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Chapter 98
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2021-04-28 10:00:41Ahead of them, the town started to take shape. At first, she could only see the tops of some distant buildings, but then they started to come into view, and about the time they made their way off of the causeway, she began to get a feel for Lindisfarne. It was a small town. She knew that already. Less than two hundred people actually lived there. But lots of tourists made their way across the causeway to see the castle and other historical buildings annually. She’d read online that the ruins of an ancient church were recently uncovered here.
“So… how come no one ever looked here before?” Ru asked, leaning forward in her seat as they slowly crawled through town.
“We have,” Cutter replied, turning as much as he could in his seat to face her. “But if your mother was here then, she was good at hiding.”
“We did a surface sweep,” Ivy elaborated, also turning to look at her. “It was a few years ago. We
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Reaper's Hollow Chapter 99
Though the diner had been crowded, there weren’t a lot of vehicles in the parking lot, and looking up at the castle in the distance, Ru could see why. There must’ve been a thousand steps. The castle sat on top of a hill, and there was a stairwell that wound its way around the base. In the sunlight, the bricks gave off a golden glow. With the backdrop of the sea behind it, the scene was breathtaking.“Guess we’ll be getting in our cardio,” Rider mumbled, pulling the keys out and opening his door.“This place will literally take your breath away,” Ivy agreed as she climbed from the far back seat of the van and followed her teammates out.Ru was hardly aware of what everyone else was doing as she stared at the fortress before her. The hum was softer now, but not more distant, just more content, as if it was pleased with her choices. She would’ve continued to sit in the van indefinitely, just staring at the complex, if
Last Updated : 2021-04-28Reaper's Hollow Chapter 100
Hushed voices filled their ears as they reached the bottom. One of them was definitely Stew and the other sounded like a woman. Ru braced herself. What if she was hearing the voice of her mother?Cutter looked up at her. “Can you hear them?” he asked, his voice not even a whisper. She shook her head. “He’s telling her someone is here asking about her, and she’s asking if there’s a place she can hide.”“Thank God for your superhuman hearing,” she replied. “Let’s go.”He looked at her for a moment, as if asking if she was sure, and she nodded. Cutter descended the final stairs, and she followed.The scene wasn’t exactly what she was expecting. The pair was actually standing well across the narrow basement, which slightly resembled a dungeon. Two bare bulbs hung from the ceiling, illuminating tables lined with artifacts. Stew was speaking to a waif of a woman with dark hair, standi
Last Updated : 2021-04-28Reaper's Hollow Chapter 101
The worker’s lounge seemed to be much bigger than necessary from Ru’s perspective considering there were only two people manning the castle at a time, but she supposed it was difficult to find a normal sized room in a palace. Either enormous chambers or small spaces previously used by servants were likely the norm.Surprisingly, the walls here were not stone, as Ru had assumed they would be. Someone had hung sheetrock, or another substance to serve the same purpose, and the room was painted a cheery buttercream color. The one window was draped in white curtains, and the round table where she sat across from this strange mother of hers had a matching tablecloth. Across the room, at least twenty feet away, there were the normal small appliances one might expect to see in such a place; a coffee maker, microwave, dorm room-sized refrigerator. A package of Styrofoam cups and some sweetener sat at the ready, but when Maggie had offered her a drink, she’d declined,
Last Updated : 2021-04-28Reaper's Hollow Chapter 102
“What did Raphael say when he took him?”She let out a long sigh and took another drink before turning her attention to a spot on the table. Ru could see her pressing herself into the past. She was going against her own will, Ru surmised, and Ru appreciated the effort. Once Maggie began to speak, her voice was faint. “We thought we’d gotten away,” she began. “After you were born… we skipped from town to town for a couple of years and finally settled down in a little apartment on the Upper East Side. We thought, if they were looking, they would’ve found us by then. I hadn’t tried the cloaking spells yet. Your father didn’t want to. He said he didn’t want to give the ‘good guys’—that’s what he called the Keepers and Archs, sort-of sarcastically—he didn’t want to give them any other excuse to hate him. If they thought he was trying to hide us from them, they would be even more
Last Updated : 2021-04-28Reaper's Hollow Chapter 103
“I am aware of the portals, honey. Your father mentioned knowing where the one in Reaper’s Hollow was, that’s true. He had used it. While he stopped all contact with the Reapers the moment he found out about you, he had used the portal. But he never told me where it was—or the other two. And I wouldn’t have asked. We had our own mission to fulfill, darling.”Still shocked that Maggie didn’t know where the portals were, Ru attempted to stay focused. She’d have to tell the rest of her team, somehow, that at least that part of their trip had been in vain. “Mom—I mean, Sera… uh, Maggie,” she stammered. Taking a deep breath, she muttered, “Damn,” under her breath and then, embarrassed to have cursed in front of her mother, she apologized. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to call you.”Maggie’s cheeks were tinged with pink and a broad smile spread across her f
Last Updated : 2021-04-28Reaper's Hollow Chapter 104
When her mother had said she lived in a hut, Ru wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t this. That was a good word for it, however, as the entire dwelling, which was round, couldn’t have been more than twenty feet across in either direction. She had a bed, a chair, a small cooking area, and the restroom was partitioned off with a curtain, so Ru wasn’t sure exactly what was back there but she assumed it was a small shower and a toilet. The kitchen sink wouldn’t have been more than a few steps from the area.It was nicely decorated, and even though Ru had never seen a building with a thatched roof before, on the inside, it was hard to tell, as the ceiling was made of varnished, interwoven wood. There were two small windows by the front door whose floral print curtains consisted mostly of blue hues and complimented the light blue on the walls and bedspread. A dresser sat mostly against the wall by the bed, the curvature of the building creating a
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Ru drew her phone out of her pocket and snapped a few pictures, hoping she got enough of the details that Lyric would be able to use them to do some more research. “Thank you,” she said, reaching over and lightly touching her mom’s arm with one hand as she slid her phone back into her pocket with the other.“Certainly. I hope that it helps you find the portals, Ru.”“I wish we had time to sit and chat,” Ru replied as her mother took her hand between hers. “But I think we should go. I know you feel confident that Nat means you no harm, but I don’t see the reason in bringing him here to find out if we can avoid it.”“I understand,” Maggie replied. “Besides, you’ll want to make sure you don’t miss the tide. If you get stuck on the island, there likely won’t be any place for all of you to sleep.”Laughing, Ru said, “You don’t think we’ll fit
Last Updated : 2021-04-28Reaper's Hollow Chapter 106
The view from Ru’s hotel room wasn’t too shabby. While she didn’t have a direct view of anything too important, that she knew of anyway, off in the distance she could see the London Bridge and some tall buildings, which looked breathtaking all lit up at night. She could’ve sat and stared out the window all night if a knock at the door hadn’t interrupted her.She had a feeling it was Cutter before she even went to open it. It had been evident all the way back from Holy Island that he wanted to speak with her, but it had been too much for Ru. She’d laid down in the back seat the best she could with her seatbelt on and fallen asleep pretty quickly after they’d made it across the causeway. When they’d reached the hotel, she had gone to her room, saying she’d order something from room service for dinner. The night before, she’d thought it might be possible her mother could be returning back to this rented room with her. T
Last Updated : 2021-04-28
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Reaper's Hollow Chapter 158: Epilogue
One year later… “All right, boys and girls. That is enough for today. We will pick up with Ramona’s story tomorrow afternoon. For now, go ahead and get your backpacks on, and let’s line up at the door.” Groans filled the air as twenty-two fourth graders followed their teacher’s directions despite wanting to hear what happened next in the story. They stood and walked to the cubbies where their backpacks were hung and politely took turns getting their belongings before making an orderly line at the door. Ru took a deep breath and looked lovingly at her students. Even though she’d made the same prediction every year since she started teaching, she had had a feeling about this group of kids from the very beginning. And she was right. They were the best group of fourth graders she’d ever taught. The bell rang and she wished them all a good weekend, gathering up the four students who went to daycare and walking with th
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 157
“I need to face him,” Cutter said. “And you need to get to the portal.” Ru craned her neck around the tree. While there were still some Reapers near the entryway, for the most part, the Keepers were able to set up a perimeter around the portal. If she was going to go, now was the time. “Okay. Be careful,” she said. Realizing that Cutter was about to take on one of her assignments made Ru feel uncomfortable, particularly since she knew what the end result would be, and despite the bargain she’d almost just made with the devil, she still didn’t want to see Nat destroyed. But she had to push those thoughts out of her head. She quickly kissed Cutter’s cheek and scurried off to the next tree closest to the portal. Nat saw her now, and he began to move in her direction, using his scythe to cut down an attacking Keeper as if he were nothing. Ru swallowed hard and steeled herself, looking for the next place to hide. If she used her powers on Nat, there was a chance she would
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 156
A Reaper stepped through the portal opening. Tall, with ebony hair, he wore the long black cloak she expected to see, a scythe in his hand. The man quickly ran to the left of the portal, and then another Reaper appeared on his heels. Dressed identically, with the same weapon, he ran to the right. Then, another sprang forth, and another. Ru watched, her eyes wide as the Reapers continued to pour out of the portal, as if Hell had spilled an inkwell and the thick, black substance was covering the entire earth. “Holy Hell.” It was hard to pull her eyes off of the sight, but she turned to see Cutter standing next to her. “We’ll never be able to take all of them.” It was Ivy, and Ru glimpsed a look of defeat on her face as she came to a stop behind Cutter. “We have to try,” he said. Ru could see the resolve in his face and noticed his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Ivy and I will hold them off while you concentrate on the portal.” There ha
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 155
The demons were up again, too, and the battles picked up where they had left off. Everyone else was engaged, which left Ru to face this Goliath all by herself. “Kill it! Kill it!” Rider shouted at her as streaks of blue wrapped around the snake’s midsection. He seemed to be closing in on his prey, and Ru tried not to let the sight distract her. He was right. It would be best to take out the giant before he was fully formed. With a deep breath, Ru drew upon all of the strength she had inside of her and aimed her blue light at the giant. It was difficult to figure out where to aim since he was only out of the portal up to his shins. Still, she hoped it would be enough. Perhaps it was because of his size, but she felt the need to shout even louder this time as she recited the incantation almost word for word along with Rider who was also sending the snake into oblivion. “Infernus et perdere faciam te in nomine Domini!” This time, Ru didn’t feel as confi
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 154
There it was, right in front of her, the portal. The final one. And all she had to do was raise her hands and say the incantation. All of this would be over. If Thanatos wasn’t here, she couldn’t kill him. Surely, Raphael would understand that. She’d just close the portal and sneak away, leaving that confrontation for another day. Except she knew it wasn’t that easy. Just because she didn’t see him didn’t mean he wasn’t there. And even before she could raise her hands, the pull from inside of her became overwhelming, causing Ru to double over. The air between the edges of the portal continued to ripple and wave, and Ru recognized the sensation from both of the previous portals. Something was coming. She looked at Cutter and for the first time she could remember, she saw fear in his eyes. “They’re coming,” she whispered. He opened his mouth to say something, but before anything came out, a rush of heat shot out of the portal opening. Both of them instinctively
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 153
“Well, that doesn’t even make sense.” Lyric rolled her eyes. “If you’re in charge, then why do you have to do what someone else told you?” Flint launched into a defense of his decision, but Ru shouted over him. “Flint! Look, the reason their numbers were so low at the beginning of the battle is obvious, isn’t it? It’s not because this portal doesn’t mean anything to them—it’s because it means everything to them. They’re not on the battlefield yet. They will come through the portal!” She had him by the shoulders, which caused him to jump backward, shaking himself free, and once Ru finished her statement she took a step back as well. “What? No,” Flint argued. “They’re not going to send them through the portal. That would be suicide. They’d have to come through a small opening into enemy controlled territory.” “Yeah, into a stream of five whole enemy fighters who cannot possibly hold them all off,” Rider reminded him. “You have to close in behind us.” Ru
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 152
Aokigahara sprawled in front of her like the untamed wild it was, trees encroaching into the neighboring farmlands and open spaces as if the forest insisted on reclaiming what used to be hers. From this direction, it was difficult to tell where the forest began and civilization ended, though Ru thought for certain she’d know when she crossed the line. She stifled a yawn and kept moving forward, one boot at a time, toward what might be her very last mission, if she had her way. Though she had fallen asleep for a few hours, for the most part, she’d gotten her wish and was able to stay up most of the night, with Cutter’s help, and the activity he’d chosen to occupy her certainly didn’t make her feel less worn out. The few hours she had spent in oblivion had been dreamless, as far as she knew. At least, if there had been dreams, they had been unmemorable. Her friends surrounded her as they made their way into the forest. Cutter was in front of her, Rider b
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 151
Navigating airports was hard enough for Ru when she was in countries where most everyone spoke English. Flying to Japan would’ve been completely overwhelming if Ivy wasn’t fluent in Japanese and Mandarin, especially when they had to switch planes in Shanghai. Luckily, the gentle-natured Keeper had managed to keep all of them in line and they’d made their way to Shizuoka Airport with little incident, though Rider complained about the lack of legroom on the commuter jet nearly the whole flight. Thank goodness for headphones, Ru had thought to herself. The entire van ride from the airport to their hotel, a place Ru hadn’t even attempted to try to pronounce for fear she’d embarrass herself, her eyes were glued out the window. From the buildings, to the natural surroundings off in the distance, to the smiling faces of those they passed along the streets, Ru was fascinated. By the looks she was getting, so were the people staring back at her. Five tall blondes with blue e
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 150
Cutter squeezed her leg, and Ru realized it must be apparent she wasn’t paying attention. She tuned back in to hear Sky say, “Now, the team we are meant to protect so that they can get in and close the portal will be given the code name Alfred. This will allow us to be briefer in our communications about the team.” Sky continued to talk, and she knew it was important that she listen, since Ru would be involved in whatever the blue-haired Keeper was discussing presently, but curiosity got the better of her. “Why Alfred?” she whispered to Cutter. Without turning his head, he replied, “Alfred Nobel.” “Huh?” Ru was still confused. “The inventor of dynamite.” “Oh.” Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to Sky, who was giving her the same look Ru might give a student who wasn’t paying attention. Ru swallowed hard and made herself concentrate. “Alfred will be dispatched from here, a break in the forest away from the typical entrance
