My Tethered Soul: Volume 2 (Reaper's Rite) (6 page)

I shook my head. “Nothing. At least, I don’t think so.”

He scratched his brow. “All right. It could be nothing. But we’ll talk to Lilura when she’s up.”

“Do you have some kind of anti-sleepwalking potion you can make me?”

“If it’s just sleepwalking, yes. If it’s something else…” He didn’t finish. He didn’t have to.

“Okay.” I stood and lifted the bow. “We’ll talk to Lilura. Is she okay? Hunter said you were making some kind of medicine for her. Did it work?”

“Yeah, yeah.” He waved a hand at me in dismissal, reminding me of his grandmother. “She just needs a little more time to get over a cold, that’s all. Older people aren’t as resilient as we are. Enjoy being young while we can, I guess.”

“I guess.” I ran my hand over the bow. “All right. Let’s practice.”

I stood in my usual spot, focusing on my aim. At least here, doing what I always did after school, I felt normal. The arrow made a sharp zinging noise as it shot through the air at the target. I smiled when it hit the exact center of the bull’s-eye.

After a round of perfect hits, Chase held out a dagger to me.

“Ready to try these?”

I’d been practicing with the daggers for a month now at Lilura’s suggestion that I should be ready, just in case. Though I totally sucked at first, I was beginning to get the hang of it. I lifted my arm and swung it down, flicking my wrist at the proper moment. The dagger zipped toward the target, stabbing into the bottom left corner. Far from center, but at least I was hitting the target at all.

Chase stood beside me with his arms crossed. “I’ve improved the tincture coating on the weapons to what I hope will be more lethal to a Reaper. Of course, there’s no way for me to test it. But based on the information we have, I’m hopeful it’ll work better. And faster.”

“Sounds great.”

“I’m also trying to figure a way to get the poison inside the daggers.”

I stopped mid-throw and turned to Chase. “Inside?”

“Yeah. To put some kind of mechanism in the handle so that when the blade hits its target, the poison is injected into whatever it penetrates.”

“You can do that?”

He shrugged. “I can try.”

I shouldn’t have questioned his ability. After all, he did construct the crossbow I used with his very own hands.

“Cool.” I faced the bull’s-eye again and threw the next dagger, hitting bottom center this time.

“I have an idea,” Chase said. “Turn around.”

I blinked. “What? Why?”

“Just do it.”

I sighed and did as he said, not knowing what to expect. A piece of black cloth came down in front of my face. Everything went dark as he secured a blindfold around my head. I could hear his breathing at the back of my ear as he tightened the knot.

“What exactly do you have in mind, Chase?”

He laughed, his breath tickling my hair. “Give me your hand.”

I held my hand out and felt cold metal resting in my palm. I carefully wrapped my fingers around the handle of the dagger.

“What do you want me to do?”

Chase took me by the shoulders and turned me slightly. “I want you to try to hit the bull’s-eye again.”

“You’re kidding, right? There’s no way I can do that.”

“Zadie, one of the things you need to learn is to feel your magic. You can’t always rely on your eyes. But your instincts will lead you the right way. Feel it in your blood. Vila have a great sense of… well, sense.”

I took a deep breath. If it was a trait of a Vila, then it should come easy to me. At least, that was the theory.

“Okay, you’re facing the target. I’m pretty sure you remember where it is. Trust your instincts. Feel what you need to happen. And when you’re ready, throw the knife.”

“But what if I hit something I’m not supposed to?”

“Don’t worry; it’s just Gavin standing there. I’m sure you won’t hit him.”

“What!”

He laughed and gave my shoulders a squeeze. “I’m kidding. There’s no one there. It’s just you and the target. Feel your way. And throw the knife.”

I held my breath and lifted my arm, trying to memorize what I’d learned so far. When I could see the target, that is. Guessing where I’d have to let go, I swung my arm and flicked my wrist, releasing the dagger. Chase’s sigh told me I was way off target.

“You’re letting your nerves get in the way. Concentrate on the energy from your being. Find the target without looking.”

I bit my lip. How was I supposed to find the target without looking at it? This was crazy. I let out a small grunt of frustration. When I threw the dagger this time, I heard a small
thunk
, as if I hit the wooden fence behind the target.

“Missed again?” I asked.

“Try to feel where the target is.”

“I’m trying.”

“Do you feel the sun on your hair?”

“Yeah.”

“So you know where it is without seeing it.”

I shrugged. “I guess.”

“Don’t guess. Know it.” Chase stood close behind me and placed his hands on my hips. “Feel that?”

I swallowed. “Yeah.”

“The target is right in front of you. You’ve seen it a million times. You know the distance. Try to feel it.”

I took a deep breath and let it out.

“Now try to hit it.”

The familiar buzzing started in my bones. I focused on it, drew the energy from it, and pushed it forward from my body. My fingers tingled, and I tightened my grip on the dagger’s handle. I lifted my arm, letting the hot blood flowing through me guide my actions. Then I swung.

Chases squeezed my shoulders. “Yes!”

I pulled the blindfold up to see for myself. And there it was. The dagger had hit the target dead center.

“Wow, that’s impressive.” Gavin walked toward us from Lilura’s back door, a sideways smile playing on his lips.

So Chase wasn’t kidding when he said Gavin was there. Jerk.

“Training’s going good, I guess,” Gavin said.

“Now that you’re here.” I tugged on his sleeve.

Chase rolled his eyes.

“Hey, guys!” Naomi exited the back door and skipped toward us.

“Naomi?” I stepped forward. “What are you doing here?”

Gavin put a hand on my shoulder. “She told me.”

“Told you what?”

“About the sleepwalking episode.”

I glared at Naomi. “You told him?”

Naomi wrung her hands. “I was worried about you, Zadie. I mean, come on, you could really get hurt. Or, you know, dead.”

“Still, don’t you think it’s my business to tell him?”

“Sounds like she was just being a good friend.” Chase nodded in approval at Naomi. Her smile was huge.

“Did you know about this?” Gavin asked Chase.

I held my palms up. “I just told him now.”

“I would have told you too, Chase.” Naomi shrugged. “I just couldn’t find you in the halls at school.”

“We’ll talk to Lilura after practice.” With a creased brow, Chase rubbed under his lip. “She’s been feeling a bit ill, but she should be downstairs soon. I’m sure she’ll have a theory about it all.”

Letting out a heavy sigh, Gavin crossed his arms. “What do we do in the meantime? She’ll need to be watched at night.”

Feeling embarrassed about the whole thing, I ran my hands over my face. “I’ll talk to Mara.”

“And, you know, I can sleep over, Zadie,” Naomi said. “I mean, obviously not every night. But as often as I can.”

“Thanks, Naomi.” I smiled. But inside I was worried about Naomi’s safety. If I couldn’t be held accountable for my actions, who was to say Naomi could sleep in my room and not be harmed?

“And I can keep an eye out too.” Gavin stepped forward and pushed a strand of hair away from my face. “I’ve slept in my car before for worse reasons.”

Chase cleared his throat. “Well, until we talk to Lilura to find out what we’re dealing with exactly, we can’t really make concrete plans. How about we finish practice until Lilura’s up?”

***

I wasn’t sure how it all started, but the next phase of my practice session involved an obstacle course. And water balloons. Chase swore it was Lilura’s idea.

“You’re kidding, right?” I narrowed my eyes at Chase and Gavin. “What is it with you guys today? First a blindfold, and now a water balloon fight? It’s like I’m at a birthday party for a five-year-old.”

“Just run the course, Zadie.” Chase’s smirk was all too obvious. “And try not to get hit.”

Naomi jumped up and down, clapping. “This is going to be awesome! I should come to your training sessions more often.”

With a growl, I stood at what Chase called the starting line and readied myself. Chase and Gavin had a bucket of water balloons between them and smiles on their faces. At Chase’s signal, I began running, slaloming through folding chairs. The first water balloon exploded on the grass in front of me. It didn’t hit me, but my shoes were wet. The second balloon pinned me on the shoulder. Cold water drenched my shirt, causing me to gasp, but I continued to run the course.

“Nice shot!” Chase said.

Gavin laughed. “Thanks.”

“Bet you can’t do that again.”

“You’re on.”

I growled as I dropped to all fours and crawled beneath the picnic table, digging into the grass with my nails to pull myself forward. A balloon burst against the leg of the table, splashing my face.

“I got her,” Gavin cheered.

“Not really. You hit the table.”

“Let me try again.”

I jumped to my feet when I cleared the table. “Wait a minute! You guys!”

Arms crossed, Chase adopted a straight face. “Control the water in the balloons, Zadie.”

“Was this really Lilura’s idea?”

“Can you control the water or not?”

Hissing, I sprinted off to the next section of the obstacle course. As I hopped over the stacked planks of wood Chase had spaced out in the yard, I sensed a balloon coming my way.
Control the water. Control the water.
A gush of cold water spread over my neck and down my back as I was pelted with a balloon.
Come on, Zadie! Control the water!
Another balloon was flung at me. Mustering my power, I imagined an energy pushing the water in the balloon in the opposite direction. At the last moment, I managed to get the balloon to veer off before hitting me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Chase and Gavin whispering to each other. Climbing the tree in the middle of the yard was the next part of the obstacle course. I cringed when Chase and Gavin each picked up handfuls of balloons and prepared to throw them my way. A raised brow accompanied Chase’s devilish grin. Gavin looked like he could barely hold in his laughter.

Then I got mad. The guys threw their balloons as I hopped down from the tree. But the balloons only made it halfway toward me before boomeranging back toward Gavin and Chase. I giggled when they gasped. The sound of the splash as the balloons hit them in their faces was like music to my ears.

Teach you to mess with a Vila.

I sprinted across the finish line, smiling as the guys grumbled at their misgivings. Naomi held her hand up as I approached, and I smacked it in a high five, feeling smug. I was soaked more than they were, but I felt satisfaction laughing in their wet faces.

“Good one, Zadie.” Naomi patted me on the back as we headed for the house.

“Yeah,” Chase said, sarcasm lining his tone. “Great use of your power.”

I shrugged. “I thought so.”

The four of us went inside to find Mara sitting at the dining room table, reading a journal. She looked at us questioningly, but with a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

“Um, why are you dripping?”

I shook my head. “You don’t want to know.”

Sable approached us but got scared off by the water trickling to the floor. She darted into the living room and hid under the couch.

Lilura had just hobbled downstairs and met us with narrowed eyes. “Unless you plan on refinishing that floor, get yourselves off my hardwood.”

“Sorry,” we all mumbled.

“I’ll get some towels,” Chase said.

I watched Lilura carefully as she dropped into a chair at the table. Her breathing was raspy, as if she was trying to pull air through liquid in her lungs. Her pale face sagged, the dark circles almost purple under her eyes. If Lilura had pneumonia, she should really get to a hospital. I wasn’t a hundred percent convinced Chase’s medicine was the way to go.

“Lilura….” My mouth hung open. I willed myself to form a coherent sentence, but it was as if I was struck silent.

Lilura scowled at me. “What is it?”

Chase stepped into the room, handing me a towel. There was a warning look in his eyes that seemed out of place. He put a hand on my shoulder for a second.

Clinging to the towel, I swallowed and faced Lilura. “I’ve been walking in my sleep.”

I swallowed, wringing my hands as I waited for Lilura to digest what I’d just told her. The rest of us remained silent as we listened to the loud ticking of the clock and the raspy gurgle of Lilura’s strained breathing. She regarded me with pursed lips.

“Either your subconscious is making you sleepwalk, or there’s a Reaper out there with your name on it.”

I slipped into the chair next to Mara. She reached for me and squeezed my hand, most likely feeling the same thing I was. Like our worst fear was just realized.

Lilura waved a hand at us, clearing her throat. “If it’s just sleepwalking, Chase can probably help.”

“Yeah, I could brew something up.” Chase rubbed his chin, his eyes moving between Lilura and me. “Something that would keep you from wandering. But it might not work against Reaper powers.”

I swallowed back the sand that coated my throat. “I’ll give it a try anyway.”

“It takes a few days to prepare.” Without another word, Chase stood and marched into the kitchen.

I leaned forward, eyes locked with Lilura’s. “And if it is a Reaper?”

Lilura sighed. “Until I can figure out a better plan, Mara will have to keep an eye on you. Like you had to keep an eye on Mara when a Reaper was after her.”

“Not that I can stop her from doing anything if she’s under its spell,” Mara said.

Chase came back into the room with his alchemy kit. He opened the wooden box and sifted through the vials. “We could always tie her up.”