The cloak, the staff, the river. “I’m a ferryman.”
“Yes,” Corbin said again, shifting until he was next to me so he could wrap his arm around me.
“I don’t feel as shocked as I should. This place has always been a part of me. It doesn’t feel like it’s that big of a deal. And I help people. I like that.”
“Good,” Corbin answered. “I’m glad. And I love you, and nothing can change that.”
Crow cawed again, and I looked over at the forest. It was dark—darker than it should have been. “There’s something else, isn’t there?” I asked.
Corbin hummed in agreement next to me.
“Something is in the forest,” I said. “I don’t want to go in there.”
“Then don’t. I’ll go, and I’ll deal with it,” he answered.
I turned and smiled at him. My sweet hellhound. He really would, too. He’d deal with anything for me. I stood up, brushed myself off, and took a deep breath. Corbin stood as well.
“Thank you, but I think I need to deal with this.” I looked at him. “Come with me, though?” I asked.
“Always,” Corbin answered.
Chapter 25
Corbin
Sebbie seemedto understand that this wasn’t a dream. He also seemed to understand and accept the fact that he was a ferryman. I didn’t think he’d dealt with the reaper side of things, but I wouldn’t push him to deal with anything he wasn’t ready for.
We had an eternity together. We would figure it all out.
He slipped his hand into mine as we walked toward the forest path. Crow cawed up ahead, flying into the forest as we got closer. It was… foreboding. This place was usually a little overcast, although Sebbie often made the sun come out. Right now, the forest emanated darkness. It was like a deep, oily sludge was flowing through the air and coating everything.
I could smell, ever so slightly, the scent of rot.
We stopped at the path’s entrance, Sebbie took a deep breath, and then, still holding my hand, he led us into the woods. Crow led the way, flying from tree to tree, but we didn’t need her guidance. The path only led in one direction, and Sebbie knew where to go. If he hadn’t, I would have. The rotten presence ahead was disconcerting in this place. It so very clearly did not belong here.
As we walked, I wondered if that was part of Sebbie’s conflicted feelings. A ferryman ferried souls to the afterlife. There was the implication, I thought, that most of those souls were good. At least they were for Sebbie.
And that made sense. If someone was hellbound, they just went to hell. There was no scenic river cruise on the way there. Perhaps ferrymen didn’t deal with “not nice” people, or hellbound souls, and that was why Sebbie was so uncomfortable with his reaper side. Reapers were death, and they brought it to anyone who was due, good or bad.
Somehow, Sebbie was collecting souls and bringing them here, and that meant the good onesandthe bad ones. The bad ones didn’t feel like they belonged here, and I wasn’t sure why they weren’t just going straight to hell.
I squeezed Sebbie’s hand in support, and he looked over and gave me a slight smile. Maybe he wasn’t equipped to deal with the bad souls, but I was. I washishellhound, and I would always take care of anything that needed to be done.
Sebbie blew out a breath when we made it to the stone pile in the middle of the path. Neither of us were surprised to see it.
“No one died near me. Not that I know of, anyway. I don’t understand why this is here,” he commented, running his hands along the stone.
It didn’t break away yet, but I could see cracks and fissures, like it was slowly breaking down.
“I don’t even have any recent blank spaces in my memory,” he added, looking at me. “Because I think they have something to do with the things I don’t know.”
I wasn’t sure how much to say, but I didn’t want him to be surprised. “I think that this has been here for quite awhile.”
Sebbie tilted his head. “You know who it is.”
“I think so, yes,” I answered. “I think it’s the woman from the cult.”
Sebbie looked surprised, then he seemed thoughtful. “I was there when Thea killed her. I did deal with the other guy from that basement, too, so it makes sense.”
