Chapter 39: Chapter 39

“What about Larkin’s ancestor. Ronobe? Where is he?”

“Same place as Larkin,” Cutter replied. “Although he has managed to escape many times, which is how Larkin came to be.”

“And Thanatos mentioned his father. Azrael?”

Once again, Cutter nodded. “He was sent to Hell a long time ago, but like Ronobe, he occasionally escapes, and one of us has to catch him. Azrael is one of the few original Archangels who have fallen that continues to operate on this side of eternal damnation from time to time.”

“Why is that?”

“Because, originally, he was sanctioned by God with the duty of collecting names and recording them in the book. But once we realized he was allowing Reapers to collect unmarked souls without ramifications, he too was damned.”

Ru took another sip and then puzzled over his comment for a moment before asking, “So he wasn’t one of the original fallen angels.”

“No. There was good in Azrael for a long time. No one knows what changed him.”

“And Thanatos is his actual son?”

“Yes. Like I said, Azrael is clever. Much like Nat, he can come and go wherever he pleases via portals to Hell.”

“Like the one in Reaper’s Hollow—the one Washington Irving was alluding to?”

“Precisely. Azrael doesn’t come out often. He chooses to stay below and record the names, letting the Reapers do the collecting. But from time to time, he does surface. And in the case of Nat, he left something behind as a remembrance.”

Ru shook her head, and he wasn’t sure if it was in disbelief or if she felt sorry for Nat or his mother. “She was a human?”

“Is. Yes. She’s still alive.”

Her eyes widened momentarily again, but she said nothing about his remark. “Nat… is a tricky dude. He doesn’t look like a demon.”

“No, he doesn’t. That’s one of the reasons why he’s so powerful,” Cutter agreed. He took another drink and realized his cup was almost empty. He contemplated a refill but already felt a little jittery, though some of that might’ve had to do with the beautiful woman across from him and the conversation they were having.

Once more, Ru grew contemplative for quite some time. She ran her hand through the top of her hair, straightened her ponytail, stared out the window, focused on her own folded hands. “So… if… if I wanted to, would I actually be able to do all that. I mean, the vision stuff you were talking about. Leaping through other realms?”

Not exactly sure how to answer her without scaring her, Cutter held her gaze and slowly nodded.

Ru scoffed, her shoulders vibrating in disbelief. “I can’t imagine.”

“I know,” he assured her. “I wouldn’t be able to either. But it’s true. Look, Ru, you’ve got to remember, this is different for all of us. We were all raised by parents who trained us from when we were little in how to do all of this; how to utilize our power, how to leave this realm, enter visions, whatever we needed to do to find Reapers, chase them down, and capture or destroy them. You haven’t had that benefit, obviously. So, how could you possibly just accept all of it? It’s going to take you some time to let it all in. And that’s fine. Take all the time you need. Just keep in mind that Nat sees you as an acquisition. He will do his best to convince you that he’s the good guy here, and if he should get his hands on you, it wouldn’t be pretty.”

“So take my time, but remember a crazy half-demon is trying to manipulate me and take me to the center of Hell. Awesome.”

Cutter laughed, more an attempt to calm her than anything else. “That’s not exactly what I said, but, yeah, something like that.”

“Cutter, I want to believe you. I really do. It just all seems impossible, you know?”

“Absolutely,” he replied. “But Ru, we’re here to show you what you are capable of. And once you see that you’re part of this, that you belong with the rest of us, that you’re a Keeper, not only will you be able to do a lot of good in this world, we can also help you find your mom.”

Her eyes brightened at the mention, but then it faded. He wondered if she’d been so ingrained with the idea that her mother didn’t love her that she felt that any search would just end in more heartache and disappointment.

“What if I choose not to accept it?” she asked, not meeting his eyes. “What if I choose to continue to believe my reality is the only one there is?”

“I’m afraid that won’t be an option much longer, Ru. You might somehow convince Rider, Ivy, Lyric, and I to leave you alone, but the Archs would just send others to try again where we have failed. Not to mention, Nat isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”

She ran a hand through her hair again, causing the loose locks to cascade around her face. “I didn’t ask for this.” The phrase was emphatic, though not loud. She seemed exasperated well beyond what one might’ve guessed if they were observing the conversation from a distance.

“I know you didn’t, but it’s your lot, Ru.”

“My what?” she asked, as if she hadn’t understood completely what he meant.

“Your hand, your fate, what providence has dealt you. You are destined to be a Keeper, and probably one of the most powerful ever to walk the Earth. And I am honored that I was chosen to help you fulfill that destiny. I just hope I can make you see that you can trust me to do it. I promise, Ru, I will always protect you. I will always keep you safe. And most importantly, I will go wherever we need to go in order for you to find your mother. But while we are doing all of that, we also have a war to fight. And we need you. Thanatos needs to be stopped. I think you’re the key to doing that, to helping us find the portal in Reaper’s Hollow and banishing him to Hell, once and for all.”

Ru was silent after he finished talking, holding his gaze for a long moment before slowly looking away, out the window again, and Cutter assumed that, once again, he’d said way too much. He was contemplating whether or not to apologize when she took a deep breath and turned her attention back to him. “Well, you’ve certainly given me a lot to think about.”

He managed a small smile but was afraid to say anything else for fear of muddying things even more.

“I don’t suppose there’s a chance I can do all of that and continue to teach fourth grade?”

Cutter slowly shook his head. “I wouldn’t see how. And it could be dangerous. For your students.”

Ru’s eyebrows arched again, but no further information was needed. She nodded. “If you don’t mind, I think I should head home. See if I can sort all of this out in my head a little bit.”

“Of course,” Cutter replied. “I’m sure it’s overwhelming, and I apologize for having to dump it all on you at once.”

She didn’t say anything, only nodded again.

“If… if you happen to have any questions, you know you can call me or text me at any time. Right?”

“Sure. Okay. Thanks.” She reached around the back of her chair and grabbed her jacket. “You were in my dream last night? So… are you hanging around my house or something? How did you know Nat was even there?”

“It’s hard to explain. We aren’t invading your privacy, though. We are taking turns checking in on you briefly, just enough to know if you’re asleep, and once you fall asleep, well, we watch a little more closely.”

Ru froze with her arm half in one sleeve. “That’s creepy. How about you guys don’t do that anymore?”

“We were just trying to keep you safe.” Cutter didn’t mean to sound defensive, but he knew it came out that way.

“I understand that, but it isn’t necessary. I’m not about to go gallivanting through the forest with Thanatos, okay? You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

Cutter was hesitant to agree to anything. He might trust Ru not to make any poor decisions when it came to the demon that sought her out, but Nat could not be trusted. Still, she’d asked for them to stop their surveillance. He couldn’t ignore the request. “Fine,” he said quietly as she finished putting on her jacket. “But… don’t trust him, Ru. At all. He’s calculating. Your best bet, if he shows up in another one of your dreams, is to wake yourself up immediately or else he will try to convince you of who knows what. If you ever see him in your home in spirit form, get out immediately and call me. In his human form, he’s more or less… human. Although he has powers just as strong as ours, if not stronger.”

“Like what? Can he use fire and electricity, too?”

“No, only Keepers of the Light, like you and I, and Rider, can do that. He uses something much more sinister.”

Ru’s eyes widened for about the hundredth time in the half-hour or so they’d been speaking. “And what’s that?”

“Pain.”