They call me Grim (COMPLETED)

Chapter 12: History of necromancery

Short chapter but it is a lot of information to swallow

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Norm turned to her companion and muttered a few words in what Grim figured was Swedish. The young man looked between the two curiously before nodding, sliding his shirt on and leaving.

Once her companion had left Norma rounded on Grim, nostrils flaring and eyes narrowed. "I knew you'd come. You couldn't have done it at a better time though; I've been trying to get him into bed for a month?"

Grim didn't know how to respond to that and looked at her uncertainly. Norma stared at her before grinning wickedly.

"Just teasing deary, no need to get so nervous," she said with a laugh as she wandered over to her large gleaming kitchen. She turned to Grim, "I'd offer you something to eat or drink, but reapers don't need or want food."

"I do," Grim said quickly before she lost her nerve. "I do eat."

Norma raised an eyebrow, "Then sit, I'll make tea. Also, you don't get to decide what kind or how you like it, because you, deary, are an uninvited guest." Norma twirled around and begun to make the tea.

Grim slowly sat at the counter, studying this woman. She was older, around fifty or sixty, but was still beautiful. She had silky blond hair in a delicate bob at the back of her head, with a few delicate strands coming loose. She wore a cream coloured silk shirt, and a black pencil skirt, all very classy.

"How do you know about reapers?" Grim asked as casually as she could.

There was a whistle as the water started to boil.

Norma brushed a strand of hair out of the way, "Simple. I used to be one." Grim gaped at her uncomprehendingly and Norma laughed at her expression. "I'm going to guess you didn't know that."

"Reapers don't get . . . discharged or whatever this is! Once you're a reaper you are always a reaper," Grim spluttered.

Norma laughed, filling two small cups with steaming water. "No, that's just want that miserable council wants everyone to think, and in most cases is might be true. Occasionally, though, we do get, as you say, discharged on special circumstances. But I don't want to talk about that, first tell me why you've bothered me here?"

Grim cleared her throat. "I've read some of the information you've published about necromancers and –'

"So you're a fan?" Norma said with a laugh as she placed the tea in front of her.

Grim gave her a deadpan look. "I need to know all you know about necromancy, and what they would have to do to stop death."

Norma paused and the smile dropped her face. "So, that's what happened," she murmured, eyes far away. "I wondered, but I would have never thought death stopped."

"It's never happened before," Grim agreed.

"Oh well, that's not true."

Grim's head flew up and stared at Norma in shock. The woman was dipping a teabag into her cup slowly and calmly, but her eyes were still unfocused.

Trying to keep calm, Grim asked, "What do you mean? Has death stopped before?"

"Oh yes, centuries and centuries ago. I doubt anyone knows about it, but I've always found necromancy fascinating. They burned me at the stake for it you know, what about you?"

Grim knew then that this woman was, or at least had been, a reaper. There wasn't much reapers could do when they ran into each other. They couldn't talk about sports or celebrities or anything that humans took part in, so they focused on the highly morbid topic of their deaths.