The Reaper's Sacrifice by Abigail Baker

Author:Abigail Baker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Entangled; Select Otherworld; Paranormal; paranormal romance; romance; tattoos; tattoo artist; abigail baker; reaper, Deathmark, series
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2016-11-02T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”

—Mahatma Gandhi

I spent the remainder of my day at Wrightwick buried in the tiny library, poring over manuscript after manuscript as I waited on the news from Errol’s interrogation of Chad and the others. Since Delia was not as focused on books as she was beauty, I was positive she wouldn’t find me here. The library was a safe haven from rogue lips—male or female.

The library held a wealth of Scrivener history and information. Countless portfolios of drawings I had presumed to be tattoos lined the bookcases of the room. Some shelves held glass shadowboxes of preserved skin tattooed by Scriveners long past—some pieces predating human history. I could spend hours perusing the collection and absorbing whatever I could about my kind and Styx.

Something struck me while reading Scriveners: A History. Mindreading was an advanced-level Scrivening skill. I had intentions of finishing the chapter to learn more. A mind-reading rebel would make an excellent weapon, after all. And there were other skills—healing, persuasion—that came with Master Scrivener powers. Each person manifested different talents once at full power. I wanted to learn about them all.

But there was one distraction I could not discount any longer.

Since Dudley was fond of Nicodemus, I had expected to see the old man more regularly. Apparently, however, he was an introvert, seeking solitude in the orchards. This was a sentiment I understood well. So it was particularly strange to watch Nicodemus, silent and stoic, enter the library and sit down across from me at a table covered in thick, moldy books.

Eyes trained on my book, I asked the old man, “How was your walk?” He’d sat silently, waiting to steal my attention. Nicodemus and Dudley, different species, held more behavioral similarities than opposing ones.

“I am worried,” he said, avoiding my question.

“What about?”

Nicodemus folded his hands and carefully set them on the pages of an open book. “Marin is a sleeping giant. He has destroyed Stygians here and there by accusing and punishing them for any Class of Offenses. This attack on you was ordered; I am sure of it. And that means Marin wants to weaken us from the inside, and now he is going to do something else, something worse.”

This idea had not crossed my mind until this moment, and I felt a ten-ton mass slide into my stomach.

His bony knuckles turned shades of white. Communication between us was effortless, even though I was still learning the wrinkles on his hands and face, and the exact color of his white beard. “I expected to be voted in as Head Reaper before Marin assumed the role,” he said in a way that sounded sheepish. “However, Marin stole the election from me. I can only assume the election was rigged, knowing his history.”

Saying that somebody stole your rightful throne was ballsy. Hell, it was downright arrogant. I didn’t find Nicodemus’s confession out of line, however. Styx needed a gentle hand, not an iron fist. If anyone other than Brent was fit for the job of Head Reaper, it was Nicodemus.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.