44. Katrin

Chapter 44

Katrin

I 'd never patronized an establishment such as this. Either I'd been too young or too firmly distanced from society to ever find myself in this sort of place.

The noise struck me first. After so many weeks being one of only two—or now, three—souls in a given place, the boisterous crowd hit me like a physical blow. I staggered back upon opening the door, clamping my hands over my ears until I could adjust to the clamor.

A lively band played from the far corner. Several people danced, clapped, and stomped their feet along to the bawdy tune. Everywhere I turned different conversations vied for attention over the music. The crowded bar overflowed with drinks and still, people shouting for more.

No one paid me any heed as I tried to blend into the stone walls. Moira had done well in selecting a dress that wouldn't draw attention. I was unremarkable but clean. The setting sun cast enough shadows around the space that I hoped my own would not stand out as unnatural. Luckily, I'd had the forethought to draw my hair over the left side of my face.

I crept through the room, avoiding stares and errant elbows, and finally found a table in a secluded room off the main dining area. The patrons in this area appeared to be more of the travel-weary sort, content to make small talk and enjoy a hot meal in relative peace.

Not long after I slid into the small corner booth, a curvy woman with a stained apron sidled over to take my order. At least, that's what I assumed she said, but her flowy, lilting words meant nothing to me.

I shook my head and pointed to my mouth. "I'm sorry. I don't speak your language."

I spoke slowly in case she knew any of my native tongue, but she only smiled and bobbed a curtsy, returning moments later with a lukewarm ale and a bowl of stew. The ale was sour, but the stew was filling. After I finished, I contemplated licking the bowl clean, only my desire to stay unnoticed stilled my tongue.

Sipping my ale, my thoughts strayed to the new direction my life had taken. I supposed this had always been the trajectory of my life, but now I was in on the plans. Aware of them but unable to alter them to my will—a fact which grated on me.

Queen of the Afterworld.

What an insane notion.

It had been mere weeks since I'd wrapped my mind around the idea that Death was coming for me. Now, I had to believe he wanted me as his wife? I shivered despite the warmth of the inn.

"Miss Fil'Owen."

I looked up to see Fate's footman—Harold, that was his name—standing beside my table. "Yes?" What more did Fate have in store for me that she must send her manservant to fetch me from where she'd unceremoniously abandoned me?

"The Ferrier is here for you, Miss."

I jumped to my feet. Sure enough, the sun had fully set in the time I'd been contemplating my entire existence. The footman dropped a handful of coppers on the table for my tab, and I nodded in thanks. Without waiting for him to lead, I rushed from the room, weaving through the crowded main dining room and exploding out the front door.

I ran into Evander's waiting arms, overcome by the feeling that I was coming home. It was a preposterous notion, but breathing in his familiar scent, I could understand why my body reacted that way. Fate had been wrong. Behryn wasn't my destiny, Evander was.

Shadows erupted around us, cocooning us in their cool embrace. He pulled away first, and I made a sound of impatience as his eyes scanned me from head to toe. His fingers followed, confirming what his eyes refused to believe, that I was well and whole and here.

Taking his hand in mine, I pressed a kiss to each of his fingertips. His eyes darkened, and I bit my lip as he leaned in. My eyelids fluttered closed, waiting for the press of his lips to mine.

A pointed cough had us springing apart like young lovers caught in a compromising position. The irony wasn't lost on me as the shadows around us cleared to reveal Sam leaning casually against the side of a carriage. Heat rose to my cheeks as he exchanged a knowing glance with Evander.

"I'm sure we all have much to catch up on." Sam winked at me. "But we still have an angry demon out for our blood—several, in fact. It may be prudent to keep moving."

I nodded and allowed Evander to pull me into the carriage as Sam held open the door. He entered behind me, and I was struck by the amount of space the two reapers occupied. Once the door closed, there was hardly room to breathe between the three of us, let alone move.

Evander and I sat on the same bench I'd occupied less than an hour earlier while Sam took Moira's seat. I'd expected to see her within and searched the cabin for evidence of her existence.

When Evander caught my eye, I asked him the question that had niggled at the back of my mind since the footman came to fetch me. "Are you working with Fate now?"

At Evander's genuine expression of surprise, I looked to Sam. "We are in her carriage, are we not? That is her footman driving us."

Sam glanced behind him like he could see the man in question, but Evander answered. "You mean the fair-haired woman, Moira?"

I nodded slowly, marking the wide-eyed look that passed between the men.

"She only told us her name and where to find you," said Sam. "We did not know that she was the Lady of Fate."

So I told them of my encounter with Fate and all that she had revealed. When I finished, Evander cursed. I echoed the sentiment.

"Now, what?" Sam asked, the corners of his mouth pulled down.

"I think we must return to the manor." Evander worried the edge of his cloak between his fingers. "It was your original plan, Katrin, to search the libraries for anything that might contain a clue to freeing you."

I shook my head. "A fool's plan. Besides, we've already done that."

"Yes, but now we have a lead."

"And what if we still find nothing?"

"Then we seek out other libraries, hunt down forgotten scrolls of wisdom or whatever is necessary to see it undone."

"There are other reapers who would oppose Behryn." Sam's voice was soft, a contrast to his usually boisterous self. "I'll put out feelers for aid. Surely, there are some who would answer the call, if only for a little excitement from the monotony of reaping."

I buried my face in my hands as if I could hide from this destiny laid out before me. Suddenly, this selfish quest to free myself from an early grave had become something that felt insurmountable. "Why does this feel like we are declaring war?"

Silence answered, and I knew the two men were exchanging more glances, holding private conversations through looks alone. "Out with it," I said. I didn't want to be kept in the dark anymore.

"If Behryn learns that you are the wife he so desperately seeks and knows that we have been actively keeping you from him…" Evander hesitated. "He will see it as an act of war already, regardless of what we do from here."

A new fear blossomed in my chest, and I looked up sharply. "What will he do to you for aiding me?"

Sam opened his mouth to answer, but Evander silenced him with a sharp look, capturing my hand between his. "It doesn't matter. We knew the risk when we agreed to help."

"You couldn't have known why he wanted me."

"It doesn't matter," Sam echoed. "Going against Death in any capacity would result in the same consequences."

His expression told me I didn't want to know, but my imagination had no trouble filling in the gaps between their words. If I'd known trying to save myself would put others at risk, would I have done it?

I couldn't answer for the woman I'd been at the crossroads that night. I no longer knew her. The woman I was now couldn't stomach the thought of any harm coming to the reapers.

I had barely enough time to lift the window covering before my stew and ale made an unpleasant return.

"Lovely." Sam's tone was dry as I spat, but I refrained from glaring at him as the carriage bounced over the uneven road.

Swiping my sleeve across my lips, I closed my eyes and sank to the floor. There I knelt in a puddle of gray and laid my head upon the seat cushion until the carriage slowed to a stop.

The mortal footman, unable—or perhaps unwilling—to pass into the Corridor, had promised to take us to yet another entry point. Though I could discern nothing of the hidden Corridor beyond, I wondered at his knowledge of their locations. Perhaps his Sight, which allowed him to see departed souls and those of other worlds, also gave him the ability to sense what lay beyond. Or maybe he had Fate to thank for that information.

Evander stepped from the carriage first, scanning the area for any threats before reaching back to help me down. I felt immediate relief at having the firm ground beneath my feet. Though the ride had been short, I couldn't stomach another minute within the cramped space.

Evander kept a firm hold of my hand as we walked. His touch radiated comfort and safety. Part of me balked at the surety I felt at his side, knowing it was only temporary, only fulfilling his end of the bargain. The rest of me reveled in the confidence of standing with someone as powerful as he. I was strong by proxy. How would I have expected to return to life as I'd known it? How could the life I'd known be anything but mundane by comparison?

Sam followed close behind as he stewed. The three of us stepped off the road to make room for the carriage to depart. After a farewell dip of his chin, the footman urged the horses into motion.

I watched in silence as they continued down the mortal road, half expecting them to disappear into The Between as we would. Eventually, the coach's lanterns faded from view, and I turned to face Evander and Sam, twin expressions of determination upon their faces.

"We should have borrowed a lantern," Sam said.

Evander nodded in agreement.

"I can see just fine," I said, and I could. Though full darkness had descended and the moon was absent from the night's sky, I saw everything with perfect clarity.

"You don't have to prove anything," said Evander. "I can guide you until we reach my carriage."

"But I can see." Pulling my hand from Evander's, I marched toward the road with all the confidence of someone walking in full daylight.

I laughed as Sam and Evander stumbled after me, waiting for them to catch up.

Evander did not share my humor. Upon reaching me, he captured my chin with his hand, tilting it up until my gaze met his. His eyes roved over my face, brows drawn and mouth a harsh line. His other hand came up to cover my eye. My good eye, or so I thought.

I stared up at Evander, unblinking.

"What do you see?" he asked, his voice a low rumble.

It wasn't possible. "It is as if someone has lit a thousand candles across the land. I can see you as plain as day. Both of you."

Grasping his wrist, I moved his hand from one eye to the other.

Darkness.

"And now?" he asked.

I shook my head, unwilling to believe what my own eyes showed me. "Only the barest hint of shapes."

"Remarkable." Sam stepped up beside Evander, little more than a shadow against the night.

Evander's hands fell away from my face and once again, I could see everything.

"What does it mean?" I asked.

"It means you just got a lot more interesting, Kitty Kat," said Sam, waving a hand in front of my face.

Batting his hand away, I huffed in annoyance. Evander continued to watch me with a mixture of surprise and suspicion.

"It's obviously a side-effect of your mark," Sam supplied. "Perhaps a gift from Fate."

"I asked her to remove it," I admitted.

Evander's head tilted as his eyes squinted in question. "Your eye?"

"My mark! She refused, obviously. Something about how Death would come for me anyway. Pointless to give me false hope, I guess. She did mention something about there being advantages to keeping the mark. Do you think this is what she meant?"

Sam shrugged. "Could be."

"Come, then." Evander held out his hand. "We shall explore the full benefits of this power. From my perspective, it can only be an advantage."

Though I felt none of the hope I'd had the first time I entered The Between, I took his outstretched hand and allowed him to lead me through the doorway.

Evander's familiar black carriage and horses waited on the other side, silent and gleaming. I was glad they were the only ones that greeted us on the other side. I'd accrued far too many enemies for my liking. We made it one step past the barrier between worlds before Evander cried out in pain.