There was darkness all around her where she lay. Her brow creased in a frown. She was not laying down, but floating in an abyss of darkness. She lifted her head and there was resistance. She pushed against it and it fell away. She sat up and looked around at the blackness around her.

“Hello?” she asked and her voice had a strange echoing quality to it. “Hello, is there anyone out here?”

She heard the click-click of feet approaching. She swirled around and sprang to her feet, but hung in the air as a weightless ghost. She could see a blacker shape in the darkness; see a bony hand holding what looked like a curved staff. The figure was tall and gaunt, much taller than she was.

“Who are you?” she asked and the figure halted in front of her.

The face was hidden in the deep shadow of a cowl. Terror rooted her to the spot as she stared at the black robes that hid the newcomer’s body. There was a strange smell in the air. A smell of mould and dust and decay, it smelled of old dusty tombs, long forgotten and lifeless.

She felt her breath catch in her throat. “W-who are you?” she stuttered.

Lilith Valleyscape? a deep voice asked.

The voice was like the slam of leaden doors on granite. It boomed dark and rich and so very terrifying. She swallowed and tried to speak past the terror that was making her mute.

“Y-yes?” she managed and the figure raised its cowled head.

She wanted to scream, but it stuck in her throat. She wanted to run away, but she was rooted to the spot. She felt her body start to tremble as she looked at the creature’s face.

Fair lady, throw those costly robes aside no longer may you glory in your pride; take leave of all your carnal vain delight, I’m come to summon you away this night, the voice spoke and she felt she recognised the words.

“Who are you?” she managed to ask.

The figure bore an expression of surprise, if something like an expression could mar that faceless face.

Do you not know me? I shall tell you then, the deep voice intoned.

Instantly she recognised the words. She would have spoken them along if it hadn’t been for the terror that still gripped her.

I am the one who conquers all the sons of men, no pitch of honour from my dart is free, my name is Death! Have you not heard of me?

Suddenly the terror was gone and she wanted to laugh. In that moment, with those dead and final words, something that was terrible was turned into something that was not so much. She looked at the creature standing before her. A skull was framed by the dark cowl and in the black eye sockets were two pinpoints of blue light. The jaw was fixed in a permanent grin. No expression should have been able to colour those ivory features, but his was solemn and grave.

She looked at the hand that was gripping the staff. Bony fingers, polished till they shone. Even without willing it the next stanza of the ballad dropped into her mind. She drew a deep breath and spoke them with the grace she was used to.

“Yes; I have heard of thee, time after time; but, being in the glory of my prime, I did not think you would have come so soon. Why must my morning sun go down at noon?”

The expression of surprise returned to the bony visage in front of her and she fought to keep her face neutral. Strange that she could shock even him, but maybe he wasn’t used to meeting people who knew their classics. Even in his apparent shock he spoke the next lines and she had to fight down the urge to mouth along. Her teachers always scolded her because of that.

Talk not of noon! You may as well be mute; there is no time at all for vain dispute, your riches, gold, and garments, jewels bright, your house, and land, must on new owners light.

Then she laughed. All the terror had fled and now she felt light and free. Strange that she could still feel this way even when confronted by this creature. She felt as though she was on a stage and that the audience was somewhere hidden in the darkness beyond the two of them.

Death looked nonplussed at her sudden laugher. She looked at him, eyes streaming with tears and she managed to get control of herself. Her teachers had also remarked on this strange ability of hers, especially in one so young. Controlling her body and emotions was almost second nature to her, especially when it took professional actors years to perfect.

“I’m sorry,” she said and smiled, “all this is just so dramatic, I couldn’t help myself. How do you know the Ballad of Death and the Lady?”

Death looked at her solemnly. I have always felt that it held the right tone. You are the first in several hundred years to know the words so well.

She shook her head. “I acted it out a few times before now. I love the strange symmetry and drama of the ballad. J. Deacon was a brilliant writer, even though he lived somewhere in the seventeenth century.”

They looked at one another in silence and then she held out her hand. He looked at it and she smiled.

“Everyone calls me Lily,” Lily said and he hesitated. She cocked her head to the side. “You shake the proffered hand,” she prompted.

Carefully Death extended his other hand towards her and she tried not to shudder at the touch of smooth bone against flesh. She didn’t let go when he tried to pull back. She gave strange smile.

“Now, how do I challenge you for my life?” she asked and Death seemed to heave a heavy sigh.

A game of chess is the tradition, but I’ve grown tiresome of it in recent centuries, he admitted. He looked quizzically at her. You do not fear me?

She shrugged. “I have never feared death,” she said and smiled, “why should I? When he has the same flare for the dramatic that I possess?”

She let go of his hand and it fell to his side. He moved his other hand up and there was a snick sound. Above her the blade of the scythe slid out of the staff. It shone eerily blue in the darkness and cast a glow around them.

However, he said solemnly, all must kneel before me and be taken to their timely rest. Come, my child, and waste no time.

Lily squared her shoulders. “No,” she said and he sighed again.

It matters not what you think, child. Your life is ended; you must come away with me now.

“I challenge you for my life!” Lily said loudly and he looked pained, if that were possible.

A child like you would challenge me? State your challenge then and be quick about it.

Lily drew a deep breath. “A duel! Grant me a weapon!”

Death laughed. It boomed around her in the darkness and then he leaned down to bring his skull level with her face.

You would duel Death? How could you possibly think that you could win?

“Grant me a weapon,” Lily ground through her teeth.

Death waved a hand and a sword appeared in the air beside her. The blade was the same strange blue as the blade of the scythe. Without turning her head she grabbed it by the handle and drew her arm back. She knew how to battle with a sword and not stage fighting either. She knew the idea was to stick the blade into the body in front of her rather than making sure the blades hit with a dramatic clang.

Death drew himself to his full and impressive height. He took the scythe in both hands and grinned, not that he had much choice in the matter.

Have at me then, child!

She ran forward and ducked the sweep of the scythe. She heard it pass over her head, whistling with the sound of tearing silk. She stepped around him inside his reach and swung the sword up. It connected with the deep folds of the robe, which suddenly boiled around the blade.

Like a spectre the robes folded in on themselves and then flew away from her. It landed a few feet away and rose to form Death again. Without hesitation he surged forward and she managed to deflect the swing of the scythe. It was heavy and cumbersome and didn’t make a good weapon, but it was like an axe. Once you got it swinging it didn’t only have weight on its side, but momentum as well. The jar of the blades meeting made her arm go numb and she jumped back.

She held onto her arm with her other hand and waited for the shaking to subside as she watched Death swing the scythe around him. He’d had centuries to get acquainted with his weapon of choice and even though she was a good swordswoman, she was still an amateur.

Had you lived but a thousand years ago, child, you would have been a great warrior. Sad for you that you were born to modern times.

A thousand years ago? she thought and smiled.

She was in the world between the living and the dead now and she could feel her ancestors sing out to her. Oh, she felt them rise through her body and fill her with their knowledge. Her name might have changed and her blood become thin and curdled from interbreeding, but she felt the ancient ancestors rise to meet her.

“Do you know of my lineage, Death?” Lily called to him as she tightened her grip on the blade.

Yes, Death intoned, you come from the Vikings of yore, the warrior breed that sailed the oceans in search of land and war.

“And here in the land between the veils I can feel them sing to my blood, I can feel their memories within my bones. You say that I would have been a great warrior, Death? You say that I would have been strong?”

You would have been unsurpassed had you lived and learned the ways of your people, child.

“Then watch my power unfold!” Lily yelled as she charged forward.

She deflected the scythe blade as it whistled towards her and this time there was no numbing jar that made her muscles weak. She swung the sword around and deflected the blade as it came from the other side. She jumped and drew back the sword in both hands, aiming it between the empty eye sockets. The world froze for a moment and she hung, motionless in the air between the arms of Death himself.

In the empty eye sockets she saw the pinpoints of blue light. Two distant stars twinkled back at her from the depths of the darkness. Then, for a moment, one of them flickered off and on again and she started to fall forward again, into those depthless eyes. For a moment she was shocked.

“Death winked at me?” she muttered.

The sword vanished from her hand as the darkness poured around her. Around her stars began to twinkle and she fell into the starry sky. She looked around as the stars sped past.

You have defeated me at my own game, child, Death’s voice intoned above her, but there is a price for your victory today. Return now to your body and await the toll that must be paid.

“I’ll pay your toll, Death, gladly!” Lily managed to yell before she crashed hard into something solid.

Pain poured through Lily’s body and she tried to scream, but something clogged her throat. Fire burned in her veins and she fought the thing that was choking her and making her gag. There were voices around her, people screaming and sirens wailing. Pain rippled through her chest as she tried to get a breath, things seemed to move oddly. It came surprisingly easily considering that it felt as though something was choking her.

Lily opened her eyes and bright lights speared around her making her eyes hurt. She tried to move her arms, but they were heavy and cumbersome and wouldn’t move. She tried to move her legs but a stab of pain and a hot trickling feeling made her stop.

“Oh my God, she’s alive!” a voice somewhere above her yelled and she opened her eyes again. “Someone stop that bleeding from her leg, now! She’ll bleed out!”

“She already has! Look at all this blood!”

“She’s alive, damn it! Just stop that bleeding!”

The bright light was eclipsed by a shadow of a figure. Lily moved her head and tried to say something, but the thing in her throat scratched at her. Hands touched her head and she tried to focus on whoever was above her.

“Hold still, you’re intubated. Don’t fight it,” it was a deep voice, a man’s voice.

Confusion rushed through her as the memories clashed against one another. Had she really been floating in a world of darkness? Had she spoken to a tall skeleton that’d held a scythe? Had she really battled Death himself for her life?

A hand touched her face and she arched against the movement of the tube as it slid out of her throat. She gagged against the movement and coughed as she fought the sick feeling that suddenly poured through her.

“Are you alright?” the voice above her asked and she shook her head.

“My chest hurts,” she managed and tried to move. “My arms won’t and something’s wrong with my leg.” Lily looked at the shadow above her and her eyes were pleading. “What happened?”

The shadow seemed worried. “Don’t you remember?” he asked and she shook her head. “There was an explosion and the building came down. You were stuck under some rubble, but we lifted it off you.”

The voice sounded confused as it spoke, but she didn’t have time to consider this. Something hot and burning was pressed hard onto her leg. Pain rocked through her and she screamed. Something was burning through her leg and she felt hot tears run over her face.

“Stop!” Lily screamed. “Stop! Please, stop!”

The figure seemed to half turn away. “Get a stretcher over here! We have to get her to the hospital, STAT!”

More people rushed forward and she felt more hands on her. There were more voices and they all seemed to echo around her, intermingling, becoming one.

“What is your name?” the voice above her asked sternly.

“Lily,” Lily said.

“And your surname?”

“Valleyscape.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-three.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m an art student, majoring in acting.”

There was a grunt from above. Lily was rolled onto her side, which caused her to scream again as the pain sped through her body. Something was slid under her and she was carefully lowered onto the hard surface of a stretcher. There was the acrid smell of smoke and dust in the air and the crackling sound of a fire.

“Can you tell me the last thing you remember?” the voice insisted and she turned her eyes back to him.

“I don’t know,” Lily said and shook her head. “I remember going through some old papers at a desk and then there was a boom. The whole room shook and then…”

A skeleton had spoken to her. The icy knowledge trickled through her mind. She’d fought Death himself for her own life and now she was alive. She’d been dead and now she wasn’t. But there was a price to pay for that life and she was sure, deep in her bones, that it would be a high one.

“Then I woke up,” she muttered.

“There was nothing else?” the man asked sceptically and she frowned.

“Should there have been?”

He seemed to grunt again. “No,” he admitted, “I suppose not.”

Then Lily was lifted and carried towards a waiting ambulance. Once there someone strapped something to her leg, making her scream again.

“I swear I’m not going to have a voice after this!” she snarled between her teeth and there was a woman’s chuckle.

“You’re alive, honey, and that’s all that matters. Now take a deep breath.”

Something was placed over Lily’s face and she inhaled deeply on the sickly scent. If she’d had to describe it she’d have said that it tasted blue-grey.

Lily coughed and tried to pull the mask away from her face, but a stab from a needle made her jump.

“No!” she yelled. “What are you doing?”

“Stay still, honey. It’s something for the pain,” the woman’s voice said and Lily shook her head.

“I don’t want it. I don’t have any pain.”

But there was pain, so much pain that she wanted to die. Even as she lay there in panic she could feel the edges of her consciousness starting to fray.

“No!” she screamed again. “I don’t want to go to the dark again!”

Hands pressed her down. “Honey, stay still. You’ll only hurt yourself more. Sleep for a while and when you wake up everything will be all better.”

“No,” Lily mumbled, trying to fight the rushing darkness, “no, I don’t want… to…”

In the darkness Lily hung, motionless and still. She could no longer move her limbs, not force them to obey her will. Her body felt filled with lead. She’d last felt like this when she’d first stepped onto the stage, when she’d frozen in front of the watching audience, people waiting for her to fail.

Lily closed her eyes and drew a deep breath… and smelled the scent of Death. He was near; she felt his presence like an icy wind on her skin. Suddenly she was angry, very angry.

“Are you here to exact your toll?” she snarled into the darkness.

There was no sound, but she imagined that she could hear the steady sliding of a stone over metal.

“Are you sharpening your scythe for me? I said that I would pay your toll! Name your price; name the price I have to pay to keep my life! I know it will be high! It always is!”

She tried to twist in the darkness to bring herself into an upright position, but invisible restraints kept her at bay. She tried to move a finger, but it felt heavier than lead.

“Tell me what I need to pay!”

Lily suddenly gave up trying to move her body and then just hung motionless again. She stared up into the darkness above her and then closed her eyes. It stole over her that this darkness was not like the darkness from before. There she had been surrounded by a light that had just illuminated her, but here there was light that illuminated the darkness.

“This is a dream, isn’t it? But you are here, aren’t you? You’ll always be near from now on, won’t you? Watching me, waiting to snatch me up. Or will you be around only until I have paid my dues?”

Still silence answered her and Lily nodded tiredly. She knew that he wouldn’t answer her, but calmness spread through her as she hung in silence, listening to the steady scrape of stone over metal. It was rhythmic and soothed her strangely. She felt very tired.

“Down from her eyes the crystal tears did flow, she says,” Lily spoke the words softly, the last stanza where the Lady spoke unto Death, “None knows what I now undergo! Upon my bed of sorrow here I lie! My selfish life makes me afraid to die! My sins are great, and manifold, and foul; Great Mighty Lord have mercy on my soul! Alas! I deserve a righteous frown! Yet pardon, Lord, and pour your blessing down!”

And on the edge of hearing, almost in answer to her voice, Death’s voice echoed almost forlornly through the darkness to meet her. It enfolded her in its chilly tones and sent her to the dark oblivion that awaited her.

If life were merchandise, that gold could buy, the rich would live… only the poor would die.

2: Haji and Ryo

Lily opened her eyes and stared at the white ceiling above her. Slowly she turned her head and blinked at the multitude of bags that hung over her bed. Several lines trailed down from them and converged into a single needle that was stuck into her arm. One bag was a dull red colour that looked suspiciously like blood.

She turned her head to the other side and looked at the woman who was asleep in the chair beside the bed. Her head was sunk onto her chest and she was snoring softly. From where she lay Lily could make out the salt and pepper hair and the lines on the face. Strange, there seemed to be more of them now. Even as she watched the woman shifted position and made a small, warm ‘blup, blup’ sound as she moved her head.

Lily frowned at the woman. “Mom?” she asked softly and the woman’s eyes opened slowly.

She looked blearily at Lily for a few seconds, trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes. Then those eyes widened and the woman jumped up and hugged her tightly. Pain shot through Lily and she gasped, making her mom fall back into the chair.

“I’m so sorry! Did I hurt you?”

Lily shook her head and tried to hide the pain that must have shown on her face. She tried to sit up, but groaned and fell back onto the pillows.

“Oh, you shouldn’t try to sit up yet, darling. The doctor said that you’ve broken a few ribs and that a piece of steel reinforcement had gone straight through your leg!” her mom turned teary eyes towards her. “They said you’d died! They told me that you’d bled to death and then you came alive again! They’re saying that it’s a miracle!” Her mom smiled through her tears. “You always were such a little fighter.”

Lily fell back again and stared up at the ceiling. She remembered the burning in her veins.

“How long was I asleep?” she asked.

“You were in a coma for three weeks. Everyone was certain that you wouldn’t wake up again.”

“I want to wash my face,” Lily muttered and pushed herself upright.

This time she pushed past the pain and managed to get upright. Her mom was on her feet again and was trying to push her back onto the pillows.

“No, you shouldn’t move.”

Lily slapped her mom’s hand away. “You can either help me to the bathroom or stand aside.”

A smile broke out on her mom’s face at the harsh tone. Lily thought that it was strange.

“Still a fighter,” her mom said lovingly, “still want everything your own way.”

Her mom drew Lily’s arm around her shoulders and helped her towards the small bathroom that was part of the private room. She deposited Lily by the sink, kissed her softly on the cheek and left.

Lily stood with her hands pressed to the cold porcelain of the sink. The short walk towards the bathroom had made her head spin. Her leg throbbed painfully and she tried to think past the rushing in her ears. Her chest hurt every time she drew a breath. Broken ribs sucked.

When she looked up into the mirror over the sink she froze and stared. In the mirror was a familiar stranger. There were her eyes, large and steel grey, but they looked larger in her gaunt face and hollow cheeks. Her skin was unnaturally pale and her raven hair hung down her back in wild disarray. She’d always loved her hair and had kept it at just above her rump for years. Now it looked unhealthy.

But that wasn’t the most startling thing about her. From under her eyes and stretching over her cheeks were black lines that looked like smeared and run mascara. The strange blackness made her face look even hollower. Along with the solid black of her hair it looked like she was wearing a cowl.

She looked, in fact, like Death. More like Death warmed over, but still Death. She gave a startled cry and stepped back, right onto her injured leg. Pain shot up her leg and it trembled, unable to take her weight. She fell back hard and her back hit the wall behind her. She gave a cry of pain when her broken ribs protested and the fire in her leg made her grit her teeth.

The door flew open and her mom rushed in. She sat staring at the wall in horror as her mom fussed around her. Slowly she raised a hand and touched her hollow cheek, eyes wide and hand trembling. Suddenly she jerked and pushed her mom away.

“I’m going to be sick,” she said and pulled herself towards the toilet, where she threw up.

Lily felt her mom pull back her hair and felt her rubbing her back. Her mom waited patiently for Lily to finish throwing up and gave her a cloth to wipe at her mouth. Lily sat with her hand covering her face. Her whole body was trembling and she felt as though she had a bad fever.

Her mom flushed the toilet and ran a hand lightly over Lily’s brow, talking softly to her. Lily didn’t hear her over the buzzing in her ears and her head was spinning. She felt sick to her stomach and doubted whether she could make it back to the bed, even with her mom supporting her.

“Do you want to go back to bed, honey?” her mom asked and Lily shook her head.

“I don’t think that I can walk.”

“Why don’t I help?” a voice from the doorway asked and Lily’s eyes snapped open.

Memories rushed back so hard that she thought that she was going to be sick again. She was back in the darkness with Death in front of her, speaking the lines from the old Ballad of Death and the Lady. She remembered the duel and finally defeating Death.

You have defeated me at my own game, child, but there is a price for your victory today. Return now to your body and await the toll that must be paid.

A toll must be paid. The thought spun through her mind. Vaguely she heard her mother calling out her name, but Lily couldn’t see them beyond the darkness behind her eyes.

Slowly the darkness around her faded and Lily opened her eyes with a groan. Her head and chest throbbed. Her cheek was pressing into the cold tiles of the floor and she froze. The voice! It was the voice of the man from before.

She moved too fast and her ribs stabbed with pain. She ignored it as she jerked her head up to look at the man in the doorway. He was strongly built and dressed in the uniform of a paramedic, about half a uniform. The top of the overalls were tied around his hips and a white shirt framed a wide chest and broad shoulders. It sat so snugly that could see every bulging muscle on his chest and abdomen. He’d taken a step into the bathroom when she’d fallen over and she could see the muscles strung along his arm like bowling balls in a sack.

His face was strong and square and handsome as sin with a straight nose, the bluest eyes she’d ever seen and a shock of pale-blonde hair. He looked like the man you imagined when you thought of German men.

“You,” Lily managed, but her voice was choked with pain.

He hurried closer. “You shouldn’t be up, not with your injuries.”

He reached for her but she pushed his hand away. “I’ve been in a coma for three weeks. I just wanted to wash my face when I saw-” Lily stopped abruptly when that image flashed behind her eyes. Another wave of nausea washed over her and she lowered her burning face back onto the cold tiles. They felt like ice against her hot skin. “I think I’m going to be sick again.”

He frowned at her. “What did you see?” he demanded and she moved her eyes to look sceptically at him.

“The building collapsing around me,” she lied.

Lily didn’t know exactly why she lied, but a bit of the nausea faded when she did. She frowned at him then.

“Who are you?”

Her mom gasped. “Oh, I forgot that you two haven’t been introduced yet. This is Haji Eisenberg; he’s the paramedic that saved you.”

“Haji isn’t exactly a German name,” Lily said and he smiled.

He looked different when he smiled. The corners of his eyes crinkled up and he had a dimple on his left cheek. Strangely, he looked like a handsome and naughty boy when he smiled.

“My full name is Johannes, but my sister couldn’t say it when she was little. It stuck. How did you guess I was German?”

Lily pushed herself upright again, wincing at the stab from her ribs. The nausea had faded and she felt almost herself again.

“Just a feeling,” she said and ran a hand over her face. “Why do I feel so horrible?”

Haji hunched down in front of her and looked at her critically. “Well, you haven’t had any real food in three weeks and you basically bled to death. I watched you die when we lifted the rubble off you.”

Lily heard her mom gasp and quickly turned to look at her. “Could you go and get me some juice, mom? I think it will make me feel better. And some cream crackers?”

“You’ll find some in the cafeteria, if you don’t then ask some of the kitchen staff to give you some. Tell them that I sent you,” Haji said and Lily’s mom hurried out with a nod.

“Some orange juice, please!” Lily called after her.

“I’ll carry you back to bed. You look shaky enough as it is.”

Before Lily could protest Haji stuck his arms under her legs and behind her back and lifted her as though she weighed next to nothing. She gasped and grabbed at her head, which spun horribly. Haji paused and looked down at her.

“Are you alright?” he asked and she nodded.

“You moved a bit too fast.”

Lily peered through her fingers at her reflection in the mirror, and was relieved to see that it was her own face. Still hollow cheeked and pale, but thankfully without the strange black marks under her eyes.

When Haji started to move Lily grabbed him around the neck to keep her balance. Her head swam and she tucked it in between his chin and his shoulder, trying to ignore the slow spinning around her.

Haji looked at her from the corner of his eye and was worried by the lack of colour to her features. He thought back to when he’d watched her life bleeding away, even as he fought to staunch the flow. Even then he’d felt a strange connection to this girl. He’d watched her die slowly, and then watched her come alive again.

Carefully he placed her on the bed and pulled the covers over her. She put her head in her hands and groaned in a heartfelt way. Strangely for him he placed a hand against her brow and was shocked about the cold clamminess to her skin. Those were symptoms of shock.

“Are you alright?”

Lily lifted her eyes and looked at him. “I’m okay, just a little woozy. I’ll feel better after I eat and drink something.”

Haji sat down and looked critically at her. “I watched you die,” he said and she blinked at him.

To his surprise she turned her head away. “You said.”

“What did you see when you died?”

Haji watched Lily’s head jerk slightly at the question, but she still didn’t turn to meet his gaze. Again her hand went to her head.

“I was in darkness,” she finally said.

“Was there anyone with you?”

She nodded. “There was someone.”

Haji’s hands balled into fists and he leaned forward. “Who was it?”

Finally Lily turned to look at him and he saw the deadpan expression on her features. Her eyes had gone dull and she seemed almost tired.

“I don’t remember.”

Haji’s expression turned sceptical as he stared at her blank face. Lily regarded him solemnly for a few moments and then lay back carefully, wincing at the stab from her ribs.

“Did the person say anything to you?”

Lily turned upraised eyebrows to him. “How come you think we talked?”

“Did you?”

“I don’t remember.”

“That’s convenient.”

Lily chuckled. “Like you said, I died and came alive again. Maybe I talked to an angel, I don’t remember.”

“You have to tell me if you talked to anyone, even if they warned you against it.”

Lily frowned at the desperate tone in Haji’s voice. “I just remember darkness and someone close by… and a smell.”

“A smell?”

Lily looked uncomfortable. “The smell of smoke and fire,” she lied.

The nausea was fading with every lie and sprang up with every involuntary truth. Something or someone didn’t want her to tell him about her conversation with Death.

“Then what happened?”

Lily turned her head away again. “I woke up.”

“Did the person say anything to you? Anything about a toll that must be paid?”

Lily’s heart stuttered for a moment before she spoke. The nausea washed over her again and she breathed slowly and deeply.

“I don’t remember anything like that,” Lily lied again. Again the nausea subsided. “Why should you care, anyway?”

“He wouldn’t have let you come back without asking some kind of price.”

“Who wouldn’t have sent me back? What are you talking about?”

“Death!”

“You’re crazy!”

They glared at one another and Lily abruptly turned away onto her side. The movement made her head swim but she bit down on the feeling.

“I’m tired; I think you should go now. I’d like to rest.”

“Death will come back and ask you to pay for your life. Whatever he asks you to do, don’t do it. You’d be better off dead.”

Lily didn’t answer him and she heard him grunt and turn to leave. She heard other footsteps hurry towards the door and his heavy footfall pause.

“Oh, are you already going?” her mom asked and Haji nodded.

“Your daughter is tired, but I’ll drop by again tomorrow to see how she’s doing.”

Her mom smiled. “That’s so kind of you. Thank you very much.”

Lily heard Haji leave and heard her mom settle down on the chair he’d been seated in. She listened to the crinkle of a wrapper and the soft thud as a bottle was placed on the bedside table.

“Such a nice man,” her mom said and Lily made a soft noise of acknowledgement.

“Yes, very nice,” she said flatly.

“Do you know that he came by every day to check whether you’ve woken up? So nice of him.”

Lily glared into the middle distance and frowned darkly to herself. Strange how he seemed to know about Death’s demand for a toll.

“It’s so nice to meet someone so passionate about his work. I’ve never met a paramedic quite like him.” Her mom gave a theatrical sigh. “It’s such a shame I’m too old for him.”

Lily’s eyes widened and she rolled over to stare at her mom. “Mom! Completely inappropriate!”

Her mom chuckled. “But it did get your attention.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “When can I get out of here?”

There was the sound of a tearing wrapper and her mom held out a cream cracker. Lily took it gratefully and nibbled at the corner. Truthfully she didn’t feel hungry, she just felt sick, but she had to get something inside her stomach or else she’d never feel better.

“The doctor will be around in a little while and then you can ask him. He usually comes on his rounds around now.”

Lily glanced up at the clock on the wall opposite and her eyes widened. It was seven in the morning.

“No wonder you were still asleep, mom!”

“The nurses kept telling me to go home, but I just couldn’t leave you alone. Maybe you woke up and I wasn’t here. Haji often agreed to keep an eye on you so that I could take a shower and change.”

Lily looked down at her hands. She could still see the healing scrapes on them, even after three weeks. How deep had they been? Again the memory of that face in the mirror jumped into her mind and she shuddered.

“Can I have some of the juice, please?” Lily asked and her mom handed her a damp bottle.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

Lily sipped at the juice while she stared blankly ahead of her. The juice was sharp and acid on her tongue, but it made her feel a little better. She looked up at a sound and saw a man in a white coat standing in the doorway. When he saw her looking at him he grinned widely.

“Good morning, young lady! I’m glad to see you up and about.”

“Dr. Bascule,” Lily’s mom said as she stood up. “Good morning.”

The doctor was young with dark hair and dark eyes and he wore a pair frameless oval glasses. He was smiling and had a handsome face, not nearly as handsome as Haji, but a close second. His shoulders were wide but he was built leaner than the paramedic and he seemed far more approachable.

“Good morning Ms. Valleyscape. I’m glad to see your daughter woke up at last! We were truly starting to worry.”

“She woke up about an hour ago. She had a bit of a spill in the bathroom but I’m sure nothing was hurt any more than it already is.”

Dr. Bascule’s eyes darkened when he turned to look at Lily. His smile faded a little and a frown settled between his eyes.

“You should not have been moving yet, miss,” he said sternly and Lily blushed.

“I just wanted to wash my face! I feel grubby.”

Suddenly the smile was back and the young doctor strode into the room. He held out a hand, which Lily shook and marvelled at the strength in his grip. His face was open and friendly as he spoke to her.

“Nevertheless, I’ll call some nurses so that they can help you to the bath. I am Dr. Ryo Bascule and it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Valleyscape.”

“Everyone calls me Lily.”

The smile widened. Lily swore if that smile got any wider the top of the young doctor’s head was going to fall off.

“Tell me how you feel. Are you in any pain?” Dr. Bascule asked as he walked to the end of Lily’s bed and picked up the chart.

“My ribs are on fire and I think I’ve lost my leg,” Lily said sarcastically and he laughed.

“Ah yes, you broke five ribs and a piece of reinforcement did pierce all the way through your leg. You also lost nearly all of your blood.” He frowned down at the page for a moment and then met her eyes. He turned to face Lily’s mother. “Do you mind if we talk in private, Ms. Valleyscape. There are a few things I need to clarify with your daughter for the investigators. You may stay, of course, but it may be hard for you to listen to.”

Lily’s mom paled and she hurriedly got to her feet. “I’ll be right outside,” she muttered and hurried out, closing the door behind her.

“How considerate,” Dr. Bascule said in an odd tone of voice as he looked at the door, then he turned to Lily. “Call me Ryo,” he added.

“What’s going on?” Lily demanded and glared as he walked around the bed towards her. “Touch me and I will break something of yours.”

To her surprise and horror he bowed low to her. When he straightened up he held out a hand towards her. In the palm of his hand lay a strangely shaped key. There was a skull on the one end and its eye sockets were inlaid with two small blue stones. The other end was a block with another skull etched into it.

“Lilith Valleyscape?” Ryo asked and she was struck by the strange tone of his voice.

Somehow his voice had turned from light and friendly to heavy and dark. She remembered another voice, deeper and darker than this one. Ryo’s voice was a mere shadow in comparison to that other voice.

“What?” Lily asked suspiciously and he smiled.

“I have been sent to give you a message. When you’ve recovered use this key on any door and come to find us. A toll must be paid. For if life were merchandise, that gold could buy, the rich would live… only the poor would die.”

3: The Reapers

Lily stood in front of her closed bedroom door. It was weeks since she’d been released from the hospital. She still walked with a crutch and still winced when something hit her ribs, but the worst of the pain was gone. She looked down at the skull key that she held in her hand.

She drew a deep breath and pressed the key against the door. A small black hole appeared at the place where the key touched and steadily grew, engulfing the whole door. It boiled and moved like hot tar for a few moments before it changed and became a grey steel door.

There was a skull and bones motif around the borders of the door and a two crossed scythes in the middle. The polished metal over the blades glinted blue in the light. Here and there were patches of black tarnish and the doorknob was in the shape of the top half of a skull.

Lily stared. “Completely not creepy,” she muttered and pocketed the key.

Without giving herself time to chicken out she reached out and touched the knob. It was cold and smooth under her fingers and turned easily. The door swung open without a creak and somehow the absence was worse than the actual presence of a creak. One instinctively felt that a door with a skull and bones motif should creak like a death-rattle.

Lily stepped forward, over the threshold. She stopped and looked around with a frown. She’d stepped out into a long, wide corridor lined with doors. There were several other people coming and going through the doors and no one paid her any attention.

The walls were what she liked to think of as ‘asylum white’ and the floor was tiled in black and white squares. There was a click behind her and she looked over her shoulder to see that the skull and bones door had disappeared. Instead it was replaced by an ordinary looking oak door. Over the lintel of the door were deeply etched words.

 

When the Reaper comes the Harvest must obey

 

“Well, isn’t that dramatic?” Lily said and there was a chuckle behind her.

She swung around and lost her balance when pain shot up her leg. She toppled forward and gasped when someone caught her, causing another stab of pain to rush through her chest.

“You’re not fully recovered yet,” the person said and Lily’s head snapped up.

Ryo grinned at her and helped her stand upright again. He looked her carefully up and down.

“You definitely look better than the last time I saw you.”

“I haven’t seen you since you gave me this,” Lily said as she flourished the key.

Ryo smiled. “Well, let’s get going then. We can’t keep the master waiting.”

He gestured for Lily to start walking and fell into step beside her. They walked in silence for a while and Ryo cheerfully acknowledged every person they passed with a nod and a smile. Everyone seemed to know him and Lily received several inquisitive glances.

“Who are all these people?” Lily asked eventually and Ryo chuckled.

“They are all Reapers.”

“Reapers?”

Ryo smiled at her. “Patience, all will become clear after you’ve spoken to the master.”

“I’m going to see Death again, aren’t I?”

“Quite observant of you. Yes, I am taking you to see master Death.”

Lily glanced at the doors as they passed them. All the doors were engraved with the same heavy lettering and she spotted phrases here and there.

 

Be thee a king or a sweeper, all must dance with the Reaper

 

Before the blade of the Reaper all will fall, be they great and rich, or poor and small

 

Ignore the slender excuses; Reapers must take all that is due

 

Reapers take no bribe, no gold nor pearls, for none can buy an extension of years

 

“What are those?” Lily asked as she pointed to the phrases.

Ryo looked around. “You can see them?”

Lily looked at him as though he’d lost his mind. “Of course I can see them. What are they?”

“Reminders.”

“Of what?”

“To be humble. All fall before the Reapers, and then the Reapers must fall before master Death.”

Lily fell silent as she thought about this. She knew that Death was also called the Grim Reaper, which is why he carried a scythe. Traditionally the reaper reaped the harvest and it was a decent metaphor. To the Grim Reaper lives were the harvest.

They stopped before a pair of massive double doors. Lily tipped her head back to stare up at the heavy lettering etched deeply into the stone over the door. She laughed when she recognised it. Another quote from Death and the Lady.

 

To those of either high or low degree, all the harvest must submit to Death, as well as we

 

Ryo stepped up to the doors and knocked politely at the door. He waited a few moments before pushed at the doors, which swung aside with surprising ease. Lily stepped into the massive study and stared at the figure seated behind the desk, writing in a massive ledger.

She knew that she was five foot four, but he towered over her disconcertingly. She judged him about seven feet tall. Even Ryo, under whose arm she could be tucked, looked up at him.

Death paused in his writing and lifted his polished skull to regard them. Then he stood up from his chair and rose to his impressive height.

Ryo bowed deeply to the skeleton. “Master,” he said solemnly.

Leave us, Ryo, Death said in his heavy, rich voice.

Ryo bowed again to Death, turned to Lily and gave her a nod before turning and leaving the study. When the massive doors closed behind him Lily became aware of the fact that she was alone with Death himself. Strangely she felt no fear.

So you have come to repay your debt, Lilith Valleyscape, Death said solemnly as he strode around the desk.

His bony feet made soft click-click sounds on the tiles. Lily followed his movements, but became aware of how heavily she was leaning on the crutch. Maybe she should have waited a little longer.

“Yes,” she said and Death nodded.

Yet you come to me still injured.

“I don’t like being in debt.”

Alas your injuries were vast and severe. I may have been foolish to choose you.

“Do you ever make mistakes?”

Death’s permanent grin seemed to widen for a moment before he continued. Not as a habit.

“Why did you choose me then if my injuries were so great?”

Within you flows the blood of many warrior races. Both the Huns and the Vikings and several others. That lineage will become invaluable.

“I don’t think the Vikings and the Huns ever crossed paths.”

They met through the despoiling of women, the seed passed through generations. Your lineage is not a kind and happy one, but very powerful. Yet, in all that power you come to me injured? I have no use for an injured child!

Lily stood for a while with her head bowed and seemingly in deep thought. Death stood silent as well, calmly watching her.

Finally Lily lifted her face and looked him squarely in the eye socket. She stared at those pinpoints of blue light deep inside the dark depths and drew a slow breath. Death made a sound of anticipation when she marshalled her features. There was a heavy thud as her crutch hit the ground and she clasped her hands together as though praying.

“No,” she said, her voice echoing slightly in the empty room, “I defy all counsel, all redress but that which ends all counsel, true redress – Death! Death! O, amiable, lovely Death! Thou odoriferous stench! Sound rottenness!”

It was Constance’s monologue from ‘The Issue Of Your Peace’, one she had practiced over and over for one of her classes, which now seemed an age ago. She knew she’d pitched her voice right and had schooled her expression correctly. Death was watching her stoically as she spoke.

“Arise forth from the couch of lasting night, thou hate and terror to prosperity, and I will kiss they detestable bones and put my eyeballs in thy vaulty brows, and ring these fingers with thy household worms, and stop this gap of breath with fulsome dust, and be a carrion monster like thyself!”

Lily didn’t move her eyes from his ivory face as she spoke the words. She felt her throat begin to tighten with fear as she fell into that blue gaze, but she pressed on, anger fuelling her strange rage.

“Come, grin on me, and I will think thou smilest and buss thee as thy wife. Misery’s love, o, come to me!”

Shakespeare, Death said solemnly, and you have the nerve to name me dramatic? Dear child, you appear before me barely able to stand, and dare to quote such lines?

“You have to agree that he was quite creative in portraying your image.”

Death moved past her and she nearly lost her balance. She turned awkwardly and saw him stoop to retrieve her crutch where it had fallen. He turned it over and over in his hands, regarding it thoughtfully.

What justification do you give for coming to stand before me as you are, then? he asked.

“Curiosity,” Lily admitted and Death turned to her.

Oh? he asked coldly. Yes, humans are infinitely curious. As well as stupid.

Lily shrugged to that. “To a being as old as time we may seem very stupid. We circle around the same petty disputes and wars; make the same mistakes time and time again.”

I have often speculated why your race have not died out centuries ago.

“We are tenacious, curious, arrogant and unpredictable.”

So you say.

Death watched Lily and then held out the crutch to her. She looked at it thoughtfully and then reached out. To his surprise she ignored the crutch and clasped his bony forearm. She twisted her hand around the sleeve of his robe and smiled grimly up at him.

“For sweetest fruits turn sourest by our deeds: lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds.”

Death looked down at the hand on his robe and back to her paling face. He saw the pain that filled Lily’s eyes and saw the struggle she put up to remain upright.

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 94, although you are incorrect. ‘For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds’ you will find is the correct phrase. Come, child, sit down before you fall down.

Death guided Lily to a low chair in front of the desk and allowed her to sit down. She was breathing hard and her face was pale from pain. He handed her the crutch and walked around the desk to sit in his own chair. He steeped his fingers together and tapped them against his front teeth.

Are you willing to pay the toll as you are now?

“I’m here now,” Lily managed to say.

It may kill you even so.

“I’m not afraid to die.”

Death regarded Lily for several long minutes before he laid his hands flat on the desktop.

No, you are not.

Death rose from his chair with strange grace and walked his clicking walk across the study to the far wall. There he picked up a curved staff and with an audible snick sound the blade sprang out. He walked back to her and held out the scythe to her.

Take it, he instructed.

Lily started to reach out, but hesitated a hair’s breadth from touching it. She looked up at the hollow eyes as she took the staff from him. Pain exploded all the way up her arm and she started screaming as the flesh started to tear. She tried to make her fingers let go of the shaft, but she couldn’t make them uncurl.

Using the staff Death pulled Lily to her feet. She couldn’t stop screaming as the flesh tore and rotted all the way to her shoulder. To her horror she saw pale bone through the rotting flesh.

“What are you doing to me?” she screamed and he thrust his face close to hers.

The toll is that you must become something between human and Death.

Lily screamed again as the crawling tears and rot moved across her chest and she saw, through the dripping strands of what remained of her clothing, the barely healed fractures of her ribs. Slowly the tears crawled over her face and her one eye went blind. The pain was all around her, searing and white hot, cutting right into her bones.

Suddenly Lily couldn’t breathe anymore as the rot reached her lungs and other organs. She could no longer scream and Death held her aloft by her hand. With her remaining eye she could see him standing over her, face impassive and grinning at the same time. She could feel her life ebbing from her as she gasped and fought for breath. After everything she’d been through, after all the injuries and pain, she was going to die.

No!

The thought raced through her body, dulling the pain and giving her strength. She was not going to die here, not after everything she’d had to live through. She’d defeated Death once; she would do it again and again and again and again! A thousand times over! Every time he dared challenged her she would stand her ground firm and defeat him all over again!

Death threw back his skull and laughed. It was the strangest sound she’d ever heard. She watched in fascination as his lower jaw jerked in time with the ponderous laughter.

Lily felt the white-hot flames of pain start to ebb and fade. Even as she watched new flesh formed on her bony, wasted arm and ran up towards her chest, faster and faster, over her face until she could once again see through both eyes. Breath surged into her lungs and the pain flowed down her legs to the knot in her leg. Even there it sped and faded, flowing down into the floor through her feet.

She looked down and saw the pool bubbling around her feet, as though the tiles themselves were boiling with the pain. When she finally looked up Death seemed to be regarding her with what looked like pride. Suddenly her fingers uncurled from around the shaft of the scythe and she dropped to her knees. She braced herself for the stab of pain, that didn’t come.

Congratulations, Death said as he stepped back.

Lily patted her body quickly, as though searching for evidence of the torn and rotting flesh. Then her eyes snapped up to Death’s and she surged to her feet on a cloud of fury.

“What the hell was that?” she demanded and Death went to lean the scythe back against the wall.

You are now something between human and Death.

“And what is that?”

You have now become a Reaper.

Lily hesitated before snapping out at him again. She thought for a moment about what Ryo had said to her.

“They are all Reapers.”

“What exactly are Reapers?” she asked slowly.

Reapers are my servants. They go into the world and retrieve the souls of those who have died.

“And what exactly do you do?”

I ensure that the right people die at the allotted time. I rarely go out on the Duty other than on very important occasions and the selection of new Reapers.

“So now what do I do?”

You must stay here for a time in order to learn the duties of a Reaper as well as ways in which to defend yourself. There are those who seek the downfall of the Reapers.

“Who are they?”

They call themselves the Clerics. They feel that the Reapers are an abominable, nay, a demonic form of life. Because Reapers are created from the bodies of those who are already dead they are now a sin unto their god.

“And they kill Reapers?”

That is correct. Reapers are extremely hard to kill once they have paid their dues, but the Clerics have developed weapons which can harm and even kill my Reapers.

“Can’t you do something about them?”

Death looked surprised. I do not kill; I merely take what has been spent. I visit the fallen Reapers and usher them to whatever paradise they believe in.

He gave Lily a pitying look before walking back to his chair. With a heavy sigh he sat down and pulled a heavy ledger towards him.

You have already met a Cleric, he said heavily and Lily blinked.

“I have?”

His name is Johannes Eisenberg.

Lily looked shocked. “The paramedic that’s been bugging me? He’s a Cleric? Why didn’t he kill me yet?”

You have not completed the change from human to Reaper. That would have been murder.

“Don’t they murder us anyway?”

I think they few it more as extermination.

Death rang a bell that stood on his desk and the doors opened. Ryo walked in and bowed respectfully to the tall skeleton behind the desk.

“You called, master?” he asked and Lily pointed to him.

“I don’t have to call you master, do I?” she asked and Death grinned.

One could point out that he did not have any choice in the matter but it seemed like he meant it this time.

Not particularly.

Lily chose to ignore the glare Ryo shot at her and kept her attention on Death. He was looking at her quizzically. Then he turned his attention back to Ryo.

Take Lily to her room and acquaint her with the premises. She will begin her training immediately. He paused thoughtfully for a moment, staring at her again. Although I doubt whether she will need it.

Ryo bowed again. “Yes, master.”

Lily followed the young man out of the room, but paused at the doorway to look back at Death where he sat behind his massive desk. He was already deeply at work again.

“Take care,” she called over her shoulder and he looked up in surprise.

Pardon? he asked and she smiled.

“Take care,” Lily repeated and waved at Death. “I’ll see you around.”

4: Soul Blade

Lily jogged to keep up with Ryo’s sudden fast pace. She was happy about the fact that she no longer needed the crutch to move around and the fact that she could breathe deeply without hurting her ribs, but Ryo seemed strangely agitated.

“What’s wrong?” she asked as she jogged to stay by his side.

Ryo glared down at her. “How could you speak so familiarly to the Master?” he snapped and she stopped dead.

Realisation dawned and anger flared through her. “What the hell?” she snapped and he took a step back. “I’ve walked alongside Death for more than two months now! Do you have any idea how it feels to go to sleep with the scent of him in your nose every night? The feeling of lying in his hands hour after hour? You wonder why I can be so familiar with him. He’s been my constant companion for every night since the accident! Even in a coma I felt him watching over me!”

Everyone in their vicinity stopped and stared at them. Ryo’s face was pale and hers was flushed with anger. She was trembling with rage as she squared off against him, barely able to keep her temper in check.

“I’ve always been able to see the dead walking around the living! Spirits that haunt old car crashes and accident places. I can’t even go near the site of the building anymore! The bodies of the people they uncover even now are haunted by their ghosts and they beg me! They beg me for release! There’s nothing I can do to help them!”

Lily’s hands went to her head and she screwed her eyes shut. Ryo took a step closer to her and she retreated one back.

“Sometimes the spirits would just disappear; sometimes they would follow me home! I know what goes bump in the night and it’s a lot more horrible than what people think! I know what lives in the dark corners and I can hear them!” She lifted her eyes to look at Ryo. “Death said that he usually doesn’t choose Reapers from people as badly injured as I was, but he knew that there was something different about me! So why do I speak to him like he’s just some other person? Because to me he isn’t half as bad as the stuff I grew up around.”

Ryo was pale as he stepped forward. He grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hallway towards an elevator. They stood in silence as the elevator descended down the levels. Lily stared down at the floor and Ryo shifted constantly, almost uncomfortably. When the doors slid open she followed Ryo along the new hallway and through a door he opened.

Inside was a room with a single bed covered in white sheets. There was a desk beside the bed and another door that led to a small bathroom. A bookshelf stood against the wall and the other side of the room was lined with doors.

Ryo turned to her and grabbed her arms. He pushed her against the wall and pinned her in place. Lily struggled, but a stab of almost-pain from her leg made her freeze. Ryo thrust his face close to hers.

“I didn’t think your type still existed,” he hissed and she stared at him.

“My type?”

“Born Reapers.”

Lily stared at him and he smiled at her wryly. He stepped back and she sank to her knees. He gave a harsh laugh and ran a hand over his face.

“No wonder the Master said that he doubted that you needed training. No wonder you could read the writing over the doors. You are already a Reaper when you came here. You were a Reaper before you even met the Master in the dark. All you needed was for the link to be established.” He turned to her. “We all thought that it was strange that the Master chose you. Your injuries were far too severe and your body would never truly heal from the damage. You’ll always have a physical disadvantage against the rest of us.”

Lily’s hand went to her leg and Ryo nodded.

“You can feel it, can’t you? The phantom pain?” He chuckled and ran a hand over his face again. “And here I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.”

“What?”

“The first time I saw you, in the hospital in a coma you probably would never wake up from, I thought I saw you as a marked Reaper. It was barely a flicker and then I saw it again when I gave you the key. No wonder that damn Cleric was hanging around all the time. He must have seen it too.”

“Seen what?”

Ryo reached down and hauled Lily up by her arm. He dragged her to the bathroom and threw her in front of the mirror.

“That,” he snarled and pointed to her reflection.

Lily stared at the stranger in the mirror. It was the same face she’d seen in the mirror in the hospital. Hollow cheeked and pale, Death warmed over. With a shaking hand she reached up and touched the black streaks that flowed over her face and she took a step back. She came up short against Ryo where he stood in the doorway. He was grinning horribly down at her.

“You’re the closest thing to the Master a human could get without being turned into a Reaper first. Why didn’t the bastard Cleric kill you then? You must have told him about your meeting with the Master.”

“I didn’t tell him,” Lily said softly and Ryo blinked.

“What did you say?”

“I lied to him whenever he asked about it, or I said that I couldn’t remember. I never told him anything outright.”

“Why didn’t you?”

Lily looked away. “I don’t know,” she lied.

How could she explain to him the waves of nausea that washed over her every time Haji asked her about her encounter and how it faded every time she lied to him? There was no way she could even explain it to herself.

Ryo sighed and Lily looked up at him. He’d taken off his glasses and was rubbing at the bridge of his nose as though he had a headache.

“Truth to tell, I don’t even know why I’m so annoyed at you, it’s not like me.” He replaced his glasses and smiled apologetically at her. “Did I hurt you?”

Lily shook her head. “Not really, but I would like to sit down. It’s all been a bit much to take in.”

Ryo stood out of her way and she walked towards the bed, where she sank down almost gratefully. Again she ran her hand over her leg and breathed slowly and deeply.

“It’ll fade in a few minutes.”

“But it’ll never really go away, right?”

He shook his head. “No.”

Lily fell back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. “Great,” she muttered and he smiled.

“Get some rest. I’ll come fetch you in the morning.”

She jerked upright. “I can’t say here! My mom will worry!”

Ryo paused at the doorway and smiled at her. “You don’t have to worry. The only time here is that which we bring with us. You won’t be missed.”

Lily stayed where she was for a long time before she got up and walked towards the door. She paused for a moment before going through it, making up her mind. The hall beyond was empty all the way to the silver elevator doors and she walked towards them.

As the steel doors slid aside she stepped inside and looked at the panel against the wall. She pressed the button for the topmost floor and leaned back against the steel interior, staring blankly at the doors. When they slid aside again they revealed two identical boys. Their hair was blonde and they had mischievous faces with large blue eyes. They stared at Lily as she stepped forward.

“Is this the right floor for Death’s study?” she asked and they nodded in unison.

“Hey you’re-”

“-the new girl,” they said and Lily felt unbalanced.

She’d never met twins before, let alone twins who completed each other’s sentences. She smiled at them and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m Lily. What’re your names?”

They were both younger than she was and she figured that they were barely seventeen. They were identical to the last hair.

“Ash and Clay,” they said together and Lily tried to keep her smile in place.

“Nice to meet you,” she said and edged past them. “See you around.”

Lily left the twins at the elevator and headed down the hallway, listening to her echoing footsteps. There were more people here and they stopped to watch her pass. She tried to ignore the inquisitive looks as she headed straight towards Death’s study. Pausing only long enough to draw a deep breath, Lily knocked at the door.

The door creaked open and she stepped inside. Death was seated at his desk and glanced up when she closed the door behind her.

To what do I owe this honour? he asked and she smiled self-consciously.

“I’m having trouble falling asleep. Do you mind if I sit here for a while?”

Death looked surprised. You wish to relax in the presence of Death?

Lily looked down at her feet. “I know it sounds strange, but I’ve gotten used to you being around.”

Being around?

“Yeah, so, do you mind?”

Death waved to the low chair in front of his desk and she headed towards it. She pulled it to the side of the room and settled into it.

“What are you writing?” she asked as she pulled her legs up against her chest.

I am logging the names of those souls due to be collected. They are then sent out to the relevant Reapers.

Lily leaned her head back against the back of the chair and watched Death writing for a while in silence. Soon she felt her eyes start to droop and she dropped off to sleep.

Death looked up at her and saw that she’d fallen asleep. He carefully got to his feet and walked over to her where she sat curled up in the chair. He looked down at her in silence for a while and then reached out to touch her brow.

How strange you are, child, he said solemnly as he brushed a few strands of her hair aside.

He took a step back and regarded her, then he walked back to his desk. There he rang a bell and a door in the far wall opened. A massive man strode in and bowed deeply to Death.

“You called for me, Master?” the man rumbled and Death waved to Lily where she was asleep.

The man looked at her with raised eyebrows and then turned back to Death, who sat down again and leaned back in his chair.

Return her to her room and see that she is not disturbed.

“Master?”

She wished for my company in order to rest.

“I see.”

The man walked over to Lily and carefully lifted her into his arms. He cradled her like a baby and turned to leave via the door he’d entered. Death’s voice made him stop at the doorway.

You have a daughter, do you not?

The man looked back at the skeleton and smiled. “Yes, she is ten now.”

What does it feel like to care for someone other than oneself?

The man seemed to consider the question before answering. “Wonderful as well as terrifying.”

Death nodded. I see. He waved his hand. You may go, and speak of this to no one.

The man bowed his head. “As you wish, Master.”

***

Lily woke up in the unfamiliar bed in the small room. She was curled up on her side and her head felt fuzzy, as though she’d been switched off. Slowly she sat up and ran a hand through her hair, letting her fingers linger on her brow where she could still feel the ghost of a touch. She pressed her palms to her eyes and got up and staggered towards the bathroom. There she splashed cold water on her face and looked at her reflection, startled to see her own face staring back at her.

Lily groaned as she towelled her face dry and walked towards the door. She froze when she opened the door, only to see Ryo standing there with a worried expression and one fist upraised in order to knock.

“Are you alright?” he asked and she frowned at him.

“Yes, why?”

“The Master ordered you not to be disturbed. I was getting worried so I thought I’d better check up on you.”

Lily ran a hand over her face. “How long was I asleep for?”

“More than a day.”

“You don’t sound sure.”

“It’s hard to tell time here. Clocks don’t really work.”

“Oh,” Lily said as she walked back to her bed.

She fell down heavily and ran a hand over her face. She still felt groggy, as though her mind couldn’t get quite up to speed. Her body felt heavy, like it didn’t really want to move.

“I know how you’re feeling. Everyone goes through it after the Link is established. That’s what we call it when you become a Reaper. It’s best to get moving as soon as possible so that the heaviness can pass quickly.”

“I see.”

“Well, first off we’ll head down to the armoury to get you your weapon. Every reaper is assigned a weapon with which they can carry out the Duty.”

Lily looked up at the rustle of paper and saw Ryo holding a sheet. He ruffled it importantly and then smiled at her, peering over the top of his glasses. With a heavy sigh Lily got to her feet and waved him out of the room.

“Give me twenty minutes. I want to take a shower and get dressed.”

“There will be some clothes in the closet over there. It’ll fit, it always does. Best not to wonder too much about it.”

“Okay,” she said and closed the door.

***

Twenty-five minutes later Lily was standing in the middle of a massive room. Weapons lined the walls on every side. There were a few other Reapers in there already, training with an assortment of handheld weapons. She looked around at the weapons with a disheartening feeling.

“What are all these?” she asked.

“These are Reaper Weapons. They’re constructed in such a way to sever the soul from the body when it is no longer needed.”

“So I’m going to have to kill people?”

Ryo looked shocked. “Definitely not! Reapers only take what has already been spent. We come after life has stopped. You’ll find out more about the Duty from this afternoon’s lecture. Now, choose a weapon.”

“What? Do I just take one?”

Ryo nodded happily. “That’s right. Simple as that.”

Lily sighed inwardly and walked to the nearest wall. There was a collection of scythes arranged there as well as some other things she didn’t recognise. She spotted a few guns and bows, but steered well clear of them. Ryo remained in the centre of the hall and the other Reapers had stopped and were watching her.

Ryo’s gaze was fixed on her. Lily didn’t seem to notice it, but there was a flickering line of pale blue around her.

“Soul Resonance?” Ryo asked as he turned to look at the other Reapers.

They nodded. So, they could see it too. He watched as Lily walked along the racks of swords and blades. These seemed to attract her attention.

Lily reached out to take a double-edged short sword when her hands hesitated and she looked around at the far wall, just behind Ryo. These weapons were different than those that lined the other walls.

“What are those?” she called over and Ryo glanced around at them.

“Those? They’re Death Weapons. Weapons used by the Master exclusively.”

Lily walked towards that wall and stared up at them. She recognised the scythe that hung right in the middle. A handle of ivory and a blade of flickering blue. It was the scythe she’d battled against when she’d faced Death in the darkness.

She turned her head and hurried along the wall towards a small object. It was almost as though it was tugging at her, edging her to take it.

It was just the hilt of a sword. Black as midnight and inlaid with fine silver thread. On the end was a flawless diamond that glittered gold and white in the lights overhead. It called out to her, called right to her soul.

Someone grabbed her hand as she reached towards it. She looked around, right into the face of a massive man. He tightened his grip on her wrist and she winced in pain. The man thrust his face close to hers.

“Who do you think you are?” he growled. “These are the Master’s own weapons. Choose a Reaper weapon like the rest of us.”

“Now, now, Michael. Please calm down,” Ryo said beside her and she looked up into his worried face.

Somewhere a door creaked open slowly and there were a few gasps. Michael’s hand tightened around Lily’s wrist and she made a small sound of pain. Ryo took a quick step away from her and bowed deeply. Lily managed to turn her head enough to look over her shoulder and saw Death approaching, bony feet clicking as he walked over the tiles.

What is the matter? he asked and Michael let go of her wrist.

He took a few quick steps aside and bowed deeply. “Master, this child wishes to take one of your weapons.”

Death turned his skull towards Lily. Is that sword the one you wish to use in the Duty?

Lily nodded as she rubbed her wrist. Death glanced down at the red mark and then looked at Michael. For a moment Lily could have sworn the blue pinpoints flared red.

It is only natural that this weapon would call out to you, child. It is the one you faced me with.

Everyone in the room gasped and Lily saw Ryo jerk beside her. She glanced around and saw the looks of awe and disbelief on the faces of the other Reapers.

“You faced the Master in combat?” Ryo whispered and Lily nodded. “How did you survive?”

You may use this weapon, Lily. It has already chosen you. Another weapon would only hinder your progress.

“Thank you,” Lily said and saw Death reach out slowly to grasp the shaft of the scythe.

Slowly she reached out and took down the hilt. When she touched it she swore that there was a spark of static. She turned it over and over in her hands and looked at it from every angle.

Do you know how to use it?

Lily nodded. “I think so,” she said slowly.

She turned the hilt around so that it pointed towards the floor and then slammed her palm into the diamond on the end. Ryo stared at the effect this had.

The flickering line of soul blue vanished at the same time a blade grew from the hilt. It made a soft humming sound every time she moved it and left a thin line of flickering blue behind in the air.

“A blade made out of her soul?” Ryo whispered and Death nodded.

Correct. Only a Master Reaper can use that sword, and she proved as much during our duel.

He lowered the scythe to the ground and grinned down at Lily as she wove the sword to and fro in front of her.

I will be going out on the duty. Do you wish to come along, Lily? A practical lesson will aid you far more than a lecture would.

Lily looked up at Death and returned his grin. She moved the hilt oddly and the flickering blade vanished.

“Sure,” she said happily.

5: The Duty

Lily opened her eyes and looked down at the starlit sea under them. She could feel the heave and movement of giant muscles under her and felt a body behind her. Arms were around her, keeping her upright in what felt like a saddle. She was on a horse, but she couldn’t quite remember why.

You dropped off to sleep again, a laden voice said above her.

Lily looked up, right into the morbid features of Death’s skull. Then her immediate past came back to her and she jerked upright. He chuckled as she flailed around, trying to get her bearings.

“I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed as she raked a hand through her hair.

No apology required. We are almost to our destination.

Lily looked down and focussed. What she had thought was a starlit sea below them turned out to be a massive city. She blinked and looked down at the pale horse below her. She remembered Death introducing her to it. A massive charger, pale as snow, a real old time war charger that was used to pull canons.

Is my company that restful to you? Death asked and Lily blushed brightly.

“I remember reading a long time ago, ‘death is but a sleep, yet there is none more restful than the company of the ultimate reaper. Sleep within the folds of his robe and all fears shall disappear, for death brings ultimate certainty’.”

So you take that as advice? Do you not fear me?

Lily shook her head. “Why do you keep asking me that?”

It is strange for me to find one without fear.

Lily yawned and shrugged. “It feels as though I’ve known you for a long time. Like an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time.”

Death was silent as they rode through the air. Lily felt it was strange that she was on the back of a horse in midair.

“Don’t people see you?” she asked and Death shook his skull.

They do not see me until it is time and they have no other choice.

“So it’s like selective blindness. They choose not to see you because of what you represent?”

Something along those lines.

“I think I understand.” She glanced down again. “So who are we coming to fetch?”

They were nearing a more select neighbourhood. The yards were larger and the houses were mansions. Something made her look down and she saw several people hurrying towards a single mansion that stood lit up like a Christmas tree.

They flew past the house towards what looked like a hospital. There was also a massive crowd surrounding the building. People were singing and crying in the crowd. Several were holding up placards, but Lily couldn’t see what was written on them.

Death said the name of a prominent leader and Lily gasped. Suddenly she understood who they were fetching and she understood the crowd that was rushing towards the hospital.

Death landed on the one of the balconies that jutted from the hospital side. He helped Lily down onto the ground and she turned to pat the massive horse.

“Won’t anyone notice him here?” she asked as he nuzzled her hand.

Would you believe that there was a horse standing here? Death asked as he pulled the scythe from its holster.

Lily shrugged. “Probably not,” she admitted and Death nodded.

Follow me, he instructed and led the way through the hospital.

It was almost comical to her, following a seven foot skeleton through the disinfectant smelling halls of a hospital, his bony feet clicking on the tiles and no one seeing them. Strangely, no one came close to them either. No one bumped into Death. Lily actually saw a woman pushing a cart move to the side without quite knowing why. No one even noticed her and she glanced in the dark glass of a door, gasping when she saw her appearance.

She was dressed in a heavy, black velvet riding cloak with the hood pulled over her head. She saw her appearance flicker between her usual look to the hollow cheeked stranger and back. She hurried after Death and noticed how the cloak billowed out around and behind her. She still had the hilt of the sword tucked into her pocket.

Death paused and took an hourglass out of the recesses of his black robe and glanced at it. Lily saw that there was barely a pinch left in the top bulb. The hourglass itself was gold inlaid with multicoloured jewels. Jet beads, yellow topaz, flawless green emeralds, tiny diamonds, radiant sapphires and flaming rubies all decorated the carefully spun-gold filigree that housed the twin bulbs of the hourglass.

Death stowed the hourglass again and walked through the closed doors of a patient’s room. Lily hesitated for a moment before following him, through the solid wood of the door. It was like walking through pine smelling mist.

On the other side was a mass of what looked like family members, all grieving and crying over a wrinkled, sickly looking man in the bed. His dark skin was like old wrinkled leather, his short hair a shock of white against the dark blue linen. Monitors and machines beeped around him constantly and the hushed silence was broken every now and then by a sniff or a sob.

A young man was seated next to the bed, holding the elder’s hand. Death stood almost companionably beside the bed, looking down at the hourglass in his hand. Even as she watched the last grains of the old man’s life tumbled through the pinch. The man was suddenly outlined by a line of flickering pale blue.

Death nodded to himself and swung the scythe down. The flickering line snapped with a faint, high-pitched sound and the old man sat up. To her surprise Lily saw something ghostlike stay behind on the bed. Everything around them faded to strange monochrome, the mourners became pale and ghostly and sounds were muffled and distant.

The old man looked up at Death’s fixed grin and didn’t look at all surprised. He got off the bed, spectral nightshirt flapping around his thin legs. He straightened up to his impressive height.

“So, the time has come?” he said in his surprisingly gentle voice and Lily looked around at the mourners.

They were moving sluggishly towards the bed. Even as she watched one of the women flung herself over the man’s body and started sobbing hysterically into the linen.

Yes, Death said heavily, you must come away, my son.

The old man turned to Lily. “And the young lady?” he asked and Lily’s hand went to her ear.

The man was speaking a language she’d never heard before, but it arrived in her head in the tones of her native tongue.

“I’m Lily,” she said and was surprised when the words came out in the same language that the man spoke.

“A pleasure to meet you, Lily.”

The man turned and looked at the wailing family. A look of worry tinged with regret passed across his face. Lily looked up at Death, who was looking down at the man impassively.

“Many bad things will happen now,” the man said sombrely, “things I’d hoped I could stop.”

“What bad things?” Lily asked and the old man smiled wanly.

“War, maybe. Bloodshed, definitely.”

“Why?”

“Because I am no longer alive.”

Lily felt anger flash inside her. “Your whole life you devoted yourself to peace and equality. If your people go to war just because you died then they never deserved you,” she said hotly and the old man chuckled.

“Unfortunately people need an icon to follow. I only pray that they soon find another.” He turned to look up at Death. “What will happen now?” he asked and Death bowed his head.

Whatever you believed would, Death said and the old man smiled.

Even as she watched Lily saw the old man start to fade. It started slowly and then sped up as more and more of the man’s soul faded.

“I shall find peace,” his voice echoed softly.

Death turned suddenly and started to stride out of the room. A nurse hurried inside and would have bumped right into Death if she didn’t suddenly take three steps back. Death ducked out of the room with Lily close on his heels. She glanced at the nurse and saw the bewildered expression on the woman’s face.

Death stalked quickly along the corridors towards the balcony and Lily looked around as they passed several rushing people. Everyone was rushing towards the bedroom where the old man’s body still lay.

“They didn’t deserve him,” Lily said coldly and Death grunted. “There is no justice in the world.”

No, Death said as he passed through the glass doors. There is always and ever just us.

Lily hurried through the glass doors without thinking and Death turned to look quizzically at her. She came up short and looked up at him.

You pass through solid objects without question.

Lily looked back at the glass doors distractedly. “Well, I figured that were in a different time and place to the things around us, so logically they shouldn’t hinder me. Was that wrong?”

Death shook his skull slowly. No, rather quite the opposite. Most new Reapers hesitate before passing solid barriers. Yet you do it as naturally as though you have done it a thousand times.

Lily shrugged. “I’m adaptable.”

So I see.

Death holstered the scythe and reached down. Without any apparent effort he lifted Lily into the saddle and mounted up behind her in one fluid movement. He reached around her and took up the reins.

Lily rubbed the massive horse’s neck as Death made a clicking noise between his teeth. Lily felt the horse’s muscles bunch and then it reared up. Lily was thrown back against Death’s chest as the horse leapt into the air. Later she couldn’t quite remember, but she may have laughed as they sped into the sky.

***

“Good and evil are merely parts of the same spectrum. Light cannot exist without the dark, as can dark not exist without light. However, dear young Reapers, we stand outside this spectrum of colour. We ferry the souls of both powerful and weak, good and evil. We do not judge, we do not decree who lives and who dies. Nor does the Master. That is decided by another being.”

“Who is this being?” someone in the front row asked.

Lily was lounging around the middle, leaning her cheek on her fist and looking down at the doodles on the pad of paper they’d given her. As soon as she and Death had returned from the Duty Ryo bustled her to this classroom with its tiered seats. It was like being back at the college.

The lecturer was a woman in a tweed suit and her grey hair pulled into a bun at the back of her head. She wore those horrible half-moon spectacles that older people wore to peer over the top of. Her voice was expansive and important sounding, but Lily couldn’t keep her attention on the woman.

“It has many names. God, Fate, Luck,” the woman was saying expansively. “There are too many to name. Only master Death knows who this being is. Do not try to understand the ways of our Master, young Reapers, or the Masters of the lives within the world.”

“Why did he make the Reapers?” Lily asked without looking up and the woman frowned.

“No one knows, not even the eldest of us. Some speculate that it is because the world population has grown too big, others say that it is because Death himself wished for companions. Companions who did not live in the same unending world as him, as with the other Masters.”

“The other Masters?” someone behind Lily asked and the woman gave a self-satisfied smile.

“Mistress War, Master Famine and Master Pestilence.”

“Oh, you mean the other riders of the apocalypse,” Lily asked as she doodled on the pad with the black pen.

The woman gave her a long look over the top of her spectacles and cleared her throat in an annoyed way.

“Yes, I speak of the Riders. You may meet them when you are out on your Duties. Do not count on seeing them; however, it is rare to glimpse the other Masters.”

Lily put the finishing touches on her doodle and sat back. The woman was giving her a long, cold glare and she countered it with a bright smile.

“So basically what you’re saying is that we collect the souls of those who have already died, but we do not kill them in the process. We only take what has already been spent.”

The woman narrowed her eyes at Lily. “That is correct. What is your name, child?”

“Lilith Valleyscape, but everyone calls me Lily.”

The woman glanced down at a list on the desk in front of her, running a manicured nail down the list of names.

“I do not see your name here, Lilith.”

“I was probably supposed to be in an earlier lecture, but Ryo put me in here when I got back.”

“Lord Ryo is your benefactor? Strange, he usually doesn’t take apprentices.”

The woman opened a drawer and pulled out another sheet of papers. She ran her finger down this one and hesitated. Then she looked at Lily with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“You are that child?” she asked and everyone turned to stare at Lily.

“Excuse me?”

“Why did you miss your lecture?”

“I was out with Death on his Duty.”

There were a few gasps and people started whispering around her. The woman fanned her face as though she was suddenly feeling very hot.

“Who would have thought that I would be lecturing a Master Reaper? And one so young too!” she exclaimed and Lily got to her feet.

“I’m sorry, I have to go,” she said hastily and hurried out of the lecture hall.

Outside she ran into a small kid with blonde hair so light that it looked white. He was carrying a frayed bunny with him and looked so innocent and young. Lily froze as she looked down at him. How could such a little kid be a Reaper?

“I’m sorry,” she muttered as she ducked past him and down the corridor.

Lily ran blindly through the corridors and burst through a door at the far end. Her feet scattered gravel and she tripped, falling hard on the small stones. It took her a moment to realise that she was outside the place. Slowly she sat up and looked around.

There was no colour around her. Everything was in shades of either black or white. The grass on either side of the chalk white gravel path was gloss black and above her was a white sky in which black stars twinkled.

Black trees with white trunks surrounded the massive white and black building bejind her. It was big, but not nearly big enough to house a third of what she’d seen inside. Actual dimensions seemed to be a matter of choice rather than a matter of course.

Slowly she pushed to her feet and stumbled to one of the trees, feeling sick. There was a white bench under the tree and she sank heavily into it. Her hands went to her spinning head and she groaned.

“Understand that we do not kill. Reapers merely sever the soul from the body after death has taken place. Think not of yourselves and murderers, but as collectors. Do not forget that you are both human and Reaper. Keep your compassion, remain humane. Just as the Reaper thinks contantly of the harvest, so must your thoughts be upon your task. You care for the Harvest of Soul, remain strong and steadfast in your dealings.”

Lily stared at the ground as the melodious voice spoke, coming closer to her. She lifted her head and made her face blank. The man who approached her was old and wrinkled, but he didn’t feel old. His hair may have been white and his pallid skin wrinkled and thin as parchment, but his eyes held the sparkle of life. Lily felt as though she should know him.

He stopped in front of her and smiled down, his warm eyes twinkling as he did. Lily sat back and looked up at him mutely, pushing the turmoil that was raging inside of her far away so that it didn’t show on her features.

“What about people who come back from the dead?” she asked slowly and the old man chuckled.

“They are not on our lists,” he said simply as he sat down beside her. “Their time is not spent, they will return. However, those who have died are to be Reaped. Their hourglasses cannot be overturned.”

He moved with deceptive slowness. It looked like his movements were glacial, but they played with the perspective, just like the building. He moved slowly, but didn’t seem to need to cover any distance. He was just there beside her, seated on the bench with his hands on his knees.

Lily regarded him as he stared into the distance with a knowing smile on his face. He was dressed in a white robe, like the ones she imagined wizards used to wear. His hair was long and chalk white and his face not quite as wrinkled as she’d first thought.

“Then why do we become Reapers? Aren’t our time spent?”

“Ah, Master Death chooses certain individuals to become his Reapers and shares his time with them. All of those here at the home of our Master were chosen by Death’s hand to become a Reaper for him. Understand that not all those chosen become Reapers, that is what the test if for.”

Lily frowned. “Test?”

“A chance to challenge Death for your life. There are certain things that must be said, that must be done in order to become a Reaper. In the end, the challenge must also be won. That is the ultimate test.”

“But not all teats are the same?” Lily asked and the old man smiled.

“Not all tests are the same,” he repeated and smiled down at her.

“I fought him,” Lily said and waited for the man’s look of surprise, like she got from everyone else.

The old man just nodded. “As did I,” he said and Lily turned to look at him.

“Who are you?”

“You may call me Helandel,” he said and smiled down at her. “You must be Lilith Valleyscape.”

“How do you know my name?” Lily asked.

“My dear, you are the talk of the town. The young Master Reaper whom the Master took under his rather dark wing.”

Lily groaned and ran a hand over her face. “I don’t want to be different. I just want to be me.”

“You’re not very smart, are you?”

Lily’s head jerked up and she glared at the old man. He was smiling in that annoyingly knowing way some old people had. With a sigh she looked down at her hands and smiled.

“It’s a good act, isn’t it?” she asked and he chuckled.

“Very good. I can see how much the knowledge tortures you. Why act indifferent?”

 “Because that’s what people expect. I mean, I knew that something was strange with that paramedic so I never told him about meeting Death. How could I possibly explain to someone that I could feel that he was a Cleric on some bone deep level?”

“You felt nauseated every time he asked you, didn’t you?”

Lily sighed. “Yeah, and sometimes when Ryo asks me something too. I’m not really all that comfortable around the other Reapers. It’s like I’m standing outside and looking in on their world.”

“That is because you are. You are different from the other Reapers. Being a Master Reaper is not something you can become; it is something you are born to. Somewhere in your family there was another Master Reaper and his power was passed on to you.”

“How do you know?”

Helandel looked down at her with a smile. “Because I know you, Lily. I’ve watched you grow from a child to a talented young woman.”

Immediately Lily was suspicious and she glared at the man. “Why would you be watching over me?” she snapped.

Helandel chuckled. “Because I bear the name of Valleyscape also. I am your grandfather.”

6: Nicknames

Lily stared at Helandel as though he’d grown a second set of arms. He saw her chest expand as she drew a slow breath. Then her face cleared and she turned away from him.

“Sorry to tell you this, but your son walked out on us when I was still a kid.”

Helandel nodded slowly. “I know. Needless to say, he knew what I was and he could see that you were also one of us. The power hadn’t manifested within my son, but skipped a generation and became yours twofold.”

“Why did he leave?” Lily asked.

Helandel looked at her. Her voice was calm and devoid of emotion, but he knew about her talent for the stage. He didn’t trust her sudden calm.

“Sadly, after I took his mother away he came to hate me and all the Reapers. I never saw him again after that. He could see what you would become and began to hate you for it too, knowing that someday you would find your way here, to the Master’s side. To my side.”

“Does my mom know?”

Helandel shook his head. “Not the whole truth, nothing about the Reapers and about your lineage, but enough to know that your father left in hate. I’ve watched over you all these years, keeping you safe.”

Lily jumped to her feet, her emotions finally getting the better of her training. “Then why didn’t you help me?” she snarled as she paced away from him. “Everything that happened to me! All the ghosts that followed me around! Why didn’t you help me?” She turned to face Helandel, tears dancing in her eyes. “I thought there was something wrong with me! I couldn’t tell anyone! Not even my mom!”

Helandel hung his head sadly. “I cannot leave here,” he said softly.

“What?” Lily snapped and ran a hand over her face, trying to reign in her wild emotions.

“After Mary’s death and Stephen leaving there was nothing left to keep me in that world, so I retired. When a Reaper retires from the Duty they are given a choice. They can either go back to the world with a measure of time or they can stay here for eternity. I chose to stay and by the time you were born it was already too late.”

Lily stared and grasped a question that floated by. “A measure of time?”

“A reward, you may say. Or payment for services rendered. A pension, you could say.”

Lily sat down heavily. “Oh,” she said and stared at the glossy black grass under her feet.

They sat like that for a while, in complete silence. Lily noticed a buzzing noise and looked up to see fat black and white honeybees zipping between the rose bushes that grew a few feet from them. Delicate lilies lined the path on either side. Lily of the Valley, Lily thought.

The stems and leaves were gloss black like the grass and the blooms were stark white. It felt strange to look down at herself and see bright colour. She felt that she should also have turned black and white.

“Yes, it takes some getting used to.”

“You’re turning white.”

Helandel laughed as he sat back. “Ah yes, I have aged in recent years. Taking care of the new Reapers does take a toll on these old bones.”

Lily sat back and looked up at the white sky above. It looked as strange as the black land below. Black stars twinkled at her and she frowned.

“There’s no sun.”

“It’s never dark here.”

“Oh.”

Silence fell again. Lily vaguely remembered her mother’s father. A jolly old fat man with a beard that would have made Santa Clause proud. She smiled as she remembered him dressing up every Christmas. He’d died of a heart attack when she was eleven.

“Where’s my dad now?” she asked and looked around in bewilderment when Helandel made a sad little noise.

What he said in those sad tones made her blood freeze over and her eyes widen in shock.

“He became a Cleric.”

***

Lily stayed in Death’s domain for a few weeks, although it was hard to tell the actual passage of time. Since there was no day or night and no clocks around the place it was hard to tell.  The only clock in the whole domain stood in Death’s study and that was no help at all. It had no hands.

In between training with the Soul Sword and lectures from Helandel, Lily found time to do some reading. Death had a massive library that was filled with every book ever written, all first editions and many of them signed. She’d laughed at this when she realised it. Death was an avid bibliophile.

It was in the library that Lily met Claire, another young woman with brown hair and hazel eyes. They’d bumped into each other while looking for the same book. Claire was an energetic young woman, but tended to be reserved around Lily.

“We all have nicknames, you know,” Claire was saying as they sat opposite one another at a table.

Lily looked up in surprise. “Really? What’s yours?”

“Bells,” Claire said shyly and Lily laughed.

“Why on earth do they call you Bells?”

Claire lifted her thick hair and showed Lily her earrings. The delicate golden hoops held a tiny fairy bell each.

“Marian says if you want to find me, listen for the bells.”

Lily laughed and shook her head; Marian was Claire’s benefactor and had a strange sense of humour. “Do I have a nickname?”

Claire looked down at her hands. “Yes,” she said softly and Lily frowned.

“It’s not a nasty one, is it?”

Claire shook her head quickly. “No, nothing like that.”

“Then what is it?”

“Lily of the Valley,” Claire muttered.

Lily stared at her mutely. She thought of the delicate white lilies that grew on either side of the chalk white path outside in the garden. The tiny flowers lined the path all the way to the bench where she’d met her grandfather.

“Death’s favourite flowers,” she said and Claire nodded. Lily grinned. “They’ve always put me in mind of bells,” she said and Claire’s eyes widened.

Both of them started to laugh. As they were leaving, each holding a book, Claire bumped into someone. Both of them staggered a few steps back and Lily stared at the two boys that stood in the doorway.

“Hells, Bells, you really-”

“-should look where you’re going.”

It was the twins Lily had seen a few weeks ago. Again she had that unbalanced feeling she got when they finished each other’s sentences.

“Sorry,” Claire muttered and rubbed at the red spot on her brow where their heads had connected.

“You’re Ash and Clay, right?” Lily asked and both of them stared at her with wide eyes. She suppressed a groan and tried to smile at them. “I bumped into you a few weeks ago.”

“Yeah,” one of them said and glanced at his brother.

“We remember,” the other one muttered and Claire gave them a radiant smile.

“Oh, you’ve met? These are the Ton-twins.”

“Ton-twins?” Lily asked with a frown. “Like the London high society?”

Claire laughed at the twins’ frowns and shook her head. “No, their names are Ashton and Clayton. You see? Ton and ton, the Ton-twins.”

Lily smiled at them. “We’ve never been introduced, I’m Lily.”

The twins still just stared mutely at her. Lily grew uncomfortable and rubbed the back of her hand and looked imploringly at Claire.

“What are you two staring at? Didn’t your mom ever tell you that its rude?” Claire snapped and the twins glanced at one another.

“We were trying to figure out-”

“-why all the older Reapers are so hyped up about her.”

Lily tried to suppress a groan. “And?” she asked.

“You don’t look-”

“-all that. You just look-”

“-like one of us.”

“Stop talking like that! It’s creepy!” Claire exclaimed and the twins grinned at her.

“Well, we heard that she has the Soul Sword.”

“Yeah, but we also heard that she can’t fight with it for too long.”

“Yeah, she’ll get creamed if she has to go up against the Clerics.”

“What would you know about it?” Lily asked.

Any mention of the Clerics made her blood boil. The twins glanced at her and then at Claire.

“Is it true that your dad became a Cleric because the Master didn’t choose him to become a Reaper?”

“Yes,” she said and Claire looked worried.

“And that old man Helandel is your granddad?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. Helandel is the last Master Reaper since forever. Do you have any idea how old he is?”

Lily shrugged. “About sixty something.”

Claire shook her head. “Helandel is over three hundred years old. He spent so much time here in his younger years that time moved on without him. You’re the first Master Reaper in over three hundred years. That’s why everyone’s making such a big fuss.”

Lily sighed. “Great, yay.”

“Show us the Soul Sword!” one of the twins urged and Lily looked closely at him.

“You’re Ash, right?”

By the stunned look on his face she knew that she’d guessed right. Claire frowned and then grinned.

“You know, no one’s ever been able to tell them apart. They’re like two peas in a pod, these two.”

Lily shrugged and drew the blade. She held the hilt facing towards the floor and slammed the palm of her hand onto the diamond set on the end. The blade flickered to life and glowed in their shadows.

It was true that she couldn’t wield the blade for a long time. Ten minutes seemed about the extent of it. It drained her energy, made it hard to concentrate and made her extremely tired. It was like moving through thick syrup when she was fighting. She could do it for a while but then she became drained.

Helandel said that it sucked at her soul. He, too, wielded a Death Weapon. It was a scythe. He’d wielded it like a dancer with a baton, swinging it around his body and in graceful arcs.

She watched the twins’ and Claire’s awed expressions as they stared at the glittering blade that was formed from her very soul. Clay looked up at her with shining eyes, and she saw him go pale.

That was another thing about the sword. It brought out her Reaper appearance. Helandel’s wasn’t so bad. His robe went black and his lined face became less lined. Hers, on the other hand, was terrifying.

Black streaks ran from over eyes and over her cheeks like run mascara, but no matter how hard she rubbed they wouldn’t come off. Her lips were black, as were her eyes. Her skin seemed almost white against the black starkness of the streaks. She was always clothed in a ragged black robe that never stood still, like she was standing in a strong gale.

Ash also looked up and she heard Claire’s gasp. One thing she also knew is that none of the other Reapers changed in appearance. It was the effect of the Death Weapons, Helandel had told her. Since they were Death’s own weapons they carried something of him inside. That something was carried through to the Master Reaper when their soul amplified the weapon.

“Yeah,” Lily muttered as she moved her hand over the diamond again. The flickering blade vanished and she changed back to normal. It was looking at a card being flipped over. One moment she was terrifying and the next she was just Lily again. “I should probably have warned you about that.”

“What was that?”

“I’ve heard of it. Some of the older Reapers talk about it. If you become really powerful you look different when you go out on the Duty, they said. They called it Resonance.”

“Ryo said that to me when I first came here. He said I looked like a Resonant Reaper.”

“That’s when you become really strong and your soul starts to resonate with the Master’s.”

“Well, Helandel also changes a bit when he works with Zeis,” Lily said and they blinked at her. She tried not to sigh. “All Death Weapons have names. His scythe’s name is Zeis.”

“Cool!” Ash exclaimed.

“What’s your sword’s name?” Clay asked.

“Inoue.”

“That’s a strange name,” Claire said and Lily shook her head.

“Its Japanese. It’s written here on the hilt, look.”

She lifted the hilt so that they could look at where it formed a cross. Ash and Clay frowned down at the strange symbols and Claire reached out a finger to trace the slashing lines.

井上

“I can’t read that,” she admitted and the twins nodded.

Lily laughed. “That’s because it’s written in Kanji. Japanese alphabet, you know.”

“What does it mean?”

“’Above the well’, as far as I’ve been able to figure out.”

“That’s so cool. Our weapons don’t have names,” Clay said sadly and Ash perked up.

“We should give our weapons names too! That way they might become Death Weapons someday.”

Lily laughed, but didn’t tell them that Death Weapons were forged with a piece of Death’s own soul inside them.

“Yeah, that’s a great idea,” Claire thrilled and pulled out her weapons.

Lily blinked at them. Her weapons were blades that looked like they were welded onto knuckle-dusters. The blade extended down the outside of her arm all the way to her elbow. Then she almost laughed. There were bells on them. Every movement she made was accompanied with the merry jingle of fairy bells.

The twins stared. “Hells, Bells, you’ve got Claws?”

Claire blushed brightly and slipped them over her hands. They fitted her perfectly, but terrifyingly. When Lily turned back to the twins she did burst out laughing. They’d drawn their weapons. Fierce through they were, they were completely suited to the twins.

Light glinted along the blades of each of the Twin Hook Blades. Both twins each held a single blade, but she could imagine them fighting with them. The Hook Blades were meant to be duel wielded and she could see the twins fighting as a single entity.

Ash glared at her. “Don’t laugh,” he snapped and she shook her head.

“Sorry, it’s just; your weapons are perfect for you.”

They brightened up. “Really? You really think so?” Clay asked and Lily nodded, wiping at her eyes. “So, what are you going to name them?”

“Well, I’m going to call mine Fairy Bells,” Claire said and the twins laughed at her.

“I like it, it matches their bells,” Lily said and the twins sobered.

“Well, we’re gonna call ours the Brothers.”

The twins spoke in perfect unison, as though they shared more than just a thought. It caught Lily off balance, but she saw Claire clap her hands together, making her bells ring.

“I think it’s perfect!”

“Naming your weapons?” a voice asked and they all swung around. “That’s good, it makes them truly yours.”

Helandel was walking towards them with his hands clasped behind his back and a smile on his wrinkled face. To Lily’s shock the three others bowed deeply to him and then looked at him in awe.

“Helandel, good to see you,” she said happily and the old man’s smile widened.

“Good to see you too, Lily. Good afternoon Bells, Tons.”

Claire blinked in surprise. “You already know our nicknames?” she asked and Helandel nodded.

“Your benefactors let everyone know that you’d finally gotten your nicknames. Keep them close. They are as important as your weapons, they will keep you safe from the Clerics.”

“How?” Ash asked and Lily frowned at him.

“Didn’t you know? They keep your identity hidden.”

Claire gaped at her. “But I thought you didn’t know about the nicknames.”

Lily chuckled. “No, I just didn’t know I had one yet. Ryo was supposed to tell me when he’d chosen one.”

Helandel laughed. “Young Ryo didn’t choose your nickname.”

They all stared at him in shock. Clay spoke first. “He didn’t? But isn’t it the benefactor’s privilege to choose his ward’s name?”

“Usually, but the rules are bent a bit for us,” Helandel said gently.

“So who chose my name?” Lily asked.

“I did.”

Lily gaped at him. “You did? Why?”

“A grandfather’s honour. Ryo agreed that it was the perfect name for you.”

“Well, um, thank you,” Lily muttered and turned to the other three. “Well, we’d better get going, Claire.”

“Hold on,” Helandel said, holding up a hand and Lily frowned at him. “Death sent me to find you. He wants to talk to you for a bit.”

“Couldn’t he just summon me?” Lily asked, remembering a lecture from a few weeks ago.

Death could summon his Reapers from anywhere in the world if he wanted to talk to them.

Helandel looked amused. “Yes, he could, but he asked me to fetch you instead. We’ve not spent much time together and I’m glad for the excerise. These old bones are creaking on me now.”

“Oh, well,” she turned to the others, “see you around.”

Claire pulled her closer and whispered to her. “Is it a Master Reaper thing to call the Master by his name?” she hissed and Lily looked blank.

“I don’t really think so,” she admitted with a grin, “I think it’s a family thing.”

Lily left the others staring after her as she walked away with her grandfather. The old man was restful company, like he’d done his rushing around hundreds of years ago. Which he probably had, Lily reflected thoughtfully.

“Well, I finally know why the warrior lineage is so strong,” she said and Helandel glanced at her.

“Really? Why is that?”

“You’re older than three hundred. It’s not like there was much watering down to do between you and me, is there.”

Helandel shook his head. “Not much, no. How did you find out?”

Lily chuckled. “My secret.”

“I’m glad to see that you’ve made friends here. Reapers tend to avoid us most of the time.”

“I’ve noticed, but Claire is a nice girl and I don’t think the twins care much about what people think or are.”

“That’s good.”

“So, what does Death want to talk to me about?”

“We think that you’ve completed your training and that it’s time for you to return to the world.”

Lily stopped. “Wait, people are gonna notice that I don’t walk with crutches anymore.”

Helandel shook his head. “Death will see to that. No one will make a comment, they won’t even notice.”

“What about the Clerics? There’s one hanging around me, remember?”

Helandel’s expression sobered instantly. “That will be a problem.”

7: Back Home

Chapter 7:

 

“I still think you should stay at home for a while longer,” her mom said and Lily looked up from her bowl of cereal.

“I told you, mom, I’m fine. I’m going back to class today.”

“It just feels like it’s too soon.”

Lily’s eyes widened and her head jerked with fright. Her mother was standing with her back to Lily, washing the dishes and not really paying attention to her daughter’s reactions.

“You’re always trying to act so tough, even when you should be resting. It must be because your dad left when you were so young.”

An image of Helandel’s smiling face appeared in Lily’s mind and her hand clenched around the spoon she was holding.

“Don’t talk about him,” she growled and her mom looked around in surprise. “Don’t ever mention him again.”

“Why?”

Lily got to her feet and refused to meet her mother’s worried gaze. “Just don’t,” she growled and walked out of the kitchen.

She grabbed her bag from the hallway and pulled on her shoes as at the doorway. She felt her mother’s gaze on her from the kitchen and glanced up at her. Her mother was standing in the doorway with a worried look on her face. Lily tried to smile at her.

“I’ll be fine today. I think I’m going to have to stay late today to catch up on all the work I’ve missed.”

Her mother gave a smile. “Alright, stay safe. Call me if something happens.”

Lily nodded and waved to her mother. “I will, have a nice day at work today.”

Once outside Lily stuck her hand into her bag and felt around for the hilt of the sword. She’d been home for nearly three days and still had trouble adjusting to the time-lapse, or lack thereof. She’d come back less than an hour later than when she’d left for Death’s Domain. After spending what felt like close to three weeks there and finding that she hadn’t even lost an hour in the real world was disconcerting. She’d left injured and unable to walk unaided and returned fully healed. The strangest thing was that no one even noticed.

Lily looked up as she walked and breathed an inward sigh of frustration. Well, almost no one...

“Good to see you back on your feet,” Haji said as he pushed away from the wall.

Dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt made him look harmless and normal. Lily noticed the interested looks the other students were giving him as they walked past. For once, Lily was happy that her mom was a lecturer at the college. This level of street traffic made it hard for Haji to really do anything threatening.

“I’m a fast healer,” Lily muttered as she aimed to walk past him.

To her annoyance he fell into step next to her and his long legs made it easy to keep pace with her. She felt his eyes on her and lowered her head. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a pale blue and white sleeveless hoodie. Her bag was thrown casually over her shoulder, but the gap in the zipper made it easy for her to reach in and grab her sword hilt.

“Miraculously fast,” Haji commented and she tried not to look at him.

Helandel had warned her about this. The Clerics would see through the illusion woven around her. Reflexively her hand reached for the gap in her bag. Haji was walking easily next to her, eyes staring up into the pale blue of the sky.

“Yeah, my family’s kinda famous for it.”

Then he reached out with viper-speed and grabbed her arm. He twisted her so that she swung with her back into the wall of the house next to them. Haji pressed his face close to hers and leaned down, effectively pinning her between his body and the wall behind her.

“God, you must think I’m stupid,” he growled.

Lily looked around wildly, trying to find an escape. Two young women were walking past, but they were giggling and sending her and Haji pointed looks. It must have looked very intimate. Intimidating, more like.

“Get away from me,” Lily growled and glared into Haji’s blue eyes.

He wasn’t smiling anymore. His face was locked in a dark scowl and his eyes bore into hers.

“You’re not supposed to be up and about yet. You’re not supposed to even be alive,” he growled into her ear.

Lily’s hand delved into her bag, but froze at the click of a gun. The cold metal pressed into the skin just below the corner of her jaw. Her eyes snapped to Haji’s and she saw the dark humour reflected in them.

“Not so fast, Reaper.”

“What do you want, Cleric?” she growled and slowly grasped the hilt of her sword.

“I want to know why you didn’t listen to me.”

“About what?”

“About everything I warned you against. What did your humanity cost you? What did you exchange to become an abomination?”

“Definitely not my soul,” Lily snarled and pulled her blade out of her bag.

Haji jumped back as she drew the blade out. It grew as she withdrew it from her bag, shimmering eerily in the bright sunlight. Around them the world went slow and dark, casting them into that Limbo between the living and the dead. Haji didn’t look surprised as the light faded and time slowed.

He laughed. “I knew you were strong, but this strong?” He shook his head. “You constantly surprise me.”

Lily smiled a cold smile. “Prepare to be astounded.”

She spread her arms wide and allowed the full power of the Death Weapon to manifest inside her. She felt her clothing change and the tell-tale prickle that followed the dark lines that flowed over her face.

Haji’s face froze as he stared at her and his arm jerked up. He shot three shots towards her and Lily saw the pale-blue shimmering bullets cut through the air towards her. She swung the sword up and managed to block the bullets. She shot forward and ducked under his arm. They stood in frozen tableau for a few seconds before Haji swallowed heavily. The point of the sword hovered a hair’s breadth from his throat.

“Death, a necessary end, will come when it will come,” she said softly and Haji looked down at her.

To his surprise she stepped back and sheathed her blade. He watched it disappear into thin air and she replaced it back into her bag, once again back to normal. She thrust her hands into the pockets of her hoodie and looked at him quizzically.

“It always annoys Death when I quote Shakespeare at him, which I do at every possible occasion.”

“You quote Shakespeare at him.”

She nodded. “Only to annoy him.”

“From which play was that one, then?”

“Julius Caesar. One of my all time favourites, actually. Death, however, thinks otherwise. He said that the man was not quite as legendary as we are given to understand.” She shrugged. “I’m not one to judge, not having met the man personally.”

Haji’s arm dropped to his side and he stared at her in shock. She looked so normal as she stood in front of him, delicate and small.

“Why didn’t you kill me?” he breathed and she shrugged again.

“I’m a Reaper. I only take what has been spent; I do not steal away life.” She gave him a crooked smile. “But if you want to try killing me again you’re free to have another go.”

Lily turned and started to walk away, heart hammering in her chest. She kept her calm, fighting for control over her body. Acting, always acting casual. Keep him off balance, play to your strengths. What were her strengths? She was a good actress and she could play any role needed.

Behind her Haji stared. He lifted his gun again and aimed at the back of her head, but his hand was shaking. She was still walking calmly away from him, her back completely exposed to his gun.

His hand dropped again. He couldn’t shoot her, not when she was so exposed. She was taunting him, but that only made it harder to shoot her in the back. She spoke about Death like he was just another person, just someone to annoy and joke around with.

“What are you?” he called after her and she gave him a radiant smile over her shoulder.

“A Master Reaper,” she said and turned away again. He watched her lift a hand in salute to him as she walked. “If you want to find me again I’ll be at the building site this afternoon, ferrying souls. It’s my first assignment as a Reaper, so wish me luck.”

Then she rounded a corner and the bubble of timelessness popped around him. Haji stared at the corner where she’d disappeared in mute shock. She’d actually told him where to find her, like she didn’t care either way. Then something else occurred to him in his shock.

“A Master Reaper? What the hell?”

***

Lily leaned against the wall just around the corner, fighting down the growing hysteria that threatened to overwhelm her. She clutched one hand to her chest and the other to her leg, which was throbbing painfully.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” she snarled to herself as she ran a hand over her face. “Why the hell did I tell him that? Do I want to die?”

She straightened up and drew a deep breath, trying to quell the panic that tore through her. She swung around and started on her way towards her classes, trying not to limp as the phantom pain dug through her leg.

“One step at a time,” she muttered as she walked, “leave it to your stupid bravado to jump before you can even crawl.”

***

Classes went quite quickly that day and Lily realised that she hadn’t fallen as behind as she’d originally thought. It seemed like classes were stopped for a week after the building collapse. They’d decided on what the theme for this year’s play was going to be and she had to suppress a laugh when it was announced.

This year’s interdepartmental play would be Shakespeare’s ‘The Issue of Your Peace’. She was to play Constance because she already knew the majority of her monologues. The auditions for the other parts would open up the following week and anyone was welcome to participate.

Lily mused over this when she stood across the street from the demolished building. Even now rescue workers were still hard at work. They weren’t hoping of finding anyone still alive, but they were still removing bodies.

“If gold were merchandise that gold could buy,” Lily muttered as she pulled her sword out of her bag.

In front of her hovered dozens of spirits, begging the people watching, the rescue workers, the passersby to notice them. They wailed and begged and pled, but all their voices fell on deaf ears. All but one.

“The rich would live, only the poor would die.”

It was the Reaper’s code, although Lily found it amusing that the Reapers themselves were paid in Time. Time given after they retired to live out their lives in the real world. Again the image of her grandfather sprang into her mind, a man who had refused the time he was due and settled in Death’s Domain after the loss of his wife and abandonment of his son, her father.

“I guess that’s one thing he’s good at,” she muttered as she turned her sword hilt so that it pointed down, “he’s good at leaving.”

The blue blade shot out and the world slowed. Around her the souls’ wails and pleading grew louder. She walked forward and smiled at a young woman she recognised. They used to be in the same classes and the girl had a singing voice that brought tears to the eyes.

“Hello,” she said and the girl turned to her in surprise.

“You can see me?” she asked and Lily nodded. “Why can’t anyone else.”

“You’re dead,” Lily said solemnly and the girl’s eyes widened.

“No,” she breathed.

“I’m sorry.”

Lily swung her sword and the girl’s horrified expression faded slowly as the thin blue line was cut away.

“Yes,” she said slowly and peace flooded her face. “I died when the building collapsed. Thank you.”

Lily watched as the girl faded and disappeared. She worked slowly through the mass of souls that floated around the site, every one of them pulling at her heart. It was sad to watch them, terrible to watch their fear as she approached and even worse to see their peace as they disappeared. There were so many of them, too many souls that needed sending, but she was going to do it alone. She’d insisted on doing them alone.

“My atonement,” she said when Death had asked her about it. “For being given a chance to live when they were not.”

You feel that you must atone for your life?

“Not for my life,” she’d said slowly, feeling Helandel’s gaze on her, “for theirs.”

I do not understand.

And he hadn’t, how can he? These were people she’d known, laughed and studied with and now they were gone. And she was still here when she shouldn’t have been. Sending them off by herself was her final goodbye to them, a personal debt repaid. A young man stood before her now and smiled down at her in that roguish way of his.

Adam, his name had been, Adam Young. They’d started studying together and were friends. He grinned at her.

“How many are left?” he asked and she shook her head.

“You’re the last.”

He nodded. “Good, you look like hell.”

Lily looked down at her black robes and her hand went to her streaked face. Her fingers came away wet and she stared at them. She’d started crying without even noticing.

“You always were such a softie, I could always see right through your acts.”

He faded then, becoming less and less in the bright sunlight. With a heavy sigh Lily thrust her sword into the rubble and sat down on a large slab of stone. She lowered her face into her hands and sat in silence for a long time.

“You do look like hell,” a familiar voice said and Lily’s head shot up.

She made a grab for her sword, but Haji raised his hands in surrender, showing her that he wasn’t armed. Lily eased back slowly and lowered her head again.

“That last one, did you know him?”

“I knew all of them. They were my friends.”

“I’m sorry.”

Haji carefully picked his way over the rubble and settled down beside her on the slab. Lily glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and saw him lean forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He heaved a heavy sigh as he looked around. People were frozen in mid-action, stones hung in the air as they were tossed from man to man.

 “I became a Cleric because my dad is one, so is my grandfather and his father before him.”

“That’s nice.”

“I must have killed fifty Reapers in my time,” he commented and Lily grunted.

“Not something I want to hear right now.”

“I know.”

“Did they fight back?”

Haji shrugged. “Some of them did, some didn’t. Not one of them came nearly as close to killing me as you did today.”

She watched as he pulled up the hem of his shirt. A thick scar scoured a line down his ribs and over his muscled abdomen.

“And one got pretty damn close.” He settled back. “Why did you stop?”

“I don’t kill.”

“What do you call what you did today?”

“Their lives were spent, over, complete. Their hourglasses cannot be overturned.”

“Yours were.”

His reply was sharp and cut deeply. Lily breathed a heavy sigh as she looked up at him. His face was serious and cold, his eyes burning into her.

“I’m different. I passed a test that could have killed me just the same.”

“Did they get a choice?”

Lily shook their head. “I don’t understand how the Reapers are chosen. I just understand what must be done. Death chose me, I didn’t ask for it.”

Haji sighed heavily and ran a hand through his blonde hair. In this eerie world of silence he regarded her solemnly.

“Why were you crying?”

Lily ran a hand over her eyes, wiping away the last of her tears. She looked down at the rubble under her feet and thought about the bodies still buried there. Slowly she spread her palm on the slab they were sitting on and concentrated, but no pulse of life came to meet her.

It was something she’d learned from Helandel. A special talent Master Reapers had. The ability to sense a soul. She felt Haji’s soul next to her, burning brightly in this bubble of unreality. She could feel the souls of the workmen and rescuers, the souls of the onlookers, but nothing in the mound of rubble beneath her feet.

They were all gone. All her friends, her precious classmates that helped her study the many rolls she knew. Another sob tore through her chest and she tried to fight it down. Haji stared at her as she curled over her lap, arms pressed to the ache in her chest.

“Why are you crying?” he asked and she shook her head.

“Because someone should.”

“You’re a Reaper, why should you care?”

“Because I have to say goodbye to them,” she snarled as she swung to face him. “I’m the one who has to look into their fading faces. Do you think that you could do it? Face your friends as they fade from this world? I don’t know what comes next! Death wouldn’t tell me!”

“They go to Heaven,” Haji said and she shook her head.

“I don’t know, but I have to send them anyway. I have no idea where i just sent my friends. They’re gone!”

Lily jumped up and to Haji’s horror saw her leg crumple from under her. He grabbed her when she fell and gently lowered her onto the rubble.

“It was my idea to come and study here that day. They wanted to study on the lawn in front of the library but I insisted on coming here! Its my fault that they’re dead!”

Haji stared as Lily cried. All he’d ever been told about the Reapers didn’t make any sense anymore. They were monsters, demons who sold their souls to a Death God. They were to be killed.

But Lily wasn’t a monster, she was crying over her lost friends like any person would. What was worse was that she had to kill them again, look into their faces as she cut their souls away from their bodies.

“You couldn’t have known that the building would collapse,” he murmured and she shook her head.

“I should have kept my mouth shut. I shouldn’t have insisted. They always listened to me!”

“And you sent them to a better place.”

Haji’s mouth was working on automatic, saying things as they came to mind. He’d always been a sucker for tears. Lily looked up at him, her grey eyes filled with them and her face looking hopeful. How could he possibly kill her now?

“You really think so?” she asked and he nodded.

“I really do.”

She smiled at him and wiped at her eyes. “I hope so too.”

They sat like that for a while longer. Haji was staring out into the distance and Lily just sat staring down at the rubble under her. He was still holding her and she liked the feeling of security he radiated.

“So,” he asked after a while, “what do we do now?”

Lily looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean; I still have to kill you.”

Lily froze in his arms, terror gripping her suddenly.