“We’re not abandoning him Dahlia,” Zarev says, stepping closer. She smacks his hand away when he reaches out, and he shrugs instead of looking offended. “See where he’s headed? Up the beanstalk. I’ve already been that way with Odette. He won’t be able to go anywhere else once he’s up there. The shadows have very little to destroy that high up. We’ll give him a few hours to calm down and go after him then. We can still see him from here.”
“I’m coming with you,” Odette snarls, finally pulling away from Lucius. “You three have done nothing to make this better. He needs me.”
I press my lips together, wondering if Odette’s presence would be a help or a hindrance. Right now, I’m doubtful anything can fix him.
“He needs space,” Lucius argues, crossing his arms. The wings at his back are tucked in again, making it obvious he’s not going to chase after his friend. “And we need to discuss what the hell this is. I thought I was coming to see Thomas off.”
Dahlia stifles a cry, and the two children look more subdued at the reminder.
“That’s why you left Thornton?” Ban asks, sounding surprised. “You haven’t left the castle–”
“Manor,” Lucius corrects, looking uncomfortable. It’s then that I really focus on his eyes, and I’m startled to realize that they are a milky blue and mostly unfocused. He seems not to be focusing on any of us.
“Whatever,” Ban groans. “You haven’t left your home in a long time. But this you came for?”
Lucius waves a hand, and for a moment, black wisps of magic rise. My brows pinch as the different stretches of shadows circle each of us briefly before disappearing. “I came to aid my friends in a time of loss. Ray suffers in anguish, and it’s manifested in his magic.”
“And what does that mean for us?” Zarev asks.
“It’s yet to be seen,” he mutters, and I could kick Lucius right now. He speaks in as many riddles as the Sandman himself.
“I’m going with you when you go,” Odette hisses, the sweet girl act long gone. She looks livid. “If you three can’t show him kindness in his heartbreak, I will.”
She shoves between Zarev and Lucius, heading toward the tavern with her hands balled tight. More people, presumably family members, watch the scene. There’s a girl with Dahlia’s hair color standing at the front, and a man with strange pink and purple ears standing beside her. Her cheeks are streaked with tears, but his look dry.
As Odette slips inside with some of the children, I realize Rapunzel is missing. Hopefully, she’s inside as well.
“You three have to fix this,” Dahlia says, peering between the Reapers. They haven’t moved any closer to the home, and she picks up the toddler to hold tightly in her arms. “I will not lose two sons to one injury.”
She paces toward the tavern, stopping beside us to look at Ban. I tense, expecting more anger and hatred after Ray’s visceral reaction.
Instead, she reaches out to grip his shoulder, the despair in her eyes softening. “I have never blamed anything that followed you, Ban. I am happy you came down from the north to join our lives.”
That’s all she says, but it seems to unwind the tension in Ban’s body. He droops as Dahlia turns. She meets her eldest girl partway, who takes the toddler before wrapping her arm around her mother’s shoulder, and they both make their way inside.
Zarev sighs, pressing a finger to his temple. “Cyrus, would you please make sure no one else tries to leave the tavern? At least until tempers cool down.”
The man with cat ears winks. “Oh, you’re finally willing to accept my help now, Reaper?”
“Just go inside,” he groans, scrubbing a hand over his face. Cyrus waves over his shoulder and disappears, and I find myself distracted by the pink and purple tail that sticks out from his pants.
I’m almost certain he’s a creature from Wonderland, and I find myself curious to know more about him. That will have to come later, though; we have much to discuss.
When it’s just myself and the three Reapers, I look at each of them in turn, wondering if I should leave them to discuss their next move. I touch Ban’s arm lightly to get his attention. “Would you like me to go inside?”
“Not really,” he admits, tilting his head. “Though, to be fair, you can’t see Thomas, and you don’t know Ray.”
“See Thomas?” I ask, looking between them. “He’s here?”
“Ray wouldn’t reap his brother,” Zarev explains, gesturing toward what looks to be an empty space. I assume that must be where Thomas is, and I’m only a little uncomfortable that I cannot see him. “And since we’ve arrived, there hasn’t been time.”
“You brought Thomas to watch his brother’s downfall,” Ban says, speaking directly to Lucius. The man cocks his head, the tips of his wings copying the motion. It’s a strange sight. “Why?”
“Because we’re supposed to be Reapers,” Lucius says, focusing on Ban. Waving a hand, the shadows caress us again, and I jump at the surprise. “Don’t fret, it’s just a bit of magic to help me see. I don’t need to use the same trick to see spirits like Thomas, but it’s necessary for the living.”
Blinking, I glance at Ban. “Necessary?”
“I’m blind,” Lucius says on a heavy sigh, turning his unseeing eyes away again. “Courtesy of the Mad Queen. She said it was punishment for the words of another.”
