Before I Wake
Page 74
Bullshit, Nash spat. Hes not going to stop killing just because Kaylee turns herself in. I dont care what he says. Hell never stop killing.
True. Avari has never been in a better position to slaughter at will. But he cant go back on his word. If she turns herself in, hell stop choosing his victims from the Kaylee Cavanaugh friends-and-family plan.
Stunned and a little nauseated, I sank into my fathers chair and shoved hair back from my face. Whats the long game? What is he doing, Thane?
The reaper shrugged. That, I dont know. But hes obsessed with it. Everything hes doing plays into it. And you have a central role.
Okay, lets go back to the basics. Because if I thought any more about the people I could have savedand the people I would have been damning in their placeI was going to lose what was left of my mind. Hes using your resurrected soul to cross through the fog into our world. What about this second soul? The one that gives him a physical form. How does that work?
I dont know all the details. He figured that part out himself, by accident, so
Whoa, what does that mean? Tod demanded. Who figured out the first part?
Thane shrugged. Not to give myself too much credit, but I did. Decades ago.
And you told Avari that he could use your soul to cross over? I frowned, watching him through narrowed eyes. Why would you do that? Why would you give him a reason to need your soul?
Your boyfriend didnt give me much of a choice! Thane shouted, pushing away from the countertop to gesture angrily at Tod. One sucker punch from a rookie, and Im staring at the business end of a hellion!
Yeah, hes all about the sucker punches, Nash mumbled.
As long as Avari needs my soul, hell keep me alive. More or less. Anyway, it shouldnt have mattered. The rogue reaper shrugged. What I showed him let him cross over, but gave him no physical form. Like a visitors pass, where you cant touch anything. He figured the rest of it out on his own, when he was playing around with another soul.
Okay, so back to the part where Avari shows up in the guise of the dearly departed. What do you know about that? My head was already spinning from everything hed told us, but we had to get it all down nowthere was no telling when Avari would call him back or Madeline would show up.
I know that its a one-way trip. He needs a human soul and something that belonged to the deceased. He crosses over with both of those in his possession and takes the form that soul had when it died. Down to the clothes it was wearing.
The bracelet I said, and Tod nodded. How did Avari get Heidi Andersonsbracelet?
How the hell do you think? He sent me after it. But youre missing the point. Once he crosses back into the Netherworld, that nonresurrected soul is useless. Gone. Poof. He made an exploding gesture with both hands. It cant be worn again.
Disposable packaging, Tod said. It works for bottled water, why not for hellions?
I dont understand. And I wasnt sure I really wanted to. How does wearing a human soul give him a physical body?
I truly dont know how it works. But his physical restrictions seem to be the same as mine, maybe because hes using my soul as his passport. Selective corporeality and audibility. Transportation. But no hellion superpowers.
So hes vulnerable when hes here?
Thane shrugged again. As vulnerable as I am. But as you may have noticed, killing him doesnt really kill him. When his physical body dies, he just gets sucked back into the Netherworld, along with my soul.
So, is there any chance we can get your soul back without having to cross over? I asked.
I dont know. And I dont really care. How you fulfill your end of the deal is up to you.
You said youd help, I reminded him.
Thane nodded. But Ive told you everything I know, so I dont know how much more help I can be.
You can find out why my amphora doesnt capture your soul from him when I take the others, I said, picturing the two human souls that last sank into the hilt of my dagger. And find out how to fix that.
How am I supposed to do that?
I shrugged and enjoyed throwing his own words back at him. How you fulfill your end of the deal is up to you.
So, let me get this straight, Nash said, before Thane could blink out in anger. Avaris going to keep showing up disguised as dead people, and while hes here, hes going to kill even more of them? Just for fun?
Thane nodded. At the moment, human souls are easy for him to come by, so he doesnt mind losing them every time she stabs him, because her trauma is worth more than the lost soul.
I shoved more hair back from my face and rubbed my forehead. Can dead people get headaches? And since hes sold a resurrected soul to Belphegore, we can expect her to show up any day, but we have no idea when, or what shell look like. Right?
Another nod. Though you may never see her. I cant imagine shes as obsessed with your shiny little soul as Avari is. He glanced at Tod thenas near as I could tell, considering his eyes were featureless white orbs. Just think. None of this would have happened if Avari and I had never met.
True. Avari has never been in a better position to slaughter at will. But he cant go back on his word. If she turns herself in, hell stop choosing his victims from the Kaylee Cavanaugh friends-and-family plan.
Stunned and a little nauseated, I sank into my fathers chair and shoved hair back from my face. Whats the long game? What is he doing, Thane?
The reaper shrugged. That, I dont know. But hes obsessed with it. Everything hes doing plays into it. And you have a central role.
Okay, lets go back to the basics. Because if I thought any more about the people I could have savedand the people I would have been damning in their placeI was going to lose what was left of my mind. Hes using your resurrected soul to cross through the fog into our world. What about this second soul? The one that gives him a physical form. How does that work?
I dont know all the details. He figured that part out himself, by accident, so
Whoa, what does that mean? Tod demanded. Who figured out the first part?
Thane shrugged. Not to give myself too much credit, but I did. Decades ago.
And you told Avari that he could use your soul to cross over? I frowned, watching him through narrowed eyes. Why would you do that? Why would you give him a reason to need your soul?
Your boyfriend didnt give me much of a choice! Thane shouted, pushing away from the countertop to gesture angrily at Tod. One sucker punch from a rookie, and Im staring at the business end of a hellion!
Yeah, hes all about the sucker punches, Nash mumbled.
As long as Avari needs my soul, hell keep me alive. More or less. Anyway, it shouldnt have mattered. The rogue reaper shrugged. What I showed him let him cross over, but gave him no physical form. Like a visitors pass, where you cant touch anything. He figured the rest of it out on his own, when he was playing around with another soul.
Okay, so back to the part where Avari shows up in the guise of the dearly departed. What do you know about that? My head was already spinning from everything hed told us, but we had to get it all down nowthere was no telling when Avari would call him back or Madeline would show up.
I know that its a one-way trip. He needs a human soul and something that belonged to the deceased. He crosses over with both of those in his possession and takes the form that soul had when it died. Down to the clothes it was wearing.
The bracelet I said, and Tod nodded. How did Avari get Heidi Andersonsbracelet?
How the hell do you think? He sent me after it. But youre missing the point. Once he crosses back into the Netherworld, that nonresurrected soul is useless. Gone. Poof. He made an exploding gesture with both hands. It cant be worn again.
Disposable packaging, Tod said. It works for bottled water, why not for hellions?
I dont understand. And I wasnt sure I really wanted to. How does wearing a human soul give him a physical body?
I truly dont know how it works. But his physical restrictions seem to be the same as mine, maybe because hes using my soul as his passport. Selective corporeality and audibility. Transportation. But no hellion superpowers.
So hes vulnerable when hes here?
Thane shrugged again. As vulnerable as I am. But as you may have noticed, killing him doesnt really kill him. When his physical body dies, he just gets sucked back into the Netherworld, along with my soul.
So, is there any chance we can get your soul back without having to cross over? I asked.
I dont know. And I dont really care. How you fulfill your end of the deal is up to you.
You said youd help, I reminded him.
Thane nodded. But Ive told you everything I know, so I dont know how much more help I can be.
You can find out why my amphora doesnt capture your soul from him when I take the others, I said, picturing the two human souls that last sank into the hilt of my dagger. And find out how to fix that.
How am I supposed to do that?
I shrugged and enjoyed throwing his own words back at him. How you fulfill your end of the deal is up to you.
So, let me get this straight, Nash said, before Thane could blink out in anger. Avaris going to keep showing up disguised as dead people, and while hes here, hes going to kill even more of them? Just for fun?
Thane nodded. At the moment, human souls are easy for him to come by, so he doesnt mind losing them every time she stabs him, because her trauma is worth more than the lost soul.
I shoved more hair back from my face and rubbed my forehead. Can dead people get headaches? And since hes sold a resurrected soul to Belphegore, we can expect her to show up any day, but we have no idea when, or what shell look like. Right?
Another nod. Though you may never see her. I cant imagine shes as obsessed with your shiny little soul as Avari is. He glanced at Tod thenas near as I could tell, considering his eyes were featureless white orbs. Just think. None of this would have happened if Avari and I had never met.
