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Vertigo and the sensation of falling gripped me and I squeezed my eyes shut.
The soles of my shoes slapped the floor, sending a painful vibration up through my body and I opened my eyes to my empty kitchen. My wrist throbbed and the knife pulsed in the case and without thinking, I pulled it from the sheath and spun.
A hooded being stood behind me, reaching for me in that threatening manner I was becoming accustom to and without hesitation, I plunged the blade into the center of its ribcage. The pain filled wail echoed off the kitchen walls and I twisted the blade, finishing off the diabolical beast.
The reaper exploded into a whirlwind of dust, but that didn’t override the shuffle behind me and I turned, already in fight mode with the knife brandished before me.
“Easy boy,” Lazarus whispered, his hands in front of him in innocent defense.
My muscles clenched, taut and ready to strike, but my mind recognized the friendly face giving the stand down order. It took a moment to register, but when it did, relief flooded through my veins, chilling me and turning my body into a wobbly pool of flesh. I lowered the knife and took an uncertain step toward the table, but my legs wouldn’t hold my weight. Lazarus caught me and helped me to a chair.
“Did I get him?” I asked, pointing the knife in the direction of the dissipating dust.
“No. That wasn’t Promethis.” He dropped his gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry for putting you in danger. I honestly thought reasoning with them would work.”
I wanted to say I told you so, but when I opened my mouth, “You didn’t know,” came out. I offered him a smile that said I was just fine, no harm, no foul. “How are we going to stop what they have planned tomorrow?”
He shook his head and slumped in the chair, looking every bit a teenager instead of an ancient being. I offered a quiet sigh. Before I could speak, the rattle of keys interrupted my train of thought. I turned toward the hallway and my mother walked into the kitchen and stopped in the doorway with a frown on her lips.
I glanced back toward where I killed the reaper and understood her unhappy expression. A thin layer of dirt covered the island and the counters.
“What happened in here?”
I met her questioning stare. “I killed another reaper.”
Her gaze snapped to Lazarus. “You were supposed to watch after him,” she said, pointing in my direction. “Where were you when this happened?”
“It’s not his fault, Mom,” I said in response to her accusatory tone and when she turned her stark stare in my direction, I continued. “Besides, I’m the one with the knife and I’m the one they’re gunning for.”
“He’s the one assigned to protect you.”
I laughed. “What do you expect Lazarus to do?”
“I expect him to protect you.”
“Ma’am, I am doing my best,” Lazarus said. “If I had gotten here a few seconds earlier, I would have taken care of it, but your son seems to have a sixth sense when something isn’t right and a warrior’s split-second reactions that give him an advantage.”
“My son is only thirteen. He shouldn’t have to have warrior’s reactions. He should be out playing baseball or soccer or surfing with his friends, and not be the one responsible for stopping the apocalypse.” She threw her pocketbook on the table and stormed from the room.
Lazarus and I exchanged a glance and then I went after her. I found her face down on her bed and when I placed my hand on her shoulder, tremors from her silent sobs resonated in my fingertips. “Mom, everything is going to be fine,” I said, with a confidence I didn’t feel.
She lifted her tear stained face from the pillow and met my gaze. “You don’t know that.”
I shrugged and sat on the edge of the bed. “I promise I’ll be okay.” I almost laughed at the certainty in my tone and wondered if my mother would detect the lie.
I couldn’t promise anything except that if I failed, it wouldn’t matter.
Victory or death.
That’s about as strong a motivator as anything I’ve ever known and I stared into her deep brown eyes offering a smile. “Trust me.”