Page 30 of Destined to the Reaper

That couldn’t have been more perfect.

Time trickled endlessly while they intensely debated some preparation he wanted her to make for him. The alterations to the standard formula were throwing the alchemist for a loop. That Cornelius made it a point to hide some of the ways he intended to use the concoction only increased the complexity for her. Rather than distressing her, the challenge it posed thrilled the woman. That suited me just fine. The longer he remained here, the more focused he was on their little project, the less aware he would be of my imminent departure.

Assuming Kali comes through for me.

As Cornelius didn’t mind me fading during times such as these, I dropped to the background as far as reasonably possible without raising his suspicions. Over the years, I’d discovered that he resented having to expose some of his secrets to me. Finding out he preferred when I faded while he debated things such as what was taking place now ended up playing in my favor. As I never had any interest in the dark arts, it had been no hardship to ignore what he was up to.

They were still deep in their discussion—which looked like it would last for at least another couple of hours—when that blessed call finally arrived. It took every ounce of my willpower not to rush through the portal the moment it opened. Being already greatly faded, it took me a lot less time to discreetly cross over.

A joy too great to bear swelled through me at finding myself inside the crypt.

“Pharos!” Kali exclaimed as soon as I appeared inside the circle. “You came!”

The happiness and relief she felt turned me upside down. The shimmering lights of her soul radiated with the strength of a thousand suns, their beauty and warmth heating me to my core. I wanted to pull her into my arms, let her magnificent aura wrap all around me, and lose myself in it. But the slimy air rife with evil, the distant tug of Cornelius’s tether, and the pull of my own vessel nearby claiming me forced me to focus on the task at hand.

As I feared, our bond was still too weak. The necromancer would feel my departure unless we took far longer than we could afford for a slower trickle.

“Of course,” I said, the emotion I felt audible in my voice. “I feared you wouldn’t understand my message. But we have little time. Cornelius suspects something. I don’t know how much, but we must hurry.”

“Okay,” Kali said, her voice tense but her face determined. She pointed at the side of my inert body. “There’s a problem. See these claws, I believe they’re leeching you. Should I remove them from you first or can it wait until after we’ve transferred you?”

I flinched upon seeing my body. I’d been so enthralled by the radiance of Kali’s soul that I’d barely spared myself a glance. This wasn’t how my bride should have seen me for the first time. The Keres leeching me had turned my body into a shriveled, desiccated husk.

“Yes and no,” I said, distraught by that extra hurdle. “Her claws must be removed before I transfer into my body, but your own magic is too weak to fight her. You will need to use mine. Time is of the essence. I will fully give myself to you. As soon as that happens, Cornelius will know and will try to reel me back to him. Focus on removing those shackles, then transfer me.”

“How?” Kali asked, her tension growing another notch.

“Kiss my body’s lips. I will handle the rest.”

Of all the thoughts that could have crossed my mind in this dire situation, it shamed me that it was relief that she didn’t seem repulsed by the prospect of kissing my shriveled body that dominated.

“Be ready for attacks,” I continued before glancing over my shoulder at Grizelle.

Her mouth stretched into an evil smile. “Going somewhere, Pharos?” she said in her dreadful voice that sounded like nails on glass.

“It is time for me to leave your hall,” I said in a snarky voice. “You’re a bit too greedy in yourhospitality.”

She burst out laughing, the sound insanely creepy. “You wound me, my precious. But your feast I cannot afford to lose. So I must insist you remain.”

“That is not going to happen,” I snapped.

“We shall see,” she replied, her voice taking a cruel and menacing edge.

Still partially embedded in the wall, Grizelle waved her hands, and the fleshy membranes covering the alcoves on the walls surrounding the outer edges of the island began to open.

“Stand down, Grizelle, or I will kill all of your minions,” I hissed.

“You shall do no such thing, Reaper!” she retorted maliciously. “You are bound by the covenant. You cannot interfere with what is about to happen to your little pet.”

“I can intervene when I’m threatened,” I countered.

She huffed angrily. “My minions know better than to attack the likes of you. It is the human they will feast on.”

“The human is the host ensuring my rebirth. Killing her is a direct attack against me. I’m allowed self-defense. Stand down or face the consequences,” I warned.

It was a technicality, but it would give us the breathing room to complete the ritual. If Kali had to fight back the swarms Grizelle would unleash upon her while trying to free me of the claws shackling me, we might never finish in time to thwart any attempts Cornelius might make to prevent it.

“Very well, Reaper. Be reborn,” she spat angrily. “But then, I shall feast on the wretch who took you from me.”

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