The Reaping: Language of the Liar (8 page)

Deciding she would just go along with the entire circus, Dorian let Lennox pull her to the second room down the hall.  She expected some kind of guest room, but instead she found herself standing in a make-shift office.  There were shelves upon shelves of old tomes, the smell musty like ancient parchment.  There were symbols painted all over the walls in red and white ink, and a desk stood in the corner covered in jars of bizarre-looking liquids, powders, and crushed herbs.  In the far corner was a couch with a wardrobe bag sitting half-open.  She could see a variety of t-shirts, leggings, and a couple pairs of jeans bundled up together.

“She’s about your size, I think.  She won’t mind.  She just keeps stuff here in case any of our jobs get messy.”  Lennox leaned on the door and gave Dorian a once-over.  “I’ll put some coffee on and send Dash out for some breakfast, okay?  Food and caffeine will help you feel better.”

Without waiting for a response, Lennox slammed the door and left her alone.  The moment the door was shut, she let out a shuddering sigh and put her hand to her mouth.  How had she gotten herself back into this mess with these two lunatics who should rightfully be locked up by her side?

Wandering around, she stared with wide eyes at all the symbols.  None of them made any sense to her, but they were similar to what Lennox had drawn on her wrists.  When she got close to them, she felt a strange sensation, like she was running her hand through a current of electricity.  It was unnerving, and she stepped over to the bookshelves, keeping a few feet away from the walls.  Peering at the books, she realized most of them were written in Latin, a lot like the books the Father kept in his study.

Whatever these guys thought they were doing, they were serious about it.

Her hand trailed over some of the jars on the desk, toying with a couple of the amulets until one of them gave her a violent shock.  She let out a gasp, jumping back, and shoved the tip of her finger in her mouth.  “The hell?”

Deciding it was best not to mess around with stuff she didn’t understand, she went to the wardrobe bag and pulled a couple things out.  It was clear this Briar person was similar to her in size, a little wider in the hips, but she had a black pair of leggings with decent stretch, and a grey t-shirt which fit comfortably.  There were rows of boots shoved along the walls, all a size too large, but with a pair of socks, Dorian made them work.

She felt a little better being dressed, and hurried to tuck her nightclothes into the corner before reaching for the door.  Just as her hand closed around the knob, she heard her name being whispered.  There was no mistaking the voice, and she scrubbed her wrists on her thighs in a vain attempt to get rid of whatever was left of the symbols.  She couldn’t take it anymore, she just wanted it to stop.

Turning her head, her vision swam a little, and there was a pressure in her temples.  The symbols on the walls began to shimmer, and as she stared at them through her fuzzy vision, they began to make sense.  Like a language embedded in her brain lying dormant.  They were protection symbols, keeping the demons at bay.

As she clung to the door, she could feel him fighting to get back in, but the Exorcists had the place well prepared.  Nic couldn’t touch her here.  This was sacred ground, and she was protected.

It felt like an eternity passed, but eventually the pressure in her head went away and though a wave of exhaustion hit her, she was able to walk out upright and completely herself.  She stepped into the hall, took a few breaths, then headed toward the kitchen where she could hear Lennox humming to himself.

“You okay, lass?  You seem a bit peaky.”  Lennox was at the counter putting scoops of coffee into a filter.

“Yeah I just um…”  She rubbed at her wrists again, and his eyes widened with realization.

“He can’t get to you here.”

“Yeah, I figured that out.  The symbols are something like a warding spell.”  She wasn’t sure where those words were coming from, and by Lennox’s expression, it was obvious he hadn’t expected her to know, either.

“Aye, right in one.”  He regarded her another minute before pulling out a couple mugs from the cabinet.  “It might mean his next attack is more vicious though, so your best bet is to get that amulet from your quarters.  The spell on it won’t hold him off for long, but it’ll buy you some time.  Hopefully enough to carry through to your exorcism.”

Dorian nodded, not wanting to explain that getting to the amulet was going to be tricky.  If she went home, she’d have to convince Father Stone she wasn’t crazy and that wouldn’t be easy, not after what she’d done.

Lennox was getting cream and sugar ready when the door opened, and Dash walked in with a paper sack full of fresh bagels and cream cheese, setting them on the table next to her.  Giving her a once over, he nodded.  “You look better.  Clothes help?”

“Yeah.”  She stood up when he offered her the food, and after a few moments they were all sitting with breakfast and coffee spread out in front of them.  “So is there anything I need to know before we walk into this exorcism thing?  Is it going to be like the movies?”

The pair chuckled and Lennox shook his head.  “No.  You have to think of what we do as a sort of science.  We may use religious symbols and things traditionally associated with mysticism, but we’re not dealing with some evil spiritual entity.  Demons are like aliens.  They live in separate dimensions and they use humans to cross over.”

Dorian frowned as she chewed her bagel.  “So possessions are…”

“No,” Lennox cut in.  “Not possessions.  Demons can use the human mind like a highway to cross over to other dimensions.  When they
possess
people, it’s because they want to be in our realm for whatever reason.”

“And their reasons are usually sketchy at best,” Dash added.  “Normally it’s just recon stuff, the lesser demons keeping tabs on what the humans are doing, but sometimes they’re after more.”

The thought gave Dorian a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she tried to wash it away with several swallows of the hot coffee.  “But the guy in my head…”

“I’ve got one of the lads researching him,” Dash said.  “Nic isn’t a lot to go on, but we have a pretty big demon database and he’ll send over some potentials once he gets a decent list.”

Her eyes went wide as she sat back in her chair.  “You want me to ID him?  Like in a demon line-up or something?”

“Books only, love.”  Lennox smirked a little as he finished his drink, then looked over at the clock.  “We have to get going on our prep.  Dorian, why don’t you kip on the couch for a bit?  You’re going to need the rest for later.  It’s a non-possession exorcism, but for someone like you, it can be a bit trying.”

She rubbed her face and realized in spite of the coffee and food, she was exhausted and a nap sounded like heaven.  She wondered for a moment, as she wandered into the living room, why they were so sure she wouldn’t leave.  Maybe it was obvious she was all in at this point.  There was no turning back and even if these two guys were completely crazy, there was too much circumstantial evidence for her to doubt some of it wasn’t real.

Of course this could be one giant, elaborate hallucination she was having.  Maybe she was strapped to a bed in the state hospital being pumped full of drugs.  At this point, anything was possible, but for the moment she was content to lay down, curl up under an afghan reeking of sage, and let herself drift off to sleep.

Chapter Eleven

She woke to the feeling of someone pressing something around her wrist, and when her eyes adjusted to the light in the room, she looked down to see slender fingers adjusting a clasp to a silver bracelet.  Blinking up, she saw Lennox leaning over her, and he gave her a tense smile as she sat up.

“What are you doing?”  The bracelet had a faint, burning sensation, almost like an electric current which set her nerves on edge.

“You’re going to need that.”  He straightened up and extended his hand to help her off the couch.  “And you’re going to need food.”

Suppressing a huge yawn, Dorian rubbed at her eyes and stretched her back.  “Food?  We just ate like…”  Her eyes found the clock on the wall and they widened in surprise.  It was past two in the afternoon.  She’d slept for half the day and hadn’t realized it.  “Oh my God.”

Lennox let out a small laugh and nodded to some Chinese take-out containers sitting on the table.  “Dash grabbed lunch before he and Briar went out for supplies.”

A faint rumble in her stomach reminded her she probably should eat before their little field trip, and she didn’t protest when Lennox handed her a paper plate and some paper-wrapped chopsticks.  She helped herself to some noodles, rice, and chicken from the boxes, then lowered herself into a chair.

“How do you feel?”  Lennox grabbed a couple cans of soda from the fridge, setting one next to her before popping the tab on his.

Taking a breath through her nose, Dorian finished the bite she was chewing as she assessed herself.  She actually felt rested.  More so than she could remember in a long time.  She was still a little sore, but the pressing fatigue from her weeks of insomnia was almost gone, and she didn’t have her usual sense of running a marathon in her sleep.  “Okay, actually.”

“It’s the protection spells.  Keeps the demons away while you sleep.”  His tone was matter of fact, but it still set her back on edge a bit.

“So this exorcism thing, is it dangerous?”

Lennox’s eyebrows went up a fraction.  “Dangerous to the
person
, or to
you
?”

Biting down on her bottom lip, she shrugged one shoulder up and down.  “I don’t know.  Both, I guess.  I mean, I’m going to have to go through one, right?”

His face fell a little as he lowered himself in the chair across from her, and put his elbow on the table.  “Exorcisms are never easy.  We have to manipulate a lot of energy to touch the doorways to other dimensions.  It takes a toll on the person being exorcised, on the Exorcists themselves, and anyone else in the room.  Which is why we usually keep the team down to well-trained members of our Community.  However, the one we have today should be relatively easy, at least as far as our job goes.”

“Meaning I should be safe?”

Lennox nodded, twirling the soda can between his hands.  “Yes, you should be safe.  We’ll have you loaded with protection spells and amulets.  The most difficult part for you is what you’re going to see.  The first time experiencing something like this can be unnerving.”

Dorian pushed the food around her plate with the chopsticks, her head propped up against her hand.  “And this kid?  Does he know what’s happening to him?”

Lennox made sure he held her gaze before answering.  “Yes, Dorian.  He knows.  His mother is the one who called us.  He’s been suffering terrible nightmares lately, and we think he’s close to a full-on possession.”

Shaking her head, she fought back the return of her headache.  It was too much information all at once, and it was throwing her off.  Her mind was still fighting against the idea that demon possessions could be real, and she wasn’t sure how witnessing the exorcism could change things.  “What happens after he’s exorcised?”

“For this kid?”  Lennox shrugged and clasped his hands on the table.  “Nothing.  Assuming everything goes to plan, he’ll have a long nap and when he wakes up, the nightmares will have stopped and he won’t suffer again.”

“And the doorway won’t reopen?  He won’t have to go through all that again?”

Lennox frowned for a second, then his eyes widened as he realized what Dorian was getting at.  “Ah.  You want to know what’s going to happen to you?”

Her head nodded, eyes down, afraid to meet his gaze.  “Assuming it all goes to plan with me, what happens to me after?  I wake up the next morning and I’m normal?  No more blackouts?  No more schizophrenia?”

There was a pause so long, Dorian was forced to look up, and she saw Lennox’s face drawn and a little sad.  “It’s different with people like you.”

She couldn’t help a laugh, and she sat back in the chair.  “You mean the full-on crazies.”

“I mean the people being actively possessed.”  He drummed his fingers on the table in a fast rhythm, like he was tapping out keys on a piano.  “People like this boy, they’re what we call doorways.  They’re being used to transport demons to another dimension.  Like a mental superhighway extending through every universe out there.  But people like
you
,” he stopped and took in a breath.  “Thirteen percent of the population are doorways.  About two percent of those, at least that we know of presently, are actively possessed.  Demons use their bodies to walk around our world.  When that happens, they develop a hold on you.  Some leave without any real fight, but the stronger ones, they’re reluctant to give up their human hosts.”

Dorian fought back a shiver as she thought about Nic.  He was definitely strong, a leader of his kind, and she knew he wouldn’t let her go without a fight.  “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying people like you, Dorian, are special.  But what we have to do in your case is dangerous, and the people going through
that
kind of exorcism don’t always survive.  A percentage do but…”  He trailed off, not meeting her gaze.

Her stomach sank and the food she’d just eaten threatened to come back up.  “Oh.”  She reached for her soda, put the can to her lips, but couldn’t bring herself to drink anything and set it back down with a sigh.  She tried to process what he was saying, but it was too much for her brain to handle all at once, so she moved on.  “Were you exorcised?”

“As a baby.”  Lennox reached back and scratched the base of his hair bun.  “My parents were Exorcists, so they had access to powers, were able to find out that I was a doorway early on.  They had me properly shut down before I was aware of anything.  But I was raised in the Community and for those of us born to all this, it’s pretty standard.”

“So you were never possessed?”

His head shook, and he looked almost sorry for his answer.  “I know a lot of this isn’t making sense yet, and a lot of it takes years to understand, but I’m going to try and get you as informed as I can before we have to work on you.”

Dorian gave a slow nod, breathing in and out through her nose.  “So… am I going to die?”

Before Lennox could answer, the door opened and Dash walked in with an unfamiliar woman standing behind him.  She was taller than he was, her body very fit and muscular.  She had dark skin, dark curls pulled back away from her face, and she was wearing brown leggings and a black t-shirt.  Her face was set in a hard line, her brown eyes narrow, lips set in a frown, and she regarded Dorian with heavy suspicion as they came into the room.

“Dorian, this is Briar, the resident Reaper.”  Dash made flippant introductions as he set two paper bags on the edge of the table.  “Briar, this is Dorian, our current possession.”

Dorian felt naked under the scrutiny of the Reaper, confused as to what a Reaper was, and why the woman looked like she wanted to jump across the table and slit Dorian’s throat.  “Um.  Hi.”

“You’re right.  She’s got something very strong with claws deep in this girl.  You’re going to have a bitch of a time getting it out.  Your little trinket,” Briar nodded at the bracelet Lennox slapped on Dorian’s wrist, “isn’t gonna do shit for long.”

As Briar stepped closer, Dorian was able to see small, paper-thin scars peppering her face and arms.  Her hands were rough, calloused, and Dorian spotted a knife sitting on a holster around the back of Briar’s waist.

“Don’t mind her,” Dash said as he plopped down.  “She’s just cranky because she’s been working over time.”

“You’re an ass.”  Briar smacked Dash upside the head as she walked down the hall, and a few seconds later a door slammed.

“Why does she look like she wants to kill me?” Dorian asked after a moment of silence.

Lennox let out a sigh.  “Because she does a little bit.”  When Dorian startled, he shook his head.  “Not you specifically, but she’s a Reaper.  She can see what’s inside of you and it’s instinct.”

Now frustrated and feeling like she was about to be hunted by this woman, Dorian crossed her arms.  “What does that mean?  And what the hell is a Reaper?”

“The short of it,” Dash said as he started pulling jars of herbs and liquids out of the paper bags, “she was possessed.  Like you.  She survived her exorcism after possession, and it left her with certain abilities.”

Dorian’s eyebrows shot up.  “Abilities?”

“The ability to see and sense demons.  She can tell when a person is connected to the demon realms.”

“A doorway?” Dorian asked.

Dash nodded.  “Exactly.  She can also see the demons.  All Reapers can.”

“And this kid.  Will that happen to him?”

Dash and Lennox looked at each other before Lennox shook his head.  “No, lass.  It won’t.”

Realization hit her and she let out a puff of air.  “But it will…it
can
… happen to me.  If I survive.”  She rubbed her hands down her face and let out a frustrated laugh.  “I don’t have a choice in this, do I?  You’re not going to let me say no.”

Dash leaned across the table and clasped his hands a few inches from her plate.  “There are options, love.  A few of them, but none are pleasant.  It’s important you see what we have to show you, to understand why we have to do this.”

She wanted to laugh, then maybe cry.  Part of her wanted to rage and throw things, upend the table and claw their eyes out before making a run for it.  She felt trapped, attacked, and very alone.  But part of her, some quiet, sleeping part of her brain knew they were telling the truth.  That it wasn’t some elaborate hallucination brought on by her multiple conditions.  That escaping here and going into the hospital for another round of drugs was only slapping a band-aid on the problem.  Eventually Nic would take her over and she’d lose herself.  Forever.

“When do we leave?”

Lennox let out an audible sigh of relief, slapping his hands down on the table as he stood up.  “Let me grab our bags and we can be out the door.”

Dorian waited in the chair, arms hugging her middle as she watched Dash prepare several vials of liquids, bags of powders, and a variety of charms which he shoved into the pockets of his jeans.  He looked up occasionally, doing his best to give her reassuring smiles and winks, but it didn’t help.

She was terrified, beyond all reason, and there was no way out.

Lennox came out a few minutes later, his face drawn, duffle bag slung over his shoulder, and he let out a frustrated growl.  “Briar isn’t coming.  She said it’s beneath her.”

“Of
course
it is,” Dash replied, rolling his eyes.  “Doesn’t matter, does it?  We don’t need a Reaper for this one.”

“Except if what Dorian said is true, they might be on to us.  Trying to beat us to the punch.”

“Not worried about it.”  Dash gathered up his things, crossed the room and placed a tender kiss on Lennox’s cheek.  “You shouldn’t either.  Besides,” he turned to Dorian who was watching them with narrow eyes, “we’ve got her.  With that charm, she’s very nearly a Reaper and if anything tries to pop though, she’ll be able to see it.  Maybe even give it a nice little push back through the door.”

Dorian’s face went hot, eyes going wide.  “I’m sorry, what?  I might
what
?”

“That charm,” Dash said, pointing to her hand, “allows you protection from your demon friend, but keeps the spell I put on your wrists active a bit longer than usual.”  When Dorian opened her mouth to protest, he held up a hand.  “Trust me, love.  You need that.  And it’s best you can see everything that happens.”

She swallowed against the lump in her throat, but didn’t argue any further when Dash brushed past her, opening the front door.  The food in her stomach felt like a sack of rocks, sloshing heavy and uncomfortable as they made their way down the stairs.  Rushing through the lobby, Lennox kept directly on her heel, Dash leading the way to their car.  It was much nicer than Dorian expected, a new fuel efficient, electric car, and her surprise was evident on her face.

“We’re not heathens.  And I appreciate the gas mileage with how expensive it’s got.”  He winked as she climbed into the back seat, and then tossed the bags in next to her.

The two men climbed in after, Lennox pulling up an address on the car’s GPS, then he looked back at her and offered a smile.  “This is the easy part, trust me.”

She nodded but said nothing, her gaze fixing out onto the city streets as Dash pulled away from the curb.  Her emotions were all over the place, and she fought off the urge to rip the car door open and bolt.  As her head started to spin, panic bubbling, the bracelet on her wrist gave a sharp twinge and everything swam back into focus.