Chapter Seventeen
The Master called, and the slaves obeyed
I came just as my father bade
The Father was on the brink of death
My Favorite memory would be his last breath
The reaper heard the call of the Master and heeded. It had traveled at a run through the night to make it here, and it shook its ancient head at what it saw. These second-men would never learn and would always be at war. They had razed their own damned city to the ground. Tendrils of smoke reached towards the heavens as the afternoon’s cold breeze was fanning what little flames remained. He passed by the walls and continued on the trail left by the exodus of people, seeing the corpses with the souls attached that none had bothered to reap.
He would have to talk to the Master about the slackers he wanted to call reapers that he was turning these days. All it meant was harder work on him. He had served for more millenniums then he could care to count, and he grew tired of the service. He could smell the sweet sickening lure of death from here that was caused on that battlefield and see the scar that was created to the land he was charged to care for. It would take centuries to heal whatever was done here. He let out a raspy sigh between his teeth and continued to walk down the path that led between the trees and the lake shore.
He saw a young lady with curly auburn hair, and she looked like she had seen some recent trauma. She was being comforted by a young man with dark hair. The reaper stopped and looked again at the couple and stared. The young man caught his eye and jerked his head to tell him to go away. How did the young man see him? And why did he look like the Master? He went on filled with more questions feeling the draw to the Master.
He found a tent ringed with guards, and he chuckled softly. These foolish mortals thought that they had anything to offer their Creator. They had become deluded and prideful. No wonder the town had turned on itself. He passed through the ring of soldiers without notice and into the tent. The Grim rose and came to his son.
“Master I came as the summons required, why did you pull me from my work in the Eastern Expanse? There are souls in need of reaping.” The reaper asked bowing to a knee.
“Rise, Baine. I needed you here for a good reason.--" The Grim kept his voice even and measured as he delivered his commands to the original reaper. His voice was deep, and each syllable was inflicted with authority, "-- A Sorcerer named Sedrick destroyed the Temple at Tharpe. My last day is tomorrow. I need you to reap the souls in the town and take them to Doldrom.” The Immortal said impassively to his son. To Jen, who was wearily watching from her husband’s side, there was no love lost between father and son. The only thing that kept Baine from killing his father was the curse, and the only thing that kept Baine alive was the same.
“Why bother if you only have till tomorrow? I will be free of you at sunset tomorrow.” Baine’s raspy voice dripped with vile venom that built up after almost half a million years.
The Grim’s eyes blazed a fiery red, and a grim smile lit his face, “Yes you will be free of me, for now. But my Heir, my real son is here and ready. He takes command as of tomorrow.”
“I AM THE HIER!” The reaper wailed, Jen’s hand went to her mace and Grim’s hand came out in warning to stay her weapon.
“Yes you are an heir,” The Grim agreed with a solemn nod, “You are heir to Chaos and destruction. You are heir to greed and murder. You are heir to power and sorcery, but you are no son of mine.--” He emphasized it with a swipe of his hand “--In fact, my son stands right behind you.”
The Grim pointed to a spot right behind Baine, who turned to look. Damon had come through the tent flap with Cariline in tow. Cariline was pale and looked ready to bolt once more, but Damon held her hand tight and whispered reassuringly in her ear. She nodded and let go of his hand so he could step forward.
“So this is which one?--” He paused as if to think and then snapped his fingers “Oh! It has to be Baine. Do you know your name means pestilence now in most languages right? Tough break.” He stuck his hand out and grabbed the boney hand of the reaper. Smiling after being able to make contact Damon shook the arm vigorously.
“This pathetic welp can’t be the Heir, he has no power,” Baine spared back at Grim, jerking his hand out of Damon’s grasp, “He will not remain long on the Throne of the Allfather. He cannot control us for long without your control of sorcery.”
Damon cocked his head at the comment, “So I need to be able to hurt you to control you,--” He shrugged smiling, ”--Seems reasonable.”
“Damon, NO!” Jen and the Grim both shouted at once. But it was too late, Damon had positioned himself to where he could swing in at the back side of the reaper with a powerful leg sweep. The reaper went down in a clump of bones and Damon completed the circle and was back on his feet before the reaper stirred. He squared off his body and punted the skull through the door with a powerful kick. With a huge grin plastered across his dark visage, he turned back to see the horrified looks on the two’s faces.
“What,” he asked with a shrug, his hands out to the side. “I don’t like being insulted.”
“You made a powerful enemy this day. He was blowing his whistle, but he was fearful. You have handed him the gift of humiliation, and I know him. He will do what he can to make your life a walk on the Planes of Chaos for that present. “ The Grim’s red eyes narrowed seriously, as he glared at the pile of bones slowly getting up and walking in search of its skull, “I am only here till tomorrow. Then, I don’t know what will happen or who will control the Reapers. Or if anyone will be able to control them, if they can’t, you may be in peril.”
Cariline came over to hold a troubled-looking Damon, but as the little turned to see the headless reaper run into an oak, he burst into laughter. The Grim looked earnestly at him.
“I am sorry Father, but if I am to be damned at least, I got to see that,” he said pointing at a reaper trying on a rock for a head. At seeing the funny sight, everyone who could see, burst into laughter, leaving Cariline bewildered as ever.
The wedding ceremony took place near sundown. All unions took place then in honor of when The Grim took his wives. It was to signify the ending of the old commitment to your people and the beginning of another commitment to one another. after going through what they had been through, the town could gladly do with that. They came out in whatever they had brought or could scavenge and met under a big birch that had been picked for the occasion.
The wind died down and the sun came out of the low clouds giving the horizon the beautiful pink cast for the couples wedding day. Some that attended that day would swear that the Grim himself is the one who changed the weather to make it just perfect for his son and soon to be the first daughter. The whole town it seemed gathered around to see the ceremony that would be officiated by the Grim Himself, the first since his own marriages. Attending him was the Matron and her second; Thier honor guard was led by the Hero of Tharpe, Master Sergeant Wallace.
The Bride stood, waiting for her husband to come to the altar for her as was the custom but no one waited with her. As some scattered singing went on, the Groom walked with his mother down the way which cleared for him. It signified Grim’s search for his bride. He came to her and there took her by her left hand and waited for the Grim.
The Grim began in his deep baritone loudly so all could hear, “Many say they are always honored when I am in their presence speaking. Well today, the honor is distinctly mine. Never in my entire existence did I ever think I would be afforded the opportunity, by Order, not only to see my son get married but officiate that marriage myself. A marriage is more than two people who can put up with each other for a lifetime. It is to signify the bringing of Order to where there was Chaos in each one's life. Through the procreation that it bears, it signifies the hope of rebirth on death. And in death, it has the promise that you might meet that soul once more in your next life.”
Out in the crowd, the babies were silent, husbands held there wives, and lovers whispered into one another’s ear. The Grim had a feeling he was officiating more than Damon’s wedding and for some reason, it brought all the more honor. “If Damon does not mind, I see a lot of young and older couples out there. Any who wish to take their vows, please take the walk forward.”
He looked at Damon. Damon and Cariline both in unison gave a knowing nod. Dozens of couples from all around came forward to stand with Damon and Cariline. They looked towards the Grim expectantly.
“The vows are simple, but first I must ask if anyone here contends for any of the hands of the couples present. Now is the time to speak. After this, you may speak no more.” They waited for a few moments looking around, the Grim’s nose started to twitch. One of these poor souls hadn’t bathed. That was normal here in the north during the winter but still not pleasant. He gave a little cough and readied himself to continue.
“I-“ He let out the word hoping he didn’t have to breathe in again for the smell was horrific. He could see from around the crowd. He was not alone in being offended. He looked around trying to spot where the odor was coming from but placed no one under the tree. People were starting to stare at him expectantly but he didn’t want to open his mouth.
“I want to speak,” came a pained voice from behind the Grim.
He turned to find a beaten, burned, and a filthy big blonde man standing there.
“For which one?” The Grim asked curiously covering his nose.
“Eh? not for any of them,” the big man raised a filthy, sooty finger and pointed it at Damon, “He just can’t get married without his best friend.”
“Faldo!!” The bride and groom rushed to hug him and then backed off.
Damon muffled his face, “Faldo, I am glad your alive but could you take a bath first.”
Faldo smelled under his armpit and looked back at him with a pained expression, “Why I don’t smell that bad, do I?”
“Like a shit house,” Damon said solemnly and the whole crowd nodded, including the Grim. Faldo gave a weary chuckle and wandered off towards the tent town whistling to himself. The Grim continued the service and gave the vows to those who stood before him. Finally, only Damon and Cariline remained and as he looked down, he smiled fondly towards the two.
“I have known you two for a short time only but I have grown fond of you. I see love deeper than any I have ever seen and it will endure any test before the coming tribulations. Your vows first and then a gift to bless this union. Damon.” The Grim gestured towards his nervously twitching son.
“Cariline, I will always provide for you and protect. I always have and will always love you. I will lay my life down for you and all that I have is yours, ask of me and if it is in my grasp, it is yours.” Damon said solemnly to a teary-eyed Cariline.
“Cariline, say your vow.” The Grim softly urged.
“Damon,” she sniffled, wiping her nose with a white cloth “I am not a fighter but anyone who tries to hurt you again I will cut their hearts out for you and feed it to them after what they did—“ the crowd blanched and Grim lay a restraining hand on her shoulder. She laughed lightly despite herself, “Sorry, Just to much. I Love you Damon and I will always be there with you by your side. Ask of me what you will and it is yours.” She finished and blew her nose again. “Before we seal this union, I would like to bless it in my own way. I can not hide what is going to happen. I am going away tomorrow so I would like to adopt Cariline as my First Daughter. Cariline, a special gift for my grandchild, the soul for your baby is on its way.”
He gave her tearful eyes the reapers kiss to seal the blessing, “Please everybody kiss the bride.” There was absolute silence in the crowd as everyone absorbed what they were just told. Their Father and Creator, someone who some thought of as their god, would be gone after tomorrow. Small sounds of sobbing broke out spontaneously. The Grim swore softly and sighed deeply in remorse.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
