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My mouth runs dry as my breaths come quicker.
“Why are you telling me this?” I ask. “Do you not intend to follow through with our deal?”
“No, not at all,” Death says, shaking his head slowly as he tries to close the distance between us. “My deals, once made, are final. The terms must be met. I only wished to convey how deeply I … regret having to do it. I pray the one you are saving is truly worth the price you are going to pay.”
“He is,” I answer without hesitation. “My father is a good man, kind, and well worth my sacrifice. He has spent much of his life helping others, and I know he will continue to do so. Saving him is the best use I could make of my soul and life. Without him, I would have no life, no future to live.”
Death’s eyes narrow on me, seemingly unconvinced. I search my mind, struggling to come up with a way to prove it to him.
“I do not think you know the value of your own soul,” he says.
I blink up at him, his words forming a lump at the back of my throat. Shaking my head, I drop my eyes to the floor as tears blur my vision.
“You are mistaken,” I whisper. “My soul is worth nothing save for this one act. Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll agree. Father is a light in a sea of darkness, and a man many would mourn the loss of. Unlike me.”
Death is quiet for a long moment before reaching out to brush the tears from my cheeks, his touch making my heart skip another beat.
“I would mourn your loss, little one,” he says quietly. “So, forgive me, but I must see for myself if your claims are true.”
It takes a second for his words to sink in. As soon as they do, hope and excitement spark to life within me.
“Yes,” I say, my worry lessening, “you will understand as soon as you see him. I’m sure of it.”
There’s a little part of me that worries he won’t see what I see now that Father lies sick in bed, but perhaps he can see more than even he lets on. I’m curious how he intends to peer into the life I left behind, and whether or not I’ll be able to catch a glimpse of it, too.
There must be some way these immortals check in on our lives, right?
As he moves past me, I let my imagination run wild. Perhaps there’s a mist-covered pool or a magic mirror that allows him to see whatever it is he pleases in the other realms. If I’m lucky, he might even let me use it too. Then, I could check in on Father, and even Cyprian, to make sure they were okay.
It’s only when Death reaches into his wardrobe and pulls out a new cloak that I realize there’s no such magic pool. He intends to go to my village, my home, and see my family with his own eyes.
A little of my excitement dies at this. I had hoped for a chance to see Father myself, and to make sure that he was still breathing and that all was well at home, or as well as it could be in my absence.
Part of me still worries that I bargained my soul too late. That by the time the new moon comes, and Death becomes aware of my mistake, my father will have long since been buried.
What would happen to me then?
My mind begins to spiral, and I have to force myself to refocus as I follow Death through palace halls. I chew my lip, far too many questions forming in my mind as we walk.
I’m curious how he leaves this place, and what he sees when he does.
Is it all darkness and swirling mist for him out there, too? Does he always end up in that strange forest? What will he see when he visits my home? Will he share any news with me, or must he keep everything he sees to himself?
Honestly, regarding this last thought, I’m not sure that I want him to. I doubt Merelda has taken great care of the house, let alone the garden or animals, and I can onlyhopethat she’s been tending to Father as she should.
And I hate to think what’s come of Cyprian.
Reaching the main entryway, my steps slow as Death strides toward the large front doors. I watch him, half expecting him to leave without so much as a farewell, but then he turns to look at me.
His gaze cuts through me, a little blossom of hope rising in my chest as he motions me closer.
“Tell me, little one, where exactly might I find your home?”
“You do not know?”
“Despite what most mortals think, I am not an all-knowing creature,” he answers. “Each day that I step into your world, it is simply to heed the call of the dying. Unless I know exactly what I want and where I want it from, my only reason for stepping into your world is to seek out the souls of the marked, the dying, and the damned.”
I’m surprised by this, and can’t help but think it sounds a little sad and lonely. He may be free to go anywhere in the world, but what use is it when only the dead and the damned await you on the other side?
