Of Ravens and Murder: OM&N Volume 2

March 2018 - Beijing, China

Michael was tracking his next target by the end of the day, using the crowds in Beijing's streets as cover. He felt rather than saw or heard someone following him and he paused to look around, expecting to find his young partner tagging along behind again. Instead, he saw her being dragged backward into a narrow alley, her eyes wide behind her mask. For a moment, he was tempted to just abandon her and run, but he couldn't run forever and the Councils had many hands. He breathed a heavy sigh and wove through the crowd to the alley entrance, hesitating when he saw a vaguely familiar woman gesture him further inside.

"I won't bite, promise," she spoke gently, her words contradicted by the scoped flintlock and ink-black Russian Kinjal he glimpsed inside her long coat.

"Who are you?" The woman smiled at him, sorrow in her eyes.

"We've met before, I raised Reyna Wildes," she paused, her hand unconsciously reaching for the silver cross around her neck, "and I gave the eulogy at her funeral." Michael frowned.

"I remember the eulogy, I don't remember you." Genuine surprise flickered in the woman's liquid mercury eyes.

"Really? That's more than I expected..." She trailed off in contemplation a moment before shaking free of her thoughts. "Michael, I tracked you down because I thought you should know the Reapers have moved Reyna's body to Europe. I'm not sure what they're planning to do with her yet, but I doubt it's good." He adjusted his mask as the woman spoke, his gaze never meeting her liquid mercury eyes because they sent a chill down his spine like he was looking at Death himself. "I sent word to Jack as well, Heaven only knows what he'll think of the news though; the last time we met it wasn't under the best of circumstances even if he did recognize me." He tried to distract himself, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but think about how this woman's accent was so similar to Reyna's, with many influences. The woman ran long fingers through her raven hair, "I asked the boys to check in on them though, and one of my Hounds is keeping an eye out, so they'll be safe at least."

"'The boys'?" Michael voiced his confusion and she looked up at him again as if she'd just come back to herself.

"Ah, right, you've never met them. Nick and Logan Church, they're family friends and hunters; good ones, too, not up to par with you or Reyna, but between them and Nisun, the little ones will be safer than royalty." He breathed a sigh of relief at the woman's words; the kids were safe, even if it couldn't be him protecting them as he felt he owed Reyna.

"Thank you." She smiled sadly.

"You were Reyna's family and she was mine, I always take care of mine, even if they'll never know it." She looked away, turning to leave before she seemed to remember the young Reaper collapsed against the wall of the alley, her bird mask skewed so that some of her scarred face was visible, "Oh, right, your animadversor is merely unconscious, so you shouldn't have to worry about too much backlash from your superiors." Michael crouched beside the other Reaper to check her pulse and correct her mask.

"How do you know so much about the Reapers?" The woman smiled.

"I make it a point to know the people hunting me." He looked up in shock, about to voice his disbelief, but the woman— no, Azrael was already gone.