Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Ru opened her eyes to take in an exquisite sunset full of pinks and oranges beginning to slip beyond the horizon. Though she stood in a desert where the sand was painted in similar tones, there was a light breeze and she didn’t feel hot, nor was the air dry. Off in the distance, she spied an oasis and headed in that direction, her boots seeming to stay on top of the sand perfectly without a cloud of dust following.

The oasis consisted of four palm trees that shaded a center area where comfortable wicker chairs with plush white cushions sat at each corner, and a table full of fruit and tropical drinks sat in the center. Her hostess occupied one of the chairs and smiled as she approached. “Ru, how are you?”

“I’m okay,” Ru nodded, taking the seat Cinder offered to her “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. How are you?”

“Busy,” she replied, though she smiled. “I hope this place is inviting enough for you. I know the heat can get to some people, but I’ve always loved the desert.”

“I suppose that makes your assignment to the Middle East ideal,” Ru replied, adjusting in her chair.

“Yes, it really does,” Cinder nodded. “Would you like a drink? Pineapple? Oh, the pomegranate is wonderful.”

Ru had yet to eat or drink anything in another realm, and she didn’t feel like experimenting with it now. “No thank you,” she said with a smile. “I know we both have things to do, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to go ahead and get to the topic I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Yes, let’s,” Cinder nodded. “Please, go ahead.”

It was difficult to tell if her politeness was a ploy or if this was how she always conducted herself in such uncomfortable situations, but Ru cleared her throat and plowed ahead. “I know that you informed Sky of my mother’s location on Holy Island, based on the information that Cutter entrusted to you, and I just wanted to know why you would do that.” Somehow, Ru had managed to control her own voice, keeping the hostility out of her tone and focusing on the facts.

“How, exactly, did you come to realize it was me?” Cinder asked, her hands folded around her crossed legs.

“You were there, on the beach, weren’t you?” she asked. “I didn’t see you exactly, but I had a feeling it was you.”

“And it took you this long to realize that?” Cinder countered.

Ru couldn’t explain why she hadn’t known right away that it was Cinder, but she’d had a suspicion all along. “Listen, Cinder, the past few days have been more than a little eventful. I don’t see why it matters how I knew or when I made the realization. The bottom line is, your brother trusted you with information that he believed you would keep to yourself, and you didn’t do that.”

Cinder ran a hand through her hair, and Ru could see flickers of anger in her eyes, or perhaps it was something else. Jealousy? “Rune, I did what I did because I was asked to. None of us should be keeping information from Sky or the authorities in other realms. When I was asked if I knew the location where your mother was hiding, I told the truth. Neither you nor my brother should expect me to lie.”

The answer seemed acceptable, and yet, Ru couldn’t help but think there was more to it than that. “Why couldn’t you have told her you didn’t know? Or that she needed to ask Cutter? Or that he was going to update her as soon as he had a chance? I’m sure you knew he didn’t want you to tell anyone.”

“Any of those options would’ve been lies, Rune. Maybe where you come from it’s okay to be dishonest with others, but not around here.”

“So even though half of the commandments seem optional, lying is the one that is heavily enforced?”

“I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

While Ru wanted to ask if Cinder was still a virgin, keeping herself only unto one man, or if she ever took the Lord’s name in vain the way the rest of the half-angels she commingled with did, or a half a dozen other infractions Liddy Brown would’ve said were signs of the devil, she didn’t see the point. “All right, Cinder. Well, at least we solidly know who we can trust now.”

“Ha, that’s hilarious coming from you,” Cinder replied, shaking her head.

Ru tilted her head to the side and studied Cinder’s face in disbelief. “Excuse me?” she asked, having no idea what the other woman was alluding to.

“Oh, come on, Ru. I saw you on the beach. I know you were meeting with him. Again. This isn’t the first time, right? The two of you are a couple of old chums. Or is it more?”

Cinder’s harsh words burned into Ru in a way only Liddy Brown had reached before. Clearing her throat, Ru said, “Are you talking about Nat?”

“Why do you ask? Are you conversing with other Reapers as well?” Cinder sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest knowingly.

Ru took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure why Cinder’s words were hitting her so hard. Perhaps it was because, in the back of her mind, she understood why someone might say that, someone who didn’t understand what it was like not to know who you were for so long and then to discover there were others who could explain two and a half decades of mystery. “Listen, Cinder, I’m not going to deny that I’ve used Nat’s willingness to talk to me as a means of getting information from him, but I can assure you, there’s no coercion on my part. I’ve simply taken advantage of his loose-tongue.”

“I’ll say,” Cinder muttered, raising her eyebrows.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Ru could feel the anger burning inside of her again, deep down in her gut, and she did her best to snuff it out. The last thing she needed to do was prove to Cinder she was right to suspect her Reaper blood could be dangerous to Keepers.

Cinder giggled. “Are you saying Nat was able to fool you so completely that you had no idea he was Kyle, not even when he was kissing you?”

“Of course, I didn’t know,” Ru shouted. “I would’ve never have gone out with him at all—let alone kissed him—if I’d had any idea.”

Cinder’s giggle turned into a laugh for a few moments before she gained control of herself. “Oh, Ru. Perhaps your other mom was right the first time. Maybe Ruin was a more suitable name.”

“What was that?” Ru asked, standing. There was no use trying to calm herself now. “You take that back right now!” She said the words through gritted teeth and stopped herself just short of calling the woman every curse word she could think of. She had to remind herself this was still Cutter’s sister.

Undeterred, Cinder continued, looking up at Ru from her seated position. “Well, it’s true, isn’t it? You ruined everything for your birth parents, then your adoptive mother. Of course, there’s your own sorry excuse for a life. Sure, some people would say it was a wonder you even got a college degree, but becoming an elementary school teacher in a creepy little town in Upstate New York is hardly a success story. Now, here you are, letting Thanatos tempt you into ruining this, too. It’s just a matter of time.”

“I closed the portal!” Ru shouted, stepping forward and poking herself in the chest so hard with her thumb that it bent backward.

“So I heard. Congratulations. Let’s see if Nat can stop you from closing the other two. I’m sure he’ll find a way to coerce you out of it with those twinkling green eyes.”

Folding her arms, Ru countered, “Perhaps you’re the one who thinks Nat is a little too special.”

“Ha!” Cinder laughed. “He wishes.” She slowly shook her head. “Listen, Ru, Nat is only interested in you because you’re half Reaper.

“Is that supposed to hurt my feelings?” Ru asked, growing more and more confused by Cinder’s line of defense. “Look, Cinder. I don’t have time for this. You think I’m going to mess this up, that’s your opinion. I’m not. Just, from now on, stay the hell out of my business, okay? And if you want to go crying to Sky, go ahead. Give her another reason to hate me. I don’t give a shit. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you think you got away with telling her about my mom without warning you, I’ve got your number.”

Slowly, Cinder stood. “If you want me to be afraid of you, Ru, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’ve been doing this for a long, long time. I’m more powerful than you. I’m more intelligent than you, and I am the last person you need to turn into an enemy.”

“Judging from your comments, I think it’s a little too late for that.”

Cinder’s eyes were dark and cold as she stared into Ru’s. “You should go.”

“I am.”

“Good.”

“I have portals to close.”

“And demons to screw.”

As much Ru wanted to shoot her black smoke straight into Cinder’s face, she only shrugged and said, “Nah. Just your brother to ruin,” before winking and fading out but not before she got a good look at Cinder staring at her, dumbfounded and slack jawed.