Can't Fight Time

“Your Highness?”

Grim looked up at the Royal Guard in front of him as he gently closed his study door. The man stood in human flesh with the Bloodspurn coat-of-arms sewn onto the two bands around his biceps. The bands irritated Grim, the symbol—that of a teardrop-shaped vial with two swords crossed behind it—reminded him of everything the Bloodspurn Kings had stood for: murder, mayhem, and war.

Grim turned away from the thoughts and eyed the guard curiously, unable to place a name to the man. His eyes were very light green, his skin paler than the reaper norm, and he had a faded scar below his left ear. The scar interested Grim, because reapers didn’t get scars unless they were born from a human woman, and received them before they completely died and became a full reaper.

“Yes?” Grim turned fully to the guard, aware of his disheveled appearance and the smell of sex and sweat heavy on his skin. It was likely the guard knew what he’d been doing, and yet, still choose to come to him before he had a chance to return to his rooms and shower. That worried Grim. “Is there a problem? Have more ashes been found?”

Despite the hours spent with Nina in the quiet of his study, Grim knew the minute he stepped out, the full weight of his duties would once again rest on him. Still, for a brief flash of time he had found peace and solace, something that he was beginning to realize was better than even the best alliances. Perhaps that was the reason he had asked Nina to marry him so suddenly. She was still a stranger to Grim in so many ways, but something about her called to him, stronger than any siren’s song, and he was not fool enough to ignore it.

The guard interrupted his thoughts with a gruff reply: “Nothing of the sort, Highness. It is simply that the guards would like to… meet with you and discuss our newest guest.”

Grim picked up on the hesitation immediately. He’d seen the looks his guards had thrown Nina, seen the hate and mistrust there. He knew it was only a matter of time before he would have to deal with the fallout from his decision.

Turning sharply on his heel, Grim began to walk in the direction of his rooms. Nina was no doubt a topic of discussion for not just his guards but everyone in the realm.

“What is your name?” Grim asked the guard, keeping pace beside him.

“Tylend Daz, Your Highness.”

Grim’s lips lifted in a half smile as he looked straight ahead and turned a corner. “I would like you to assemble all the Council of Guardians’ members, the High Watchers, the High PeaceKeeper, and three Collectors, Messengers, and Royal Guards of your choosing. They are all to report immediately to my waiting room. Is this understood?”

Grim stopped and turned to fully face the guard, who was only an inch or two shorter than himself. Green eyes so pale they boarded on silver met his, and Tylend gave the barest of nods before placing his left fist behind his back, his right palm over his heart, and bowing deeply. It was an old gesture, one that made Grim respect the guard all the more for it.

“At your Highness’s behest.” Tylend looked up, pride in his eyes. “I will do so immediately.”

Then, with a woosh of air and a flare of restrained power, the guard took off on his mission. Grim took a deep and unnecessary breath, smiling as he caught the gesture. It only occurred to him then, that he’d been taking breaths since Nina had come to the Underworld, and, as he placed a hand over his chest, he was also using his power to match the slow beat of her heart.

Shaking his head, Grim continued his walk until he's reached his rooms, threw the doors wide, and strode past his sitting area and straight into his bedroom. Grim knew he had only an hour at most before his people arrived, and in that time he would need to formulate a course of appropriate action to deal with their inquiries, shower, and think of how he was going to try and woo Nina into marriage.

The water helped. Though Grim knew he could have just used his powers to clean himself, the act was still comforting. That was why he had had a shower installed in his suite; it was one of the only human luxuries he truly enjoyed. Well, that and tea. Perhaps it was a connector to his mother, one he sought just as he did Nina.

Grim sighed deeply as he scrubbed off her scent, and tried to think of a course of action. But too late, a flurry of different powers washed over his consciousness like a school of fish suddenly swimming through his body. He finished quickly, dressed with brutal efficiently, and went out to greet his guests.

The minute he stepped through the door, over fifty eyes turned to him. All the reapers were standing, some huddled together as if they’d been having a conversation. Grim moved silently to the front of the room, situating himself in front of the large floor-to-ceiling windows. With a flick of his power, a chair manifested and Grim sat, legs crossed.

“You may sit.”

A frown tugged at his lips but Grim suppressed it. Before, commands had been hard to issue, they’d felt like a form of binding, another thing tying him to the throne. It was different now however, the power he’d always tried to hide and suppress becoming easier to wield. Grim wondered if it had something to do with Nina, a change she’d inspired in him.

Grim didn’t have more time to contemplate it before the accusations and worries began flying at him. “How could you allow a human into our kingdom?” The question was spat out by one of the Watchers. Grim only knew the man was a Watcher from the blood drop-crystal hanging from the edge of the man’s hood. If the Watcher had been in human form the drop would have rested on his forehead, secured by a thin gold chain.

“Allowed?” Grim drew out the word and readjusted in his chair. “Perhaps you have forgotten the laws, Watcher. I can’t nullify a temporary contract unless it is my own. And if you didn’t hear, I did command my brother to nullify the contract with the human, but she refused.”

The Watcher stood firm. “Than command her. It is within your power as king.”

Grim kept himself firmly in check, though his lips did tighten into a white line. “You would have me manipulate a human?” the words were drawn out, said with contempt. “Do you think me so weak, so incapable, that I would have to resort to compulsion?”

The Watcher drew back and kept silent, reading the heavy tension in the room. However another took up his grievances, a council member this time. “Then fear,” the council guardian of the Province of Diyu said softly. “It is a strong motivator.”

“We are not monsters.” Grim shook his head and regarded the room. “Three months. That is how long Nina is here for. If one human can jeopardize a kingdom that has exists since the dawning of man, than we have deeper problems.”

A hush settled over the room, before a man leaning against a wall spoke. “You used the human’s name.”

Grim eyed Tylend carefully. “I did.”

The accusations were hurled across the room by nearly every reaper present, until it formed into white noise. “You have feelings for the human!,” “You plan to bring about the destruction of the kingdom!,” “You follow in your father’s footsteps!”

Grim let it persist for a moment, let the members say what was burning on their tongues. But then, he spoke. “Silence!”

There was no power in the word, no compulsion, yet every reaper immediately stopped. In that moment, Grim saw himself as a king, for he knew it was not power that made a king, but he how wielded it.

Placing his hands on the arms of his chair, Grim stood. He could feel the tension in the room, a wave of dissension coming from his subjects, but he knew the conversation wasn’t actually about Nina, it was about something more.

“We aren’t having a conversation about a human,” Grim began, turning his eyes to every creature in the room. “This conversation is about our kingdom—my kingdom. None of you truly believe that a single human will demolish everything we have built.

He paused, and let his power leak out across the room. “We can fix this problem easily by addressing the issues at hand. The human will stay for her allotted time, or until I say otherwise. This matter is not up for discussion. Now, let us discuss the other issues, and advise me on the best course of action.”

It was a tense moment before Krithi stepped forward and spoke. “Your Highness, My people are scared, my province does not know what to think of the monarchy anymore. None of them ever say King Tuoni and they think you are just like him.”

That was the spark that ignited the conversation about the king he should be and the ways to achieve that. Most of the problems he was familiar with, but had never taken active steps to fit. However, now he did. With every problem that was brought to his attention, Grim addressed it and opened the floor for suggestions on how best to approach it. By the end of the meeting, there was no more talk of Nina and the dissension Grim had felt before had, more or less, subsided.

Grim turned his head as reapers began to gather themselves and leave the sitting room. Behind him, the sky was a deep blue, swirled with black. It was a perfect mirror for Earth’s night, but, it was in fact, not night at all. The Underworld was neither under nor above Earth, but on a different plane entirely, accessible only through a series of portals. The largest, and first portals ever created, were in the Castoff, Darklore, and Bloodspurn Castles, built into their very foundations and given as gifts by Yin and Yang.

“Your Highness?” a voice interrupted his musings.

Grim turned towards the man who had spoke. “Yes, Tylend?”

“Do you need me to do anything?”

Grim stared for a long time at Tylend, not quite looking at the reaper but more of what he represented. Royal Guards maintained their position for all their immortal lives. There were only two ways to be relieve of the position: by a queen or king, and the true death. The former never happened, and the later was only in extreme cases and usually issued by the king or queen.

They were, more or less, glorified shields for the royal family.

“No,” Grim finally said, standing up from his chair. “You’re free to go.”

The minute he said the words, Grim was struck by how untrue they were. Royal gaurds, just like kings, were stuck. Archaic rules made freedom impossible for the both of them. Change, that was what was needed most, not just for Grim or his kingdom, but for the whole of the Underworld. None of them were free because the past still bound them all, still held everyone and everything in a tight grasp.

He clenched his fists and sped off down twisted corridors back to his study. Behind the oak door was more than freedom, more than even change. It was not Nina on her own, but them together, their relationship. A word was on the tip of Grim’s tongue to describe it all, to put a name to the new energy and life in his home. But then the door opened, and a curly, tousled head poked out. And Grim forgot the word, forgot everything as he took Nina in his arms and closed the doors to his study.

***

Nina was caught in a memory… Or was it a dream? She could no longer tell them apart.

She was in the morgue, but she wasn't in the morgue. She was seeing herself, but it was through her own eyes, like she was watching herself in a movie.

Then the morgue melted and she was in a field of flowers… Or was it at home in her bed laying on her flower comforter? Was she a child or a woman?

Music played, a melody that she recognized, words she could sing to, but couldn’t understand. Or was it a conversation? Did she hear music or a conversation?

Her father smiled at her, her mother beside him. They looked happy, not at all how she’d seen them before. They also looked different, like they weren’t exactly her parents. Who were they?

Nina couldn’t see anything; it was all a swirling blur of dreams and memories smashing into each other like fighting rams. Time unwinding, circling back—unmade, recreated. It hurt.

The feeling of uncertainty, of not knowing what was going on, was driving her insane. She needed to get out. Needed to escape. Right. Now...

“Having a nightmare?” Uri’s voice penetrated the memory, or dream, or whatever it was, and drew Nina back to the present.

Nina felt like she’d jumped three feet in the air, but she didn’t even move a muscle. The memory faded into nothingness as she slowly returned to Grim’s bedroom. The sheets were warm beneath Nina's naked body, and a slight swivel of her hips let her know she was still covered with a sheet. Thank God for small mercies.

“What are you doing in my room, Uri?” Nina grumbled as she rolled over on the bed and popped open an eye to look at him. “You’re acting like a creepy stalker.”

“I’m hurt.” Uri’s slapped his chest dramatically, but winked at her. “I came to get you.”

Groaning, Nina shifted just as a pressure decided to push against her bladder and remind her that she was still human. “Help me up. I need to pee,” she muttered to Uri and held out her hand.

Uri looked at her and shook his head ruefully. “You know, whenever you talk to me it always sounds like a command.”

Smiling, Nina reached for his hand while keeping the sheet firmly in place over her breasts. “And whenever you talk to me, I’m pretty sure you’re either hitting on me or just messing with your brother.”

Nina cocked a brow that dared Uri to contradict her. When he didn’t, she gave him a victory smile, tied the sheet toga-style, and marched to the bathroom.

It had been a couple day, weeks? Nina couldn’t remember anymore. Being in Grim’s bed pretty much blocked out time for her. But it had been a while since she’d seen Uri, and that in and of itself surprised her.

“So, why haven’t you come to meet me sooner?” Nina yelled through the bathroom door.

She heard Uri move around the room, his footsteps quiet on the rugs scattered around. “I had some business to take care of. But I never forgot about you, Nina; and if you ever want to mix things up...”

Nina could practically see the eat-shit smile on his face as she washed her face. Shaking her head, she smiled fondly. Uri was just... incorrigible.

It was still strange, despite how long Nina had been in the Bloodspurn Kingdom, she hadn’t really seen the castle and she didn’t know what was behind its walls. Grim had told her there were several balconies, but the place was so massive that Nina could walk for hours and feel like she was in the same place she’d started. It all just looked exactly the same: stone walls with ornate tapestries draped over them and big, thick wood doors. She had opened the doors a couple of times, when Grim had meetings to attend and left Nina to her own devices, but after her third door and the horrifying discovery of some kind of weird BDSM trap, she’d given up on her curiosity.

But she wanted to see more, to explore and to meet people that weren’t guards that hated her guts. Nina missed the human component of it all, missed talking with someone other than Grim or Uri.

If she were honest, she missed Nicole. “Uri,” Nina began as she exited the bathroom and walked towards the wardrobe where Grim had set some clothes aside for her. “I was wondering if we could go to the human world for a few minutes. I really want to see my friend Nicole—make sure she’s alright.”

Nina could still remember the conversation she’d had with her father, the palpable anger and disgust in his tone in regard to her friend. She was worried about the Nicole, about what her father might do to her.

There was a long pause as Nina pulled out some clothes and tossed them over her shoulder and on the bed. It was so long, in fact, that she turned around and found Uri looking at her with the most curious expression. He looked like he was trying to see past her, or inside of her—the type of look someone gives his reflection.

Raising a questioning brow, Nina tried the same tactic with Uri. The reaper was a complete mystery to her. While he seemed like he was a laid-back guy who really just wanted to piss off his brother, there was something just beneath the surface. Sometimes it felt like he didn’t care about any of it, like he was completely removed from it all.

“How ‘bout I check on her later. Grim would kill me if I took you to the human world,” Uri finally said as he pivoted on his heel and turned his back to give her some privacy. “And besides, we have plans today.”

Nina rolled her eyes and threw off the sheet. She had a feeling he wouldn’t sneak a peek, but just in case he did, she dressed quickly. “Oh do we now?”

Uri gave her a thumbs-up over his shoulder. “I thought you might want to get out of the castle and explore the town. It’s a decent size with tons of places to shop, you might like it.”

Nina nearly jumped for joy at the thought of finally leaving the creepy castle, but her mood sobered immediately when she remembered Grim. The man hadn’t let her get five paces from him before he, or one of the new guards he’d assigned to her, was there. She always had a shadow in the castle.

“And what do you get out of it, Uri?” Nina asked as she pulled her hair back and secured it in a ponytail.

“You decent?” Uri asked before looking over his shoulder and turning around completely. He smiled suavely at her, the epitome of a fairytale prince. “Having your company for the day is pleasure enough.”

Rolling her eyes, Nina snorted and looked around the room for her shoes, spotting them at the foot of the bed. “Bullshit. What’s the real reason?”

“Well, there is the small matter of Grim touching you even though we’re contracted. And seeing as I won’t fight him...” Uri shrugged. “Whisking you off is the next best thing.”

“That sounds more like it.” Nina nodded as she sat down and laced up her shoes. “But at least leave him a note. He’s been a bit paranoid about my safety lately.”

Nina felt a shift in the air and then Uri was suddenly in front of her, bending down to help her tie her other shoe. “I think I can do that,” Uri acceded as he pulled the laces taut.

“Now come on, I have a carriage waiting for us.” Uri announced and held his hand out like a gallant prince.

In a pair of bleach-washed denims and a light gray V-neck sweater, Uri looked like everything but a prince. His half-assed hair style didn’t help, the red tresses looking like they’d just been finger-combed.

Grasping Uri’s hand, Nina squeaked when he pulled her close and wrapped her in his arms. “Hey!” she said indignantly, but whatever else she was going to say was stolen by the wind as Uri ran—flew?—down the hallways with a speed that a bullet probably couldn’t match. They were outside in a courtyard of sorts in about thirty seconds flat.

As soon as they stopped, Nina turned her head and gagged, wondering if she would throw up. She detested flying of any kind, especially the kind that reminded her of theme park rides.

“You okay?” Uri took a big step back from her as she wiped some spittle off her cheek.

Nina shot him a quick glare. “Little warning next time you’re going to fly!” Nina tried to scream, but gagged again.

All around her, Nina could hear people moving, and Uri relaying a message for Grim to someone. After a few seconds of deep breathing, Nina was finally able to feel her stomach settle back into place.

Lifting her head, she looked around and her eyes went wide at the horse-drawn carriage a few feet from her. Uri hadn’t been kidding. The thing looked like something out of a fairytale, except the horses were jet black. The carriage was also black, and what looked like a crest with a pendulum with two swords crossed was emblazoned on the side of it.

“Is that the Bloodspurn coat-of-arms?” Nina moved to the coach and ran a hand over the crest.

“Yup.” Uri was beside her in a second, hands stuffed in his pockets. “Cool, right?”

Nina turned her head and rolled her eyes at him. She would never ever forget that the two were brothers. Sibling rivalry aside, they both had possessive tendencies that could not be missed.

"Um, why are the horses alive?" Nina moved her eyes to the horses stomping their hooves on the cobbled drive and throwing their heads back in irritation.

"They're not," Uri said. "They are spirits that have taken physical form. Reapers can recycle animals, plants, and anything living. So if you look around, you can see grass and flowers, but it's all just souls."

Nina looked around at the courtyard noticing the calla lilies swaying in a light breeze, the bees buzzing around them. If she didn't know she was in the Underworld, she would have thought she was in the human world. It was almost an exact mirror of—

A skeleton in a dark robe walked out of the castle with a large scythe, paused and looked at Nina, then sped off in a blur of ivory and black.

No. This wasn't the human world. Not anything like it. Nina reminded herself as she shook her head, and climbed into the carriage. Settling in the seat, she turned her thoughts away from the Underworld, and indulged in the obvious elegance around her. It was nice, the velvet fabric soft and supple against her fingertips. Nina had never been in a carriage before, but so far she liked it. It sort of reminded her of Cinderella, except she wasn’t going to a ball and her life was the farthest thing from a fairytale.

“She’s a beaut’, ain’t she?” Uri hopped in and shut the door behind him. “Cars are impossible because we don’t have gas or electricity. Most people either take bikes or carriages to get around.”

Nina nodded and felt her knees brush against Uri in the confines of the carriage. With a jerk, the carriage began rolling, and Nina could hear the soft commands of the driver and the disgruntled snorts from the horses. Nina clutched onto the seat and mentally curse every movie that made riding in a carriage look easy.

“Not used to carriages?” Uri asked around a smothered laugh.

Turning to glare at him, Nina squeaked as she bounced up on the seat. “I’m a city girl. The closest I’ve been to a carriage is in a book.”

Nina turned her head and looked out the small window flap to the rolling countryside they were traveling through. Everything really did look straight out of a fairytale, complete with roaming cows and ancient, gnarly trees that appeared out of nowhere. It all seemed to reinforce how out of her element Nina really was. But as much as she wanted to humanize the place, she couldn't.

Gnawing on her lip, Nina turned back to Uri and prepared herself for the question that had been burning her tongue for the last few days. She’d heard the maids and guards whispering about it. “Uri, why didn’t you tell me Grim had a fiancée?”

Uri quirked his head and crossed his legs calmly, drawing out the moment. “Because I’m pretty sure she’s soon to be his ex-fiancée.”

“Does anyone else know that besides you and Grim?”

Uri shrugged, something Nina thought might be his trademark gesture. “They’ll know soon enough.”

Sighing as a sudden burst of exhaustion hit her, Nina watched the countryside roll by. She didn’t even know why she brought up Grim’s fiancée, it only reminded Nina of what she couldn’t have.

Turning her mind away from Grim’s impending marriage, Nina thought about Nicole again. How long has it been since I’ve seen her? She wondered somberly. Feels like forever.

Nina was just getting into a good ol’ pity party when a shout from the driver and the rearing of the horses interrupted her.

The carriage jerked, and Nina went flying across and right into Uri’s arms, forehead bumping his chin. “Ow!” Nina swore under her breath as she rubbed her head and stared daggers at the closed carriage door.

What the hell happened? She wondered as she watched Uri move with preternatural speed to the door, and then outside. Nina was only a few seconds behind him as she stepped down from the carriage to see the commotion.

“Get back inside, Nina!” Uri commanded in the most authoritative voice she’d heard him use.

Cocking a brow that clearly said: “Who do you think you are?” Nina strode past Uri and to the source of the problem. A woman was lying with her hand on her calf, surrounded by scattered bay leaves. It took less than a second for Nina to figure out what had happened.

Crouching down near the woman, Nina lent her a hand, the manners her mother had drilled into her came to the surface. “Are you okay, Ma’am?”

The woman looked up at her with large dove-grey eyes, her mouth parted slightly, and her cheeks pinkened. She looked around forty, with wisps of gray hair in her auburn bun.

“Thank you,” the woman said in a lightly accented voice that sounded strangely British. Her entire appearance sort of made Nina think of an 18th Century governess, except for the red and gold sash around her hip which contrasted sharply with her navy gown.

Nina mentally rolled her eyes and blamed her thoughts on way too much British television. “We’re so sorry,” Nina mumbled as the woman took her hand and stood up. “Let us help you with your bags.”

Turning, she sent menacing glares to both Uri and the driver, until the pair slunk over and began helping pick up. Nina turned to make sure Uri was actually doing something, and not goofing off, when she saw him pause and look over at the woman. Uri stared at the woman for a long moment, so long that Nina thought he might know her, but then he turned away and began picking up again.

Weird, Nina thought as she looked over her shoulder at the woman, who was rubbing her calf absently while looking over at them. The woman shook her head softly before grimacing and going back to her leg.

They all finished packing the leaves up and set them down in front of the woman. “We’re so sorry, Miss…”

The woman’s smile was kind, if a little nervous. She executed a perfect curtsy. “Iris, Your Highness.”

Nina bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Never had she thought someone would refer to her as “Your Highness.” Here she was with a reaper prince, traveling around in a freaking carriage, and some poor woman that they’d nearly killed was referring to her as royalty. It was almost comical.

Shaking her head, Nina addressed the woman. “I’m not royalty by any stretch of the imagination. You want to talk to this guy.” Nina pointed her thumb at Uri.

“Prince Uriel Keuthonymos Bloodspurn, at your service.” Uri graced the woman with a bow that every prince charming in any book would have taken note of. Sometimes Nina completely forgot Uri was a prince, and other times it was so blaringly obvious it hurt her eyes to watch.

This was one of the latter times.

The woman flushed a delicate rose and looked back at Nina. Her mouth was open, about to pose a question, when her entire face shifted and she took one huge step back. “Human,” the woman whispered fearfully, like she was saying the Devil’s name.

Nina furrowed her brows and shifted on her feet. It was the castle guards all over again. It seemed the whole Underworld had some kind of hate-on for humans. It made Nina feel a little angry, but most of all very sad. If the history was different, if things could have worked out in the past, if—

Nina mentally shook herself. If-ing solved nothing, and helped no one, she reminded herself, the lesson from her sixth grade English teacher coming back to her.

“Yup, I’m a human,” Nina said with more cheer than she felt. “Something wrong with that?”

Iris shook her head quickly, almost fearfully. “Nothing. It’s just, we don’t have humans here. It’s not allowed.”

Nina’s smile was wry. “I just love breaking the rules.” Uri snickered beside her, and Nina cast him a sidelong glance.

“Do you need a ride, Iris?” Uri asked pleasantly.

Nina turned and cocked a brow at him, but the man had turned into Mr. Innocent. Nina rolled her eyes, pretty sure he was only offering so that he didn’t have to be trapped in a carriage with her alone again.

“I wouldn’t want to impose on—” Iris began softly.

Nina waved aside her concerns as the men began lifting her bag of leaves and placing them into the cart. “You’re not imposing. We were just out on a sightseeing trip.” She gestured to the carriage. “If you wouldn’t mind riding with a human, then we’d love to have your company.”

Iris was smiled gently. “I would love to ride in the carriage. Thank you so much.”

They all climbed back in the carriage and settled down. Then with a flick of the reins and a click to the horses, they were off.

Nina smoothed her skirt down and turned to smile politely at Iris. “So, um, what do you do?” Nina asked then amended herself. “I mean, in the Underworld.”

Iris nodded like she’d already understood, and flicked the sash at her waist. “I’m a Messenger. I deliver specific souls to Yin and Yang.”

Nina felt her curiosity peak and she turned slightly to really take inventory of the woman beside her. Iris looked like a strong wind could knock her over, and the sweet demeanor she wore like a second skin was a little disconcerting.

“Can you elaborate on that? I’m not exactly up to date on the whole hierarchy here.” Nina was glad she could get her mind off of Grim, her death, the weird engagement thing, and the other dozen or so thought floating in her head.

Iris pursed her lips for a second before releasing them. She looked like she wanted to refuse, but Iris just clasped her hands and began speaking. “Of course, Ms. Nina—”

“Just Nina is fine.”

“A-alright.” Iris looked at Nina quickly before looking down at her lap, her fingers twisting in the fabric of her skirt nervously. “In the Underworld, there are different positions you can have: a member of the Council of Guardians, Royal Guard, PeaceKeeper, Envoy to the different kingdoms, Watcher, Collector, and finally Messenger. Messengers, however, hold the lowest positions.

“You do know about Yin and Yang?” Iris asked her, with a quick glance up.

Nina turned to Uri and gently nudged him. “I know a little, courtesy of Uri. Mad scientist gods and all that.”

Iris nodded and looked at Nina with a bit more respect. “Yes, that’s more or less how it is. My job is to deliver specific souls to Yin and Yang. They tell me which souls they want and I go find the reaper that has them and give the soul to them.”

Iris paused, and pursed her lips. “There are other Messengers who just recycle the souls. They have more prestige than me, because they can prove they are doing their job. But since the Yin and Yang are forbidden to directly meddle in reaper affairs—due to some events in the past—I cannot prove that I am actually doing my job. It’s a bit complicated to explain.”

It was all very fascinating to Nina, and made her curious to what other dissimilarities lurked just under the surface of the Underworld. So far, she just found herself in a world that almost directly mirrored her own, with the occasional weirdness that accompanied beings of Death.

Nina paused and for a second forgot she was in a carriage. Thoughts floated through her mind in waves, and again she felt like there was a puzzle being laid out in front of her that she just couldn’t see. But then a thought struck.

Perhaps she hadn’t finished the puzzle at all.

Nina bit her bottom lip and thought hard. She was still alive by some weird force of nature, still learning and discovering new things. Now, whether any of this could actually help save her life was the real question. But she really doubted any of it could do much more than fascinate and dazzle her until her death.

But there was still a puzzle that was unfinished, still a puzzle that she might not have finished at all. Maybe she’d just begun to collect the million or so pieces that made up the whole picture.

And perhaps you’re just going crazy because every second that ticks by brings you closer to death and you're trying to keep your mind occupied with everything but that fact, her internal voice mocked in a scathing tone.

Nina felt blood coat her tongue, and realized she’d bitten through her lip. Damn! She thought as she licked at the blood and looked at the woman beside from her.

As much as it pained her to admit it, the voice was right. Nothing she learned actually helped her. All it did was make it easier for her to digest that there were things she’d never known existed, but that were real. All it really did was open her mind. And while that was great for the long term, it really didn’t help with her shortening life.

“Nina?” Iris asked; bring her attention back to the jostling carriage.

Drawing back from her dark thoughts, Nina smiled at Iris and then cast a sidelong gaze at Uri. He was still looking relaxed and completely unfazed. Nina would have killed to have Uri’s ‘whatever’ look; the best she could manage was a ‘doing-my-best-not-to-break-down’ look. That one had been popping up a lot more lately.

“Yeah, sorry, zoned out for a second there.” Nina waved off her wandering mind and crossed her legs. “So basically, you can’t prove that you do your job because your employers are forbidden from coming here.”

Iris blinked back in surprise and nodded slowly. “Actually, yes. That’s exactly how it is.”

Her expression pensive, Iris folded her hands and stared at Nina as if she was some kind of new species. “Our world is different from yours. While your world is based more on monetary power, our world is based on spiritual power.

Iris nodded to Uri. “If you touch his Highness and then touch me, you’ll see. The power difference is drastic.” Iris held out her hand.

Curiously, Nina touched Uri and felt the power thrumming through his veins, faster than even her blood. Turning, she grasped Iris’ hand and felt… nothing. It was sort of like touching herself, like touching a human.

Nina gripped tighter and tried to feel the power, and just when she thought there was none, she felt it, so faint it was like a single drop.

“Wow.” Nina opened her eyes slowly and let go of Iris’ hand. The woman nodded and tucked her hand back into her lap.

“A reaper can achieve power one of three ways: be born into power, work to get power, or take it from another. Reapers can kill each other and take on the other’s power. ” Uri explained.

Nina mentally snorted. Kind of like the human world. Not exactly, but closer than I thought. “You know, our worlds really aren’t so different.” Nina cocked an eyebrow and Iris and Uri.

Uri laughed the sound like something out of a wet dream. “You have no clue how different our worlds are, Nina.”

Rolling her eyes, Nina turned to share a smile with Iris, when she saw the grim set of the woman’s face. Dove-gray eyes met her own, and she saw steel behind them that she’d only ever seen in herself, and only at her lowest moments.

“Our worlds are completely different, Nina.” Iris said quietly, and then turned her eyes to Uri. The two shared a bond that Nina knew she would probably never understand. “The only way you would understand our positions is if you became a part of our world. At the moment, you are simply human. ”

Turning to look out at the rolling scenery, Nina hoped it wouldn’t be too much longer to the town. It hurt to realize the mistake she’d made, thinking that she could humanize the Underworld. They were beings of death, reapers.

In that moment, Nina couldn’t have felt farther away from Uri, or from Grim.