The Death Match

Chapter 2

“I’ll go search for her after we get you healed and dressed.” He told me as he faced me once again and led me into the shadows with his torch stretched wide into the darkness.

“Is the forest always this…eerie?” I shivered and my hands went to close on either arm across my body.

The Reaper set my pack down on the ground once he found a spot behind a tree. “Yes. That’s why I told you earlier to come with me.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.” I picked my way carefully through the fallen leaves, twigs, fungus, and small patches of moss. The Reaper sat down across from the tree where a large rock was. “But I guess I trust you now.” I added as I noticed the small fallen tree trunk that was hidden next to the covering tree. I sat down from across the Reaper and his eyes looked at me with a strong gaze.

“I wouldn’t trust anyone, especially me.” He laid out an open faced hand on his knee and I slowly raised my foot to drop it into his hand.

“Why not you?” I hissed as his finger accidentally grazed my wound. He muttered an apology as he twisted my leg to have my foot facing sideways. I twisted where I sat so I was more comfortable.

The Reaper’s eyes flicked up to mine. “There is not why, it’s just the smart thing to do.”

“So you’ve never listened to your heart?” I snorted and he rolled his eyes.

“There is no need to.” He said bluntly as he rolled the stone in his hand and stuck the torch firmly in the ground so he could work with both hands.

“No need to, or just don’t want to?” I raised an eyebrow and his face widened in a slightly annoyed smile.

“Do you always ask this many questions?” He let out a small huff of a laugh.

I shrugged. “I’m just trying to understand your…logic.”

The Reaper nodded his head as if he understood, but I could tell he was still puzzled by all my questions. “This might sting some.” He warned before hovering the golden center of the crystal over my wound.

The crystal lit up in a vibrant glow of purple, blue, green, and a sprinkle of golden dust flowed from the object and into my wound. I gasped as a sense of euphoria grabbed at my heart. I hadn’t known how miserable I’d been with this wound and everything else that had been going on until the crystals magic made its way through my blood system.

My back slightly arched and I smiled over at the Reaper. “It doesn’t hurt at all. Quite the opposite, actually.” I almost giggled at the sight of his curious look.

The Reaper glanced down at the crystal with awe in his eyes. “It’s taking away all your pain.” He said, astonished.

I nodded my head and straightened my back, rolling my neck. “I didn’t know I had so much.”

His eyes met mine with a pained look. He knew. I thought as the joyous feeling slowly ebbed away. The Reaper pulled the crystal away as its light and magic started to flow back into the crystal itself. “There,” he said as he showed the healed patch of skin that once was a gaping hole in my heel. “It’s healed.”

My fingers reached out and I touched the healed skin. It was smooth and didn’t even look like it would scar.

The Reaper’s fingers fell over mine and I glanced up to find him staring at me. “Thank you.” I said softly and he nodded his head while he slowly removed his fingers.

I watched as he stood up and jerked the torch from the earth. “I’ll leave you to get dressed.” His voice was soft and silky in the night and I looked at him with wide eyes as he handed me my pack.

I took it in my hands and held it against my chest. “Reaper,” I said suddenly as he went to turn away. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “Or whatever you want me to call you—”

“Amadeus.” He interrupted me and my mouth parted.

“Amadeus?” I asked to confirm that that was his actual name. He nodded his head. “Oh…well, Amadeus, I was wondering if you wouldn’t really take the torch while you left.”

He gave me a weird look before he glanced down at the torch in his hands and made an oh face. He gave me a sheepish smile. “Of course.” He said politely before jamming it back into the ground. Once again, I muttered a thank you and he left.

Amadeus’s footsteps died down slowly as he left me all by myself to change. I sighed as I looked in the darkness ahead and shook my head. I let him know I was afraid of the darkness beyond, what a fool I am. I cursed myself silently as I stood up and tore open the bag. Finishing inside, I grabbed the first dress I felt and pulled it out. Looking at the baby blue bodice of the quarter sleeve dress, I grimaced. It wasn’t my favorite dress for its plunging V-shaped neckline and the off-the-shoulder capped sleeves. The only good thing about the dress was that it had a built in corset so my petite breasts wouldn’t be so…small.

My head dropped to stare at my chest and I frowned. A forbidden thought of what size the Reaper preferred crossed my mind and instantly my hand smacked my forehead. Don’t think like that! I yelled at myself as I huffed an embarrassed breath.

Scowling, I dropped my torn nightgown from my shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Shaking out my new dress, I stepped into it and tugged it up and around my wide hips. While Olive had a perfect hourglass body, I was stuck with the pear. Small breast, thin waist, and wide hips and thighs. And to top it all off, I wasn’t at all tall. I hit a mere five foot-three inches on a good day if I stood up straight enough.

My hands reached for my hair and I did my best to smoothen out the honey brown locks that were tangled. Figuring that this was the best I could be, I grabbed my night gown and stuffed into my pack. Strapping the pack across my body once more, I reached for the torch and screamed.

A hand of pure veining white-chalk skin lunged out at me. It’s nails were purple and brown, long and razor sharp. The woods crashed behind me as eyes, large and yellow, blinked in front of me.

“Gael!” Olive cried from behind me and I looked at the yellow eyes. My heart was racing and soon Amadeus appeared from the shadows just a couple yards away from us.

A chuckle came from where the yellow eyes were and I saw the corners of them pinch as a full laugh echoed around.

“That’s not funny!” I cried out as the eyes raised to reveal to the rest of the form of Gael.

“Yes, it is.” Gael protested with an attitude.

Olive crossed her arms over her chest and stomped away. Gael gave her sister a really look with an added eye roll before bounding off after her sister.

I shook my head and found that my eyes drifted off to where Amadeus stood staring at me, still in the night with the cloaking shadows like a vignette casting of light around him. “I’m alright.” I said gravely to him as a hand fell to my racing heart.

Amadeus seemed to snap out of whatever faze he was in and walked over to me. “I should have called out a warning. I knew her tracks were going to lead here.” He said to me as he came closer. His strong, lean legs lifted up and around fallen portions of forest foliage.

I shook my head. “I’m alright.” I repeated, not knowing what else to say. The Reaper looked at me carefully as he came to stop a foot before me. His eyes dropped to my dress and I instantly became aware of how the strap of my pack made my breasts appear more shapely and rounder as it laid in between them. My hands swayed into the fabric of my skirt nervously.

He must have sense my uncomfortableness for he sucked in a breath as he looked back up to find my eyes. I almost smiled when I noted how hard he was struggling to keep them where they were. “I’m glad she didn’t scare you too much, I know why you wanted to keep the fire close.”

“Oh,” I said as I ducked my chin down, my hair falling over my cheeks to hide their rosemary shade.

Amadeus took a small step closer to me and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. I looked at him from the corner of my eye in shock. I was fine with the silent flirting, but I’d never experienced anything past that. My mother didn’t know very many men, outside from her brother and several of his friends, so not too many men or even boys were seen at my house. I always saw them in the village or maybe if my mom took me into town on my birthday, but I never spoke with many of them and they never did with me.

Amadeus’s hand fell away and he looked at me softly. A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he stepped back. I went to open my mouth to say something, but the look in his eyes made me stop. And I watched as he gripped his broken heart and looked at me bittersweetly.

It was peaceful.