Page 11 of Haunted Hearts

The reaper chuckles as he steps back with one hand outstretched. His scythe materializes in his open palm as he looks around. Without any glitz or glam, Brock swings his weapon overhead. The air ripples like a heat wave in front of us until it turns white.

“What’s that?” Theodon side steps to stand in front of Kwil and Willow defensively.

“It’s called billowing,” Brock explains. “Think of it as teleporting.”

“I call it hell,” Jonah objects with a huff.

“You all need to go through it first so that I can close it behind us.” Brock waves his hand towards the rippling air. “Just remember to breathe and stay calm. The discomfort will only last a minute or so.”

Theodon squares his shoulders and steps up to the moving air. “Where does it lead?”

“To my home.”

“I suppose you’ll tell us why we’re going there, rather than meeting Death somewhere, once we arrive?” Theodon’s sharp tone gives the reaper pause. The hooded head tilts to one side to regard him.

“You and I will be having a veryin-depthconversation shortly, Theodon of Windom, and I’ll tellyouplenty of things,” Brock says in an eerily soft voice. “But yes, I’ll answer what questions I can in the meantime.”

Theodon glares at the reaper but doesn’t say anything else before stepping into the rippling air. I look to Kwil and Jonah next.

“Hold her tight when you step through,” Jonah tells Kwil. “And don’t drop her when you get there.”

“I’m not going to drop her.” Kwil’s jaw tenses as he watches Jonah go through next. His eyes flicker to me and I give him a subtle nod. He knows I’ll watch his back. Brock may be Willow’s reaper-friend, and potentially her mate, butwedon’t know him. Until we do, our guard needs to remain up.

Kwil pulls Willow’s body… no,soul, in closer to his chest and steps through. Immediately, I feel the yank at my connection with Willow as she’s transported elsewhere, far away. Hating the distance more than the pain, I go next without hesitation. As I step through the portal, I’m wrenched forward. My stomach is left behind as I’m flung through time and space.

When my feet connect with solid ground, I stumble forward and go down to my hands and knees hard. Thankfully, there’s grass beneath me, softening the landing. My head spins rapidly, blurring my vision and —

Wait… I blink rapidly until everything stills. When I look up, I gape at the world around me. I cansee.Trulysee.Nothing is blurry, and I can see both near and far. Everything is sharp and crisp. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this well, even when I was younger, before my vision began to fade.

That’s saying a lot since Fae have an incredible sense of sight.

But… how? And why am I just noticing this now? Because I have a moment to catch my breath? After years of poor eyesight, seeing this clear should be jarring. So why isn’t it? I stare down at the grass beneath my hands. I can see the small veins of each blade. Hell, I swear I can see photosynthesis taking place. When I lift my head, I stare at the woods around us. Lady bugs crawl up the trunks, birds hold still as they watch us in branches, and a garden snake slithers into a nearby bush.

“Viktor, you good?”

I don’t answer Theodon right away.AmI good? The sound of Theodon’s footsteps approaching captures my attention, but I can’t stop staring around me.

“Viktor?” His hand lands on my shoulder.

I swallow hard, “Is… is the world in focus or am I just going crazy right now?”

Theodon doesn’t answer right away, but I don’t pay him much mind. I’m too wrapped up in the sights before me. Wherever the reaper brought us, it’s later in the afternoon. The sun is beginning to descend over the trees— wait. Not sun,suns. I do a double take as I realize there are two balls of light in the sky. Oh man… Shaking my head, I continue to marvel at the beautiful world around me. Tears well up once more. I can’t tell if they’re from relief, the breathtaking sight before me, or because I’m not in purgatory, as I half-expected when I died. As I blink away the tears, I roll back onto my heels.

“You can see?” Theodon pauses before he adds, almost like a second thought, “That might explain why your eyes have been glowing since Death brought us to this realm.”

My eyes are glowing?

I blink, as if that will turn the glowing off. Mentally scoffing at my stupidity, I finally get to my feet.

“Maybe the reaper will have some answers,” I mutter as I turn around to look for Kwil and Willow.

I find Kwil down on one knee breathing hard, Willow still in his arms. He lifts his head up to look at Jonah who squats down in front of him.

The reaper steps out of the ripple last. Behind him, the air stills. As he reaches up to remove his hood, his scythe disappears. Ignoring Theodon as he steps around him, Brock heads over to Kwil, his steps confident and swift. Bending down beside my brother, Jonah, and Willow, he says,

“Give her to me so that I can save her.”

Chapter5

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