She will likely not take kindly to my presence. But the longer she roams this world alone—especially in this weakened state—the greater the risk. Eventually, her luck will run out, and if I can barely hold my own against a pack of demons, she has no hope of doing so.
Having pondered on this problem long enough already, I make plans to approach her and offer my aid, so I might earn her trust…while concealing the truth of what I am.
My subconscious warns me I will pay for such duplicity in time. But I see no other path forward.
Chapter Seventeen
The Study of Man
The Chosen
I’m not sure if I found him or he found me, but I stumbled upon the path of the Soul Sucker. The Plague Caster, who also goes by the name Pestilence. The Grey Horseman, who was the third one to breach this plane.
I do not remember him as well as the others, and I only get a few furtive glimpses of him as he stalks my every step. His powers allow him to go invisible or blend in with the environment and space around him as if to make him undetectable.
However, I do not just sense his power. I feel it push into my own. Like a surging force or a low-thrumming storm, giving off an electric charge to the air in the vicinity so you feel it even if you don’t see it.
It can be overwhelming at times, while at others, it’s simply a presence that follows.
When he remains at a distance and withdraws it, I breathe more easily. I keep my guard up just in case, ready to defend myself against it, him, should an attack come my way.
It never does.
He simply watches me. For what purpose, I do not know. To kill me. To take me unawares when I least expect it, or is he just curious about me?
The worst possible scenario would be that he knows of my theft and has come to reclaim the sword I swiped from his counterpart. This, I anticipate for days, but also take comfort in the knowledge that the great blade is well hidden.
However, as time progresses, he makes no move to strike me down or approach me at all.
Some days, I grow insanely curious myself. Some days, angry. Some days, I'm absolutely fed up. I want to turn and attack—get this battle over with—and put an end to this dance we are taking part in. Either I’ll survive or I won’t, but at least this endless cycle of pretending will come to a halt so I can go on with life or death, depending on the outcome.
It is that maddening.
But he remains apart, never coming close enough to attack, and I cannot return home where my supplies and equipment are stored while he’s monitoring my every movement. I will not lead him close to the weapons if that is what he’s after. Or the massive stores of elixir. So I merely roam as I try to figure out his true intentions.
Fighting an enemy I cannot see would be difficult, and it makes me wonder whether I should try a different tactic against this enemy. I have been trained in a variety of ways, including all the ways in which women can wield their natures and corrupt a man's heart and mind. Luring him, drawing him closer, so as to reveal himself, seems like the best option. But subtlety is necessary, and seduction is not something I’ve often practiced or wielded with great success in the past. Plus, I am not dealing with a mere man. As a long-lived immortal who experienced far more of the world than I am capable of comprehending, I know not how the Horseman may respond. Is he susceptible to desire?
Would my clumsy wiles be in vain, or could I tempt him by appealing to his baser instincts?
The emotions rolling off him are subdued. They do not scream threat, so I explore ways to make myself more interesting and give him a glimpse of the woman I am underneath the cloak, without the magical properties of the elixir.
Beauty is relative. Compared to all the females he has likely encountered, how might I measure up? These are questions I ponder as I travel ever onward with no real destination in mind.
I know one thing…
This course of action is a high-risk, low-margin-for-error gamble. But at the same time, I believe if I pique his curiosity further, he will finally either choose to reveal himself or leave me in peace.
As the days progress, I dive back into my studies on the art of seduction and research symbols of conquest and desire. I work to make myself more appealing, less of a threat, and play up the distress while downplaying my ability to fend for or defend myself.
I stretch it out over a long period so as not to give myself away. However, I must be too subtle, because for all my effort, I am rewarded with no change in the distance between us. And time is running out.
I cannot continue to roam endlessly over the Earth with a ghost tracking my every movement. I cannot return to the homestead with this threat looming and lead him to what I hold most dear, and there are a great many things I must see to.
Time is precious, and whether he realizes it or not, he is wasting it.
Mine. His.
Drastic change calls for drastic measures. Grand Minister Judiah’s words come back to me then, and I spend the better part of a week figuring out what course of action to take to bring him out of hiding.
