Elon sat up slowly, but she didn't feel him move to grab his sword.

As the remnants of the scream echoed through the cave, Carissa scrambled to the pack and searched for their firesteel sticks. She struck one against the stone and dropped it.

The light glowed against the darkness, and at the mouth of the cave, a pair of red eyes sparkled.

A chill washed over her as she withdrew her dagger. This time, she'd be ready.

The Reaper flashed her a smile before ghosting into the cave. Elon still hadn't risen from their makeshift bed.

"Elon." She directed the words at him but didn't take her eyes off of the Reaper.

And then Elon jumped into action—but not quite the action she'd been hoping for. He whipped out his sword and flung it away, so it skidded to the Reaper's feet. And then Elon raised his hands, interlocking them behind his head.

He was surrendering?

The Reaper stared at the sword, his face going slack with surprise. He recovered quickly and smirked at her. "Are you going to follow your husband's example, Carissa?"

She glared at Elon, hoping he'd feel the heat of her fury. If this was some elaborate scheme of his, a little forewarning would have been nice. If she tried to fight the Reaper alone, she'd likely die in the process.

Carissa set her dagger on the ground and raised her hands, clenching her jaw so hard it ached. Elon better have had a plan.

The man in question offered her a small smile before glancing at the Reaper.

The Reaper picked up the sword—only to drop it, the metal clattering against the stone floor. A ribbon a smoke streamed from his hand upward. He glanced up, his face tight with pain. "I would kill both of you where you stand, but I think the Reaper King would like to meet you first."

He gestured for Carissa to step away from the pack, and she did so. After a few minutes of rifling through it, the Reaper pulled out a coil of rope.

He stood next to Carissa, cold wafting from his person. "Turn around. Hands behind your back."

They were going to be bound with their own rope. How ironic. And Elon had probably packed the rope, knowing that would happen.

She did as instructed. The rope bit into her wrists, tight enough to make her hands tingle. Icy fingers touched her neck, then rope. Carissa startled, jerking away from him until the rope nearly choked her. Was he making a noose?

The Reaper snickered. "Or maybe you'll hang yourself before you have the opportunity to meet the King."

"Carissa."

She glanced towards Elon.

The steady warmth in his gaze filled her, calmed the skittering beat of her heart. "It's alright. I have you."

The Reaper laughed. "You have her, do you? It appears to me that I have her." He jerked the rope around her neck, make her stumble from side to side as she tried not to let it cut into her throat. By the time he stopped, she was coughing and gasping for air, blinking back tears.

Elon was gazing at the Reaper, his eyes colder than steel. But he didn't move.

Carissa sucked in a breath. He never allowed her to needlessly be hurt, which meant he had to have a purpose in allowing their capture. But still... it would have been nice if he'd stopped the Reaper from toying with her.

The Reaper chuckled. "Weak. And here we Reapers thought you'd be a challenge to subdue." The Reaper tugged Carissa along as he strode to Elon before trussing him up as he'd done to Carissa.

The Reaper pulled them both of out the cave and into the darkness, leaving their supplies behind.

Panic fluttered in Carissa's chest. How were they going to escape? The Reaper could obviously see in the dark, and she couldn't. Even if she weren't bound, she wouldn't be able to run away fast enough.

The Reaper slowed to a halt. "Boy!"

Boy? Were there Reaper children?

She heard movement up ahead, to the left. A soft, slightly defiant voice replied, "I'm here. Did you think I would run?"

The Reaper snorted. "If only you had. Then I could more easily be rid of you. Go back to the cave and get their supplies. Then you're to follow me back to camp."

Camp? Was this a solitary Reaper? Or were there more?

Footsteps padded past her, then echoed as someone—presumably the boy—entered the cave.

Carissa lost track of time when as they walked in the dark. Hours—or minutes—later, she was stumbling over the knotted roots of a tree. At least, she thought that was why the ground felt so bumpy.

The Reaper yanked her forward, and the rope dug into the back of her neck, making her fall. Without her hands free, her shoulder and chin took the brunt of the force. After a sharp burst of pain, a metallic taste flooded her mouth.

The Reaper chuckled. "Clumsy humans."

With her hands tied, it took her a moment to turn on her side and struggle into a sitting position before rolling onto her knees and standing. She bumped into someone and startled before realizing it was Elon, judging from the warmth emanating from him.

Against her better judgment, she nudged up against him, resting her head against his chest. Elon had just lifted his chin, tucking her head beneath his, when the Reaper tugged them forward. She nearly fell again before getting her feet under her.

"Enough. We need to reach the camp before morning rise, which likely won't happen if the two of you try to beget a child."

Carissa's face warmed as she stumbled forward. That was hardly what they'd been doing. In fact, now that they were in Esmeray, it was unlikely Elon would bond with her until they were out.

Sadness washed over her—to her surprise. Though the first experience had been rather unpleasant, she'd been hoping they'd be able to try again in the near future. And eventually, maybe she'd get to carry Elon's child. Unless she was already carrying his child. Her breath hitched at the thought. Though she'd like to be a mother, she hoped that wasn't true. With the strain of fighting and travel, she'd likely have a miscarriage if she were pregnant.

By the time she glanced up, purple light glowed behind the trees, turning them into black silhouettes, their branches twisting like lightning. Forms moved across the light, and voices murmured in low tones.

As they neared, the light grew brighter. She could finally see the ground in front of her. She glanced to her left and saw the boy the Reaper had been speaking to.

He was nearly bent over trying to carry the weight of their pack. There was a strange curving symbol on his temple. He glanced at her, revealing the white of his eyes, and something within her unspooled in relief. He wasn't a Reaper; he was a human, like them.

The Reaper pulled them a few more steps, and they stumbled into the clearing. As her eyes adjusted, the purple light revealed a few tents and at least a dozen other people. A few wore hoods and held scythes, while others were obviously human and bore the strange symbol on their temple.

Spindly cold fingers curved over her shoulder as the Reaper clasped her.

"May I present the King and Queen of Nysia!"