Page 34 of Leviathan's Song
He huffed a laugh as he washed the lemon and parsley. “No one. He put that there as a joke, because who would want to steal medical waste? Nobody. I have to wear gloves to even be able to handle the bags for him. Go have a seat. I’ve got this.”
I was growing so used to the feeling of his blocked enchantments skittering along the edges of my periphery that most of the time they barely registered as he spoke. I climbed up on a barstool at the kitchen island, toying with the manacle on my wrist as I watched him peel shrimp.
“I thought we were having sushi?” I asked curiously.
He cast me a wry look. “I figured we’d save the raw stuff until you have a little more faith in my culinary abilities,” he said with a small grin. I couldn’t help but return his smile.
I looked around, but the apartment was quiet. I could feel Jordan in his room, but not Grim, and a thought occurred to me.
“Did Grim come for the fairy today?”
Levi looked up to meet my eyes, then shook his head while refocusing on his shrimp. “No, he was still here when I left, and she had already passed before I got there, right? Grim usually only does collections in the Void, as far as I know.” He glanced over his shoulder toward Grim’s room, looking a little uncomfortable with the topic.
“He’s not here,” I said, assuming Levi’s discomfort was probably based on Grim’s hearing abilities. I didn’t want to talk about it if the subject itself would make Grim or Levi uncomfortable, even though I had a million questions. It’s not every day you have an opportunity to ask someone about the afterlife who actually knows something concrete because they’veseen it.
Also, I couldn’t decide if I felt a bit upset at the thought of Grim reaping someone I was trying to save, like he was dismissing my (and Sidney’s) efforts to help someone. That didn’t make any logical sense, but I never claimed to be entirely logical.
I realized Levi was staring at me.
“Who’s not here?” he asked.
“Grim.” Wouldn’t he know where his roommates were?
But he dropped the shrimp he was holding back into the strainer and sidestepped over to Grim’s closed door, knocking on it lightly with a knuckle. His forehead was creased in confusion.
“Yo, Eeyore, you in there?” No response. He opened the door and peeked in, then closed it and gave me a bizarre squint like I was strange. “How did you know he was gone?” Levi sounded a little suspicious. He returned to the sink and started back to work on the shrimp.
I gave a small shrug, feeling a little awkward. I guess we hadn’t had this discussion yet. “When he’s here, I can feel his magic. I can’t feel anything of him in his room or anywhere else close by, so that means he’s gone.”
“You can feel his magic? Just him, or everyone?” He tossed some butter and a splash of oil in a skillet to warm and diced up some garlic to add in.
“Anyone, as far as I know, as long as they have magic.”And are alive, I mentally added. My stomach twisted as I thought of the little sprite with no magic left in her.
I watched him add some white wine to the pan and drop the shrimp shells and some spices in it. “Do you eat the shells?” I asked.
He shot me an amused grin. “Sometimes, but these are just for flavor. What does magic feel like?”
I blinked and considered how to answer his question. “Everyone feels different, depending on what magic they possess,” I said, “and how strong or weak it is. Sometimes I get vague impressions, other times I see very specific images in my mind. It’s difficult to explain, but it feels like an extra sense or perception that’s just always there. I tend to mentally note a person’s magical impression, like I would their height or their tone of voice. It’s usually one of the first things I notice about someone.”
His face shone with curiosity, and he had to shake himself to remember to put the noodles in the large pot before he turned to chop the parsley and juice half of the lemon. “That’s fascinating. How far away can you feel someone?” His hands were sure and quick with the knife as he chopped, and my cheeks heated with how attractive I found it.
“It’s not an entirely uncommon magical ability. My mom has it, and I’ve passed people on the street here and there who have it. There are usually one or two people employed at universities who possess it.”
Levi turned to scoop the simmering shells into the trash and added the shrimp meat to the pan, stirring it as I remembered his actual question. I always felt weirdly singled out when people were surprised by my magical perception.
“I don’t have a set limit on how far away I can feel someone. If their magic is very weak, I would need to be close by. For your average person… I could probably feel them from thirty feet or so, if I focused on it and was familiar with the feel of their magic.”
“What about really strong people?” He was enjoying this entirely too much. I wrinkled my nose at him, and he laughed.
“Grim probably has the strongest magic I’ve ever felt, at least when he left to go... reap someone... that first day I met him. When he gets like that…” I shuddered. “I could probably feel him from a block or two away.”
“Don’t tell him that. He’ll be unbearable. Last thing he needs is an ego boost.” Levi stirred in the parsley and lemon juice before flipping off the heat, straining the pasta, and plating it with the shrimp.
I slid off the stool and carried the plates over to a small dining table in their kitchen nook. It smelled amazing, and I couldn’t wait to try it.
“Hey, Jordan!” He only raised his voice slightly. “You want me to heat you up a drink?”
“Ugh, what do I even have?” Jordan answered through his closed door.
