Reapers - Master of Souls (Reapers Chronicles Book III)

33 - Spell (1 of 2)

Vincent reached for the candle holder to the right, looked at me and cocked his chin to the other. "Vlad's found a spell that could open a direct portal to Halo. They're planning to throw Legion into that portal then, they'll meet us there."

Tentatively, I held onto the other candle holder. "And the barrier?"

"Vlad's going to Link to me and dictate the spell," he explained, shifting his weight from one leg to another. "So we gotta get to the abyss now and summon the barrier before all the action could start happening."

And again, I was no help to them. Resigned, I nodded and pulled the candle holder down at exactly the same time he did.

The noise of stone and metal grinding against each other reverberated in the hallway as the wall slid aside, revealing the pitch black entryway.

I took a shaky breath, my hand automatically searching for Vincent's. He gave me a reassuring look before we jumped into nothingness. As expected, we fell.

For the first few seconds, I felt like my soul would separate from my body. There was nothing to see to distract myself. No resistance, no wind. Nothing but the dreadful feeling of falling. The scream got caught in my throat, blocking my airway. Closing my eyes tight, I bit my lower lip and fought the impulse to thrash and flail like crazy.

Just when I thought the free fall wouldn't end, the blackness parted, replaced in an instant by a starless stretch of velvet navy sky. It felt as if my bones had turned to mush because my knees gave in as soon as my feet landed on solid ground.

Vincent caught my arms and pulled me up before I could fall. I gasped for air, clutching on his shirt while blinking the daze off. Once everything stopped spinning, I gathered my surroundings and caught him staring at me.

Clearing my throat, I eased my fingers from his crumpled shirt and uneasily tugged it back to place. Then, with my hands up, I slowly backed away from him.

"Sorry," I managed to say.

His forehead creased. "It's okay to be scared, A."

"I'm not scared," I retorted, looking around.

He didn't say anything more, but when his expression hardened, I knew he had seen through my lies. Glancing at his wristwatch, he clenched his teeth before going down the few stairs of the lodestone from whence we came.

The stone archway was as I remembered it: old, crumbling. Only now, the lush flowering vines that used to overrun the structure were dead and thorny. In fact, death was everywhere from the now-dried up lake to the withered rose bushes. The once fiery willow trees cowered to the ground, their white barren branches twisted like misshapen fingers.

Without the spectral and oddly contagious giggling of Ethereals and the constant babble of the stream, Halo seemed hollow. From where we stand, Pilgrim Reaper's castle appeared no more than a vertical chunk of rock; dark and towering, drawing the spiraling swarms of fireflies to it like a beacon.

We left the cobblestone path and went inside the Labyrinth. Thick mist wafted to our faces as soon as we had crossed the boundary that separated the mystical forest from the rest of Halo.

At first, it was disorienting. The euphoria came as soon as I breathed in. Involuntarily, I caught the corners of my lips pulling up. But unlike before, the Ethereal essence in the air wasn't heavy enough to distract us from our goal.

Vincent drew his Helcium dagger and began hacking the twigs and branches that barred our way as we began draughting. Sometimes, an Ethereal or two would peek at us from behind the trees. None of them strayed too close. The previous war had left them wary.

As we went deeper, I began to notice little signs of life: moss and grass and the rare reds at the tips of the tree branches.

The travel was surprisingly quick, considering that I used stumble and fall along this path once upon a time. Some of Vincent's brothers were already waiting near the abyss along with some of the familiars.

A light wave of vertigo invaded my system as I peered down the crag. Wide as a highway, it zigzagged across Halo as far as my eyes could reach. It was impossible to tell how deep it was with the darkness lurking at its pit.

Sparing me a glance, Vincent started for his brothers. Pierre had his eyes downcast as if bracing himself for a scolding, which was odd because he must be a few hundred years older than Vincent. Joaquim took a swig from his flask and forced his face into a lopsided grin. Darius and Rajinder looked cagey and eager at the same time.

As they talked, I felt my sleeve being tugged.

I pivoted and saw Eun Jae. He attempted a smile, only to fail. Behind him hid Yukinojo. I realized it was the little boy who was trying to get my attention.

"Nuna," he greeted, waving timidly.

"I know it's dangerous," Eun Jae explained before I could say anything. "But I figured he ought to see this. I owe him at least that."

Something inside of me ached to protect Yuki, but Eun Jae had a point. The world is harsh and the sooner Yuki learns to accept that, the better.

Yuki gestured me to come closer so I hunkered in front of him. He cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered, "Is that him?" in a conspiring tone. I followed Yuki's gaze and found him looking at Vincent. "The one you lo--"

Quickly, I covered Yuki's mouth with a hand, smiling ruefully at Eun Jae when I realized he could hear us. "Yes. That's him... uh, my master."

Darius called out for the familiars to come closer. Save for a broken arm and the strips of cloth wrapped around his head to cover his left eye, it looked like he recovered considerably, given the current circumstances. I heard the older twin wasn't as lucky.

Eun Jae rocked on his heels. He was hesitant and I could understand why. Soon, he would come face-to-face with the creature who killed his partner and that's a pretty messed up situation to be in.

"I'll stay with him," I told Eun Jae, getting up and taking Yuki's hand.

Seemingly loath to leave his son, the familiar nodded and went.

"Appa said you caught it," Yuki murmured, watching his father walk away. "The monster that killed Ka-san. Is it true?"

He held my gaze, a tinge of hope in his eyes.

"Not me," I answered. "My master did."

The boy nodded and looked down, hiding the tears that had started rolling down his cheeks. Sniffing quietly, he covered his eyes with his free arm.

Watching Yuki, it was as if I was eight again, trying not to cry like my mother had wished before she died. I remembered how loss felt. The pain I had kept ignoring. And I admired Yuki for facing it head on, for feeling it.

If only for this kid, I really wished I was wrong. I really wished that it was all over. That after the barriers were up and Legion was trapped inside, we could all walk away from all this and move on with our lives.