Page 142 of Reaper's Quest

A soft knock signaled the entrance of a servant. A uniformed woman holding a tea set on a tray glided into view. The queen fell still and silent while the woman set the tray on the table.

“Shall I pour you a cup, Your Majesty?” the servant asked.

“No. No.” The queen waved the servant away. “Leave us.”

The woman left without another word. The door closed, leaving us alone once more.

The queen picked up the teapot, poured two cups, and then slid one cup and saucer toward me. “Now, where were we? Ah, yes. I have no plans to send you away.”

I leaned back and folded my arms across my body. “Since you know what I am, you likely know what I want.”

“I do.” The queen gave a tight nod. “You wish to collect the abundant overdue souls dwelling within our citadel. Mine included.”

I scratched at the seat cushion. In the queen’s presence, I hadn’t felt the sear of the task upon my skin. Could the task of collecting the queen have been assigned to another of higher ranking? Aldine, perhaps?

Still, I sat so close that I should feel it?the demanding reap.

The queen motioned to the cup of tea awaiting my attention. “I also know a powerful magic protects the citadel and its citizens, blocking your kind’s abilities and keeping you from attaining that which you want.”

“Yes.” I reached for the cup and saucer and slowly spun the saucer back and forth beneath my touch. “And I suspect you know a little something aboutthatpowerful magic.”

“Indeed.” The queen dropped a sugar cube into her cup and stirred. She took a slow sip, then she set the cup back on the saucer and dabbed at her lips with a napkin. “The magic blocks souls from departing, as well as stops the birth or incarnation of new ones.”

I schooled my features even as I considered what that meant for the citizens. Either no babies were being born, or they were born without souls.

The queen pressed the napkin into the fold of her palm. “You have proven yourself to be more than a mere reaper. My grandson thinks you are a magic wielder like the people of our dear citadel. Are you a magic wielder, Miss…?”

“Gunn. Raven Gunn. And no…” I grimaced. “As far as I know, I am not a magic wielder. At least, not like the people of your citadel.”

I had no plans to offer up the information that I had a little help from an unsanctioned reaper device. Not if allowing the queen to believe I possessed a healing magic would unlock vital details that could help me finish the assigned reaping task.

Complete our quest. Finish the required citadel reapings and go home.

That remained my focus and what I really wanted at this point. I refused to let myself get pulled into the mystery of the Killian, the specters, the mad Watcher in the tunnels, or the young girl I’d seen there?Kira.

I lifted the cup of tea and took a sip.

“Magic wielder or not, your talents have proven to be quite useful,” the queen said.

I shrugged and set the cup down. “Seemed to save your grandson.”

“Yes. Yes.” She nodded. “For a hundred years, my people have been cursed and tortured. In all that time, Winter has never been in danger of the touch.” Her gaze tightened. “It is rather curious that he fell victim today.”

I clenched my jaw, yet I attempted to keep my face slack.When Winter had shielded me from the specters in the tunnels, my internal heat had thawed his chilled aura. If his winter magic usually protected him from the specters, and I had taken that from him, then…I had made him vulnerable.

I shook my head. I didn’t want to think about that. “I don’t understand what happened.”

The queen smoothed her skirt. “I am glad you were there to save him. And while I cannot admit to understanding the full extent of the curse set upon my citadel, I can tell you that the protections around the outer wall were put in place to safeguard the people from a fate worse than death. A fate directly tied to the curse.”

“A living death?” I asked. “Because if that’s the case, it isn’t working. I’ve seen plenty of zombified people milling about within the citadel walls.”

The queen’s shoulders squared. “Trust me. The situation could be worse.”

What could be worse than a living death? Nothing came to mind. I opened my mouth to ask, but the queen held up a hand to stop me.

“My number one goal has always been to keep my people protected, but this past century, I have been somewhat of a failure. I suspect Veritas has a ratherlargeoverdue bill with your kind.”

I barked a laugh. “You could say that.”