Time in the afterlife followed the regular rhythms of the living world. The sun rose and set, hours passed, seconds ticked by. It could be tampered with by the guardians of the afterlife, but there was rarely a reason for a reaper to do so. Souls needed stability and the familiar day/night cycle gave them that.
So when a woman knocked on the door of Lukas Lane's father, she knew that there was an excellent chance that he might be asleep, and angry to be disturbed. Unfortunately, she didn't have any other choice in the matter. While Lukas was away in a distant realm, their realm still needed protecting.
"Master Lane? Can I speak with you? I'm afraid that I have something quite urgent that I must discuss with you. It's about Lukas."
"Coming!"
Luke Lane rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and stumbled through the kitchen to answer the door. Ordinarily, he would ignore a reaper's intrusion in the middle of the night, but she'd mentioned Lukas, and he couldn't go back to bed if his child was in danger. His husband grumbled sleepily as Luke left, content to remain in their warm bed.
"Master Lane, it's an honour to meet you," the woman said, bowing deeply.
"You can just call me Luke. I don't have any rank here in death. I haven't been a master of anything for centuries."
The woman crinkled her nose in repulsion at the idea of addressing the deity of Life's father by his first name. It wasn't proper. It bordered on heresy.
"Mister Lane, my name is Fiona. I've been sent here by the Grim Reaper, who was ordered to send me by your child. I need your help."
"Why did Lukas need to go through the Grim Reaper?" Luke asked, still unsure why this woman was in his kitchen. "Why would they send a reaper anyway? You guys work for Izanami, don't you?"
Fiona looked uncomfortable with the question. There was something that she was keeping from Luke, and she had no idea if she was allowed to divulge that information, even to Life's father.
"I'm not a reaper," she said carefully. "I don't know if I can say anything more, but I work for your child and the realm of Life. Lukas needs something from the angels, and the Grim Reaper believes that you might be able to help me more with this than he can. This really is an urgent matter, I promise you. Lukas would not have triggered this line of defense if things weren't urgent."
"That sounds like a problem for Destiny." Alex appeared in the hallway, looking pensive. As soon as the woman had identified herself as something other than a reaper, Alex had leapt out of bed to investigate. He was a scholar of theology and the workings of the universe, just the same as Lukas' stepmother, Destiny. "Her father is one of the four angels remaining in our realm, and she's written papers on them that even I have trouble understanding. We need her help."
"Fine," Luke sighed, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his contact list. "But if she's angry about being called this late, I'm blaming you."
"Trust me," Alex replied. "She'd be more angry if we didn't call."
"Destiny? Hi, it's Luke. Yes, I know what hour it is, but this-no, no one has seen Linus, thank god. I'm calling about Lukas. There's a woman who says she works for them and is asking about angels, so I thought...She hung up. I guess that's a no."
In an instant, a blonde woman with purple eyes appeared in the kitchen, startling everyone assembled.
"Lukas needs help about angels and one of their creations is here? I need to know everything."
"Creations?" Luke repeated. "What's that supposed to mean? One of their kids?"
"I think it might be best if we sat down and talked about this," Fiona suggested. "I might not be allowed to disclose information about Life's secret projects, but it sounds like you may already know what I can't say."
Destiny beamed.
"Oh, we've had some talks," she said. "I helped them with their masters degree, which meant them disclosing some of their past actions. I'm fascinated to see one of you in person. What was your name?"
"Fiona," the woman supplied and Destiny nodded as if that made sense to her.
"Let's sit down and see what we can do."
"So Lukas needs the angels gathered? Did they say why?" Destiny stared at Fiona, debating whether she needed to get some paper or a tape recorder in case she needed to write an academic paper on whatever crisis Lukas was facing. She decided against it, since this could veer into territory Lukas had forbidden her to publish about. She would still try to commit as much of this meeting to memory as she could just in case.
"Because they were the only beings as old as Izanami, and Lukas is facing a crisis that is rooted in the distant past. The angels were there when Jubilant Accosts was sealed away from our realm. They remember when Xexys was free and possibly some of his weaknesses. They might be able to clarify some things."
"I wonder if the legends about Xexys are true," Alex murmured. "The few texts remaining about Xexys mention an angelic maiden from Yacothia. There isn't a lot written about her, but the word angel does come up when she's mentioned."
"Are you suggesting that there's another angel that's survived the mass transition of angels into demons? A fifth angel that my father might remember working with?"
Alex shook his head, dashing Destiny's excitement.
"No, Lukas would have mentioned another surviving angel if there was one. Instead they asked about the angels we already know about."
"Good point."
Luke stared at his husband and the woman who he considered to be a close friend, looking confused as to what was going on.
"Can't we read the old texts here? We can just summon a book or ask the afterlife directory about Xexys, right?"
The two academics stared at Luke like he had made an offensive remark. For all he knew, maybe he had.
"Honey, we exist in a realm of energy, populated by dead spirits. No one gets to bring books with them when they die, and reapers can't bring physical items here with them unless they recreate the object itself into energy, which none of them are happy to do on top of all of their other duties. We study what information souls bring with them and the stories and theories they have. If we know anything about Xexys here, it's what we read about him during our lives or what we can learn from interviewing others. That's why we try to publish as much as we can here, so the directory of knowledge is as accurate as possible. Jubilant Accosts has been cut off from our realm for millennia, so we don't have much information about it," Alex explained. "The angels were created when Izanami was created a very long time ago. They may be the only ones who remember Xexys before he was sealed away."
"Lukas was very clear that they don't want Izanami involved because of his prolonged illness," Fiona stated, just in case anyone suggested they involve Izanami in any way.
None of the dead souls disagreed, knowing full well how Lukas would react if their family put even the slightest bit of stress on their husband.
"So who are you exactly?" Luke asked, still staring with confusion at the strange woman Destiny had been thrilled to see. "You're not a reaper, but you're not allowed to say what you are?"
"Luke, you know how secretive Lukas can be, right?" Destiny began. "They aren't exactly honest about half of their actions, and the other half, they tend to bury."
"That's one way of putting it," Luke agreed. "That kid is impossible to get a straight, honest answer out of at the best of times. I've learned more about them in the past thirty years, now that they're settled down and happy than I have in a millennia."
"Lukas controls the realm of Life, but for the first couple of hundred years of their life, Lukas pretended to be a reaper," Destiny explained, while Fiona nodded beside her. "They didn't want anyone to know who their parents were or what their role was. They hung around with Death and used magic, so people just assumed they were a reaper and Lukas never corrected them. They hid amongst the reapers, despite not being assigned a team or orders to complete, which gave them more flexibility to do their job. Lukas needs to blend in with the living to be able to influence them and protect the natural course of Life. It wasn't until Izanami retired and fled the realm before the Demon Wars that Lukas' true nature was revealed. A god among reapers stood out, especially now that a mere reaper was leading them now as the Grim Reaper. But Lukas had a backup plan."
"When don't they?" Luke groaned. "They get all this sneaking around from their father."
"Life can create life," Destiny continued. "If Lukas could no longer blend in, then they created new life in the image of a reaper. Life imitating Death, just as Lukas had done for centuries. These creations were made without a soul, loyal only to Lukas and able to fulfill their demands in an instant. They're not true people, but they look the part. No offense, Fiona. Lukas has made a handful of these false reapers and hidden them in reaper teams over the centuries, in case they needed them. To keep track of them, Lukas assigns them names alphabetically, so Fiona would be their sixth creation. I've met Elliot before, I didn't know there was anyone created after him. Fiona must be a recent creation."
Luke stared at his friend and then at the woman his child had made to spy on their husband's realm.
"That sounds like them," he sighed, rubbing his temples. "Every time I think I know everything about that kid, I learn something new and usually morally ambiguous. So there's six false reapers hiding under the Grim Reaper's nose and they need my help to talk to angels about the ancient past? Is that everything? Is there anything else they're hiding?"
"The Grim Reaper knows about us, and demanded that we submit to his leadership instead of Lukas', if we were going to act as reapers," Fiona clarified. "When Lukas burned the offices and a large part of the afterlife with our help, The Grim Reaper insisted upon it. The only scenario that Lukas is allowed to command us is the one we find ourselves in now. Lukas is unable to continue their duties in this realm, and now their living champions guard the living world, and their false reaper creations act in their stead. Lukas wants the angels and their information, so we will procure them for our creator. Any of their spawn would be helpful as well, if you have any siblings we can interview. We were told to be quite thorough in our search."
Destiny nodded eagerly.
"I would love to be a part of this," she exclaimed. "I do have siblings, and there are plenty of purple eyed demons or demon-angel hybrids who might be old enough to remember something relevant to this crisis. Every purple eyed demon comes from an angelic line somewhere, even if the angel they descend from is gone. This would be an excellent research group that I'm sure that Alex would love to help me with. We'll get Lukas everything they need, I'm sure of it."
"Why was Lukas positioning spies in Izanami's realm in the first place?" Luke asked, looking very much like he knew the reason already. Given his child's temper and flair for the dramatic, Luke had his suspicions about why these hidden decoys existed in the first place.
Destiny shot him a knowing look, confirming his suspicions.
"Lukas asked me not to discuss it with anyone," she said gently. "I can tell you that it was around the time they ended their relationship with Izanami, if that clarifies anything."
"Hello? Are you still asleep? I'm sorry for calling so early, but I have something important to discuss."
Everyone's attention turned to the front door, where apparently enough time had passed for the sun to rise.
"You can come in," Luke called wearily. "Are you working for my child too?"
"Mister Lane, my name is Juniper Alioto, but you may know me as Queen Juniper I Goss of Pleasantview. I apologize for intruding, but I need to report something to the representative of LIfe or to the Grim Reaper, and the directory sent me to your home." She curtsied just in case it was needed. Did you curtsy to a representative of a god or just to the god themselves? No one had been able to answer that question.
"I'm acting in Life's place," Fiona replied. Everyone else stared at the new arrival, curious about what she had to report. "Why were you looking for the offices of Life or Death? Surely, as a soul, you can only have information about the realm of Death?"
"It concerns the mission Life is undertaking," Juniper answered. "My brother is a reaper, and he's told me some concerning things about the man responsible for the disease spreading from Yacothia. There may be something about this situation that I might know that may assist Life."
"We're looking at angels and creatures from the dawn of creation, under the orders of Lukas," Fiona stated. "We don't need any intel on a living soul. I'm sure that Lukas has already investigated this man thoroughly."
"Respectfully, no they haven't. There is something wrong with the laws of succession in Pleasantview. There is an order of assassins who date back to when the Demon of Nightmares roamed freely. The demon knows this order and appears to have had a connection with them. Coby Wall, who is conspiring with the demon, is the head of this order, and answers to the monarch of Pleasantview only."
"That is interesting," Destiny noted, trying to remember every detail for further research.
"My niece sits on the throne of Pleasantview, but the assassin does not answer to her. Instead, he answers to my reaper brother, who cannot command him because of the vows he made as a reaper. If the laws of succession can be changed, my niece could command him to end this assault on our realm. It would solve so much of the crisis that Life is facing." She paused for a moment, thinking about how to phrase her fear properly. "It...it may be nothing, but I have seen my father recently. He never comes to visit me because of the wards placed by the reapers on my behalf, but I know that he was there. He saw me speaking with my brother. To be honest, I fear that he might be following my brother for some nefarious purpose. I cannot fathom how he would accomplish it, but I don't think it is a coincidence that his former assassin is conspiring with the Demon of Nightmares or that my niece cannot control Coby. I suspect that my father changed the laws of succession during his lifetime with this scheme in mind. Following my brother might be part of this plan. It may be how he plans on communicating his desires to Coby or ensuring that his original plan is followed precisely."
Fiona looked apprehensive at this information.
"If you're right, this goes above what I can manage. We will need the Grim Reaper to handle this."
Gee arrived to the afterlife quickly after receiving a message from Lukas' stand-in. He knew how deceptive his step-parent and friend could be, and trusted their created spy even less. Still, once Juniper made her argument, Gee did respect Fiona for including him in this. Lukas might have told Gee about this scenario five years from now, long after it had been resolved.
"So you believe that your father, his former assassin, and the Demon of Nightmares colluded during his lifetime, and now this plan is playing out? I mean, it's possible, but that's a pretty big assumption to make. Why is this something you think that I can act on? Living men are free to plot wars, unfortunately. If this plan happened nearly a century ago, that's still happening in the realm of Life."
"Life needs to know this information," Juniper insisted. "It violates the natural order of things, which is your responsibility to maintain as well. If the laws of succession have been changed, old, dark magic was involved. My father didn't want heirs to replace him. I suspect that he may have had more devious plans in mind when conspiring with the Demon. I think that he's going to try to hurt my brother in some way, or use him to escape confinement here, especially if my brother is the one who the assassin answers to. I know how he thinks, and this is exactly the kind of scheme he'd make. He wants to use his children to advance himself and if he can somehow return to the throne using Ewan, I need to stop him. My brother, and all of the world might be in danger, especially if everyone is focused on the Demon of Nightmares and this plague."
Gee's first instinct was to deny the possibility of this proposed plot, but the more he thought about it, the more he could see the logic in it. His father had never told him that being the Grim Reaper involved dealing with so many mortal schemes against the natural order. It had been nearly twenty years since that cult in Strangetown tried to overthrow him, he supposed he was probably due for another threat like that. Mortals and their superiority complexes.
"I don't want to believe that this is related, but I have no choice but to investigate," Gee decided. "Ewan is a close friend and if anyone is placing him in danger, I'll put an end to it. He's already suffered more than enough from his father's actions. If we can prove that Coby is going against the natural order and coordinating with the dead, maybe I can terminate his existence before his natural death date and end this insanity. No dead mortal is allowed to return to the living realm without my permission, or influence the natural course of history. I'm unable to investigate this though, as I must perform my duties even more now that Lukas is gone, and my father is ill. Juniper, you are not eligible to become a reaper or participate in that program because you were once a ruling monarch, but I would appreciate your help with this. I am granting you permission to work with Fiona to solve this with access to any resource you need. You are granted temporary access to all afterlife records or reaper case files you may need. If, and only if Ewan is in danger, you may request a temporary body to follow him on his assignments, as you clearly know the mind of your father and his assassin better than anyone. This is an emergency option only, so don't get your hopes up. If it were anyone other than Ewan, we wouldn't even be discussing this, but you're right that there are far too many red flags concerning Pleasantview and your family. I would be negligent in my duties if I didn't look into this."
"Thank you, my lord," Juniper said, curtsying once more to express her gratitude. "I hope I am wrong about this, though I suspect that I'm not. I will do my best to serve you and your absent counterpart."
"How is Izanami?" Luke asked before Gee could teleport away. "We haven't had any updates about him since Lukas left. Is there any improvement?"
"No, and whatever you do, don't let Lukas know that," Gee begged. "I don't need them burning down the afterlife again because they think I'm failing my father. We're trying everything we can think of, but nothing seems to help. My siblings are quite worried and I have no idea how to console them. If any of you have any ideas on how to help, I'd gladly listen to them."
"We'll do more research," Alex promised. "There has to be something we can do to help; we just haven't found the right source yet."
As soon as Gee disappeared from sight, Juniper pulled her new co-worker aside. There were scholars in the room who might be able to help her with this task, but they were already on a mission from Lukas, and she couldn't take them away from their work. It was best if she kept this between Fiona and herself, lest they be tempted to help her.
"I'm going to need access to the oldest library the reapers have," Juniper whispered. "And if we can track down any deceased Pleasantview monarchs or known assassins, that would be great. My brother says that they won't talk about the assassins to reapers, but I know that they'll answer my questions. With some help from you, I think I can get them talking. I spent my whole life dealing with this nightmare and I'm not going to enjoy eternity until the world my descendants live in is safe from the schemes of old Pleasantview."
Ewan Goldman stared up at the majestic Pleasantview castle, a building so large it had consumed most of the hilltop in Pleasantview when it still stood. He had been born in that castle. He'd found out who his genetic family was in the ruins of that building. The Pleasantview coven had just sent two teens through a portal on that lot. It was a place rooted in magic both dark and terrible.
At least, the actual castle in Pleasantview was all of those things. This particular castle stood in the afterlife, reimagined and softened around the jagged edges of a bloody history. This was the home of his half-sister, Juniper Goss, the former Queen of Pleasantview and Crystal Cove.
"Little brother! It's been forever since your last visit. You should have told me that you were coming. Justus is out with his friends bowling." The former queen wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sport. "I'm sure he'd rather see you than put on those shoes and that outfit he wears. It's hideous."
Ewan stifled a laugh. His brother in law was once the consort of powerful nations, and like so many of his royal family members, Justus enjoyed an afterlife of peace and recreation after living a complicated, often difficult life. Juniper led a quiet existence herself, even if she preferred gardening to hanging out in bowling alleys picking at unappetizing french fries as her husband cheered on his friends.
"I'm sure that there's nowhere else he'd rather be," Ewan chuckled. "Rumour among the reapers says that his team has a shot at the championship."
Juniper laughed and ran to embrace her half-brother.
"I'm glad that he has your support. We'll have to find somewhere in that castle to display his trophy if he wins. But what brings you by and why are you so young today?"
Ewan gave her the trademark Goldman grin that she'd seen many times echoed by his father.
"Well, you always call me little brother, so I thought I'd literally be your little brother today. It's been awhile since I've manifested as a teen; I could use the practice."
Every resident of the afterlife existed as energy. There were no bodies, no bones, just energy. With practice, residents could change their appearance at will to be any age or size. Reapers were just energy linked to their mortal remains, which meant that they too could transform their appearance.
Juniper shook her head, smiling at her brother's humour.
"You have the spirit of a golden retriever," she laughed. "Okay, very little brother, you still haven't told me why you've decided to stop by."
"I have to have a work meeting today, and I thought I'd stop by. I have pictures of Claudia's new babies to show you. One of them will be the head of the coven one day."
"Ah, yes. The bloodline must be continued at all costs," Juniper replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure there's still warlocks in that coven from when I ruled, and all they ever cared about was preserving the bloodline. Be grateful that you've never had to hold court with them. They're all dreadfully boring. Though, being married to a witch, maybe my dear niece can endure coven meetings better than I could."
Ewan shrugged.
"Most of them seem okay outside of the coven meetings but...." Ewan trailed off, unsure of how to phrase his thought. "They stare at me so strangely sometimes. It's like...like they worship me or something. At the very least, they worship my blood. Our lineage."
Ewan wasn't sure how his sister would react to his comment, but he hadn't expected laughter.
"Oh my god, yes! It's so creepy, isn't it? You have no idea of what it was like living under Father's rule, Ewan. It was like living in a cult and sharing blood with its leader made everyone just stare at you. Without end. Like they were expecting me to produce a miracle because I was the king's daughter. It's always blood with witches. They crave the power of old, where they can harness blood's magic, but those days are long gone. They say Father was once capable of harnessing blood's potential, but I never saw it. If he could do as they say, I'm certain that he would have taught me, his heir, to do it too."
"About Casper, I had a quick question. If it's not too much, that is. I know we agreed not to speak of him, but you grew up with him raising you and he was dethroned and killed a few days after I was born. I never knew him."
"And that's for the best; he's a monster," Juniper said quickly, rushing to shut down the topic. "He committed unspeakable acts of cruelty against the innocent. Against my mother, against your father, against anyone who stood in his way. His rule was a dark time for our nation. The witches only care about our bloodline so much because he killed everyone else in it. We are the only heirs of the monarchy, of the coven because he made sure there was no one else. We do not need to speak of him. Ask me anything else, Ewan. Anything."
"I met him once," Ewan continued. "Just for a moment when I found out that he was my biological father. I looked him up in the reaper directory. I saw where he was and teleported there."
"And how did that go?" Juniper asked wearily. "He thrives on cruelty, Ewan. You are nothing to him. We both are, but at least I was his heir during his reign."
"He said some very cruel things and then vanished." Ewan's face flushed at the memory and the words that he'd tried to repress. "Gee locked me out of his file shortly after. He didn't like the thought of me pursuing someone so dark, so hateful when I had a job to do and a family to raise. I have no idea where he could be these days."
"That's for the best, as I keep telling you. There is nothing to be gained chasing after Father. His reign has ended and Pleasantview has moved on to celebrate your beautiful daughter."
"But it hasn't moved on," Ewan insisted, panic edging his voice. "As you said, some of the coven still adores him. There are demons who would step over Claudia's body to welcome him back. The Pleasantview royal assassin will only answer to his heir."
"To his heir? Claudia? Not my Liam, surely. Power always rests with the one seated on the throne. You shouldn't fear for her when the assassin answers to her."
Ewan cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Uh, well, the thing I really wanted to talk about with you is...actually...I'm technically the king of Pleasantview."
Juniper stared at her brother angrily, trying to process his words.
"Impossible. How could you say something so cruel? You would abuse your position as a reaper and usurp your own daughter? That's unlike you, Ewan."
"No, but I am," Ewan protested. "I need your help because-"
"Are you asking about Father because you wish to go down the path he did? You are not an heir, Ewan. You are the infant king born of a crime so vile, it launched the war that ended my life."
In an instant, Juniper changed from a relaxed spirit to the very image of a queen of Pleasantview.
"You know nothing of what it takes to rule Pleasantview! I will not stand by and watch the throne that controlled my life ruin your gentle spirit. You have no idea of what living in its shadow was like! It killed my mother. I had to strategize Justus' introduction to Father carefully so that he did not die as well. I handed that man my infant son and prayed that he would find Liam acceptable. You need to drop this thought immediately!"
Ewan's image unconsciously shifted to match his sister's. He didn't intend to get into a shouting match in the middle of the afterlife, but he couldn't help feeling attacked.
"I'm trying to tell you that no matter how you feel about it, the assassin answers to me! I have the same blood as you, even if I never got to live as long as you did! Why does everyone either treat me like I'm some clueless idiot or like I'm as evil as our father? No one ever lets me be myself! I'm sorry that your life was the way it was, but it's not like my afterlife has been easy either!"
The two half-siblings stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, both dressed to claim the same throne.
In the same instant, both siblings dropped the facade and embraced each other.
"I'm sorry," Juniper cried, tightening her embrace. "It's just been so hard. Over the years, I've been so alone. After my mother died, I had to look out for myself. I'm not used to sharing the burden of our father with someone else, but little brother, you've been the happiest surprise in my afterlife. You're so gentle and sweet and nothing at all what people expect you to be."
Ewan looked hurt by his half-sister's assessment, even if he'd been expecting it.
"I could be what people expect," he said defensively. "I've been in dangerous situations before, and I can fight pretty well. Dad taught me everything he knew about fighting, and he used to run the Twikkii Island military when he lived. I helped Gee bring down the Strangetown coven when they attacked him."
Juniper chuckled at the determined look on Ewan's face.
"I said that you had a gentle spirit, not that you couldn't defend yourself," she assured him. "Those are two very different things. You're a reaper though, I thought that you weren't permitted to kill a mortal who isn't on your list? Have I been misled?"
"Not entirely. Part of our job is maintaining the balance of the world. Some events must happen, but others, like with the Strangetown coven, the Grim Reaper authorized their deaths for trying to break the natural order. Reapers have historically been able to kill demons and some powerful magic users depending on the circumstances. Vampires usually stick to themselves and avoid war if at all possible, and zombies are usually up to Gee to deal with. So, if the situation was right, I might be able to kill someone without orders, but situations like that don't happen often. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. According to the laws of magic, I'm the king of Pleasantview and the master of the royal assassin and-"
"Hush! Don't let anyone hear you say such words. Come inside and we'll have a talk where the neighbours can't hear. All the dead like to do is gossip and you don't need that getting back to the other reapers."
Juniper sat across from her brother, sitting like she was holding court. Her father had never let her slouch or look relaxed when an attack could come from nowhere if your guard was down. Juniper had a number of scars from when she had to be reminded of that.
"Okay, so let's start over. I'll try not to jump to conclusions this time, but I need to know something first. Do you desire the throne of Pleasantview for yourself?"
"No. Absolutely not."
Juniper's posture relaxed slightly until she caught herself.
"It gladdens me to hear that," she said with obvious relief. "I've always wanted a sibling, and I couldn't bear it if you were becoming like Father. I trust you more than anyone besides Justus. I do not trust easily, as I'm sure you're aware."
"Yeah, I get it," Ewan assured his sister. "I would never want to break your trust. I guess I shouldn't have just blurted out something like that. I don't always think before I start talking. I guess I get it from my dad. He gets in trouble with Mom all the time for that."
Juniper had to smile at that. Ewan and his dad were like identical twins when it came to their mannerisms and tendency to talk their way into trouble. She breathed deeply and willed her body to relax. Her brother had good, if not mysterious intentions and she was safe. She could talk about Pleasantview with him without judgment or danger. He needed some kind of information or assurance from her, and it was safe for her to do so.
"Now, why do you think that you're the king of Pleasantview? Your daughter sits on the throne and you promised earlier to show me pictures of her heirs. That doesn't make any sense."
Ewan sighed deeply.
"It's some kind of magic that I don't understand," he said. "Claudia's used blood magic before and it declared her the rightful heir of both Pleasantview and Twikkii Island even if she wasn't the legal queen of both. Now that Coby Wall has appeared, we assumed that Claudia could command him, but she can't. She tried and all he did was laugh about how I was his master. As a reaper, I can't order a mortal to kill, so he has free range to do whatever he likes, and I can't control him."
"An interesting situation," Juniper mused. "Magic is a tricky thing, especially when blood is involved. Have you had any magical training?"
Ewan shook his head.
"No. Dad doesn't know any and Mom was a doctor in her life. My studies to become a reaper didn't really involve magic like the mortals perform. We learned some as a basic defense against witches with aspirations of overstepping the natural boundaries, but not a whole lot more. Did you learn magic?"
"Of course. I attended the Pleasantview Academy of Magic for a few semesters between my usual studies at Princess Zarah's, just as Father did and Liam would have done as well. The monarch of Pleasantview must be prepared for any situation. The rules of succession are old magic, probably entirely demonic blood magic at their conception and altered with formal magic over the centuries. Blood passed to blood. Pleasantview was never conquered after the last hints of Tredony disappeared. The only time the order of succession changed was when one child usurped another child. It all stayed in the same bloodline. It's part of why the coven is so adamant about its leader coming from a proper bloodline and why Father killed all of his siblings and the parents that he could. Concentrating the bloodline meant that he had control over the throne and coven. I always assumed that was why I was an only child in life. He had all the power and I was the one heir allowed to continue in his stead if one day he was to die. One heir could be controlled and monitored for the seeds of betrayal. Two or three heirs and he risked us working against him together."
"That...makes sense in a deranged sort of way," Ewan said slowly. "It's risky not to have a spare heir, but having been killed by my half-sister as a baby, I guess I can see the appeal of a single heir."
Juniper bowed her head respectfully at the mention of her brother's death. It was the polite thing to do in the afterlife, where some people struggled to reconcile with the ending of their life for centuries. Juniper had always assumed that her death would either be at the hands of her father or in one of the wars he caused so she had been prepared. Her son lived on and that was the only thing that truly mattered to her. Ewan had been devastated to learn that his half-sister, only a child herself, had killed him out of hatred for his father and the war that had taken their dad from them.
"How is Celeste? Is she still staying with your mom and dad?"
Ewan tensed at his sister's name, but tried his best to hide it.
"Yes. They still think they can save her. Gee still has her under house arrest until she can be trusted to wander the afterlife on her own and Dad thinks that she'll change if she has their support. She spits at Mom and screams about not having access to her magic anymore. You'd think that killing her brother and making a son just as a sacrifice to kill the Grim Reaper would come to haunt her in death, but no. Everything is all about her and her entitlement."
"And you still won't visit your parents?" Juniper asked gently. She knew the Goldman family drama was painful for everyone but Celeste. "Your dad misses you. He drops by sometimes to chat and asks about you."
A stony look covered Ewan's usually cheerful face.
"No. Not as long as they have her there. Not when they think she'll change. Not when they lied to me from the moment I entered the afterlife about who my biological father was."
"You still miss them though," Juniper said sympathetically. "I haven't seen my mother since the day she died. She asked the reapers to shield her from me. She only married our father because he conquered Crystal Cove, leaving her without her family. I would give anything to have parents who missed me."
"You're welcome to share mine," Ewan snapped. "Did you know that Celeste has never once asked about her son? Travis is a good, kind, smart boy and she has never even asked if he was okay. After she left him to be sacrificed, she never even wondered if he was alive or healthy because of what she did to him. Well, he's my son now, and I won't let him spend a single hour thinking that he's unwanted by at least some of his parents."
"And he's lucky to have you and Anna," Juniper said solemnly. "Do you have any new pictures of him or Oliver? I do adore my royal niece, but her brothers are just as loved."
Ewan brightened immediately at the thought of his children.
"I have tons. Anna is convinced that Oliver is seeing someone, but he won't say anything about it. Travis is seeing a nice little witch girl and they lock themselves in the library searching for spells to help with the dream plague threat. I'm so happy that he's found someone who appreciates his love of reading. With school being cancelled because of the threat to Pleasantview, both of our sons are back at home where we can protect them. Claudia has the protection of the coven and her guards, of course. Oh! I have a magazine for you that I forgot to bring. It's all about Liam's usual antics and some of his illegitimate grandkids getting up to trouble. One of the boys has the family white hair and has been seen getting close to Adam Darktide lately."
"Yes, Reese!" Juniper exclaimed with delight. "I remember from last month. How scandalous. It makes me so happy to see Liam's family be so free to pursue their passions. It's everything I wished for him. Well, I did hope that he wouldn't have quite as many illegitimate children as he does. He's certainly quite fertile."
"Well, when you have to marry Celeste, I can see why you would turn to just about anyone else," Ewan grumbled.
"My apologies, I thought I had changed the subject to a more pleasant topic, but here we are again talking about your sister," Juniper sighed. "Royal family trees can be quite tangled. At least it was just a political match and Liam seems to be quite happy to be widowed. It would break my heart to see him grieve for such a hateful creature."
"It's my fault, I should come to see you more often so we can catch up. Everything has just been crazy since the attack on Pleasantview. Gee has everyone working on protecting our realm in whatever way we can. Anna's been taking shifts trying to keep the seal between realms as close to closed as we can get it. It's ideally supposed to be done by Life and Death, but both of them are indisposed at the moment, so their employees are acting as stand ins. It's not perfect, but it's working so far."
"And all of this was done by Coby Wall? I do admit that he was unsettling to be around and quite good at his job, but unleashing a demon sleep plague? I would never have guessed that he had the vision for a long term plan such as this."
"Well, he had help," Ewan pointed out. "Xexys has been waiting centuries for this after all. I don't know how he and Coby met or how long they've been planning this. You said that you knew Coby?"
Juniper nodded.
"Yes, he was the royal assassin. He obeyed the orders of the monarch of Pleasantview. I would often live in the palace of Crystal Cove to avoid our father, which meant that I didn't see his court that often. Coby, he...well, just as you find the looks of the coven unnerving, that's how I remember him. It was like he worshipped Father. Whenever I had the displeasure of feeling his eyes on me, I got the distinct impression that I was an object of worship as well. He would likely be killed by his order if he acted inappropriately with the future queen, but that didn't stop his staring."
"His order? Do you know anything about the royals assassins and how they functioned? Gee has been unable to get the former monarchs who used the services of the assassin to talk about any of it. King Mordred just laughed until Gee gave up, and he was the monarch that was recorded the most in history using the assassins. No one is willing to talk about them, even in death."
Juniper paused to reflect on what exactly she knew for certain about the royal assassins and what was just whispers. Her brother needed real answers. Lives could be lost if she was wrong.
"Hmm. Come with me to my study," she decided. "I might have something in there. This isn't a topic to be discussed next to the future home of Justus' bowling trophies."
As a reaper, Ewan knew that Juniper could just summon what she needed with a thought, but it was usually better to let the spirit move as they would through a physical space. Even some of the oldest spirits still needed the comfort of opening doors and pulling open cabinet drawers. It was a comfort he understood from his time before becoming a reaper. He and his dad would always spar using the same swords that they kept in protective cases and regularly cleaned. The swords didn't need to be protected or cleaned, but there was comfort in the ritual.
"There is a hierarchy to the assassins," Juniper began, rifling through a book she found on an ornate desk. "There is the head of the organization, the royal assassin and then the apprentices and their underlings as well. There are multiple fully trained assassins who can step in to complete a mission or to replace the royal assassin if he wavers from his duty. I've never seen the entire organization myself, and I doubt anyone ever has, not even King Mordred. That's not how they function. I only saw Coby when he was following Father or standing guard in court. The assassin can be performative, just part of the royal spectacle to make the monarch look imposing. Their face markings are quite striking and difficult to mistake."
"And they're tattooed on or something like that? Maura found evidence in a photo that suggested the markings were permanent and concealed in some way."
"I couldn't say. I've never seen one without the markings, so maybe."
"How many assassins have you seen? Where do they even come from? Do they only serve the throne of Pleasantview or have they killed for another country in the past? Do they get paid for their service?"
Questions spilled out of Ewan, questions he and Anna had spent long nights asking themselves with no answer. If they could just find something useful about Coby, surely they could keep their children and their home safe. Maybe if Izanami was the one asking dead spirits the questions, they'd be more cooperative, but that was out of the question. Every time Ewan suggested it, Gee's frown deepened. His father wasn't up to the task in his condition and Lukas would incinerate the afterlife if they found out that Izanami had left the safety of their home to work.
"There are records of an assassin apprentice leaving the order to marry into the Strangetown royal family if I remember right," Juniper replied. "She was never photographed with the markings in public and lived a quiet life. Otherwise, I haven't heard of the order outside of Pleasantview. I may be wrong, of course, I didn't devote much time to thinking about the assassins during my life. As for their origins, well, I think it traces back to Tredony. There were spies and assassins assigned to the monarch who vanished from the official record over time. Presumably, they developed their own hidden order that still served the throne of Tredony as the world changed."
"That makes sense. I just don't understand how an order that old and deadly didn't trigger any response from Death or the reapers. That seems like the kind of thing we'd want to keep an eye on."
Juniper shrugged.
"It's not against the natural order for people to murder other people," she replied. "It happens all the time. A group devoted to people murdering other people doesn't break any universal laws, just the laws made by humans. You need demons or vampires or the undead killing people to trigger the armies of Life and Death. Just look at how much Celeste and her cult managed to do before the Grim Reaper was forced to act. She burned the Pleasantview castle until it was a pile of smoking ruins because she had daddy issues. That castle was my home. It stood for a millenia, Ewan. The living will do as they please without supernatural intervention. Even now, this assassin is only dangerous because he threatens the order of the universe. He is trying to bridge two realms to cause harm to a vulnerable population, but think of all he's done before this. Your reapers weren't interested in hunting him while he served Father. There are so many threats lurking in the living realm that go unnoticed, even when the reapers are called to collect their victims' souls."
"You would make a good reaper yourself with that thinking," Ewan said. "You can see the bigger picture. Anna was always the one who excelled at understanding the balance of the world when we studied to become reapers, not me. I'm glad that Claudia seems to have inherited that from her mother."
"The Toyonagas are a fierce family," Juniper chuckled. "You're lucky to have married one of them. They know better than anyone how strange the natural order of the world can be. Accepting an assassin into their family didn't phase them at all."
Ewan smiled despite himself. That did describe Anna's family pretty well. Strangetown was reluctant to participate on the world stage like Pleasantview. They liked their old religions and old traditions. The Strangetown throne had remained the same wooden chair for centuries, even though they had more than enough gold to make a throne to rival Pleasantview's. Vampires, werewolves, and assassins were all welcomed.
"Has Victoriana been in contact with an assassin of her own? She must be maturing by now, though there's no set age to reach maturity with some magics. I met my own personal assassin when I was just twelve."
If Ewan wasn't composed mainly of energy at that moment, his blood would have frozen in his veins. Cold, sharp panic shot through him at the thought of his oldest grandchild having any contact with an assassin.
"Your own assassin? You had a personal assassin even as a princess?"
"As the heir," Juniper clarified, as if that distinction mattered to Ewan's panic. "If the monarch chooses, they can entrust an assassin to their heir. Of course, not many did, just to keep the power in their hands, but I guess because Father had no spare heir to fall back on, he chose to protect me in that manner. I never ordered her to kill anyone or even really saw her that often."
"Sedaina was her name. Whenever Father went off to battle or Twikkii Island made threats against us, I would see her hidden among a crowd or lurking in the shadow of a hallway. We never really spoke, but she was always there. Honestly, I'm not even sure how much I could command her even if I wanted to. Father said that I could, but it would be unlike him to share power or give me a tool that might complicate his own plans. I always sort of assumed that she could be turned against me if I became a problem to Father. Their first loyalty is to the monarch of Pleasantview and no one else. Still, it might be something that Coby might ask you to authorize if you do ever run into him."
Ewan tried to hide the fear in his voice, but failed.
"I have an assassin that I can't command, who can potentially assign other assassins to stalk my heirs? There could be someone watching my granddaughter at this moment because she's the heir to the throne?"
"The monarch assigns them," Juniper corrected, as if it wasn't obvious.
"I'm the monarch, remember? I can't do anything! Coby Wall can do whatever the hell he wants because I can't command him! He's going to send assassins to kill my daughter and her children!"
"Yes, that complication. Right. Well, did he tell you that you were his master? I just find this whole situation to be very strange. You said that some of the old magics accepted Claudia as the monarch of Pleasantview, but not the business with the assassin. It should follow the laws of succession, parent to child."
"Coby told Claudia that I was his master. She even said the words the witches told her to control him and he just laughed. I can't break my oath as a reaper not to interfere with a monarchy of the living world. Like you said, we only get called in when things are dire and even then, I can't be a king! Gee already took away Anna and my's ability to have more children and we're damn lucky that he allowed Claudia and Oliver to live despite being the surprise heirs to three thrones. Another Grim Reaper might have decided differently. That's the most important reason why Claudia doesn't pursue the thrones of Strangetown or Twikkii Island, and why she took the Pleasantview throne without violence. We both promised to limit the disruption to the lines of succession and Queen Charlotte really did hate being queen and all of Pleasantview started drooling over having the bloodline restored and-"
"Okay, let's pause on that," Juniper interrupted, cutting short her brother's breakdown. "The bloodline was restored. Politics are just politics; Pleasantview runs on blood at its core." She waved her hand and three paintings appeared on the wall nearest to them. "These used to hang in the palace as a reminder of our history. The blood spilled during the Civil War because two half-siblings fought for their right to make an empire. The blood shed in ancient Tredony by agents of the monarch, including the royal assassin. The death of Crown Princess Zara after she inadvertently killed her brother and betrayed her father. There was another portrait Father commissioned of my mother's death, but for obvious reasons, I choose not to dwell on that one."
Ewan nodded in acknowledgment. He had familiarized himself with every family portrait he could find when he realized who his biological father was, and it was obvious why Juniper chose to avoid that one. It did fit the theme of bloodshed.
"So maybe there's a problem with the bloodline," Ewan said. Talking was good. It soothed his anxiety with the idea that he was taking some action to protect his daughter, however small it was. "The laws of succession function differently than whatever agreement was made with the assassins, so maybe we can change it."
"Coby was Father's assassin," Juniper reasoned. "When Father died, I became queen for a matter of days and then I died. Liam wasn't granted the Pleasantview throne, so it passed to you. When you died, the Red Queen was installed as monarch, but she had no true blood connection to us. Ben Siew created her with science to carry on the DNA of several people, but she has no parents."
"But she commanded the royal assassin," Ewan pointed out. "She sent her assassin to kill Leo and Josh Toyonaga and her own daughter, Queen Charlotte II. The strange thing about that though, it wasn't Coby Wall who was sent. Claudia talked to the Toyonagas and neither of them recognized Coby. If Coby is the royal assassin, Charlotte I wasn't commanding him despite being monarch."
"Interesting. So just like Claudia, she was monarch in some aspects but not when it came to the assassins. She still used their services, but she wasn't granted control over Coby." Juniper paused to puzzle over this new information. "So you were the last to meet the conditions of the assassins. When you died, control wasn't passed to Charlotte I or my Liam. It stayed with you."
"I died before Claudia was born," Ewan said slowly. Some pieces of the puzzle were beginning to snap together. "The bloodline ended with me before my daughter was born. I have a tombstone and a death certificate and then all of a sudden, Claudia's life begins from a dead child years later. The exact conditions must not have been met to transfer the assassin properly. It all happened in the wrong order."
"No, the bloodline ended with you, and then your physical body was tied to your reaper existence," Juniper corrected him. "You always tell me that reapers are connected to their physical remains. You exist outside the afterlife, you eat food and sleep if you choose to, and you made two biological children. You have heirs, but the bloodline can't pass to them until you cease to be 'alive', which we already suspected. Somehow, we just need to trick the magic into transferring to Claudia by convincing it that you're truly dead. Her claim is more than enough for the coven to accept, we just need to flip some switch or something to pass on control of the assassin."
"And the assassins first swore allegiance during the era of Tredony, where Great Demons, blood demons, and apparently the Demon of Nightmares roamed the earth." Ewan's heart sank when he thought about that dark time period. Most of those creatures were either sealed away or dead. Any magic they would have used to swear allegiances had likely died with them. But then again...."Didn't you say that Father was rumoured to use blood magic or that he was trying to?"
A horrified look crossed Juniper's face as she realized what Ewan was implying.
"You think he altered the laws of succession? That the assassin could only be controlled by him or his direct heirs?"
"He was paranoid about giving power to anyone else, to the point that he didn't want a spare heir in case his children rose against him. You said that he only taught you how to reign in case he died. Maybe he wasn't expecting to. Maybe whatever Coby has been up to in Jubilant Accosts was in service of our father. Maybe this problem with Claudia's inheritance was by his design."
Juniper thought carefully about her brother's words. His theory was plausible, but history had turned out very differently than their father had planned.
"He had to know that there was a chance we would die as young as we did," she replied. "He was in a constant cold war with most of the world for decades. There was a strong chance that we'd all die. What was he hoping to accomplish?"
"The better question is why hasn't Coby Wall come back until now? You said that he worshipped you and Father and then when we all died, where did he go? If he wasn't serving Charlotte I, then what was he up to?I've been a reaper for over two decades and Coby only reveals himself to Claudia now? He was designing this dream plague, sure, but the timing is suspicious. Did it just take a long time to perfect the plague or was there another motive for acting now? What happened between the time I died and the time I became a reaper? Was he masterless?"
"That I don't know, little brother," Juniper said with a heavy sigh. "I've told you all that I have seen with my own eyes. I'm afraid that I don't know anything else for certain. It sounds like you need someone who knows the intricacies of blood magic. Perhaps they would be able to alter the laws of succession as you suspect Father did. At the very least, they might be able to switch control of the assassin to Claudia if the agreement was made with blood magic in old Tredony. Who knows what other magic has been added to it over the years, but if the base agreement was formed with blood magic, then a witch or warlock should be able to alter it. At least from what I was taught in school anyway."
Ewan's face paled. Summoning a Great Demon or the ruined carcass of an old blood demon was out of the question. If it was even possible, there was no guarantee that the demon could be trusted with altering such old magic. A deal would have to be made or a sacrifice offered on the off chance that even changing the law of succession was possible, and what happened to the demon once the work was done? Killing those ancient demons was difficult enough to keep them from being resurrected in the first place. There was only one candidate who could be trusted with something so important, and the Pleasantview coven had just sent him into a war zone in another realm.
"Claudia enlisted the help of one of her apprentice warlocks to do the blood magic she needed," Ewan groaned. "Theodosius Bellamy is currently in Jubilant Accosts trying to end the dream plague. There's no way to get him back even if we could be sure that he could alter the laws of succession. Plus, Claudia had to approve some pretty strange things just to get him a blood magic textbook. She let Anna and I double-check what needed to be released and suffice to say, just getting a book to teach someone else blood magic would be near impossible now. Is there some kind of way to fake blood magic? Where would we even find the laws to change them? Are they a document sealed in an archive or like a demon deal and summonable? Am I sending a child to his death if Theodosius somehow could come back?"
"It sounds like your questions need to be answered by a warlock, not a queen," Juniper replied softly. "You can't rest this on Theodosius' shoulders when he's already risking his life for the good of Pleasantview. He's very cute in those magazines you bring me, though it is a little odd how fond he is of the Darktide family. He's too young and inexperienced to even attempt to alter something so old and dangerous as the laws of succession even if he wasn't already preoccupied with saving Pleasantview. No, you need an old warlock to do this. An ancient warlock."
Ewan had a passing knowledge of the Pleasantview coven's membership since his grandson was going to one day inherit control of it from the queen. There were ancient warlocks who had been in the coven long before Juniper was born, but those were usually the warlocks who creeped Ewan out with their adoring stares. He wasn't sure if there should be an obvious candidate that he was missing, but from the way Juniper was looking at him, Ewan guessed there probably was.
"Evren?" he guessed weakly, raising his hands for mercy. "He's from a past alternate universe so maybe he could do it?"
"Little brother! Really? Who do you think was one of the only warlocks who could oppose Father? To survive many attempts on his life by Father?" Ewan stared helplessly at his sister, looking for a clue of some kind. "He taught your daughter in school? He still teaches at Princess Zarah's to this day? He was in the gossip magazines getting an award from Claudia only last year? Grandfather! He not only taught Father what he knew about magic but survived his entire reign using his magical skills. Hell, he probably saw some of Coby Wall's plans all those times he escaped the royal assassin. I think your best option of saving Pleasantview and removing yourself as king depends on what Grandfather can teach you."
"Oh. Right. Him."
Ewan didn't know what to say. Claudia had learned extensively from Casper Maricourt when she was at Princess Zarah's school as a teen. He had even helped her prepare to take the throne by walking her through what was expected of a Pleasantview monarch by the various groups that made up Pleasantview society. Casper had once been married to the Queen of Pleasantview, Raynah II, so he had the experience Claudia needed. He also made a lot of people uncomfortable, Ewan included, because of his strong resemblance to his son.
It was one thing to wonder about Casper Maricourt Goss, knowing, of course, that he was a cold-hearted murderer only interested in what he could take from other people. Ewan knew what generally to expect from his father, but the elder Casper was something of a mystery. He was said to be kind-hearted and empathetic, and Claudia seemed to agree with that accessment, so there was really no reason for Ewan to be wary of spending any time with him. It just felt wrong to let down his guard and trust someone who could be his father's double in appearance. Ewan wasn't the only one wary of approaching the warlock. Casper Sr was technically a member of the Pleasantview coven, but the other members usually gave him a wide berth. He was just as much a victim of his son as anyone else, but between his close appearance to the former king and the perhaps unjustified suspicion that he could have done something to prevent Casper's tyranny, Claudia was the only visitor he usually got. But why would Claudia assign Theodosius her blood magic tasks if her great-grandfather could use blood magic? It was possible that Casper Maricourt had no idea how to wield blood magic if Claudia had gone to a teen for help instead of an ancient warlock.
Ewan was busy thinking of excuses not to visit their grandfather when an alarm went off on his phone. Reapers never went anywhere without their phones, just in case there was a sudden emergency or they lost the paper copy of their reaping list for that week.
"Oh! My meeting," he exclaimed. "Sorry, Juniper, but work calls. Thanks for talking with me. I know it's hard for you to talk about some of this, and I really appreciate it."
Juniper visibly relaxed with this declaration. Ewan seemed to be happy with their discussion, even if it didn't provide any easy answers for him.
"Any time. Just maybe warn me in advance if you need to discuss Father again. He's a subject that I've worked very hard to bury."
Ewan nodded.
"Of course, I'm sorry that we had to discuss him at all. I'll get Claudia to give our grandfather a visit and see what happens from there. Maybe we can alter the laws of succession somehow. I'll keep you posted. Things have been busy at work, but I'll try my best to stop by sometime this week."
"Bring the new issues of my gossip magazines next time," Juniper called as Ewan began to disappear in a shower of sparkles. "I need to know what the coven decides to do with Edana Darktide most desperately. Justus and I have a bet going that I'm determined to win. He thinks that he knows the old laws of the coven, but I sat in meeting after meeting with that coven and I know that they will throw the book at a Strangetown witch who dared attack a Pleasantview apprentice, no matter how friendly an image they try to project. I think the best she can hope for is expulsion from the coven, while he thinks she'll get community service and have to use a wand with restrictions. What do you think?"
Ewan smiled politely. He didn't have any opinion on coven matters unless it involved his children and grandchildren. Things were already busy enough with reaper problems; he didn't need to add coven fighting to his extensive list of things to worry about.
"I guess we'll see what happens. I'll bring those magazines as soon as I can. You do know that you can ask the reapers stationed in the afterlife for whatever you want, right? I can get you the head reaper's number if you want."
"Of course, but I prefer having you stop by to drop them off," she laughed. "Any excuse to see my favourite little brother."
Ewan left the palace and paused by the gardens outside. It would be inconvenient to have his meeting in the reaper afterlife headquarters. There were simply too many people there and most of them would want to speak with him about the efforts to maintain the portal to Jubilant Accosts. He didn't have any answers to give no matter how many people asked.
Ewan whistled loudly, summoning a spirit. At least this meeting would be short. He had a family dinner planned at the Pleasantview castle with all of his children that he still had to prepare. Claudia had personal chefs who prepared whatever meal she could desire, but they had yet to grill anything that came close to her father's burgers.
The spirit appeared in a flash, bowing before the reaper.
"Master Joshua Darktide," Ewan greeted, gesturing for the man to rise. It wasn't necessary for spirits to bow before reapers, but some of them seemed to need that formality. "Greetings, my name is Ewan Goldman. I've been asked by the Grim Reaper to pass on a message to you and your loved ones. It's about your son, Adam."
Josh looked apprehensively at the reaper, worry in his eyes. This wasn't the first time he'd been called in by an authority to talk about his son. He just hoped that whatever Adam had done this time, the consequences wouldn't be severe.
"What has Taisto done now?" he groaned. "He's been dead for years, what kind of trouble can he even get up to?"
"Well, so far, it looks like he's pissed off two deities. Both Luna and Lukas have lodged complaints against him for reckless endangerment of an innocent, a confession of murder leading to a destabilized foreign realm, and colluding with an assassin to incite the release of a magical plague."
Josh's face paled at the charges laid against his son.
"Murder? I was told that the only person Adam tried to kill was Death or the Grim Reaper, who are both fine. When did he kill someone? And a plague? How would he even know how to make a plague? All he studied was dream magic. We couldn't ever get him interested in anything else his entire life!"
"These are new charges as evidence has been uncovered," Ewan assured the man. "Usually, charges like these aren't filed when a soul has already passed on, but Life has formally charged him and set him in purgatory to await punishment. I doubt that anything serious will happen to your son, Life just wanted a place that he couldn't escape from to meddle with his children and sister."
Josh stared at the reaper in complete disbelief. He tried to open his mouth to respond, but couldn't seem to find the words.
"Adam has children?" he asked at last. "How many? How old are they? Who is their other parent? It's that girl he died with, isn't it? Why wouldn't he tell us that we had grandchildren?"
Ewan cringed internally, hopefully hiding his reaction from the distraught father. Accidentally walking into family drama was the last thing he needed at the moment right after having to deal with his own. Why would this Darktide hide the fact that he had children from his parents? It felt just like Ewan's own parents hiding his biological family from him and Ewan refused to work through that right now in front of a distraught soul. He pushed three buttons on his phone and pulled up Adam Darktide's record.
"His record says that he has three children. Twins Eero and Despina with the mother listed as an Imogen Muir and Sebastian with a father listed as Coby Wall. They're all currently teenagers. Sebastian is also fighting for his life from the dream plague."
"He knew about them before his death? Why wouldn't he tell us something that important? Children are a blessing we would have welcomed into our family with pride. I don't understand why he wouldn't have told us about them the last time we saw him. He just went on as usual about dream magic and how we never saw his vision. He did mention that there was something he needed to make right, but his father and I just assumed he meant that he wanted to fix his relationship with Edana when she died. Those two were inseparable growing up, but they'd still fight like cats and dogs every so often. Just brutal shouting matches, spells launched at each other. They broke just about every window in our house with errant magic and then they'd be thick as thieves again the next morning. I could never imagine either of them hiding children from us."
"I'm sure that he had his reasons," Ewan said diplomatically. "If you visit the reaper headquarters, you can ask for more information about your descendants. That service is on the second floor, just left from the elevator. This is just a formal notification about your son's location and impending charges."
"Thank you, Reaper Goldman. I'll be sure to follow up with that." Josh sighed heavily, rubbing his temple just as he'd done when he was alive when an authority came to discuss his children. "I'll inform my husband of this new information. Does Adam need a lawyer? How long will he be confined?"
"There will be no trial," Ewan assured him, texting his wife to expect him shortly. "No need for lawyers. When Lukas gets back or Death is available, his case will be heard. None of these crimes would warrant being banished from this realm, but the sentence could be house arrest under the supervision of another soul or mandatory service with the reapers, likely within headquarters. There's plenty of dull tasks a spirit can help us with as penance. Would you like me to update his file that you and your husband are willing to be candidates to supervise him if sentenced?"
A dark look passed over Josh's face as he considered his options.
"No. Not until we've seen what he's done. Whatever he's hiding from us, I'm sure will be terrible. It always is. We've tried his entire life to guide him and clearly, we've never gotten through to him."
Ewan nodded. The soul could work out his feelings for his son with his family. Ewan had somewhere to be and his job was now complete.
"Noted. Thank you for your time. You'll get another message when his case is decided."
With a curt nod, Ewan disappeared back to the living realm, excited to see his family.
Juniper watched her brother leave from her bedroom window, fascinated by Ewan's job. She'd watched the whole exchange, though she couldn't quite make out what they were saying.
It was only when Ewan left that she noticed a slow, stealthy movement behind one of her many trees. It was a small slip up, the type she'd been trained to avoid making at all costs during her life. The figure lurking in her garden was familiar, but young. Just as young as Ewan when he had arrived and with hair just as white as his. Juniper would recognise that figure no matter what age he presented as. She'd spent her entire life staring in fear at that face.
