Shadow Reaper (Shadowlands Series) (34 page)

“Um, Cal?”

“Crochet.”

“What?”

“I like to crochet.” He slid a quick glance my way. “Well, out with it.”

I frowned. “What?” Was I supposed to know what this crochet thing he was talking about was?

“Make your sarcastic comments. You were going to find out soon enough.”

“I’m confused. Is this crochet a Shadowland thing? I’ve never heard of it.”

This time, he looked at me full in the face, his eye brows rising. “You haven’t?”

I shook my head and waited while he examined my face for signs that I was pulling his leg.

“Well, fancy that.”

He set his eyes back on the road.

And that was the end of the conversation. My stomach was too jiggly with nerves to think of new topics. We were taking a shortcut through the Shadowlands, through the Beyond, as my people liked to call it. I could see the shimmer up ahead that indicated the entrance to the Cusp.

We drew abreast of it, and Cal brought the wagon to a halt. The strange mulelike beasts whinnied, impatient to get going.

“Are you ready?”

I nodded.

He flicked the reins and the cart jolted forward. I held my breath and we passed through, darkness and light flashing before my squinted eyes and then pealed back to reveal the dead, grey wasteland of the Cusp.

Almost home.

Cal snapped the reins and the mules broke into a trot.

“You know the way?” I asked.

He nodded.

“How often have you come here?”

“Only once. When the veil separating your world from ours fell, many Shadowlanders were curious to see what a mortal looked like.”

“Curious? That’s not the way I would put it. Your people raped and killed mine. You ravaged our world, and we were powerless to run because we were cut off.”

“Be grateful your part of the world touches upon the Shadowlands and not Inferna or certain parts of Enchansa. Those mortals begged for death.”

“The other pockets of humanity?”

He nodded. “Our four worlds are bound together, twisted and entwined in a pattern that is impossible to trace. The Shadowlands run between all the realms. They separate our worlds, and yet every realm touches upon them.”

My brain hurt from trying to visualise the four worlds.

“Time runs backward and forward and sideways, it is what makes us immortal, and it is what makes you mortal.”

I was so confused, but I filed away his words for later. Right now, I needed to see my people, and there was the Horizon, so gloriously vibrant in the slate grey of the Cusp.

“We’re here,” I said.

He brought the wagon to a halt and climbed out.

“What are you doing?”

“I’ll be waiting for you here.”

“You’re not coming with me?”

“I assume that’s obvious.”

“What if I don’t come back? I have what I want, I don’t need to come back, you know.” I have no idea why I decided to point this little fact out. I had no intention of going back on my deal with the big bosses. A one-year solution was nothing compared to a lifetime of food for my people. I’d been given this ability for a reason, I had to believe that, but I still couldn’t help testing him.

“You’ll be back.”

I studied his face, much too expressive to be made of such immovable material. He looked . . . sad. I didn’t like it. It was like I’d kicked a teddy bear, a very large, stone teddy bear.

“Fine, I’ll be back, and maybe you can teach me to do that crochet thing you like.”

He nodded, patted the mule closest to him on the rump, and stepped back.

I snapped the reins and we were moving.

Through the Horizon.

Home.

They were being hunted, beasts on all fours chased them through the street. Clay was tiring, his body unused to such prolonged exertion.

He stumbled and fell.

Up ahead, Ryder skidded to a halt and made to head back for him.

Clay heard the beating of wings. Something moved across the moon. It broke through the dark sky, a beast with wings. No,
beast
was the wrong word for it. The creature was magnificent beyond all imagination, its shimmering green body moving through the air with grace and precision

A howl ripped the air.

Ryder screamed, and the thing in the sky was forgotten as Clay sensed the four legged creature lunging for him. The world lit up with heat and flame, and the howl died into a whimper.

Clay raised himself off the ground and turned to look at the ashy remains of the animal that had been tracking them for the last half hour. The flying creature had burned it to cinder. The beating of wings grew nearer and the shadow of the flying creature blocked out the moon.

As it came closer, the winged creature, which was covered in dark green scales, locked its amber eyes on him. He felt a rush of terror and a wave of excitement, one after the other.

He couldn’t move.

“Clay, come on. Move!”

Ryder yanked him hard, pulling him across the ground. Clay stumbled found his feet and fell into a sprint..

The thumping sound of the wings was getting louder.

“This way!”

They ran along pavement, trying to hide in the shadows, attempting to lose the creature. But the thing was on them. He heard the growl.

“Clay!”

Ryder, being faster, was already too far ahead to do anything but call his name.

The ground trembled as the creature landed behind him. Clay couldn’t help but turn and face it. Amber eyes scrutinised him, pinning his feet in place. The creature sniffed at him, lowering its long neck. Mother, its snout was long, it’s body incredible. It cocked its head and sniffed some more, wisps of steam curling from its nostrils.

“Clay!”

The creature’s head shot up, and it bared rows of deadly teeth. An incredible heat washed over him, and he could smell burning.

“Get away from there!”

The creature roared. Clay cupped his ears against the booming shriek that rattled his bones. It was then that he saw the powerful legs, all four of them, and the claws.

“Clay, just back away, slowly.”

He turned to face Ryder, who was partly masked in shadow.

The creature lowered its head again and nuzzled his side, almost knocking him over.

His heart was racing. It had saved him from the four-legged beast, maybe it didn’t mean to hurt him. Clay itched to stroke it. Fucking hell, this was nuts! This creature . . . he felt something from it, something he couldn’t quite put into words or even pictures. But he knew it wouldn’t hurt him. At least he hoped it wouldn’t. No, he knew it.

“Hello,” Clay said.

The creature nuzzled him some more.

Clay reached out his hand.

“Clay?” Ryder asked.

The creature closed its eyes as he made contact. Clay stroked the scales, which were dry to the touch, and the creature seemed to enjoy it.

“Is that a smile?” Clay said.

“What are you doing? Clay!”

The creature opened one eye and snorted again.

“Get away from it,” Ryder said. “What’s wrong with you?”

“It’s okay,” Clay said. “Really. It won’t hurt me.” He continued to stroke the animal’s snout.

“How the hell do you know that for sure? Don’t be a fool, Clay!”

“It saved me. I know it.”

“Or maybe it was aiming for you and missed. You don’t know shit! Dammit!”

“What do you expect me to do?” He kept his voice at a low level, injecting a soothing tone into it. The creature seemed to like it.

“I can’t believe this. After that shit in the Cusp here we are. I don’t know how to save you!”

“You don’t have to. Why don’t you come over?”

“Think about Ash. If you die you’ll be abandoning her. Remember how that felt?”

Both of the creature’s eyes opened.

Ryder was right. What was he doing? He stopped stroking the creature. “Sorry, but I have to go now.”

The creature elicited a rumble—not quite a growl. It was a softer sound.

“It was nice to meet you.” No matter what Ryder said, he knew he was safe.

“Walk away,” Ryder said.

The creature rose, spreading its wings.

“Oh, Mother!” Ryder yelled. “Run!

“I—”

With gentle ease, the creature grasped the collar of Clay’s top and lifted him in the air.

“Clay!”

“Shit!” He was so sure he hadn’t been wrong. “Please don’t ea—”

The creature swung him round and onto its back. He landed inelegantly, having to grab one of the spiny ridges to prevent himself from slipping off. The animal nudged him gently until he was sitting astride the ridges, which stretched all the way down its back like a trail of tiny mountains.

It wasn’t the most comfortable position to be in, but better than being in the creature’s mouth.

“Clay!”

The creature growled at Ryder.

“What do I do?”

“Get down!”

He was right. His frantic nerves reminded him of that, as did the image of his sister.

An idea struck him. “What if I can get this creature to fly me around?”

“Crazy talk.”

“Is it? It seems to like me.”

“Get down.”

“I can get a good view of the Shadowlands. Maybe I can find her, Ryder.”

“Look how dark it its!”

“The moonlight—”

“Get down, Clay! The moon won’t help! That thing could be taking you to a nest to eat you later.”

“Or this could be a wasted opportunity.” The more he thought about it the more confident he felt.

Ash wouldn’t slide off. Ash would ride the beast. The creature lifted its head into the sky and roared. Its wings flexed.

Ryder was running at the creature. “Slide off!”

The creature took to the sky, wings pounding.

“Clay!”

Clay could do nothing more than hold on for dear life as the creature took him up in a powerful ascent.

Ryder’s cries were soon lost on the wind.

People screaming. My head was pounding, my eyes burning.

What the hell?

I rolled onto my side and sat up. I was on the ground, it was cold. My head was killing me.

“Ashling? Ashling? Can you hear me?”

I knew that voice. Female . . . Nina. Ryder’s Nina.

My memories came rushing back. The hatch! The attack! The Reapers, they’d attacked me as I approached the hatch. I reached up to touch the back of my head where a nice round lump had formed.

My eyes adjusted to the light, and I locked gazes with Nina through the thick perspex of the quarantine chamber. “What the fuck?”

“You need to stay calm, Ashling. Just . . . I’m going to go get someone, just stay calm.”

Why the hell was she telling me to stay calm, and why the hell was I locked in the quarantine chamber? What was going on?

This was a misunderstanding, or maybe some kind of protocol to safeguard against infection form the Beyond? “Fine.” I offered her a smile.

She jerked back, wincing. “Oh!”

“What?”

But she was gone.

I paced.

I waited.

Under the steady throb of my head, my patience turned to irritation, which turned to anger.

By the time Nina returned with Blake and her father, Gerard, the real doctor, I was ready to explode, but I reigned it in because I needed out.

“Did you get the food?”

Blake frowned, then nodded.

“I need to see Clay.”

Blake blinked rapidly in succession. “Clay? Yes we can talk about Clay in a moment, Ashling, but first we have a few questions.”

“Okay.”

“Where have you been?”

I cocked my head. Was he being deliberately dense? “You know exactly where I’ve been. You authorised it, remember? I went into the Beyond with Bernie. I went to find answers and I got them.”

Nina shoved her fist into her mouth, her eyes filling with tears.

“Seriously? What the fuck is wrong with you all? What’s with the dramatics?”

Doc Jean turned to Blake. “Did you get any of that?”

Blake shook his head. “If she’s in there, she’s too far gone. She sacrificed herself to bring us some hope. The food should take us through the next year, longer if we ration.”

“But where did she get it?” Doc Jean asked.

Blake shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Look at the price she’s paid for it.”

They all looked at me then, fear and pity etched onto their faces.

“What are you on about? What sacrifice?” Did they know about the Shadow reaping? My deal with the Shadowlanders? Had I told them that already?

“So what do we do with her?” Doc Jean asked

Blake sighed. “The council has voted elimination. It’s too much of a threat.”

“What about Clay?” Nina said.

“Clay’s gone. He went looking for her, and I don’t believe he’s ever coming back.”

Elimination? Clay was gone? I lost it.

I threw myself at the perspex, slamming my fists against it over and over again. Nina screamed and broke down in sobs. Gerard pulled her away, his eyes filled with sadness. Blake moved, and I caught a glimpse of something behind him, something crazy and wild with red eyes, talons and fangs. I gasped and stumbled back, the monster behind Blake echoed my movements. The world fell silent and still, as comprehension dawned. I lifted my hand to my face and the monster did the same.

The monster was in the mirror behind Blake.

The monster was me.

***

I lay curled up in a ball. My heart ached. My head ached. My lungs ached. I was dying. I could feel it.

I was a monster and I was dying.

Dammit, Ash, snap out of it! This isn’t real!

Not real?

No, it’s real all right, but it’s not you. This monster . . . it’s not you.

I don’t understand.

You’re different, you changed. There’s a darkness inside you, so maybe that’s what they see.

The darkness.

Yes.

Yes. I was dying.

Don’t. Don’t die. Fight.

Fight? How could I fight? I was weak, so tired and weak. Every breath felt like a chore. They were coming to kill me soon, and I hadn’t the strength to fight, to convince them that I was still me. Clay, my only advocate, was gone, the only remnants of him a voice in my head.

I was alone. If only Cal had come with me. If only Daemon had come with me. He’d be kicking their arses right now. He wouldn’t take this shit! I chuckled dryly at the thought. He was so serious, so primal, so . . . reliable. I’d expected to be able to rely on Bernie, but it had been Daemon that I ended up leaning on. The crazy beast who could have killed me twice, had saved me on both occasions.