sun. The sun belonged to the human world. The light in the Underverse came from a place called the Nethers. Arianne didn’t know much about that place, maybe because it wasn’t involved in their journey. She suspected Granmare Baba only gave her information connected to finding the Redeemer, who—she now knew—was a being created from the purest of souls. At any given time, there could only be one Redeemer in Haven—a place not quite Heaven. Beings called Heavenly Hosts stayed there when they needed to enter the human world, like the Crossroads for the Reapers.
Arianne felt badass knowing all these things. She didn’t have to ask so many questions anymore. Only one other thing didn’t make sense to her. Granmare Baba—while Arianne deliriously craved Angel’s tears (an experience she’d never go through again if she could help it)—called Balthazar an Enforcer. Whatever that meant. Every time she groped for the information something blocked her, like with password protected files. Granmare Baba teased her with the information, but she had to unlock it herself like a character in a role playing game. Before she could level up, she needed to complete a few tasks first. Well, show her what to do and she’d get it done. Arianne didn’t slack off. If she could accomplish something in a day, she’d have it done by lunch.
When she looked up, the scenery had changed again like when she and Balthazar moved from the Barren Lands—a stretch of nothing between the Crossroads and everything else in the Underverse—into the Sorrow Flats. She understood why now. Nothing stayed put in the Underverse. It didn’t have a single location for a place. Things constantly shifted. If you didn’t know what you were looking for you’d definitely get lost. And getting lost? Not good. She hated to admit it, but Balthazar was right. From what she knew, the Underverse made a Venus flytrap look tame.
“I’m always right,” Balthazar said from over his shoulder.
“You can feel my thoughts, too,” she said back matter-of-factly. Having Balthazar feel her too? Not as freaky as she thought. So long as he couldn’t read the rest of her thoughts, she had no problems with him feeling what she was currently thinking.
Since it seemed he’d finished ignoring her, Arianne moved to a topic that had been bothering her after they left Granmare Baba’s hut.
“What did she mean by forgetting about Niko?”
“I think she’s right. You only know a part of who Nikolas is.”
Arianne thought about it a second. How much could she really know about a single person? Reapers grew old and died then were reborn so they mingled with the next generation without causing suspicion. Niko had lived many lives before he met her. Whoever he was in his previous lives had nothing to do with the guy she loved now. No warning—from a witch or Balthazar—could change that.
“Just so we’re clear, I’m not actually your slave.”
Balthazar kept on walking. “Wasn’t thinking of you that way. But I could easily change that if you piss me off.”
“I can’t promise that since you’re so charming half the time.”
He meowed. “Kitty has claws.”
“And I have a knife with your name on it.”
“Don’t remind me.”
The flats had turned into a mountain road. They trudged up the path for a while, the incline growing slightly steeper with every new turn. No plants or flowers. Just rocks and a whole lot of brown.
“We’re making camp for the night.”
Arianne considered Balthazar’s words for a second. Convenient how he picked up on what she wanted to ask before she asked it, saving a lot of time and aggravation on her part. Thank you, Granmare Baba.
Balthazar snorted. “Don’t let her catch you thanking her or she’ll stew you for dinner. She’s not big on gratitude, just payment. What did you see when you met her?”
“A hunched old woman with a lot of wrinkles and a big mole at the tip of her nose,” Arianne said absentmindedly.
Arianne felt badass knowing all these things. She didn’t have to ask so many questions anymore. Only one other thing didn’t make sense to her. Granmare Baba—while Arianne deliriously craved Angel’s tears (an experience she’d never go through again if she could help it)—called Balthazar an Enforcer. Whatever that meant. Every time she groped for the information something blocked her, like with password protected files. Granmare Baba teased her with the information, but she had to unlock it herself like a character in a role playing game. Before she could level up, she needed to complete a few tasks first. Well, show her what to do and she’d get it done. Arianne didn’t slack off. If she could accomplish something in a day, she’d have it done by lunch.
When she looked up, the scenery had changed again like when she and Balthazar moved from the Barren Lands—a stretch of nothing between the Crossroads and everything else in the Underverse—into the Sorrow Flats. She understood why now. Nothing stayed put in the Underverse. It didn’t have a single location for a place. Things constantly shifted. If you didn’t know what you were looking for you’d definitely get lost. And getting lost? Not good. She hated to admit it, but Balthazar was right. From what she knew, the Underverse made a Venus flytrap look tame.
“I’m always right,” Balthazar said from over his shoulder.
“You can feel my thoughts, too,” she said back matter-of-factly. Having Balthazar feel her too? Not as freaky as she thought. So long as he couldn’t read the rest of her thoughts, she had no problems with him feeling what she was currently thinking.
Since it seemed he’d finished ignoring her, Arianne moved to a topic that had been bothering her after they left Granmare Baba’s hut.
“What did she mean by forgetting about Niko?”
“I think she’s right. You only know a part of who Nikolas is.”
Arianne thought about it a second. How much could she really know about a single person? Reapers grew old and died then were reborn so they mingled with the next generation without causing suspicion. Niko had lived many lives before he met her. Whoever he was in his previous lives had nothing to do with the guy she loved now. No warning—from a witch or Balthazar—could change that.
“Just so we’re clear, I’m not actually your slave.”
Balthazar kept on walking. “Wasn’t thinking of you that way. But I could easily change that if you piss me off.”
“I can’t promise that since you’re so charming half the time.”
He meowed. “Kitty has claws.”
“And I have a knife with your name on it.”
“Don’t remind me.”
The flats had turned into a mountain road. They trudged up the path for a while, the incline growing slightly steeper with every new turn. No plants or flowers. Just rocks and a whole lot of brown.
“We’re making camp for the night.”
Arianne considered Balthazar’s words for a second. Convenient how he picked up on what she wanted to ask before she asked it, saving a lot of time and aggravation on her part. Thank you, Granmare Baba.
Balthazar snorted. “Don’t let her catch you thanking her or she’ll stew you for dinner. She’s not big on gratitude, just payment. What did you see when you met her?”
“A hunched old woman with a lot of wrinkles and a big mole at the tip of her nose,” Arianne said absentmindedly.
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