Page 161 of Famine

Famine continues to rub my head. “I was making my way south through Europe. I’d already left the mainland, and I was crossing the Aegean Sea. I was about to arrive on Crete when I crossed paths with War.” His gaze grows distant.

“In this form,” Famine says, “it’s hard to sense my brothers, but it isn’t impossible. I knew War was close; I could feel him approaching me just as he must’ve felt me approaching him.”

I had never thought to press Famine for information on his brothers. Clearly, I should’ve.

“He met me on the beach,” he says.

I try to picture it in my mind—Famine meeting War, one of his brothers.

The Reaper falls silent.

“And?” I prod.

“He told me to leave.”

“Did you?” I ask.

Famine’s eyes slip to mine, a wry smile on his face. “One does not pick fights with War, not even in his mortal form. I left him and his family alone—”

“Family?” I interrupt, shocked.

What in the actual hell?

“War has a family?”

“So does Pestilence.”

I stare at Famine, trying to process that. “You mean to tell me thattwoof your brothers have settled down and had kids?” I say carefully.

Famine nods.

“…How?” I finally ask.

The horseman gives me a sly look. “It’s really quite simple, flower. They fucked mortal women. Those women got pregnant. Now they have families.”

My eyes feel like they’re bulging from their sockets. Right now, everything this horseman says is wilder than the thing before it.

“You horsemen can get women pregnant?” I ask.

Jesus. I hadn’t even thought aboutthat.

“I can eat and sleep and do just about everything else a human can,” Famine says. “Is being able to procreate really so shocking?”

“Yes.”

It’s really,reallyfreaking shocking.

The next question slips from my lips. “Do you have any children?”

“God, no,” he says, “I’ve made sure of that.”

“You made sure—” I sit up again. “What is that supposed to mean?Did you kill your kids?” I can feel how wide my eyes are.

The Reaper pushes me back down.

“Would that actually shock you?” he says.

“Oh my God,you did.” I don’t know why, but that changeseverything.

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