Page 17 of Reaper's Quest

Chace pulled away from his family, his expression caught between a grimace and a frown. He didn’t look at me, and he didn’t glance back at his family as he shook his head and boarded the train.

Before I could follow him into the confines of the awaiting car, Father yanked me to a stop on the first step. I swallowed a sigh at his extreme hands-on management of me.

“I slipped the crow caller in your bag,” he whispered, inciting a wiggle of surprise through my veins. “I also added something else, just in case. Keep the added items to yourself. You can’t?—”

I raised my finger into the air between us. “I know, Dad. I can’t trust Chace. I got it.”

Enough already.

“Of course you do.” He dropped a kiss on my forehead.

I wanted to ask him what else he’d hidden in my bag, but I knew better than to do so in this place. Not with Badden family members standing nearby.

“I’ll be fine.” The words didn’t reflect how I felt, but I hoped they appeased my father, easing his concern.

Possibly even ignite the spark that would light the flame, intent on becoming the fire of confidence in my belly.

Possibly. Maybe.Hopefully?

I didn’t actually know how I felt, just as I didn’t know what to expect of the task ahead. And if one thing honestly irked me, it was not knowing.

Hoisting my bag over my shoulder, I boarded the train and found a seat several rows past Chace. At least the accommodations were relatively new and clean and the seats comfortably padded. The engine was likely supercharged, too, driving the locomotive at ultra-high speeds.

The train whistled again and lurched forward. Through the open window at my side, I waved a final goodbye to my parents as they began to slide out of sight. They got smaller and smaller, and the train picked up speed, moving out of the station. In no time, the locomotive rolled through the outskirts of the city and beyond, into the open countryside.

I glanced over my shoulder to Chace. He focused on thescene flashing past the window, looking nothing like a guy scheming to out-reap me.

My chest tightened.

Gods and reapers, I hoped this assignment wasn’t somehow my fault, forconvenientlysucceeding in my magical departee task.

“Ms. Gunn. Mr. Badden.” Mr. Aldine centered himself between us and, rubbing the top of his bald head, dropped into a seat across the aisle. “As you may have noticed, we’re the only ones on this train.”

I actually hadn’t paid attention to the passenger situation of the other cars, but the lack of travelers made sense…given the empty train station, the conductor incident,andour intended destination. Still, I couldn’t help but scan the interior of the train for signs of life. I found none.

“Why?” Chace asked, bringing a smirk to my lips. “Are there not any other stops between here and where we’re going? Or possibly some other crazy souls that want to visit our exotic destination?”

At least I wasn’t the only one left in the dark about far too many things. My current wealth of knowledge regarding the citadel lingered around less-than-helpful, despite what my father had shared.

Chace’s father had probably armed him with a few pearls of knowledge as well. I needed to pull the information out of him, without compromising myself or my family.

I studied him, but when he caught me looking, I hastily redirected my attention.

Mr. Aldine leaned into his knees, folding his hands together. “The outer regions of the royal citadel have become less than hospitable, so no one ventures into those zonesanymore. Much of the lowlands rests beneath a foot or more of water, and the higher elevations are plagued with treacherous windstorms.”

His lips pulled into a partial grimace. Then he swallowed hard. “This train has only one stop before returning to its regular line and schedule. That stop, the Royal Citadel of Veritas. Today, we’re the only party interested in making that journey.”

“Today or any other day,” I muttered. “That’s why the conductor bailed.”

Even if Mr. Aldine didn’t validate my statement, I knew it to be true.

Chace rested his folded arm on the top of the forward seat. “My father says Raven and I were chosen because of our bloodlines.”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” Mr. Aldine replied.

A shadow dropped over Chace’s features, leaving his dark expression more somber than usual. I suspected the resulting change lay solely with his mood. He didn’t want to be here either—in the dark, and now glum. Two things Chace and I appeared to have in common. Only, commonalities regarding our family lines and current situation would never make us allies.

I worried my lower lip.