Reaper's Novice (Soul Collector #1) (23 page)

The door swings inward. I don’t have the luxury of a choice any longer.

“
T
HAT WILL BE ALL,
Siegfried. Ana, please.” Grim sweeps a hand elegantly for me to enter.

Zig touches my shoulder, and I turn to face him. “Will you be all right?”

No
. “Yeah, thanks.”

“See you later, then.” He turns and goes back the way we came, without looking back.

I step inside the room. Behind me, the door shuts with a final soft
click
that digs deep into my bones. I blink twice to focus, distracting myself by scanning the vast room. It’s illuminated by yet another black iron chandelier, which seems to hold a million candles. Crystal pendants in different shapes hang daintily from it. The ceiling is decorated with frescoes of men with wind-whipped hair riding horses, dancing women wearing flowing dresses, and a face which looks suspiciously like Grim’s in fancy clothes staring off in the distance. Nymphs frolicking in fountains, Satyrs flirting, and other creatures I don’t remember ever seeing anywhere. So many details compactly squeezed on one ceiling. It’s beautiful.

Flames dance in the fireplace. The walls are covered with floor-to-ceiling dark wood shelves crammed full with books. When does Grim ever get to read?

Finally, I lower my eyes to the room’s occupants. Grim has one hand braced on the mantel above the fireplace, the other planted on his hip. Schuster and Zaynab stand beside a black sofa, and Schulz is next to a high-arched, vaulted window, arms crossed on top of his belly. The vibe in the room is tension-filled. Zaynab slips her fingers from Schuster’s—
Zaynab and Schuster holding hands?
—and dashes towards me. She glides to a stop and does that slight bow of head Schulz did when he left my room.

She holds out her arms to me. “I’m so sorry you have gone through so much in such a short time, Ana. I wish things could have been different.” I stare at her hands, the fingers I’d always trusted to draw daisy chains on my skin. I lift my eyes to hers, eyes that have always held so much warmth and wisdom. I glance over her shoulder to Schuster. His face is kindness itself. Then over to Schulz, whose face is scrunched up like he suffers from constipation, but his eyes glimmer like the edge of a knife. I cringe and turn away from him, focusing on Zaynab, pretending I’m not scared out of my mind.

“I need to know what’s happening. Why are you here? Why are you all here?”

She tilts her head. “Come sit with me, love. You will know everything in due time.” She grasps my hands and tugs me towards the couch. Once I’m seated on the sofa, I angle my body to face her, my hands clenched into fists on my lap to stop them from shaking. Her body practically vibrates with urgency. “You need to follow your heart, Ana. That is the only way you will get through this.”

“Get through what?” I look from Zaynab to Schuster. “What do you mean?”

Zaynab’s eyes dart over my shoulder, to the fireplace, to Grim, and then bounce back to me. “I’m not allowed to disclose any more than I have.”

“But you didn’t disclose anything!”

She begins to wring her hands and looks again over my shoulder. Schuster joins us and crouches in front of me. “You have to be strong now, Ana.”

A switch flips inside me. I leap to my feet. “Is it so much to ask for answers? Do I have to kneel and beg for the truth? Whatever is happening, it involves me. I have the right to know. Why am I being treated like some sort of fragile thing? If no one’s going to tell me what’s going on, I’m leaving.”

“Ana—”

I swing to face Schulz, my eyes narrowed. Just staring at his face fuels my anger. “I’ve had enough of this. Either someone talks or I’m leaving.” Silence bursts through the air, chasing away the echoes of my outburst. I can practically hear the wheels in their minds turning. From what I grasped when I woke up, I’m a big part of whatever scheme they’re cooking. A powerful weapon in their arsenal—the only weapon in their collection.

I wait, watching as eyes shift. The tension in the room heightens to mega proportions, and I begin to pace.

Grim’s voice finally shatters the silence. “Well, there is no need for all this drama, Ana.” I stop pacing. I really prefer when he calls me “Novice.” Ana sounds like a reprimand.

Schuster, now sitting on the couch, chuckles. I turn to face him. “Ah, and here I thought she lost that feisty side of her. Take a seat, Ana. I will try to explain as much as I can. Which won’t be much.” I continue standing, arms crossed. He inhales and opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted by a knock on the door. Seconds later, after Grim’s announcement to enter, Shark Teeth sticks his head around the door. His body follows, a covered silver dish balanced in his small hands. His eyes dart to Grim. He scuttles forwards on tiny feet and places the dish on the dark oak table in front of me. After lifting the cover with enough flourish to shame even the most elegant of waiters, he flashes his jagged teeth at me. His eyes don’t hold the menace his teeth do. My eyes leave his face to the dish on the table.

“I’m not hungry,” I say. My stomach grumbles quietly, disputing my claim. Shark Teeth’s mouth snaps closed, lips pulling downward. So far, he’s been nothing but kind. “What’s your name?”

“Axe Van der Zee.” He smiles proudly.

“Van der Zee? From the sea, right? It suits you.”

He flashes those teeth at me again. “Yes, yes. My family originates from the sea many centuries ago and—”

“Axe.” That single word shuts Axe up. He glances at Grim, then back at me, and walks backwards like he did that day in the U-Bahn. At the door, he bows, twirls, flashes his teeth, and disappears out the door.

“Let us wrap this up. I have guests to attend to,” Grim says, glancing meaningfully at a black and white clock mounted above the fireplace. It has no hour or second hands. Strange.

Beside me, Schuster clears his throat. “Zaynab and I—” He turns and twines his fingers with Zaynab. “—have kept an eye on you since you were born.”

“Apparently you didn’t do the job so well,” Schulz snaps from the window. What is he so mad about?

Even at this interruption, Schuster’s eyes don’t leave mine for a second. A muscle ticks on his jaw, though. “Sarcasm will not help further our objectives, Meister.”
Meister?
Master of what? Other than glares? Schuster takes a deep breath. “As I was saying, we have been your Keepers since you were born and even before that.”

I’m about to say, “You and Zay?” but I stop, analyzing his words. “Keepers? What do you mean by
even before that
?”

“Schuster, I advise you to be very careful.” Grim’s voice is still calm, as if we’re all having a pleasant time.

Schuster shakes his head, rubs his forehead, and exhales. “Keepers are similar to godparents but with more responsibilities to their godchild. Listen, Zaynab and I have to go.”

“No! Please, Herr Schuster, don’t leave.” My voice quivers, and I hate it. Why do I have to sound so weak?

Schuster rises to his feet, pulls me into a quick hug and then holds me at arm’s length. “Call me Schuster, well at least for now. I’ve watched you grow and you have made us very proud. By gods, I can’t disclose any more at the risk of putting you in danger. Just follow your heart, and we’ll see each other very soon, all right?” His voice breaks at the last word. For some reason his arms around me don’t feel weird. It’s as if he’s embraced me all my life. Or maybe it’s just me in desperate need of a good hug. I burrow deeper into his chest.
Don’t break down now, Ana
. “Did you hear me, Ana? Follow your heart. Remember that. In the end, everything will be all right.” I nod.

He utters the next words so quietly his voice is barely a whisper. “Meet Zaynab and me where the lights touch the land and sky. You will know when the right time comes. Just nod your head if you agree.” I do, more because of the urgency in his voice than anything else. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and, this time, the intensity of that embrace almost cracks my bones. He lets go, stepping away to let Zaynab have her turn.

“You’ve made us proud, Ana. I hope to see you soon, love.” Zaynab’s arms around my shoulders calm the panic, anger, and confusion swirling inside me. When she takes a step back, she brushes her thumb across my cheek.

As soon as they leave, panic slams back into me. Schulz sinks in the armchair across from where I’m standing. “Please sit, Ana. We need to talk.”

I sit, rubbing my temples. “You bowed. In my room before you left.” I can’t believe I just said
my
room. “Zaynab did as well.” Grim and Schulz exchange glances. “You never did that in school. Can’t anyone tell me what’s going on?”

Grim seems to have found something worth investigating in the smouldering firewood. Schulz stares at a distance, as if he’s receiving a vision. Grim pushes away from the fireplace and excuses himself to return to his guests.

Schulz’s eyes focus. He leans forwards. “When do you begin your music lessons at the Conservatory?”

How did he know I was planning to attend? Does he know everything about me? I shake my head to ward off the thought. “I’ve applied for the winter intake.”

“Cancel the classes.”

My feet push my body off the couch. Heartbeats pound in my ears. “
What?
What do you mean
cancel the classes
?” Is he crazy? I begin to pace. Sweat beads on my forehead. “I worked very hard to get a place in the Conservatory. This has been my dream for as long as I can remember. How can you ask me to cancel so casually?”

“I mean just that. Cancel them. From now on, I will take responsibility for your music classes.”

“
You?
I mean no disrespect, Herr Schulz, but what do you know about music that you could teach me?” A tiny voice in my head chants, “You are being rude,” but the words are already out. I can’t take them back.

Schulz doesn’t look bothered by my tone or question. “More than you could ever imagine.”

I pace faster, then halt abruptly to face him. “First tell me what’s going on. Who exactly are you all, because you’re surely not my teacher. Where do I fit in all this?”

“If you think you can twist my arm, Ana, you’ll be disappointed.” His eyes are narrow slits, and I know he isn’t going to be swayed by anything I say. I curl my hands into fists, and bite my lower lip until sharp pain spreads all over my body. At least that put a brake on the hovering tears. And I’m
not
going to cry in front of him. But what will I do if he insists?

“Please, don’t take this away from me. Music is who I am, Herr Schulz. Please.” Right now, I’m not above begging.

“Music is just one part of who
you
are. The other part is what you have tried to hide from everyone’s eyes.” His gaze swoops to my hands and wrists, lingering for a heartbeat before returning to my face. “Now, will you cancel the classes or should I?”

My heart lodges in my throat. I can barely swallow. My legs give way, and my body collapses on the couch. I whisper, “You know about the scars? Why I have them?”

“Yes, I do, but first things first. The Conservatory.” His eyebrows shoot up. He looks smug.

I drop my head in my hands. “I can’t. You can’t ask me to give up my dream.”

He leans forwards, elbows braced on his knees. He steeples his chubby fingers, studying me with pursed lips. Wars are being fought in his eyes. “What if…” He inhales. Exhales. I’ve never seen him at a loss for words. “What if I told you that you are a dream? A hope? The only thing keeping a race from giving up?”

I’m officially confused. Schulz seems to notice.

“What if I told you that you are the only who can save a race? Your people? Me, Zaynab, Schuster, and a whole lot of others?”

“What?”I can’t get enough air into my lungs. The room has shrunk to a shoebox. “What
race
?”

He doesn’t hesitate to answer. In fact he seems too eager. Words rush out of his lips. “A race that depends on you. The earlier we begin your training, the better you will be prepared for what is coming.” He stops, as if to catch his breath, and clears his throat. “I apologise I cannot disclose more at this moment. I will try to enlighten you more during our lessons.” And his bossiness is back with a bang.

True. The human race is suffering, with all the earthquakes and floods and famine… But me being the one to save them? Laugh-out-loud ridiculous. I’m water-phobic for goodness sake. I chuckle. Why am I even thinking about it?

Schulz frowns.

“I’m the wrong person to save humanity, Herr Schulz. Souls, yes. Humanity, a big N-O. Surely you know that.”

“The universe is populated with other races. One of them hangs by a mere wisp of a thread. Sorry to disappoint you. You are the one.”

I can’t hear anything other than a loud buzz in my ears, punctuated by the hiss from the fireplace. “You mean Mom and Dad and my siblings, aren’t really who they are?”

“They are exactly who they are. Humans.
You
, on the other hand, are not.”

I slump back on the couch, pressing my hands to my face. “No. I’m just a normal—”