Reaped

Chapter Ten

In the hospital, Charos came back and leaned against the wall with his hands pressed behind him. Jake stayed with me since he was technically off-duty, and frowned when two men in black suits came into the room.

"Ms. White," the one on the right said. He had blonde hair, but everything else about him looked the same as the one on the left. Not that they were twins, or even brothers, they were just the same flavor of bland. "We're here from the Bureau of Inhuman Affairs, and we need to ask you some questions."

"What kinds of questions?" I'd never seen anyone from the BIA before. They looked as generic as the stereotypical federal agents from TV.

"About what you are. It has come to our attention that you are a possible new kind of inhuman race, and it's our job to find out what you're capable of," the one on the left had brown hair. I wondered if their names were single letters or just a series of numbers.

Charos stepped away from the wall and stood next to the bed, but I did my best not to watch him and keep my eyes on the men by the door. Their faces stayed blank even as Charos leaned over me, "I cannot reveal myself to them. Only a Horseman can do that. I can find Timoria, if you wish."

I push against the bed, trying to sit a little straighter and nod at Charos, who disappears. Jake stands and helps me adjust the bed and puts a pillow under my arm. They were still looking through x-rays and other stuff to see if I would need surgery of any sort before they went further with my shoulder. "I don't really think my race is capable of a whole bunch. Not in the showy way, at least."

"We will have to be the judge of that, ma'am," Blondie says.

"You have no business here," a dry voice said from a corner of the room. Both men jumped and reached for guns, aiming them at Viné. He was in jeans and a white undershirt untucked over bare feet.

"Did you just get out of a shower?" I ask him.

"Those robes are terrible, little one," he smiles at me, then disappears only to reappear behind the BIA agents and shut the door. "Your guns can do nothing to me. Put them away before you hurt yourselves."

"Who are you?" Brown Hair asks, and his breathing is a little too fast.

Charos is standing behind Jake, and I nudge Jake aside so Charos can stand next to the bed. With Viné to keep the BIA busy, I reach for Charos's hand and don't care if they can't see what I'm holding.

"I'm Viné," he says. "I believe you have me listed as a higher demon, bound to the summoner, Rowan. Of course, your information is far from complete, and you will not be completing it today. Nor will I see the BIA around the ranch after this." He reaches out and touches the lapel of one of the suit jackets, then black mist forms around him and he's dressed in the same kind of suit. It disappears just as quickly, leaving him as he had been. "That uniform is worse than my robes. No freedom of movement. No wonder you're in such a bad mood with such binding underwear."

Both of the agents blush, but Blondie recovers first, "Sir, we can't not add to our database if it means more information on inhuman race abilities."

"She can see reapers," Viné says. "It doesn't come with any abilities."

"What do you mean, reapers?" Blondie asks.

Viné points at Charos next to the bed, and both agents startle again as though he just appeared. I suppose he did, for them. "That is a reaper. He works for my brother. She is his moira. The one soul who can see and touch him, keep him grounded."

"And who's your brother?" Brownie asks, sounding suspicious.

"Death," Viné says it like it's obvious. "Only a Horseman can reveal the reapers to mundane view, and believe me, you don't want my siblings showing up. I like to think I'm the nice one."

Jake snorts, and Viné points at him. Jake holds his hands up, "I've met your horse. I'm not saying anything."

"But we have to know what she can do," Brownie waves at me.

I shift on the bed and whisper, "I see dead people."

"No you do not," Viné snaps. "You're a moira, not a necromancer. She can see two reapers, can feel any of them if Charos would let them close enough, and she can talk to the Horsemen. That's about it, so you have nothing to report, really."

"We have to be able to prove all of this, sir," Blondie says, sounding bored.

Viné looks over and says to Charos, "Block her view of the rest of this room for a minute. She doesn't need to see this." Charos leans a little more over the bed, pulling my head against his chest until all I can see is his robe. Someone snaps their fingers and then I hear what has to be a horse blowing, and the BIA agents are freaking out. Then another snap and Charos lets me go. "Will that suffice for your proof?"

"Y-yes, sir," Blondie is staring at something behind Charos, whose eyes are glowing green with amusement. At least I figured that color out.

"Leave now," Viné waves his hand at the men, "before I get bored."

They scramble out of the room, and Jake chuckles, "I've got five bucks says the BIA goes out to the ranch real soon."

Viné just chuckles and disappears.