Page 48 of Reaper's Ruin
“And you need to help her with this?”
I wasn’t sure how much to tell him. That she was a human from the Mortal Realm and had no idea how she’d even ended up in Faelora so she needed my help to navigate our world? No. He didn’t need to know the details.
“Why I’m helping her doesn’t matter.”
He knew me well enough not to press from the sharpness of my answer. “Okay, but why do you need to be in physical form to do that? Andhoware you in physical form. I had no idea this was a fucking thing! Can I do it? Is it as great as I remember?”
I ignored most of his questions, only answering with, “We believe Soraya needs to solve her murder to get her peace. We can’t do that if we can’t interact with the physical world. We went to a sorceress who could help. She did a spell to grant us these bodies for a time so we can help Soraya find her killer, get her justice and move on.”
Taelon’s eyes moved between us, clearly sensing there was more to the story, but he didn’t press. Instead, he scratched his chin thoughtfully. “So, what’s your next move?”
“We need to get into the Storm Court. We have reason to believe her killer came from there.”
His eyebrows shot up again. “The Storm Court? That’s... interesting. I was just there reaping a soul. People have been dropping like flies lately. Even the King got killed.”
I kept my expression neutral, but my mind raced with possibilities. Multiple deaths in the Storm Court, and Soraya connected to it somehow? It was too much of a coincidence.
“I need to get into Thunderspire Keep specifically. Take a look around,” I said. “But without my ability to shadow slice, it’s a problem.”
“What are you looking for?” he asked.
I decided not to divulge any more information, still unsure how trustworthy he was. “Just need to get in there.”
He tipped his head, then shrugged and said, “Well, you came at the right time, then. There’s a coronation in a few days for the King’s nephew, the new heir. The court will be packed with visitors. Likely a lot of new faces coming and going so you won’t stick out like a sore thumb. Wait.” Taelon’s face lit up. “Let me check something. I’ll be right back.”
With that, he disappeared into the shadows.
“Where did he go?” Soraya asked, her eyes wide.
“He’s slicing through the Shadowveil, probably to scout the Storm Court,” I explained, watching her take in this information with that same wonderment that seemed to accompany everything in this strange afterlife of hers.
A serving woman approached, rattled off the specials, and when Soraya looked at me like she didn’t understand a single dish, I ordered us two hot pies. I’d never had them, but I’d seen people eating them when I’d been in here behind the veil, and they looked as tasty as I could remember any food tasting.
“So, Taelon isn’t going to like, tattle on you, right?” she asked after the waitress walked away.
I shook my head. “No. I don’t think so. Honestly, most other Reapers would be racing back to the Veil Lords to turn me in and earn some favor, but Taelon he’s... different.”
“So, he’s your friend?”
I paused at the word. If he had been human and alive, I was certain he would have fallen under that category, but he was fae, and I was dead and no longer had need for things such as friends.
I shrugged. “An acquaintance,” I answered.
“Well, he seems nice. Which is shocking because he’s, well,” she leaned forward, “aReaper.”
“He’s... tolerable,” I said.
“And these Veil Lords. Would you really get in trouble for helping me?”
“I honestly don’t know as no Reaper has ever broken this particular rule before, so I suppose it’s not even a rule to be broken. But yes, most likely they would be very displeased.”
“And what do they do to Reapers they aren’t pleased with?”
“Reap them,” I said matter-of-factly.
Her eyes flew wide. “What? So you’re saying if you get caught helping me try to not get reaped thatyoucould get reaped? Rhyker!” she said too loudly then lowered her voice. “I don’t want you putting yourself at risk for me! I didn’t know you could get in that much trouble!”
I shrugged. “Sure. But I’m not scared of ceasing to exist. In fact, it would be welcomed.”
