An Immortal Death Read online

  “Find out where he’s been.”

  He ran upstairs with Tokimasa on his heels and headed straight for Neil’s room on the second floor. Kicking the door in, he searched for anything that could help them understand what happened; but like the other hotel rooms, it was empty. When he got another whiff of rotting flesh, he knew something was wrong here.

  Dominic turned to Tokimasa and asked, “Where is he rooted?”

  Chapter 2

  January 18, 1862: Kentucky, Evening

  Victor Castillo, the Horseman of War, carefully surveyed the site of an upcoming battle. Reapers were now receiving notices of impending deaths on their scroll’s days and weeks in advance to prepare. He’d put himself under an immense amount of pressure to have this war go smoothly.

  The Great Reaper was counting on him to leave no soul to rot on the battlegrounds. She was slowly handing over the reins to him. One mistake could have her breathing down his neck, again.

  In preparation for the battle, he had called twenty Paladin to begin reaping after the first death. Paladin were the lowest rank of reaper and usually confined to specific locations. They were assigned to a lead reaper, who would assist them with any issues that may arise. Since the start of the war, Death had lifted the limitation for most American-based reapers. They now were able to travel from battle to battle reaping the dead.

  Victor ordered his subordinates to stand in formation and inspected them each one by one. He wanted to ensure his reapers were ready by checking their scrolls were handy and assigning a plan of action.

  “You’ve got the job already, and yet you’re still kissing ass.”

  Victor grinned at the sound of Samir’s voice. He hadn’t seen his best friend since the last gathering of Horsemen shortly before the war started. They’d become the close since he was promoted some forty years prior. Being a Horsemen for such a short amount of time was a drop in the bucket compared to the others. Victor was still proud to say he had earned his title the hard way.

  Samir became the reigning Horseman of Pestilence for nearly half a millennium after a lengthy Paladin career. He still resided in his homeland of Persia.

  “Well, you never know when she’s watching. I like to be prepared for the Great Reaper’s inspection,” said Victor “She’s trusting me more and more. I can even feel her eyes on me less often than before. I can’t fuck this up, Samir.”

  “Of course, I understand,” Samir replied. “You should’ve seen her during the Black Plague with my predecessor. I think that’s what led to his early retirement to the afterlife. I was terrified when she picked me to succeed.”

  The men shared a laugh before hearing the first shots.

  “Vamonos!” Victor yelled to the reapers, and they set off to collect their souls. “When are you going to tell me what happened between you two?”

  Samir’s body became tense. “Nothing to tell,” he said.

  Victor smiled to himself. “Got it.”

  “How many do you have today?” Samir asked. “I’m still dealing with the remnants of the flu, and now I hear cholera is making its grand return.”

  “Sorry to hear that. My mother died from the flu,” Victor admitted while keeping his eye on the battle. “I’m supposed to only have a little over a hundred, but let me tell you, something is going on.”

  “What is it?”

  “My reapers are telling me that their scrolls have been incomplete. They are reaping more souls than expected during battles. Have you had a surplus?”

  “There’s no such thing a ‘surplus,’ Victor,” said Samir. “People die when they’re supposed to, usually. Have you spoken to her?”

  “No, I don’t want her to second guess my leadership,” he said and turned to Samir. “Have you two spoken lately?”

  “I’m afraid not,” Samir answered softly. Samir and Death had ended their relationship six years prior, at her request. “We haven’t spoken since the last gathering; which is fine with me. I’ve been keeping myself busy with other matters.”

  “This ‘matter,’ wouldn’t be named Lakshmi, would it?” Victor asked with a sly smile. “The Line has been very active lately.”

  The Line was the way Paladin communicated amongst each other. Usually, information on their families, since they were banned from contacting close relatives after death. Gossip on other reapers and Horsemen occasionally made its way around. Victor had reapers who still trusted him enough to let him in on some of it.

  “So, you’ve heard. I suppose that means she has as well,” said Samir. “Doesn’t matter. I’m allowed to move on, and so is she.”

  Silence fell between them as they observed the battle, until a reaper ran over. “Sir, it’s happening again. My list is incomplete, but I’m still seeing souls unassigned to anyone. We’re working as fast as we can.”

  Victor dismissed the reaper and glanced over at Samir before calling for more reapers to help. “I told you something’s happening out there.”

  The two Horsemen ran into the middle of the battle and saw the souls of soldiers wandering. In the middle of the chaos, Victor noticed a woman in a red dress. Her eyes were filled with joy, and a bright smile stretched across her face. She turned to Victor and stared into his eyes.

  “Who’s that?” asked Samir but Victor didn’t answer. Samir looked over to find him mesmerized by the mysterious woman. She appeared to be of Latin descent with long dark curly hair flowed down her back as she walked away. Samir noticed a red streak of hair down the middle before she disappeared into the night.

  He slapped Victor’s head hard enough to knock him out of his stupor. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “What are you talking about?” Victor asked.

  “You were in a daze,” explained Samir before describing what had just happened. “Don’t you remember her?”

  “A little, but everything went blank after the first few seconds,” he replied. Victor started to feel unsteady on his feet, so with Samir’s help, he walked over to a nearby fallen tree. He wasn’t sure if it was the woman or Samir’s smack to the head that caused the dizziness, but he hadn’t felt like this since he’d died.

  Samir sat beside Victor and kept an eye on him until the battle was over. Altogether, nearly a hundred more men died on the battlefield than expected. Victor knew he had no choice but to call Death and get her involved. Still feeling unsteady, he decided to wait; the last thing he wanted was her to see him like this.

  “You want to be here when she comes?” he warned Samir.

  The look Samir gave him said it all. “Maybe you should ask Ling first? Besides Death, she’s the oldest of us, and could offer some help.”

  Victor agreed, and Samir stayed with him until he felt okay again. He wished Victor well before departing for India.

  Victor held his scythe and called for Ling, Horseman of Famine. He expected a long wait, but she answered right away.

  Ling had been depressed for years, and the cracks were starting to show. Her wife, Yi, had been discovered as a traitor and spy for Hades, God of the Underworld. Death was then forced to execute her. It had been forty years, and Ling had finally hit a wall.

  “Ling, how are you?”

  “I’m fine, you okay?” she asked. Victor was silent as he led her to the spot the woman had stood and could tell Ling felt something. She walked around in a circle, stepping over dead bodies in her path.

  “What the hell happened here?” Ling asked. “It smells like something has been decaying in this spot for days, but these bodies are fresh.”

  Victor described the woman and his loss of time, and Ling knew who it was right away. “Mara.”

  “Who is Mara?” asked Victor. “Is she a reaper?”

  “She used to be a long time ago. Around the fifth century, she went rogue after getting involved with Hades and became a Knight of the Underworld. She use a powerful spell to hide, but she’s still a reaper. Without Death, she must be rotting slowly from the inside.”

  Victor was stunned. He’d heard of reapers abandoning their duties before, but never had one managed to escape the wrath of the Great Reaper for that long.

  “Do we tell Death?” asked Victor.

  Ling hesitated. “Let’s not bother The Great Reaper, for now.”

  Chapter 3

  Toronto, Canada

  Josiah unloaded the last of his produce onto the cart. The surprisingly mild Canadian weather was a blessing. He’d managed to save enough to last his family through the winter and possibly spring as well.

  He was one of four members of an immortal cluster. Sarah, their leader, was a 600-year-old immortal who appeared to be a ten-year-old girl. His wife Alice, and another immortal, Olive, completed their family.

  The cluster had arrived in Toronto the year prior, but he managed to start his own produce business. He was only a little over a hundred years old and the youngest member of the cluster, but he’d become the primary breadwinner.

  Every day he wanted to sell just a little bit more, and today, he managed enough to ease his worries. When he returned to their home, he found Sarah asleep on the couch with Alice and Olive beside her. Sarah was tossing and turning as they struggled to hold her down.

  “What’s going on?” he asked. “She having a bad dream?”

  He placed a hand on her forehead and was relieved to find she wasn’t warm. Immortals didn’t get sick for long and became immune after recovering from the illness. He thought Sarah had caught every disease possible, but there was always a possibility it was something new.

  “She went to check in at Elysium, and we found her like this a few minutes ago,” said Olive. Her aging had ceased in her sixties. She was always introduced as Alice’s grandmother, even though she was younger than her by thirty years.

  “We tri
ed to wake her, but she keeps kicking and pushing us away,” said Alice. Her eyes were filled with worry. She was the first member of the cluster and Sarah’s “mother.” Most immortals are infertile, with only five are known to have given birth before they stopped aging. She enjoyed the times when she could pretend to be a mother.

  They stayed by Sarah’s side for hours, until she finally opened her eyes. Josiah helped her sit up on the small couch and watched tears flow down her face. It stunned them all. They’d never seen her cry. She’d always been the strongest and often comforted them when they needed her the most.

  “What’s wrong, Sarah?” Josiah asked, but was very hesitant to know what had elicited such an emotional response from her. He gently squeezed her tiny hand in his to urge Sarah to continue.

  “Neil is dead,” she replied. The room grew silent. “They found him murdered, two months ago.”

  Alice was the first to panic. “How can he be dead? We can’t die!”

  Her voice shook with fear. Most immortals yearned to die for most of their early years but eventually made peace with their condition. The thought of dying frightened Alice so much, she vomited onto the floor. Josiah cleaned the mess as Olive consoled her, but Sarah began to eye Alice suspiciously.

  “Listen, we’re going to be fine,” said Josiah. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt our family.”

  “They’ve asked Dominic to look around,” said Sarah. “Death cannot know about this. We want to handle this on our own.”

  They all agreed. Sarah then turned back to Alice and looked her over.

  “How long have you been sick?” she asked. The sudden change of topic threw them all off. “You threw up yesterday and the three days before. You should be better by now.”

  “It must be something bad, I guess,” Alice replied. “Why does it matter?”

  Sarah had Alice stand before her, while she slowly circled her. “You’re getting bigger.”

  Alice laughed but quickly stopped when she noticed Sarah was serious. “I’ve been eating more lately. Maybe it’s the illness.”

  “How else have you been feeling?” Sarah asked.

  Alice looked to Josiah, and he wrapped his arms around her. “What’s going on, Sarah?” he said.

  “Answer me, Alice.”

  “Well, besides feeling hungry, I’ve been tired and having dizzy spells,” she replied.

  “What is happening?” Sarah asked herself out loud. She finally looked Alice in the eyes and said, “You’re pregnant.”

  Olive screamed, and Josiah nearly fell over. Alice was surprisingly calm as she stared into Sarah’s eyes. “How sure are you?”

  “You know I was worshiped in Africa as a God,” said Sarah. “Well, they would bring pregnant women to live with me for luck. I can spot a woman with child with one eye closed. I must be out of practice; I usually can tell a lot sooner. I’d say you’re ‘bout two or three months.”

  “How did this happen?” Josiah asked. The women looked at him dumbfounded, and his light brown complexion turned red. “Ya’ll know what I mean.”

  They all looked at Sarah, but she had no answer. When immortality was set, younger women went through a brief period of menopause. They became permanently infertile, or so it was assumed. Alice was now the first immortal of her kind.

  “We need to keep this inside the cluster,” said Sarah. “Our kind has been targeted and until we figure out what’s happening, it stays a secret. As of now, there is no baby. If we get any visitors, you stay out of sight, Alice.”

  “Of course, Sarah,” she said, smiling and holding her belly. Josiah kissed her and covered her hands with his.

  “Wait, why did they wait so long to tell you about Neil?” asked Olive. “You’re a Council member.”

  Sarah released a heavy sigh, “I quit The Council bout five months ago. I’m thinking about rooting myself, and they were against it.”

  Josiah was stunned. “You’re leaving us?”

  “I’m tired,” said Sarah. “I love all of you, but I just wanna rest for a while.”

  Alice began to cry, and Sarah took her hands. “You have a real baby coming, and I promise not to leave until it gets here.”

  Chapter 4

  Kensington Gardens

  Death kissed her horse, Nella, on the nose before the massive pale beast ran off. The sun was rising, and Death was not a fan of daytime. She and Dominic stood together in front of Round Pond together for the first time in years. The black and white gothic manor hadn’t changed, and he couldn’t wait to get inside.

  “Do you still have your cloak?” asked Death. He showed her the small ruby she’d gifted him. It was now centered in the middle of a cross. She chuckled, “Still a man of the cloth?”

  “Of course!” he said. “I hope I still have a spare cassock in my old room.”

  “You know May kept everything ready for you,” said Death. She placed the hood of her cape over her head as he pressed the ruby, causing it to glow. Dominic watched the skeleton bone form down her arm and to her hand. The six-foot scythe manifested out of her palm, and she pounded it against the ground. Dominic had seen the sight many times before, but still found himself in awe.

  “How are the other Horsemen doing?” he asked as they crossed the water. “Is Ling any better?”

  Death’s face grew solemn, and she paused. She turned to face the rising sun, her dark skin glowing in the light. “Let’s just catch up in the library, ok?”

  “Sure,” he replied softly. Something was wrong, but he didn’t want to push. They entered the foyer and were greeted right away by May. Death’s immortal housekeeper and longtime companion had come to be a confidante to the Great Reaper, and a surrogate mother to Dominic.

  After discovering his true identity as the biblical figure Cain and being forced to send his mother to the afterlife, he heavily valued his relationship with May. No matter how much time they spent apart, he knew she’d be there for him.

  “Well, look what the wind blew in,” she said in her thick Eastern European accent. “I thought I would never see you here again. I ought to give you a smack.”

  He laughed and gave her a tight hug. For all Death knew, they had not seen each other in years, but it was only a few days. Death had promised May never to read her, and the block she placed inside Dominic’s head prevented her from seeing the truth as well. So, they felt their secret was safe.

  “How are you, May?” he asked.

  “Just fine,” she said. Her eyes were brimming with tears. “As long as you are fine, so will I be.”

  Death brows furrowed briefly as she watched the interaction. “Are you okay?”

  May quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. “Yes, these are tears of happiness.”

  “Okay,” said Death. She was unconvinced but decided not to press the issue, for now. “Dominic, you go change, and I’ll be in the library. Tea?”

  “Yes, please,” he replied as she walked away. He looked inside the living room, expecting the single painting of his former homeland to still hang over the fireplace, but it was gone. The painting was once the only one in the entire room, but several new works of art decorated the walls.

  “She started painting again,” said May. “Not long after you left. They are beautiful, no?”

  Dominic was speechless. She’d painted many places they’d visited over the years. The Pyramids of Giza, the Vatican, and the Amazon jungle had been painted in vibrant colors. In each painting were two familiar figures, a priest and a woman dressed in black.

  He stood in front of the Vatican painting and recalled the first time they met. She terrified him. She still did, but he knew most of her triggers and carefully avoided them.

  “These were my favorite places,” he said. “How did she know?”

  May stood beside him. “You should know that she is capable of love and friendship. As hard as she tries to hide it, she cares for some of us. You are like a little brother, I think.”

  He found the sentiment ironic. His own brother had tried to kill him, twice, but it was Death most fond of him. “I should freshen up.”