Reapers -- The First Familiar (Reapers Chronicles Book II)

33 - Better than Never (2 of 2)

As we fought our way into the castle’s door, we had thinned the enemies into less than a hundred. Some tried to surrender, but we had to vanquish them all the same. They simply didn’t belong with the Living anymore.

What’s dead should remain dead. Take it from someone who knows. It had me thinking if it was all worth it: Vincent bringing me back, the whole immortal war bonanza. And just thinking about it made me so tired R.I.P.ing didn’t seem so bad anymore.

The battle slowly turned mechanical: a task that required some amount of detachment.

I disarmed and brought down enemies. Amyr finished them. I just couldn’t bear murdering them even if I knew they weren’t real people.

We were winning. The sentries were just about exterminated. But Pilgrim and his sons hadn’t come out. I hadn’t seen any of their familiars either.

Did they really think an army of this caliber would be enough to stop us? Were they afraid of us? Was that why they were hiding inside the castle? No. That couldn’t be it.

“Let’s head in!” Manu cried, urging his troops to follow him.

Many of them acquired injuries. None that would prevent them from fighting though. Hell, I didn’t think a severed limb would stop any of them from trashing Pilgrim’s place.

As we reached the massive double doors of the castle, it swung out with a loud creak.

Guardedly, we double backed. Manu’s men surrounded the entrance in a semi-circle. Vlad threw Kyoshiro a glance and his familiars nocked our last arrow onto the crossbow.

Cairo, the Twins—Cyrus and Darius—and their familiars stepped out in slow motion as if they were filming a montage.

Six familiars emerged with four captives: Alex, Max, Vincent and that little Asian boy with all-knowing eyes. Except for the boy, none of them could walk. Their knees grazed the floor, leaving red smudges as they were dragged in front of us like some form of exhibition.

Kyoshiro and his familiars tensed as the little boy squirmed upon seeing them.

“Let my boy go!” shouted Eun Jae. The edges of his eyes were red like he was trying not to cry.

Miu held the guy’s arm and shook her head. “Calm down. We’ll get our Yuki back.”

A lump swelled in my throat just looking at Vincent and the others. I could barely make out their faces with the bruises and the wounds and blood. Max’s lower jaw looked dislocated, twitching as it tried to mend with no success. Their heads lolled, eyes rolling up in stupor.

Only Alex seemed cognizant enough to realize what was happening. It looked like he was trying to say something but nothing came out but hoarse moans.

I tapped into the Transference link with Vincent and tried to rouse him. But even his mind was a nothing more than a dark empty room with walls put around it. All it knew now was suffering and unending despair.

“V-vincent!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. If he couldn’t hear me through the link, maybe he would if I shouted loud enough. “Vincent! Come on! Wake up!”

My feet started to move forward. Amyr’s hands slid around my arms, restraining me. I thrashed about, digging my heels into the dirt.

“No!!” I protested, struggling to free myself from Amyr’s grip. “Damn bastard’s acting! He knows I’m mad at him.”

Amyr tightened his hold on me.

In the end, I gave up. The twinge of pain in my chest had sapped me of the will to fight back. And before I knew it, I was crying.