Centuries

Chapter 9

 "So it's true, then? You're a psychopomp," she said, after she'd kissed me. I was in a daze and could only nod. She'd kissed me. She'd kissed me. Me. no one else. My mind was reeling and I didn't know what to do. All my thoughts were on the fact that we'd done it. Finally. I'd been longing for this moment, and it was everything that I'd ever dreamed of. She was perfect.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she said, crossing her arms. Oh no. This wasn't good.

"You wouldn't believe me," I replied, sighing. "Not many people would, I think. Not that I've tried."

"But you appear when I least expect it, and every time you arrive, well, something fishy happens."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you notice? Every time you are around, someone dies. Like that time we were in the desert and someone was swallowed by a sand dune. When the lifted him up, his face was red and he was sputtering."

"You don't know if he died."

"I heard from the physicians that it was a lost cause."

"Were you there to reap his soul?"

"It wasn't me. It could have been Horseface, my colleague."

"So he does exist!"

"Or the other guards. The Black and White Guards of Impermanance. Or I could be harvesting them at a different time."

"Is that how it works?"

"Yes."

"So does Death follow you, or do you follow Death?"

"I don't know. I was there when Yan Luo Wang, the first man, died. And perhaps I will also be there when the last one dies. It is all predestined."

"If everything is predestined, then what is the point of making choices? Should I have chosen to let my father marry me off to some... Duke?" she wrinkled my nose.

"I don't have the answer. All of the fates are locked up in a vault somewhere, and not even Yan Luo Wang has access to it."

"Hmmm..." she said, and didn't say anything more. We sat, quietly, admiring the sunset as the pink faded into a soft purple and then dark blue, with the stars dotting the sky. She fell asleep on my shoulder, and nothing more was said.

*

We awoke to soldiers poking us. They spoke to one another in a language that sounded like a tangle of guttural sounds. It definitely wasn't Han, and I was terrified. I wanted to get up but realised that they had tied me with rope. These men also wore robes, but they were different from ours. They were draped strategically over their bodies, and they wore sandals.

I stole a glance at Fangyu. This wasn't good. The leader made some noises and I thought I heard him say, "Lord Dong" amidst all the sounds.

Fangyu and I looked at each other. We knew what this meant. We tried to wriggle free and to shout for help, but they stuffed out mouths with cloth and carried us. Then, they threw us at the back of the caravan and closed the flaps. They headed in the direction where we came from, and even though the landscape of the desert was vast and there were dunes of similar shapes everywhere, I knew that we were done for.

Unless, I disappeared. I had not tried to do this without a summons, and I could try now. I willed myself to concentrate, thinking of the Netherworld. I tried again. And again. And again. Fangyu was looking at me, probably wondering what I was doing, but it was useless. I shook my head. She rolled her eyes. There was nothing we could do but stare at the tarp until we'd reached our destination.