Reapers - Master of Souls (Reapers Chronicles Book III)

22 - Crossover (2 of 2)

You are oxygen
on a late night drive
To clear my head when hope has passed me by  

Everything Good, Ashes Remain

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unceremoniously, the guys led the way to the Jeeps. 

Alex and Amyr went for the black one, Alex remembering to toss the keys to Vincent before hopping into the shotgun seat. Amyr rolled the driver's window and winked at me before leaving.

Vincent waited until we were both strapped in. He didn't start the engine though. Just gripped the wheel tight.

"A soul offering," he started slowly, evenly. "Is basically an ancient ritual of trying to get Eldest on our side. It'd been millennia since an offering was last done. You can say we'd been self-reliant for a while. Casting out Legion would need a tremendous amount of power and at the state we're in, it's downright impossible. As humiliating as it is, we're gonna need a higher power. Alex said it'd be the only way."

"So, how do we do it?"

He took his time staring at the steering wheel before answering, "We need you to reap a soul and offer it. If Eldest is satisfied, you'll be granted a Blessing."

I nodded. "Let's go find me a soul then."

Sucking in a sharp breath, he turned to me. "That soul you're going to offer... belongs to someone close to you."

I had a spasm trying to process that.

"That's why it had to be you," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Me and the others, we don't have anyone left who's still mortal."

I gazed blankly at the windshield. "We don't have to kill anyone, do we? Or else, how could it be a sacred offering?"

"I guess, we better hope someone you know's scheduled for expiration soon. It has to be someone you care about, or else, it won't be a sacrifice. We only have three days before the full moon; remember that. And if we're really out of options..." He closed his eyes, clenching his teeth as if he was in pain. "I'll do it."

"What?"

"It's not like I've never done it before, A. You, on the other hand..." He opened his eyes, trailing into silence as he glared at his hands.

It was as if I could feel him hurt. Like daggers plunging and twisting into my chest. If someone knew the hurt of having to end the life of a loved one, it would be him.

Gripping the edge of my seat, I swallowed and erased any trace of emotion from my face. Had this happened before my resurrection, I would have made a big fuss out of it. But now, all I could see was the job at hand. All else, I would just have to cry over at night when no one was looking.

"We'll know when we get there," I told Vincent. "For now, drive."

I gave him directions and he just followed without uttering another word for the rest of the trip. Only when I told him to park a block away from our destination did I muster the courage to speak.

"You're quiet," I noted. "It's either you're upset or you're really upset."

"S'nothing," he replied, killing the engine. "Just that... you're too calm for someone who's about to make a soul offering."

"Oh..."

"Oh?" He grimaced. "Can't you be more stoic?"

I leaned closer to him, enough to make him cringe. "My facial muscles are in a state of shock. That's why my face is like this. I'm actually having a dirge play repeatedly in my head while I weep inwardly."