Shadow Oracle by Laura Greenwood

Fifteen

I glanceover my shoulder for what feels like the hundredth time since leaving the academy this morning.

"Are you okay?" Mathias asks. "You keep searching for something."

I sigh. "I guess I'm still half expecting the Shadow Association to be following me."

"Aren't they all still in custody?"

"Yes."

"So there's nothing to worry about?"

I sigh. "I know."

He slips his hand into mine and gives it a squeeze. "I'm sorry it's not easy to shake."

"I shouldn't have been foolish enough to think it would be," I admit. "There are still Shadow Associations all around the world. Fielding says that it seems like they only operate at a local level, but that doesn't mean anything."

"I know it doesn't. But they'd tell you if they thought you were in danger."

I sigh. "I assume so."

"Then we'll keep ourselves on alert, but we'll also do our best to carry on living our lives."

"If only reaping our own ghosts was as easy as reaping Cain is going to be."

"Or as enjoyable," Mathias mutters.

I let out a light laugh, feeling a little better. He has that effect on me.

"Though I'm worried about that too," I admit. "Forcing a reaping doesn't sound like it's going to be a nice experience."

"No, I'm not looking forward to it."

"I can try, if you'd prefer not to do it?" I offer. I'm not completely sure if I want to, but he's clearly uncomfortable with the idea of forcing Cain to move on from this world, even if we've gotten the go-ahead from the Reaper Guard to do just that.

Mathias shakes my head. "I'm the porter, it's my job to do it."

"If you're sure."

"Thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I'm good."

"Okay." I'm not going to argue with him about this, especially not when he seems to have made up his mind. He supported me while I made a decision he didn't particularly like, it's time for me to return the favour.

Though somehow, force reaping a ghost doesn't feel like it's in the same league as willingly walking into a house owned by a cult.

We enter the office block and make our way to the haunted toilets. I'm not sure why, but I feel like it's some kind of cliché for Cain to be hanging out there. If he'd actually talked to us, then maybe we could have figured out why he was haunting his workplace and not his house.

"Ready?" he asks me.

I nod, though in all honesty, I'm not sure whether that's true. Not when I don't have any idea what to expect.

I push open the bathroom door and step inside, clearing my throat. Cain floats in the middle of the room, glaring at me.

"Cain Rossen, due to your willful destruction of property and your refusal to properly cooperate with reapers, you are to be force reaped," I recite the words I've been practising ever since the order came through.

Shock crosses the ghost's face. "Where is the other reaper, I want to talk to him."

"He's outside the door preparing for your reaping," I say. "But you can't talk to him, he can't understand you."

"Then I demand to speak to your manager."

I refrain from sighing dramatically, but barely. "I have a signed order here." I hold it out to him so he can see the details. There's nothing he can do about it. On the one hand, I'm not sure how I feel about that, especially seeing as he doesn't have the ability to actually argue his case. On the other, he's been causing nothing but problems to everyone around him, and that can't go unpunished.

I suppose the whole point of moving ghosts on to the next realm is that there is somewhere for them to go. It's not like we're completely removing him from existence.

Mathias enters the room, a shaky expression on his face. I want to reassure him that it's going to be okay, but I don't want to do that in front of Cain. Besides, Mathias knows I'm here to support him.

"The forced reaping will begin now," I say, nodding to give Mathias the signal.

He takes a deep breath and lifts his scythe above his head. Even though he doesn't do it out loud, I can tell he's counting down in his head.

In one smooth movement, he swings his scythe down towards the floor, like we've been taught.

At the last second, Cain rushes towards him, taking him off guard. Mathias flinches, his scythe slipping too far and crashing against the floor. I watch in horror as the metal blade cracks and a high pitched whine fills the room.

My eyes widen. That can't be good.

Cain laughs maniacally, seeming to think he's escaped being reaped. I'm not sure what good he thinks it'll do. All that will happen is we'll report it, and people will keep being sent until someone is successful.

"You need to do it," Mathias says, his voice shaking ever so slightly as he takes in the broken head of his scythe. I don't know if the damage makes it unusable, but using it in this state isn't a risk either of us are going to be willing to take.

I slip my scythe from its sheath, feeling the familiar wooden handle and gaining a sense of peace from it. I've never used it to create a portal before, and even now, that hadn't been my first thought.

I close my eyes, mostly to make it easier to ignore Cain's protests and antics. I doubt he'll leave me alone after successfully managing to stop Mathias. But I also need to pull on a part of my reaper magic I haven't used before, and that involves focusing more than normal.

I drag my scythe down towards the ground, only opening my eyes at the last second. A rush of power floods through me, opening a portal to the next realm in the process. A queasy sensation settles in my stomach. Something about this feels wrong. I don't know if it's because I'm a seer and I'm not supposed to be doing this part of the job, or because I'm not used to it.

Cain screams and contorts in the air, being sucked towards the portal I've created. A part of me wants to stop this from happening, even if it's what we've been instructed to do. But I know that's not how this works. We tried to work with him, but he's made it difficult at every turn and this is the protocol for dealing with that.

A horrible ripping sound fills the air as he slips through the portal and it seals up behind him. Unlike the other reapings I've been present for, this one feels wrong.

"Are you okay?" Mathias asks after a moment's tense silence.

I bite my bottom lip but nod. "I think so. It just wasn't what I expected."

"I know. I felt it before..." He waves his hand towards his scythe.

"Is it going to be okay?"

"No idea. We can go see the blacksmith after we've submitted our report to the Reaper Guard."

"Good idea."

I hope he doesn't need a whole new scythe, but at least that's an option if he needs it to be.

"Ready to leave?" he asks.

"Yes, please." This whole place is making me feel wrong.

"I know it sucks, but it's good practice for if we join the Reaper Guard. I think they have to do more forced reapings," Mathias says, collecting up the broken pieces of his scythe and slipping them into his bag.

A shiver runs down my spine. "I'm not sure I could do another one."

"Then maybe you have the answer you needed about the Reaper Guard," he responds.

"Or maybe I'm just tired and on edge still." Even as I say the words, I know they're not true. I don't think I can ever get comfortable with doing what we just did.

If that means I'm not a good candidate for the Reaper Guard, then at least it makes my decision easy. I don't have to join the Guard just because I'm a reaper. As several people have pointed out already, there are plenty of other reaper specific careers, and I'm not even limited to them.

With the Shadow Association soon to be a thing of my past, I have a whole world full of options in front of me.

And I plan to make the most of that.