tired, puffy black circles under his eyes.  His hair was mussed, and though Dorian wasn’t sure it was possible, it seemed more grey than just a few weeks prior.

He gave the group a tense, watery smile and beckoned them down a short hall into an expansive modern kitchen.  Lennox pulled a few barstools out from the counter, and while Markus went to the fridge, the trio took a seat.

“I appreciate you cutting your evening short,” Markus said.  He paused when a loud thump sounded over the room, and he shook his head, his eyes downcast.  “My brother’s here.  He’ll be out in a few minutes.”

Lennox visibly tensed, and it confused her.  Dorian had only met Matias around her exorcism, she found him far more pleasant than his brother.  But there was obviously tension between the group, and it wasn’t her place to ask.  Not now, anyway.

“So, you want to fill us in, or are we just here for spells?” Briar asked, her gaze fixed on Markus.

Dorian watched a non-verbal exchange between the two, and she forced herself to look away after a moment.  It was too intimate, and she felt uncomfortable being in the know about them.  Their personal business usually remained far away from supernatural business, but Briar was toeing the line now.

“I’ll explain everything when my brother gets down.  For now, the wards are fine, but whatever’s got him is strong.  I haven’t seen the likes of anything like this since…”

“Me,” Dorian offered, and Markus gave a slow nod.  “Do you think it’s him?  Nic?”

“I know it’s not.  We’ve been able to ID the demon, but I think he’s on par with your friend.”

Dorian winced when Markus referred to Nic as her friend.  It felt like a dig, and a cruel one at that.  But again, now was not the time.  Markus was stressed and she remembered Briar mentioned this possession was probably personal.  Maybe family.

“Ah look what the cat dragged in,” came a voice from around the corner, interrupting the tense mood.  Matias walked in the room, a jovial smile on his face.  His gaze flickered past Lennox, then Briar, but lingered on Dorian.  “I’m so pleased you were able to make it.”

Dorian felt her face go a little red, and her head ducked.  “No problem.”

“My brother’s filled me in on how your powers are developing and I have to say, I’m impressed.  I can’t wait to see them at work.”

Again Dorian felt like a specimen in some clear, plastic cage, and she found she couldn’t meet his gaze with her own.

Before things could get worse, Lennox spoke up.  “So what’s the deal?”

“It’s Grant.”  Markus’ voice was low, troubled, and although it meant nothing to Dorian, both Lennox and Briar went rigid.  “I don’t know how long it’s been going on.  He says he can’t remember when the blackouts started.  And there’s a good chance it was happening for years and no one noticed.  That’s how strong this thing is.”

“Jesus,” Lennox breathed, drawing his hand down his face.  “So you think he’s the leak?”

“It’s possible,” Markus replied.

Matias leaned on the counter, his arms crossed.  “We’ve had Adelaide in his head, but the thing was able to put up walls.  She can’t get in far enough to assess the damage.”

“I’m lost,” Dorian muttered, and blushed when she realized she said it aloud.  Everyone stared at her, and she let out a breath.  “Sorry, I just have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Markus looked annoyed, but Matias gave her a cautious smile.  “Sometimes, if the demon is weak, or if the possession is new, a Seeker can slip into a person’s head.  They can assess the damage the demon’s done to their subconscious.  It gives a better understanding of whether or not a person will survive an exorcism.  Sometimes there are echoes left behind which helps us identify the demon.  We’ve been able to ID this creature, as best we can according to our codex, but the demon is strong.  It’s managed to shield most of Grant’s mind from us.”

“Meaning they can’t tell whether or not he’s a candidate to survive,” Lennox said.

Dorian nodded.  “But… doesn’t that happen all the time?  I mean, you said yourself only one percent survive.  So is it really that important to know?”

“Yes, God damn it!” Markus spat.

Dorian flinched, and Lennox half-rose in his chair, giving Markus a threatening stare.  “Sorry I just…”

“Grant is his son,” Matias filled in.  When Markus turned his icy stare on his brother, Matias shrugged.  “What does it matter if she knows?  You want her help, her powers are strong, and a little personal motivation might go a long way.”

Markus muttered something under his breath in a language Dorian didn’t understand, then stormed out of the room.  Her cheeks went red again and she shrank back in her seat.  “I didn’t mean…”

“We might be numb to a lot of this tragedy,” Lennox said, “but there are times we feel the pain.  This is one of them.  Markus has a troubled relationship with his son.”

Dorian nodded and took a few breaths.  “Fair enough.  I’m not taking it personal.”

“Nor should you.”  Matias clapped his hands together, rubbing them as he started to pace.  “Lennox, we need some stronger spells around here.  Markus just set this safe house up, so we’re low on supplies.  Do you have anything with you?”

“Always.”  Lennox jumped up from his seat.  “Give me ten minutes, I’ll get some stuff put together.”

“I’ll help,” Briar said.  She rose, but stopped next to Dorian and grabbed her shoulder.  “You need to meditate.  Focus your mind on your power and controlling it.  Right now, we really need your help.”

“But no pressure?” Dorian half-joked, and ignored the scoff Briar gave her as she followed Lennox out of the room.

“You know they mean well, right?”  Matias slid onto one of the bar stools positioned on the other side of the counter, and he clasped his hands.  “Lennox and Briar.  Even my brother means well.”

Dorian fought back a sardonic laugh.  “Your brother is only interested in dissecting me.  First I was the girl with the long-term, high level possession.  Now I’m the Reaper with the uncontrollable powers.  I get it, but don’t tell me he
means
well.”

Matias’ tongue darted out to wet his lips, and he blew out a sigh.  “My brother’s…”  He trailed off, his eyes rolling toward the ceiling and he stared up for a moment.  “Things are complicated.  As I’m sure you can imagine.”  He smiled, revealing white teeth, slightly turned sideways at the canines.  “Growing up around this life wasn’t easy.  It makes one harder than a person should be.  While we’re seen as lacking empathy, really we’re just afraid all the time.  We know loss better than anyone, and it changes you.”