Chapter 32: Chapter 32

The sun was setting, painting the horizon a dull orange color. The winter air was crisp and there was a bit of a breeze at this altitude. Ru was beginning to wish she’d grabbed her gloves and hat when her thoughts froze. A man was making his way from between the shadows cast by the large rocks in front of them. Ru knew who it was instantly. She turned to Cutter and smiled. He looked confused and glanced from her to the man in front of them.

Taking a few steps forward, Ru met him near the tree. “Hi, Dad,” she said, smiling. “You made it.”

“I did.” Larkin looked much the same as he had when Ru had seen him not long ago in Kayakoy, though perhaps a bit more rested. He was wearing the same black clothing, and when Ru got a glimpse of his hands, she could see the scars didn’t seem as fresh. “It’s nice to see you, Ru.”

“You, too.” She stared into his green eyes, pleased that he had made it this far and that he had come at all. “How was your trip?”

“Long,” he said, chuckling. “But I made it. I’m afraid it wasn’t safe for me to come into town to get you.”

“That’s okay,” Ru replied. “I like your friend.” She smiled up at the bird who cawed at her once more.

Chuckling, Larkin said, “This is Max. He’s been a buddy of mine for a long time.”

“Nice to meet you, Max.” He squawked and ruffled his feathers. Ru imagined Max was likely used to gathering a similar looking young lady from her home and bringing her out here to meet Larkin. While that entire situation might’ve broken a lot of rules and made many people very unhappy, if it had never transpired, Ru wouldn’t be standing here now.

Realizing she also had someone to introduce, she turned to look over her shoulder. Cutter was still standing where she’d left him, a good twenty feet behind her. “This is Cutter. He’s a Keeper.” Then, Ru realized what she had said and added, “And a keeper.” She couldn’t help but giggle at her own joke.

“Ha, I get it,” Larkin said, also chuckling. “You have your mother’s sense of humor.”

Ru didn’t know if that was a compliment or not, but she definitely didn’t mind being compared to her mother. “I hope you’re okay that he came along.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Larkin replied. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to come on your own, not knowing where Max might lead you.”

While she was tempted to explain that she would’ve come on her own, she didn’t see the point. She was glad Cutter had come with her, after all. “Did you want me to cast the spell, Dad? The one that will make you a human?”

The question hung in the air for the briefest of moments, and Ru couldn’t blame him for wanting to consider the potential ramifications before he answered. It didn’t take long before he said, “Yes, Ru. I believe I do.”

A smile brightened her face as Ru considered what that would mean. No longer would the Keepers or angels hunt her father. He wouldn’t be a Reaper, and he could live happily ever after with her mother.

“Ru? Can I speak to you for a moment?”

By his tone, Ru thought perhaps Cutter had said her name more than once. “One second,” she said to her dad before turning and stepping back to join Cutter. “What is it?”

“Ru, are you sure about this?” he said, his voice quiet but his tone insistent. “I don’t think you should do anything that might get you into trouble.”

Raising an eyebrow, Ru said, “Cutter, it’s fine. I’m not doing anything wrong. This is white magic. Besides, like I said before, if they don’t like it, they can close their own damn portal.” She scoffed, but he didn’t seem to think it was that amusing. His concerned expression didn’t change.

“They could find someone else to close it, Ru. It might be harder, but they could do it. Now that they know where it’s at, it wouldn’t be that hard. Just… don’t push your luck, okay?”

“Cutter, I’m helping my dad. They owe me. I’ve already closed two portals.”

He opened his mouth like he might say something else but then he closed it, and Ru took that to mean he didn’t want to argue anymore, even though she was sure she hadn’t convinced him she was right. With an air of confidence, Ru stepped back over to her father who was waiting patiently, his hands stuffed deep into his jacket pockets.

“Ru, if you think you might get in trouble for this, maybe you shouldn’t. I don’t want to do anything that might put you in danger.” Larkin looked sincere, and Ru appreciated the fact that he was still trying to do what was best for her.

“You and Mom deserve to be together,” Ru countered. “You’ve both paid your dues, and besides, they need to think about the fact that it was your love—your forbidden love they hated so much—that created me. And without me, they never would’ve found the portals.” Ru despised the fact that she suddenly sounded like she thought she was more important than anyone else, and she honestly didn’t feel that way, but she did want anyone that might be eavesdropping from another realm to understand that she knew her value, even if it had taken her almost twenty-six years to figure it out.

“Okay, Ru. Whenever you’re ready, so am I.”

Ru took a deep breath and tried to center herself. Part of her was afraid this wouldn’t work, or she’d end up hurting her dad. She was also a little nervous about absorbing all of his Reaper energy. She knew the light inside of her was strong and thought it was powerful enough to overcome it, but it was something to be wary of. Without putting any more thought into it, Ru closed her eyes and recited the words her mother had taught her. “In nomine Dei patris ego omnia alia potentia malum relinquit corpus tuum. Corpus meum vas potestatem!”

Even before she finished the incantation, streaks of black began to shoot off of her father’s torso, then his arms and legs. By the time the words were finished, what had started out as wisps of smoke became thicker, turning and twisting together to form streams of black light. Twenty feet above him in the air, they formed into a sphere, one that began to spin, collecting all of his Reaper essence into a circle of energy. With a groan, Larkin dropped to the ground, the last tails of smoke and black ash releasing him.

The black sphere circled for a few moments longer, and Ru watched in amazement as it began to come closer to her. She heard footsteps behind her and knew that Cutter was alarmed. While she had asked to receive the Reaper power into her own body, she was more than a little frightened as it drew near. The thought of accepting all of that blackness into herself was more than a bit terrifying.

“Mitto ego te ad vidisse igneos puteos horrendam daemonium de inferno!” Cutter shouted, and just as the blackness began to seep into her, it vanished with an audible popping sound. All that was left of it was the scent of ash, the same one Ru noted whenever she used her Reaper power.

“What did you do?” she asked, turning to Cutter.

“I sent it to Hell,” he replied. “I didn’t want that taking you over.”

“Cutter, the spell called for me to absorb it. I could’ve done that.”

“At what cost, Ru?”

She realized he was just trying to help, but the fact that he could’ve ruined everything entered her mind. At the thought of that phrase, she froze. It wasn’t fair for her to cast that kind of judgment on someone else, especially not someone who was just trying to help. Without another word, Ru rushed to her dad who was still doubled-over on the ground.

“Dad, are you okay?” she asked, helping him sit up.

“I… I think so,” he mumbled. “I just feel… different. Very tired.”

“You’re not in any pain?” Ru asked. Cutter was standing behind her, his hands on his hips, as if he was concerned but didn’t want to touch Larkin.

“No, I’m not in any pain,” he replied. “Just exhausted.”

“We need to get you out of here, get you somewhere so that you can rest,” Ru said, letting him lean against her.

“I have a hotel room. My bike is on the other side of the hill. I’ll be fine.”

“I can’t leave you like this,” Ru reminded him.

Smiling, Larkin said, “You did it, kid. You really are something.” He scooted back a bit so he could sit further upright and groaned at the strain. “I’ll be okay. I’m already getting stronger.”

“Ru, we can give him a ride into another town, but there’s no way we can take him back to Los Angeles,” Cutter said quietly.

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine,” Larkin insisted. “Believe me, I’ve been through much worse.”

“Let’s just wait a few minutes and see how you feel,” Ru replied. She helped him scoot back so that he was leaning against a substantial rock.

Larkin took a few deep breaths. The only other sounds were the breeze rustling the branches in the tree and Max’s occasional squawk. After ten minutes or so, Ru could see the color coming back to her father’s face. “I’m fine, really,” he said and began to pull himself up.

Ru bent down to help him, and Cutter offered his hand as well. Larkin came to standing and thanked them before taking a few steps backward, steadying himself. “Whoo. Definitely feels different. But in a good way. I feel like a weight has been lifted from me.”

Smiling, Ru patted her dad on the back. “Good,” she said. It seemed that Cutter sending the Reaper essence to Hell hadn’t harmed her dad, and she definitely didn’t feel any different than she had before she cast the spell. She was glad it worked out that way, even if Cutter had caught her off guard. Something told her she’d feel differently if she’d had to absorb the blackness.

“What about the cloaking spell?” Larkin asked, looking at Ru.

“Right,” she replied. “I just wanted to make sure you were strong enough, that you were ready.”

“I’m ready,” he nodded. “There’s not too much to a cloaking spell.”

Ru had seen her mother cast one and knew that was true. “Okay,” she said, taking a few steps back. “I’ll do it then.” She looked at Cutter, who was slowly shaking his head as he stepped back out of the way. “This will just cloak him from evil,” she reminded them. “The Keepers will still be able to feel him if they choose to.”

“I know I can’t talk you out of it,” Cutter mumbled, turning around as if he couldn’t bear to watch her do it.

Ru raised both hands. “Patrocinium invocavi te tenebras lucem virtutes!” This time, a swirl of light sprang forth from her hands, encapsulating her father in a thin veil of white mist. In an instance it was gone. He didn’t look any more worse for the wear this time. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he nodded. “I think I’ll rest easy tonight, knowing no Reapers or demons can find me.”

A smile broke across Ru’s face. “There’s no way to test it out, of course. But I feel like it worked.”

“I do, too,” he agreed.

Cutter cleared his throat and Ru turned to see he was able to face her again. “We should get going.”

“Right,” Ru said, though she really didn’t know why. He had been patient with her, however, and she saw no reason to upset him. “Well, Dad, I’m guessing you probably can’t command the crows anymore, so I’m not sure how I’ll know when you need me.”

“Oh, Max and I go way back,” Larkin shrugged, looking up at the bird. “I’m sure he’ll still do a favor or two for me if need be.”

“Just in case, do you have a cell phone?”

“Not yet, but I’ll get one. I’ve got plenty of cash, so don’t worry about that.” He smiled at her, his hands on his hips, and Ru was sad to be leaving him again so abruptly.

“Okay, well, be careful. Hopefully, the Keepers won’t be angry about any of this and they’ll finally let you and Mom be together.”

“That would be… amazing,” Larkin replied, a far off look in his eyes. Ru couldn’t even imagine what it might be like to long to be with someone every day for as long as he had, especially while suffering in Hell. She’d also dreamt of the day she’d see her parents reunited. “You take care, Ru. Don’t do anything stupid. And be careful.”

“I will, Dad,” she said, giggling at his bluntness. She leaned in and hugged him. The feeling of being in her father’s arms was unlike anything else she’d ever experienced. He felt strong and protective, like nothing could ever harm her here. Ru turned her head and kissed his rough cheek. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you, too, sweetheart,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I’ll see you soon.”

Ru released him and reluctantly headed over to where Cutter waited for her.

“Take care of her, Cutter,” Larkin said as he waved and turned around.

“I will,” Cutter promised, though Ru caught him adding, “if she’ll let me.”

She took his hand and narrowed her eyes at him. “I did what I had to do.”

“I know.” He didn’t say more, though his countenance told her he still didn’t approve.

A squawk behind her caught Ru’s attention. “Bye, Max! Come visit me soon!” The bird seemed to answer with another loud chirp before he took off, disappearing into the horizon. Larkin was also already gone, down the other side of the hill, as Ru took a few deep breaths and considered what she’d just done. She’d stand by her decision, no matter what, even if it meant troubled waters lay ahead. If there’s one thing her parents had taught her, it was that family always came first. Always.