Guardians of the Boundary (Book 3 of The Conjurors Series)

Epilogue

Henry didn't know why he was drawn outside that night to walk alone in the woods by his house. He didn't question the impulse. Sometimes, it seemed like only constant movement kept his pain and rage from burning him up inside.

The night air was cool, and Henry moved faster to stay warm. His mind was so occupied that he almost didn't notice the strange distortion in the air ahead of him until he was almost upon it. He recognized it for what it was—one of Reaper's portals. He almost turned and ran to wake up Valerie and Gideon, but something made him look inside, and after that first glimpse, he stepped through the portal.

"It's exactly what you're afraid it is," Reaper's voice grated against Henry's ears.

Henry didn't even think of raising the knife he had tucked into his belt to defend himself. Instead, he ran to the side of a stone statue standing in the middle of the throne room in the Black Castle. It was an exact replica of Kanti.

"What is this? Some kind of awful voo-doo doll?" Henry asked, and his magic simmered just beneath the surface. He would blast the statue into smithereens, even if Reaper killed him.

"Did you know that among my powers, I can alter cells? The laws of physics don't apply to me," Reaper said.

Henry's jaw clenched as he listened to Reaper brag.

"I can even turn human cells to stone," Reaper continued. "Luckily for you, I can also turn the stone back into flesh."

The realization of what he was seeing hit Henry like a truck. He reached out to touch the statue with his mind and hand at the same time, and then drew back as if he'd been shocked. Kanti was inside there. Some part of her mind slept inside the stone, unreachable.

"What did you do? Change her back!" Henry shouted.

It took all of his control not to lash out at Reaper with everything he had and kill him once and for all. Only the knowledge that Reaper was probably the only one who could change Kanti back to living, breathing flesh kept him in check.

"Whether she remains in this state or another is up to you," Reaper said. "I think you know now that when I make promises, I keep them."

The memory of his father's face in his last moments flashed through Henry's mind. He forced it aside, knowing that letting it in had the power to unman him completely, and he needed his wits about him.

"What are you promising, exactly?" Henry asked, scrutinizing Reaper.

He tried to turn off his emotions the best he could so he could concentrate. He knew that this might be one of the most important conversations of his life.

"For you to imbue my army with some new powers that I've selected," Reaper said.

Henry narrowed his eyes. "How many people? I want a number, after which you set Kanti free. Otherwise this could go on forever."

"Agreed," Reaper said.

"There's something else I want," Henry said, and a cold, angry hatred slithered over his heart.

Reaper cocked his head curiously. "Ask."

"I want to kill Zunya," Henry said.

Surprise flashed across Reaper's face before he could hide his reaction. "You really aren't your sister, are you? We could work quite well together if you gave the Fractus a chance."

"You're holding an axe over the head of someone I love, so I don't have a choice here. But let me be clear—I'll never be one of your minions," Henry said, and he briefly assessed if he was capable of attacking Reaper's mind with his psychic powers and controlling him.

But when he reached out, it was like touching a wall. Nothing would easily get past Reaper's defenses, and he held Kanti's life in his hands.

"Very well. We'll do it this way, much to my distaste," Reaper said, and his face transformed into something ugly. "You will equip five hundred of my soldiers with the powers they require, and Kanti will be returned to you unharmed, as she was."

"What about my other demand?" Henry asked.

"Zunya's life is yours, whenever you decide to claim it," Reaper said with a tiny smile.

A dark, twisted triumph washed over Henry's mind. He knew he could never come back from that murder, but he'd made Zunya a promise that he would suffer for what he did to his father, and he intended to keep it.

"Then we have a deal," Henry said.

Whatever Reaper wanted, whatever it took, he would break every rule to save Kanti's life.

THEEND