Page 20 of A Shadow in the Reaping
Ashen does not look away. "I know. I have no choice," he says, and his voice is softer than I expect.
"It is dangerous for her there. You have a duty to keep her safe."
"I know."
"This," Ediye says as she yanks the journal from my hands. She flips through some of the pages and snorts a laugh as she comes upon my masterpiece ofASSHOLE. She holds it up in front of his face and points to it. "Thisis not all she is." She jabs a finger to his chest on the exact spot where his wound is still healing. "This? What she did for you?Thisis Lu."
He shifts the briefest glance to me before meeting Ediye's eyes once more. "I will bring her back unharmed."
"You'd better, or I will come for you, Reaper. I don't care who you are or how many souls you've taken. There will be no House in your Realm that will be able to hide you. Not from me."
I snatch the journal away and clasp Ediye in a brief but fierce hug, then I signI love you. I turn away before I can see her reply stalking to the car with my head down and my glassy eyes trained on the silver flagstones. Sometimes having just one person left to stand for you reminds you how many you've lost.
As I sit in the car and wait for Ashen, I unfold Ediye's note.
Ammon Hassan, Wakalat al-Makwa, Khan el-Khalili.
There's a gold necklace taped inside, a hexagonal charm of lapis lazuli shining at me from beneath the cellophane. I pull it free of the note and cast my thumb across the blank space that it leaves behind. Hidden ink appears in the same shade of blue as the stone.
He's not the only one that can find you. Whisper Ninmen Eslal to the charm, I will come.
The Reaper enters the car and I fold the note as the ink disappears. He watches as I put the necklace on. As my hands are behind my neck he reaches across the console and pulls the note from where it rests on my lap. The skin of my thigh hums with gooseflesh even though he didn't touch me. The gesture is so simple yet feels intimate. I feel vulnerable, but unafraid. But I think I should.
"Khan el-Khalili. Cairo," Ashen says as he reads the note. His voice is quiet and low. He looks into the distance, his gaze angled away from me. Tension feathers along his jaw.
For just a moment, I wonder if he can feel anything he shouldn't, or if that's only ever just me.
Chapter 11
Dusk is falling behind a curtain of heavy fog when we arrive at the Ashen's 'corridor'. I retrieve thekatanafrom the back seat as he grabs our bags, and we stand for a moment in front of the country home of the Reaper. Its red brick facade looms above us in the growing dark, two cast iron gas lamps lighting the sweeping grey staircase to a mahogany door. The house is framed by ancient elms and ferns that grow in their shadows.
I expected more unicorns. Maybe also a 'live, love, laugh' welcome mat, I write, and hold it up in front of the Reaper's face without taking my eyes off the house.
"Why am I not surprised," he says, and I can hear the faint trace of a smile in his voice.
We ascend the steps and Ashen pushes the door open. The interior lights come on as we enter but it still seems dim and atmospheric. There are oversized paintings on the walls and marble vases on ornate narrow tables, all flowing down a corridor of checkerboard tiles into the darker recesses of the house.
"Would you rather we leave for the Shadow Realm now or wait until the morning?" he asks as we near the end of the hall. It opens to a wide living room with high ceilings and windows that span the height of the wall. The grey light of the fog obscures everything beyond the sloping lawn.
How about not at all, I write.
"Not an option, I'm afraid."
I thought you might say that.I let him read the note and then clutch the journal and pen to my chest as I stand in front of the window and look out at the mist. I breathe steam onto the glass and writeHELP! I'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED!backwards as the Reaper watches.
"Is that necessary?"
I turn and give him a nod and my sweetest, most innocent smile. We watch each other for a long moment until my smile fades and I look away.
I'd rather go tomorrow. I need to eat before we leave. I doubt your realm caters to my tastes, I write, passing him the note.
"There are blood bags in the fridge," Ashen suggests. I tilt my head and narrow my eyes. His grip tightens on the strap of my bag. "I stocked up the other day when I came to retrieve the sword."
Thank you. But it's not quite the same.
"I know." I hear the intake of a breath and I think he's about to say something else, but Ashen presses his lips together instead. His gaze roams my face and then drifts to a wide staircase in the corner. "I'll show you to your room."
I follow him up the stairs and down another corridor, this one narrower than the first but with higher ceilings. Ashen stops at a door painted in black and pushes it open for me but doesn't enter.
