Page 131 of Reaper's Ruin
And as I looked around, I wished they hadn’t.
Five massive black thrones stood upon a dais at the far end of the chamber, each one occupied by a figure that defied description. The Veil Lords were more terrifying than any Reaper I’d seen, their forms so dark they looked like shadows made real. Their faces werecompletely hidden within deep hoods, but I could see their eyes—swirling vortexes of color that shifted and changed, the only bright thing in this realm of darkness.
At their feet, creatures prowled—dark beasts of nightmarish form. They resembled wolves or big cats, but they looked more like some terrifying post-apocalyptic zombie versions. Their bodies rippled with darkness as they stalked the periphery of the room. One turned its head toward me, and I saw its eyes burning like embers, intelligent and hungry. It growled, a sound that seemed to vibrate through my very soul, and I couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped me.
Standing beside each throne was a tall, winged female warrior, their bodies more substantial than the Veil Lords, like powerful warriors I imagined could slaughter countless in an instant. Their wings were massive, spanning at least twelve feet each, and their eyes glowed like fire. They stood perfectly still, unblinking, their hands resting on weapons that seemed forged from shadow itself.
At the center of the chamber, floating several feet off the ground, was a massive orb pulsing with silvery light. Other than several sconces on the wall with those strange purple flames, it was the only source of illumination in the room, its glow somehow both soothing and terrifying.
We were forced to a halt at the foot of the dais. The Reaper holding me shoved me to my knees. If I’d had any kind of feeling, I’d have cried out from the force of my landing. But instead, I felt nothing in this hollow soul I’d been cast back into.
For several moments, there was only silence. The Veil Lords studied us, their color-shifting eyes unreadable, their shadowy forms utterly still.
Then one spoke, his voice deep and resonant, seeming to echo from everywhere at once.
“Death,” he said, the single word carrying enough power to make the air vibrate. “You have much to explain.”
Rhyker stepped forward and bowed his head, his gaze fixated on the floor. A posture of obedience that looked unnatural coming from a man as powerful as him.
“My Lords,” he said, his voice carefully modulated to reveal nothing.
“You disappeared,” another Veil Lord said, her voice like ice skating across my skin. “For days. Without explanation. Without permission.”
“And now you return,” a third added, “with the very soul you were sent to reap still intact. Still existent.”
“Explain yourself,” the first demanded.
Rhyker raised his head, his face composed into a mask of calm subservience that looked so foreign on his features it was almost like watching a stranger.
“My Lords,” he began, “I was indeed sent to reap this soul.” He gestured toward me without looking at me. “She appeared in Faelora, an anomaly that eluded other Reapers. I tracked her as ordered, but when I attempted to bring her into the Shadowveil to reap her, something unusual occurred.”
“What?” demanded a Veil Lord with eyes that swirled with blues and greens.
“She disappeared,” Rhyker said. “Vanished completely. I later discovered she is a human-fae hybrid with the ability to Realm Walk—even between life and death. Every time I would corner her, she would shift realms before I could complete the reaping.”
The Veil Lords stirred, murmuring among themselves in a language I couldn’t understand. The shadow beasts at their feet grew more agitated, prowling in tighter circles.
“How did you find yourself in the living realm? That is unheard of for a Reaper to cross the veil,” the female Veil Lord asked, her tone sharp with suspicion.
“When I finally managed to grab her and pull her into the Veil,” Rhyker explained, “she panicked and shifted realms again. But because I was holding her, I was pulled along.” He paused, his expression one of careful confusion. “I don’t understand how it happened, but suddenly I was on the other side.”
I marveled at the lie—so smooth, so detailed, so carefully crafted to protect both me and Selyse, while explaining away both his absence and our connection. He was brilliant, my Reaper.
“An interesting tale,” one of the Veil Lords said, his voice barely above a whisper yet carrying through the chamber like a cold wind. “But that doesn’t explain why you were embracing this soul when Sevrin found you. Why reports suggest you may have been...” he paused, as if the word tasted foul, “...intimate with it.”
“My Lords,” Rhyker said, his voice steady despite the tension I could see in his shoulders. “I request permission to speak with you privately on this matter. There are... complexities regarding this soul that require your consideration.”
“Complexities?” the female Veil Lord repeated, a dangerous edge to her voice.
“Yes, my Lords,” Rhyker said. “Information that may be... sensitive.” He glanced around the chamber, at the gathered Reapers. “For your ears only.”
The Veil Lords exchanged looks, their swirling eyes communicating in some silent language. Finally, the first nodded.
“Very well,” he said. “We will hear you. Alone.”
The female Veil Lord raised a hand, and two Reapers immediately stepped forward to haul me to my feet. “Take this soul to the holding chambers,” she commanded. “We will deal with it after we’ve heard what Death hasto say.”
Panic clawed at my throat as they began dragging me away from Rhyker. Away from the only being in this nightmare realm who cared whether I existed or not. Away from the man I loved.
