Page 58 of Reaper's Quest

He blinked. Dropped my hand and stepped back.

But even as he put distance between us, I couldn’t break eye contact. His intense gaze held me immobile.

Until he turned his head and expelled the wooden sliver, spitting it to the ground.

Clearing his throat, he raked his fingers through his hair and turned his back to me. “Hopefully, you can now concentrate on something other than your finger.” Hespared me a glance and then started walking toward the door. “We’ll continue the discussion about Aldine later.”

“Wait.” I startled, my shoulders shaking straight. “Don’t you want to?”

“Later.” He yanked open the door and stepped into the stairwell beyond.

What just happened?

I glared at his back, unsure if I wanted to throw something at him or run after him.

Taking a step back, I bumped into the slopped roof’s edge. My blood fizzled and my eyes burned as I made my decision.

I lurched forward and swept a handful of pebbles from the terrace floor. With muscles shaking, I threw them at the insufferable man.

None of them hit their mark.

16

On day five, with zero success toward completing our task, Chace and I set out early in search of reap-ready souls. We both avoided eye contact, and we had yet to speak about the previous evening, or his suggestion regarding Aldine.

The degree of awkwardness between us had become palpable, leaving me feeling like a fifteen-year-old trapped with my most miserable date on the day after. Laser-focused dedication to reaping attempt after reaping attempt became my form of avoidance.

We navigated the formerly vibrant streets for hours. Faded paint on the nearby buildings told a story of a once-colorful destination. Each establishment bore a different hue?long ago bright and robust?now faded from time andneglect. Patterns and pigments adorned various stones along the cobblestone pathway.

At its zenith, the Citadel of Veritas had likely shimmered with the air of a magical festival.

The two- and three-story structures lining our course gave way to a cloudless sky, revealing a brilliant sun that warmed the stone and our backs. Sweat slicked my body beneath my leathers, and I pulled at my collar, praying a wisp of chilled air would sweep through the opening and cool my skin.

Every few moments, I swung my attention to the sky.

More crows circled over the citadel with each passing day?I’d witnessed their arrival through the sky-high tears in the surrounding magical barrier?but no large raven flew among them, and none of the crows came with the written reply for which I waited.

Was the perceived influx of black birds nothing more than my anticipation, wishing for an answer to promptly arrive? Maybe I simply noticed the crow numbers now, when before I hadn’t.

Or maybe, now that I had used the device, they gathered in waiting for the next time I activated the caller.

Reaper’s hell. I wished my electronic communicator worked in this cursed place. Waiting never once ranked as one of my strong points.

The first day after the incident, Aldine had rallied, giving us all hope. False hope, as the case so happened. On day two, our chaperone slipped into a cavernous sleep and had yet to wake. The local healer told us to keep him hydrated and wait?the only perceived option available to us.

And so, Chace and I waited…and worked. Each morning, Icleaned my scythe, privately ran through various combat class tactics, then moved with Chace through a different portion of the citadel, attempting to reap and complete our curse of a job.

Aldine had told us we could (hopefully) find the key needed to solve the citadel’s issue in or near the ruling class. In other words, the castle. Only the path to the castle kept confusing us, and we had yet to identify a way to the palace gates.

Veritas covered an extensive swath of land and the streets were nothing short of a maze designed to confuse. But the more area we covered, the more details I memorized. Slowly piecing the puzzled path together. The citadel’s deterrents would not get the best of me.

Wedidmanage to locate a royal receiving complex at a satellite location, in no way attached to the palace. It also hosted no apparent path between the two venues. The abandoned and neglected building possessed no helpful clues as to which direction we should head.

These discoveries twisted my inner thoughts. The hidden, confusing path to the palace and the separate, seemingly unassociated royal receiving building… What kind ofextraparanoia did the ruling family harbor?

The majority of citizens remained in hiding, likely due to gossip and the fear of the strangers in their midst. We probably represented a big unknown in their minds. Still, during daylight hours, life presented itself as individuals did what they must to survive?working, trading, socializing.

The population consisted of humans and others, half-breeds like Aoes, of mixed blood. We spotted none consideredpurebredwhatevers?fae, elven?such as Aoes’s pale friend Winter, and none with pointy ears like him, either.