Page 96 of Reaper’s Curse

I didn’t want to think about that at present. I needed to stay focused on the job.

“Is it that she knows you too well and always sees you coming?”

“You could say that.” He rubbed his bent nose. “Clobbered me good with the blunt end of her travel scythe the last time we came face-to-face.”

“She did that to you?” I dipped my head, indicating the less-than-straight line of his nose.

“She did. And I don’t believe she harbors any guilt.” He patted my hand. “So, what do you think, Ms. Gunn? Feel up to this task?”

“After the way you’ve been treating me since I got here, why are you suddenly acting civilized and telling me all this?”

He barked a laugh. “Being a reaper does not make you a good candidate for this particular problem. I needed to test your character before I revealed too much.”

Seemed plausible. Although he could have done so without being such a reaping prick.

“Where do I look first?”

“That’s for you to figure out.” He squeezed my hand, the encouraging gesture of an elder. “But while you’re working on that, you must also work on the other thing.”

I gave him a questioning gaze.

“You need to work on healing the afflicted because there’s no guarantee that stopping the specters will heal those already touched. In fact, I’m guessing it won’t.”

Find and release the specters to stop further infected, get the queen to release the magical barrier, and heal the afflicted. In any order.

“Tall order, but I’ll get it done.” I smirked, not sure my confidence matched my expression. “And the tower, or whoever is in the tower… What about that?”

Valen’s gaze darted to the palace, possibly seeking out the tower. He remained quiet for so long that I wondered if he would respond or leave us in silence.

“What resides in the tower has muddied and festered and is something for the fae-blooded to deal with, not a reaper.” He lowered his gaze tightly on me. “Tell me, Ms. Gunn, do you wish for death?”

“Not in the slightest.” I shook my head, my lips pulling into a tight line. “At least not in the way I believe you’re suggesting.”

He dropped a hand on my shoulder, commanding my undivided attention. “Then I suggest you stay clear of the tower. It’s not remotely essential to our goal.” Any hint of humor or ease vanished from his features. “And if you walk through that tower door, you’ll be walking straight into death.”

26

You’ll be walking straight into death.

That’s what Valen had said. I had no intention of doing something like that anytime soon. But the people of the citadel faced worse conditions with the affliction. A limbo state where one was neither alive nor dead.

A day had passed since my conversation with the royal healer, and I had awoken to a sullen Lucas and Neive. They informed me that a large-scale specter attack had taken place the night prior. Many loved ones had fallen victim and were lost in a zombified state.

Little talk of specters had graced the streets and halls since the day Winter had fallen to their touch in the underground tunnels. Now the specters were back in all the whispered conversations, ghosting the expressions of the palace personnel.

The pain of those around me crushed my chest, and I wanted it to stop.

I sat on the bed, my arms wrapped around my folded legs, and rocked back and forth, my head reclined, eyes on the ceiling.

My mission solidified. One: find the reaper Chiara, and through her, find the source or connection to the specters and end that terror. The rest should (hopefully) fall into place. Two: help those already afflicted—Earl and Myla. Somehow I’d figure out how I’d done so the first time.

Even if that first time was little more than a blur in my memory.

Still, I could do all of that and more. I’d told myself as much an endless number of times already. But first, I needed to tell Chace about the banshee in the palace.

And so I did. Simple and short.

Curious Curse Chaser,