Destined to the Reaper (The Shadow Realms #2)

Chapter 8

Pharos

T he journey home proved endless. We arrived in Willow Grove a little after midnight. The entire ride from the docks back to the city, I keenly looked for the call of Kali’s circle. Considering I hadn’t responded to it for two nights in a row—assuming she drew them—it made sense that she should have given up on the third night, especially at this late hour.

We’d been too far away for me to even perceive the previous calls. Unlike the standard summoning circles, the portal rings needed to be located within a far shorter radius of the person being invoked. I wanted to believe that Kali had not lost all faith in me and was merely waiting for me to come to her again or at least give her some sort of sign.

As soon as we arrived home, the servants handed a pile of documents to Cornelius, many of which involved strange deliveries to one of his mansions located in a couple of cities over from here. It surprised me. Cornelius had no love for that accursed place. And yet, it held foremost importance for him. From what little I’d been able to glean from his mind, he intended to use it for a major project.

The Glocker Manor had been the theater of one of the most gruesome slaughters in the State’s history. The previous owner, Friedrich Glocker, was obsessed with the insane thought that he could bring back his deceased beloved, Melina Hartwick. To achieve this goal, he lured and slaughtered countless young women who shared even the slightest physical resemblance with his old flame. In his madness, he’d convinced himself that he could reassemble her, piece by piece, and summon her soul back from the afterlife.

Not only was that impossible, but Melina would have never wanted to return to him. She never reciprocated his feelings and made it abundantly clear every time he tried to woo her. That day, in his rage at being rejected yet again, he grabbed her by the shoulders and violently shook the young woman to make her hear reason. Thinking he would strike her, she fought him off, which only triggered him further. Things escalated to the point he ended up striking and choking her. It was only once she stopped fighting that Friedrich realized he had smothered her.

That tragedy sent him over the edge. Thanks to his wealth and influence, he managed to avoid facing justice. But his riches and prosperous businesses dwindled as he became consumed by his demented undertaking. His efforts caused more pain and misery, both to his innocent victims and to himself. After multiple attempts at summoning Melina’s soul, Friedrich only succeeded in summoning a Liderc.

Although they shared many similarities with their distant cousins—the succubi and incubi—Lidercs were even more fiendish. They took on the appearance and personality of a deceased beloved of their target. Every day, every night, they would come to their lover, feeding them the illusion that they were reunited at long last while sucking their lifeforce dry. Their victims would wither away in an illusion of bliss until their stark reality hit them too late.

In many ways, it had been too kind an end for Friedrich, considering the nearly two hundred desecrated corpses they found on his land after his passing. The only justice in all of it was how the fake Melina made him squirm, frequently reminding him of how he had wronged her, and making him beg for any sliver of attention she bestowed upon him even as she leeched the very life out of him.

What does Cornelius want with such a place?

But those wandering thoughts flew right out of my mind when the servant showed him the note Kali had sent. My initial reaction upon seeing it was panic. She must have given up on me to be willing to consider negotiating with that slime again. Then, even as Cornelius chuckled with a smugness laced with malice, I realized the message hadn’t been meant for him, but for me. She wanted me to give her a sign, and I intended to do just that as soon as Cornelius went to bed.

Thankfully, exhausted by the long journey home, he only dealt with the most urgent matters among the notes he had received. Most of it came down to him sending messages to various people he would see in the morning. It gave me the perfect glimpse into when he would be too busy and far from home to be able to counter my escape attempts.

And there was no way around that escape taking place tomorrow.

Although Cornelius still hadn’t said or hinted at anything, his suspicions had not abated. He kept his thoughts hidden more than ever from me. Through the journey back, and even once back here at home, I discreetly siphoned any life force I could within range without being so greedy my actions would be detected. It was more like skimming on the surface of everything and anyone, even down to the plants and shrubbery in the vicinity.

As soon as my host finally went to bed, I visited Kali in her dreams. It was the safest and least costly way to contact her. The only thing making it possible was the bond we shared through the parts of my soul now residing within her. I could only pray that she wouldn’t dismiss it as just a dream. I couldn’t speak for fear it would leak out to Cornelius. I also couldn’t linger for the same reason.

To my chagrin, I couldn’t even lean in to the far-too-brief kiss I gave her before leaving. The powerful emotion it stirred within me was frightening. The depth of affection I felt for her was far too dangerous. Cornelius would feel it.

That she might come to harm at his hands because of me was a devastating thought.

Morning came far too late. Contrary to his habit, the necromancer slept in much later than usual. Seeing him reschedule one of his early meetings made me feel faint. For a terrifying moment, I feared he would stay home. I could have wept with relief when he finally headed out a few minutes shy of eleven thirty on his way to an alchemist at the other end of town.

That couldn’t have been more perfect.

Time trickled endlessly while they intensely debated some preparation he wanted her to make for him. The alterations to the standard formula were throwing the alchemist for a loop. That Cornelius made it a point to hide some of the ways he intended to use the concoction only increased the complexity for her. Rather than distressing her, the challenge it posed thrilled the woman. That suited me just fine. The longer he remained here, the more focused he was on their little project, the less aware he would be of my imminent departure.

Assuming Kali comes through for me.

As Cornelius didn’t mind me fading during times such as these, I dropped to the background as far as reasonably possible without raising his suspicions. Over the years, I’d discovered that he resented having to expose some of his secrets to me. Finding out he preferred when I faded while he debated things such as what was taking place now ended up playing in my favor. As I never had any interest in the dark arts, it had been no hardship to ignore what he was up to.

They were still deep in their discussion—which looked like it would last for at least another couple of hours—when that blessed call finally arrived. It took every ounce of my willpower not to rush through the portal the moment it opened. Being already greatly faded, it took me a lot less time to discreetly cross over.

A joy too great to bear swelled through me at finding myself inside the crypt.

“Pharos!” Kali exclaimed as soon as I appeared inside the circle. “You came!”

The happiness and relief she felt turned me upside down. The shimmering lights of her soul radiated with the strength of a thousand suns, their beauty and warmth heating me to my core. I wanted to pull her into my arms, let her magnificent aura wrap all around me, and lose myself in it. But the slimy air rife with evil, the distant tug of Cornelius’s tether, and the pull of my own vessel nearby claiming me forced me to focus on the task at hand.

As I feared, our bond was still too weak. The necromancer would feel my departure unless we took far longer than we could afford for a slower trickle.

“Of course,” I said, the emotion I felt audible in my voice. “I feared you wouldn’t understand my message. But we have little time. Cornelius suspects something. I don’t know how much, but we must hurry.”

“Okay,” Kali said, her voice tense but her face determined. She pointed at the side of my inert body. “There’s a problem. See these claws, I believe they’re leeching you. Should I remove them from you first or can it wait until after we’ve transferred you?”

I flinched upon seeing my body. I’d been so enthralled by the radiance of Kali’s soul that I’d barely spared myself a glance. This wasn’t how my bride should have seen me for the first time. The Keres leeching me had turned my body into a shriveled, desiccated husk.

“Yes and no,” I said, distraught by that extra hurdle. “Her claws must be removed before I transfer into my body, but your own magic is too weak to fight her. You will need to use mine. Time is of the essence. I will fully give myself to you. As soon as that happens, Cornelius will know and will try to reel me back to him. Focus on removing those shackles, then transfer me.”

“How?” Kali asked, her tension growing another notch.

“Kiss my body’s lips. I will handle the rest.”

Of all the thoughts that could have crossed my mind in this dire situation, it shamed me that it was relief that she didn’t seem repulsed by the prospect of kissing my shriveled body that dominated.

“Be ready for attacks,” I continued before glancing over my shoulder at Grizelle.

Her mouth stretched into an evil smile. “Going somewhere, Pharos?” she said in her dreadful voice that sounded like nails on glass.

“It is time for me to leave your hall,” I said in a snarky voice. “You’re a bit too greedy in your hospitality .”

She burst out laughing, the sound insanely creepy. “You wound me, my precious. But your feast I cannot afford to lose. So I must insist you remain.”

“That is not going to happen,” I snapped.

“We shall see,” she replied, her voice taking a cruel and menacing edge.

Still partially embedded in the wall, Grizelle waved her hands, and the fleshy membranes covering the alcoves on the walls surrounding the outer edges of the island began to open.

“Stand down, Grizelle, or I will kill all of your minions,” I hissed.

“You shall do no such thing, Reaper!” she retorted maliciously. “You are bound by the covenant. You cannot interfere with what is about to happen to your little pet.”

“I can intervene when I’m threatened,” I countered.

She huffed angrily. “My minions know better than to attack the likes of you. It is the human they will feast on.”

“The human is the host ensuring my rebirth. Killing her is a direct attack against me. I’m allowed self-defense. Stand down or face the consequences,” I warned.

It was a technicality, but it would give us the breathing room to complete the ritual. If Kali had to fight back the swarms Grizelle would unleash upon her while trying to free me of the claws shackling me, we might never finish in time to thwart any attempts Cornelius might make to prevent it.

“Very well, Reaper. Be reborn,” she spat angrily. “But then, I shall feast on the wretch who took you from me.”

The deep pain that menace stirred within me echoed the fear that flashed over Kali’s beautiful face. A wave of despair washed over me as more fleshy membranes opened. My mind raced as I tried to think of ways I could assist my female once I was no longer officially able to protect her as my survival would no longer depend on her. But I kept coming up short.

“Give me your soul, Kali,” I pleaded one last time. “It will make the transfer even faster, and both of us will be safer for it. Cornelius is on to us. We have too little time!”

“Then let’s not waste it in pointless discussions,” Kali replied, her face closing off before taking on a mulish expression. “Give yourself to me. I will unshackle you, and then kiss you to initiate the transfer.”

Feeling both heartbroken and defeated, I nodded stiffly while ignoring Grizelle’s triumphant chuckle behind us. I didn’t want to lose Kali, but it was now clearly inevitable. Even her life thread showed the likelihood of her survival to be next to nil. A feeble path where she survived subsisted, but I wasn’t foolish enough to cling to it.

“As you wish. Step inside the circle,” I said, my heart aching. “I will kiss you. As soon as I do, it will initiate the process. Do not let anything distract you. Remember that Cornelius will try to reel me back in. Between that and unshackling me, you will have a lot to juggle. If you gave me—”

“I said no,” she snapped angrily. “The matter is settled.”

Without another word, she stepped inside the circle. I gazed at her with infinite sadness. Despite her annoyance, I could see a glimmer of guilt and uncertainty in the depths of her obsidian eyes. It gave me a sliver of hope that she might still be swayed once things became truly desperate. Cupping her cheeks with both hands, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers.

I felt her shock as my energy flowed into her. Unlike the times I’d shared part of myself with her through coupling, this method was more brutal, like trying to force feed someone through a funnel. People instinctively attempted to resist that invasion, which was one of the reasons we avoided such a method. But despite her surprise, Kali embraced all of me. My bride didn’t just embrace me, she drew me in with the tenderness and fervor of a lover.

My ethereal presence faded, absorbed into her. Nine hells, how I loved the feel of her around me! It was like being cradled by the Gods themselves. I vaguely wished she had been the one inside me instead. Still, that didn’t stop me from reveling in the perfection that she was. Even my magic blended harmoniously with hers whereas it often clashed with Cornelius.

But now, my body was clamoring for me with renewed intensity.

As soon as Kali stepped out of the circle to begin removing the claws digging into my body, I felt the tug from Cornelius. Although he wasn’t actively pulling at me yet, the necromancer now knew something was amiss. Depending on how distracted he remained with the alchemist, it might take him a few minutes to fully investigate what was happening.

That answer came swiftly enough.

A wave of shock, disbelief, and burning rage flooded the link still tethering me to the necromancer. As unnerving as this felt, I couldn’t help but love the potent panic beneath it all. Without me, Cornelius would become half the sorcerer he currently was—maybe less. Even if he furiously rode back home, it would take him at least thirty to forty minutes to arrive. He would then need to set up a circle to perform a recall and binding ritual. It wasn’t much, but more than enough to complete the transfer. By then, it would be too late for him to shackle me again.

Coming directly to the crypt offered an even less promising outcome as he was currently at least an hour and a half away from the burial grounds. And once here, it would take him an extra twenty to thirty minutes to reach this altar.

My biggest worry was for Kali. By now, Cornelius would have felt her through our connection. While his priority would be to bind me again, if only out of spite, he would attempt to retaliate against her. I could only hope that he wouldn’t be able to send some kind of abomination to punish her and further ensure that she did not make it out of here alive.

However, a pained hiss from Grizelle reclaimed my attention. I hated that I could no longer see the room but through Kali’s eyes. She was frantically removing the ten hooks embedded in my flesh—each one corresponding to one of the claws at the tip of Grizelle’s fingers. My bride cast a nervous glance towards the Keres only to see her extruding from the wall, her face contorted in a terrifying grimace.

Kali froze, her flight instincts surging fiercely as she struggled to resist them.

“Focus,” I mentally spoke to my female, startling her. “Grizelle will not harm you. A Keres cannot kill without cause, only in self-defense.”

“I’m attacking her!” she countered in a hushed voice, not knowing how to speak telepathically to me.

“No, you’re merely removing her claws that are hurting me. You’re protecting me. Use my magic to cause necrosis to the tips of her claws,” I ordered.

I didn’t know how well Kali would be able to use my powers. But to my shock, it appeared to come to her naturally. However, she blasted a far more potent necrotic aura than she intended. It wasn’t surprising. Having me inside her multiplied my bride’s powers tenfold.

Grizelle shouted in pain and made a gesture with both hands, as if to yank them back. Simultaneously, the hooks shackling me to the altar and draining my natural regeneration abilities retracted from me.

“You will regret this, human!” Grizelle shouted.

Kali gasped as the eyeballs inside the skulls adorning the tips of Grizelle’s thick locks shot out of their sockets on spindly spider legs. They scattered along the walls, scurrying towards the open alcoves. Simultaneously, the dreadful silhouettes of countless Skarachs crawled out of their somber lairs.

The nightmarish creatures had the upper torso of a skeleton with eight long limbs that allowed them to either walk on two legs with six arms to attack their target or walk on all eight limbs like a spider. What made them creepier was the fact that they leaned backwards to walk like a spider, with their chest facing up. As their heads could pivot by three hundred and sixty degrees, it didn’t impede their ability to see, whichever position they were in. Their skeletal faces didn’t have a nose, only an oversized mouth above which a dozen small red-eyes without pupils peered around, and a set of horns. But it was the bigger gaping hole in the center of the smaller eyes that was the most terrifying.

Each of the scurrying eyes from Grizelle’s hair ran up to a Skarach and embedded themselves in that gaping hole, becoming one of the Keres’s puppets.

“Focus, Kali!” I mentally shouted at her as my body, now freed from the claws leeching it, started regenerating.

My voice snapped her out of her horrified daze. Without hesitation, my bride leaned forward and pressed her lips to my body.