carefully neutral.
He stopped in front of us. He kept his gaze on me as he said, “Amelia, who’s your friend?” His eyes were so dark they were almost black. I was fascinated.
“Aella,” I said, keeping my gaze steady.
“I’m Damato.” He didn’t offer to shake hands.
“I’ve heard your name.”
“I understand you’re a Reaper.”
“That’s right.” This guy got right to the point. I liked that.
“Can you prove that?”
“Not without a Demon to slay.”
“You could show me your spines.”
“You could buy me dinner before you ask me to undress.” I could have shown him my Reaper clan tattoo, which would identify me as the daughter of the leader of the Reapers, but if he didn’t think to ask for that, he wouldn’t understand it anyway.
He smiled. He was younger than I first thought, handsome in a leathery sort of way, and had sense enough to leave room to draw his weapon between us. But this wasn’t a make-friends conversation. He was feeling me out as a threat. He said, “I don’t undress children, and you look like a child to me.”
“I can’t help that.”
“I don’t like children who misbehave. They grow into adults who cause real trouble.”
“The list of things I don’t like gets longer every day. You learn to live with it.” I stared right at him. I think he took my point.
I was entirely ready, hands loose and feet spread to stay on balance. If he went for his sword, I’d rip out his throat before he cleared his scabbard. If he went for me, he’d draw back bloody stumps. Or at least, that’s what I told myself. He was a human, so I easily outmatched him in brute strength. But he also had the unmistakable demeanor of someone who was handy in a fight, wouldn’t panic, and perhaps knew about Reapers and wasn’t afraid of them. He’d have to make the first move.
“I’ll be watching you, little girl. You won’t wipe your ass while you’re here without me knowing it. And if you cause any more trouble, you’ll find I’m a handful myself. In the meantime, I’ve sent my messenger to Raggenborg, and I’ll find out if you’re telling me the truth. And if they didn’t send a Reaper…”
With his unfinished threat hanging in the air, he turned and walked away. Well, he strode. I wondered if he ever sauntered. Or skipped. I decided I didn’t like him. Very crude.
“Holy shit,” Amelia said when he was out of sight. “My heart’s thundering.”
“Who was that?”
“Damato was a bandit that we hired to be…I guess our protector. From the other bandits. He takes his job very seriously.”
“That’s what we’re supposed to do. The Reapers, I mean. Protect you.”
“You’re the first Reaper we’ve seen since the war, Aella. Your people either forgot about us or never came looking to see who was out here. Well…until now.”
She had me there. I’d have to press Adonis on this when I got back. Why weren’t we out here looking for these isolated communities and offering them protection? If nothing else, it would give all those idle Reapers something to do. It would give me something to do. I looked after Damato. “Is he any good?”
“We’ve only been raided once since we hired him. He stuck them on wooden spikes outside of town as a warning.”
“He impaled them?” I said with a gasp. “Alive?”
“They say. I was a little girl at the time.”
Reapers hold human life in high regard. It has always baffled us that humans don’t share that value. There were fewer more painful, drawn-out ways to die than having your own weight drive a wooden shaft through your body. If Damato organized that, he wasn’t kidding. I still wasn’t worried about taking him in a fair fight, but as Andre pointed out over and over, real fights were seldom fair.
And if he sent word to Raggenborg, my little vacation would soon be over. Adonis would send Keefe if I was lucky—Andraste if I wasn’t—to fetch me back. I’d be in big trouble when I returned too. But
He stopped in front of us. He kept his gaze on me as he said, “Amelia, who’s your friend?” His eyes were so dark they were almost black. I was fascinated.
“Aella,” I said, keeping my gaze steady.
“I’m Damato.” He didn’t offer to shake hands.
“I’ve heard your name.”
“I understand you’re a Reaper.”
“That’s right.” This guy got right to the point. I liked that.
“Can you prove that?”
“Not without a Demon to slay.”
“You could show me your spines.”
“You could buy me dinner before you ask me to undress.” I could have shown him my Reaper clan tattoo, which would identify me as the daughter of the leader of the Reapers, but if he didn’t think to ask for that, he wouldn’t understand it anyway.
He smiled. He was younger than I first thought, handsome in a leathery sort of way, and had sense enough to leave room to draw his weapon between us. But this wasn’t a make-friends conversation. He was feeling me out as a threat. He said, “I don’t undress children, and you look like a child to me.”
“I can’t help that.”
“I don’t like children who misbehave. They grow into adults who cause real trouble.”
“The list of things I don’t like gets longer every day. You learn to live with it.” I stared right at him. I think he took my point.
I was entirely ready, hands loose and feet spread to stay on balance. If he went for his sword, I’d rip out his throat before he cleared his scabbard. If he went for me, he’d draw back bloody stumps. Or at least, that’s what I told myself. He was a human, so I easily outmatched him in brute strength. But he also had the unmistakable demeanor of someone who was handy in a fight, wouldn’t panic, and perhaps knew about Reapers and wasn’t afraid of them. He’d have to make the first move.
“I’ll be watching you, little girl. You won’t wipe your ass while you’re here without me knowing it. And if you cause any more trouble, you’ll find I’m a handful myself. In the meantime, I’ve sent my messenger to Raggenborg, and I’ll find out if you’re telling me the truth. And if they didn’t send a Reaper…”
With his unfinished threat hanging in the air, he turned and walked away. Well, he strode. I wondered if he ever sauntered. Or skipped. I decided I didn’t like him. Very crude.
“Holy shit,” Amelia said when he was out of sight. “My heart’s thundering.”
“Who was that?”
“Damato was a bandit that we hired to be…I guess our protector. From the other bandits. He takes his job very seriously.”
“That’s what we’re supposed to do. The Reapers, I mean. Protect you.”
“You’re the first Reaper we’ve seen since the war, Aella. Your people either forgot about us or never came looking to see who was out here. Well…until now.”
She had me there. I’d have to press Adonis on this when I got back. Why weren’t we out here looking for these isolated communities and offering them protection? If nothing else, it would give all those idle Reapers something to do. It would give me something to do. I looked after Damato. “Is he any good?”
“We’ve only been raided once since we hired him. He stuck them on wooden spikes outside of town as a warning.”
“He impaled them?” I said with a gasp. “Alive?”
“They say. I was a little girl at the time.”
Reapers hold human life in high regard. It has always baffled us that humans don’t share that value. There were fewer more painful, drawn-out ways to die than having your own weight drive a wooden shaft through your body. If Damato organized that, he wasn’t kidding. I still wasn’t worried about taking him in a fair fight, but as Andre pointed out over and over, real fights were seldom fair.
And if he sent word to Raggenborg, my little vacation would soon be over. Adonis would send Keefe if I was lucky—Andraste if I wasn’t—to fetch me back. I’d be in big trouble when I returned too. But
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