Crimson Frost Part 9

The Reaper wore a black robe with the hood pulled up, black leather gloves, and a garish rubber mask-one that resembled the melted half of Loki's face.The same twisted, melted, ruined face I saw whenever I closed my eyes. I shuddered. Somehow, the mask looked even more hideous on the Reaper, maybe because I knew there was a real person under there, someone who'd pledged to serve Loki, someone who happily did all the terrible things that the evil G.o.d commanded his Reapers to do. Like lying to their friends. Sacrificing people. Killing warriors. Murdering kids like me.

Still, I forced myself to look at the Reaper to see if I could get any clue as to who was really underneath that horrible rubber mask. Despite the billowing folds of the robe, the figure seemed slender, but it still could have been a man or woman, old or young. I didn't think it was Vivian Holler, though. Vivian was about my size, and this Reaper was several inches taller than I was. Besides, Vivian had no reason to hide her ident.i.ty with a mask since everyone knew that she was Loki's Champion.

"Reaper," Vic snarled in a soft voice. "Let's go kill it, Gwen."

I nodded at the sword and started forward when I spotted another figure moving through the stacks. I stopped and blinked, wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me-but they weren't.

Because this figure was wearing a black robe too- and it wasn't alone. Two more figures crept through the stacks behind it, then several more after that, so many I lost count. My blood turned to ice at the horrible sight.

Reapers-Reapers had somehow gotten inside the Library of Antiquities.

And they were about to kill Oliver and Alexei.

Chapter 12.

The first Reaper that I'd spotted held up a fist, and the others stopped. The leader made a hand signal, and the others slowly began to spread out, forming a semicircle around Oliver and Alexei. The two guys had started arguing again, so they didn't even notice the Reapers creeping up on them.

My head snapped to the left, as I looked for Logan and Daphne, but I didn't see my friends. Had the Reapers-had the Reapers gotten to them already? Killed them already? The terrible thought made me want to scream, but I forced myself to take a breath and focus on what I had to do now-save Oliver and Alexei. I turned and darted deeper into the stacks.

"Where are you going?" Vic demanded. "Why are you running away? The Reapers are back that way!"

"I know!" I hissed at the sword. "Just trust me!"

I raced back to where I'd left the metal cart, grabbed it with my free hand, turned around, and headed back in the direction that I'd come, pushing the cart in front of me. When I reached the crossway, I veered to the right, then took a left three bookcases up.

A Reaper, a man from the size of him, stood at the far end of the aisle. A curved sword glinted in his hand, and he swung it back and forth a few times as he prepared to spring out of his hiding place and attack Oliver and Alexei. I picked up my pace, forcing myself to run faster. The Reaper must have heard the sound of my footsteps smacking into the marble floor or maybe the faint creak-creak-creak of the cart's wheels because his head turned in my direction-but it was too late.

I rammed the cart into the Reaper as hard as I could. He cursed and stumbled back. He tried to regain his balance, but he tripped over his own feet and sprawled to a stop in the middle of the open floor-right in front of Oliver and Alexei. The guys stared at the Reaper, then at me, with shocked expressions.

"Reapers!" I screamed. "Reapers in the library!"

As if my words had magically summoned them, Reapers suddenly surrounded us, erupting out of the stacks like a swarm of killer bees. Black-robed figures darted here, there, everywhere. In front of me, the Reaper I'd hit with the cart started to get onto his feet, so I rammed the metal cart into him again. He fell back to the floor.

The cart didn't hurt the Reaper, not really-but Vic did.

I shoved the cart out of the way, stepped forward, and brought the sword up, then down into the center of the Reaper's chest. Blood sprayed everywhere, the warm, wet, metallic stench of it stinging my nose. The man screamed once, and then he was still. Maybe I should have felt bad about stabbing him when he was on the ground, but I didn't because I knew that he would have done the same thing to me if he'd had the chance.

I whirled around. Oliver and Alexei stood back to back, their fists up and ready, as the Reapers crept closer and closer to them.

"Oh, look," one of the Reapers said in a low, throaty voice. "Two little warriors without a sword between them. This is going to be fun."

The Reaper who'd spoken was the leader, the one I'd first noticed. A man, judging by the deep voice, although something about his tone seemed a little . . . off. Like he was pitching his voice lower than it really was for some reason.

The leader laughed, and all the others joined in, the chuckling sounds full of sly, deadly malice. My heart sank because I realized that the Reaper was right. No matter how brave or skilled they were, without weapons, Oliver and Alexei would be easy targets, since all the Reapers carried long, curved swords. Sure, Oliver was a Spartan and didn't really need a weapon to fight, but he couldn't sidestep all those Reapers and all their swords-not for long.

I looked around, wondering how I could save them, and a gleam of gla.s.s caught my attention. My gaze locked onto the artifact case that Alexei had been looking at earlier-the one with two swords in it.

A Reaper broke away from the circle around Oliver and Alexei and rushed toward me. I waited until the figure was in range, then spun around him and ran toward the artifact case.

I skidded to a halt in front of the case. Something glimmered on the black velvet next to the swords, and I realized that it was the silver foil on the card that identified the weapons. The Swords of Ruslan. That was all I read before I raised Vic up high, then turned my head and brought the sword down as hard as I could. The gla.s.s shattered with a roar, and I felt pieces zip through the air, stinging my hands and arms, but I didn't care. The pain was small compared to what would happen to Oliver and Alexei if I didn't help them.

The two swords were crisscrossed over each other and sheathed in a double scabbard made of gray leather, so I was able to grab everything with one hand- Images flooded my mind as soon as I touched the scabbard.

I wasn't surprised that my psychometry kicked in, but the intensity of the memories and feelings a.s.sociated with the scabbard and swords took my breath away. In an instant, the library was gone, and I was standing in the middle of a fierce blizzard, frozen to the bone, screams ringing in my ears as a fight raged all around me.

Panicked, I turned this way and that, trying to push the memories away. I didn't have time for this, not when Oliver and Alexei were in danger and a Reaper was racing after me. But the faster I turned, the more the scene sharpened, as though I was zooming in on it with a camera. My gaze snagged on a man in the heart of the battle. It took me a moment to realize that he was fighting with two swords, probably the two swords I was holding right now. But there was something familiar about him, something about the way he moved, as though he was dancing with his enemies instead of fighting them- "Gwen!" I heard Vic say, although the sword's voice seemed distant and far away. "The Reaper's coming after you! Snap out of it! Right now!"

I shook my head, and the images and memories vanished, although my teeth still chattered from the cold and it seemed as though my breath frosted in the air. But how was that possible? It was warm in the library- "Gwen!" Vic screamed again.

On instinct, I ducked to the right.

CLANG!.

The Reaper I'd sidestepped earlier brought his sword down where I'd been standing a second before. His weapon got stuck in the wooden base of the artifact case, and he cursed, trying to pull it free. What was it with people always trying to kill me in the library? Nickamedes so needed to put up warning signs. Danger: Working here could be hazardous to your health.

Since my hands were full with Vic and the other swords, I kicked out and managed to catch the Reaper in the knee. Something popped under my sneaker, and he howled with pain as his leg buckled and he went down to the floor.

"That's my girl!" Vic yelled. "Kick him again!"

So I kicked him again, slamming my sneaker into the Reaper's rubber mask as hard as I could. He moaned and rolled away from me, trying to get under the artifact case so I couldn't kick him a third time. But I was already turning away and running toward the circle of Reapers.

The other Reapers were so focused on Oliver and Alexei that they didn't realize I'd gotten back into the fight. I put my shoulder down and barreled into the one closest to me, shoving the Reaper out of the way, and breaking through the ring.

"Oliver! Alexei! Weapons!" I yelled and shoved the scabbard into Alexei's hands.

Alexei smoothly drew one of the swords out before offering the other one to Oliver, who shook his head.

"You take the second sword. Give me the scabbard instead!" Oliver barked.

Alexei held the leather out to him. Oliver pulled the double scabbard away, leaving Alexei to wield the two swords. Oliver hefted the empty scabbard in his hand, and then he actually smiled. I didn't know why or what Oliver thought he could possibly do with a piece of leather- The Spartan ducked a Reaper's blow, then spun around so that he was behind his attacker. In an instant, Oliver had wrapped the straps of the scabbard around the Reaper's throat like some sort of leather vise. Oliver twisted the pieces of leather, and the Reaper's neck snapped with an audible crack.

Oh. So that's what he was going to do with it. I should have known he had something in mind, that his Spartan killer instinct would prompt him to do something clever and deadly. Oliver noticed me staring at him with wide eyes. He grinned at me and stepped up to fight the next Reaper.

And just like that, the whole battle changed.

The Reapers, who'd been laughing and inching forward, stopped in their tracks, and Oliver and Alexei pressed their advantage. The two of them charged into the ring of Reapers, Alexei's twin swords flashing like silver fire underneath the library's lights, while Oliver wrapped the ends of the scabbard around another Reaper's neck. In a second, they'd killed two Reapers. In another, two more had fallen to the floor.

But there were still plenty of Reapers left. One came at me, and I tightened my hands on Vic and stepped up to meet him.

Swipe-swipe-swipe.

The Reaper swung his sword at me over and over again, but I focused on his hands and feet, and I was able to antic.i.p.ate his moves and defend against them. Then, I went on the attack, slashing Vic out in vicious arcs and stabbing lines. On my fifth pa.s.s, I managed to slice the blade across the Reaper's shoulder. He screamed, and I followed that move up by running Vic through his heart. The Reaper dropped to the floor, still screaming- Crack!

A fist slammed into my jaw, and I realized that a Reaper had crept up on my blind side. I staggered back. My sneakers slipped in a pool of blood, and I hit the marble floor hard. The Reaper laughed and brought his sword up. Dazed, I raised Vic, putting the sword between us, even though I knew I didn't have the strength to deflect the blow that was coming- A golden arrow blossomed like a flower in the middle of the Reaper's chest, and he toppled to the floor. I looked behind me and spotted Daphne standing on top of one of the study tables on this side of the library, her onyx bow in her hand. Sigyn's bow, the one she'd gotten from the Crius Coliseum, the one that kept reappearing in her dorm room no matter how many times she gave the weapon back to Professor Metis.

A puff of golden smoke appeared, and the Valkyrie reached around into the matching onyx quiver strapped to her back and pulled out another golden arrow to replace the one she'd just fired.

A moment later, Logan was by my side. The Spartan held out his hand and helped me to my feet. Logan was okay, Logan and Daphne were both okay. Relief roared through me.

"Gypsy girl, I leave you alone for a few minutes and what happens? Reapers invade the library," he said, his icy eyes almost glowing with antic.i.p.ation.

Logan grinned at me and waded into the fight. Soon, he was beside Oliver and Alexei, the three of them moving in almost perfect step with each other as they battled the Reapers, while Daphne picked off others with her bow and arrow. In seconds, my friends had killed two more Reapers and were closing in on the rest.

I whirled around, ready to fight the next Reaper, when I noticed one of them slipping into the stacks. Not just any Reaper, but the tall, slender leader. I frowned. The fight was out here. So why would one of the Reapers be retreating? They never retreated. Their whole purpose in life was to kill warriors-not run away. My eyes narrowed. Unless maybe killing us wasn't the only reason they were in the library.

There are many artifacts here that he wants, many powerful things and people here that he needs in order to finally defeat us, Nike's voice whispered in my mind.

It made perfect sense. The artifacts in the Library of Antiquities had a lot of power, and Nike had told me that there were items here that Loki would love to get his hands on, things that could help him and the Reapers finally defeat the Pantheon. What if-what if the fight was just a distraction? A way for the Reapers to hide why they'd really come here tonight?

I was going to find out.

I tightened my grip on Vic, pushed past another dying Reaper that Daphne had just shot through the neck with an arrow, and darted into the stacks.

"Gypsy girl!" Logan called out. "Wait!"

But I didn't want to wait. I wanted to get answers, and all I had to do to get them was catch the Reaper.

Chapter 13.

I raced back into the stacks, my head turning from side to side as I tried to figure out which direction the Reaper had gone or what he could possibly be after. I came to a crossway and stopped, breathing hard and trying to calm the rapid thump-thump-thump of my heart so I could hear where the leader had gone.

For once, Vic stayed quiet, and I forced myself to take in soft breaths of air. I c.o.c.ked my head to one side, then the other, wishing I had the enhanced senses that so many of the Mythos students had. But I didn't. All I had were my instincts, so I headed right toward the front half of the library. The Reapers had come in from the back, so whatever they were really after wasn't on that side. Otherwise, they would have left with it already. That made sense, right? I didn't know how sound my reasoning was, but I decided to follow my instincts.

I moved through the stacks as quickly as I could, stopping at the end of every bookcase, every aisle, every crossway, to look and listen. But the Reaper had too much of a head start on me, and I didn't see any hints of movement anywhere. Finally, just when I was about to give up and head back to the others, I heard the distinctive tinkle-tinkle of gla.s.s. .h.i.tting the floor. I paused. The sound came again, and I veered in that direction.

I hurried forward, still stopping to peer around every shelf. Just because I thought the Reaper was after something didn't mean this couldn't be a trap, and the leader might be hiding in a dark corner, ready to take my head off with his sword. Reapers were full of tricks like that. Vivian certainly had been. I didn't think the Reaper I was chasing was Vivian, but she'd fooled me before, and I wasn't going to let it happen again.

Finally, I spotted the Reaper through the shelves. I crept up to the bookcase that was closest to him and peered around it.

The Reaper stood before an artifact case that was in front of a shelf with a few old, tattered books on it. The Reaper had already smashed the gla.s.s on the top of the case and was using a sword to knock the last few fragments out of the way. Something white flew out of the case and fluttered to the ground, along with the gla.s.s, but the Reaper didn't seem to notice, and I couldn't tell what it was from here. Maybe an ID card of some sort.

The leader reached inside the case and drew out a beautiful, rectangular box that was resting on a wide, black velvet stand. The box was made of a smooth, milky-looking stone, and a series of gems had been set into the gleaming surface, including a topaz, an emerald, and a bloodred ruby, along with matching jeweled chips.

The Reaper tossed the stand aside, grabbed the box, and held it up high with one hand, admiring the way the jewels caught the light and reflected it back, before slipping the box into one of the pockets of his robe. He reached into the case again and pulled out a topaz ring, an emerald bracelet, and a necklace that featured a large, heart-shaped ruby surrounded by smaller ones. Those items disappeared into his pockets as well.

I stepped forward, determined to stop the Reaper-and my sneakers squeaked on the floor. I froze, hoping the sound hadn't carried, but of course it had.

The Reaper whirled around but didn't seem all that surprised to see me standing there. Instead, I got the impression that he was smiling underneath that horrible Loki mask. A bit of red fire flashed to life in the depths of the leader's eyes-that Reaper-red color that I'd come to hate more than anything else.

"Stay where you are!" I commanded. "You're surrounded!"

It was a lie, but I raised my sword and walked toward the Reaper like the fight was already over with, and Logan and my friends were really here to help me. The Reaper snorted, not believing my lie for a second. I tightened my grip on Vic, expecting the evil warrior to charge at me, but instead the leader did something completely unexpected-he turned and ran away.

"What are you waiting for?" Vic demanded. "Catch that b.l.o.o.d.y Reaper so I can cut him to ribbons!"

I sucked in a breath and gave chase. The Reaper zoomed down the aisle we were in, then started zigzagging through the stacks. He broke right, then left through a crossway, then right, right, right, and finally left again. I fell behind with each step until I was just barely keeping the other warrior in sight.

"Faster, Gwen!" Vic shouted. "You're losing him!"

As if I couldn't see that for myself. I gulped down another breath, made myself run that much quicker, and rounded a corner-only to realize that the Reaper had vanished.

My steps slowed, then stopped, and I looked left, then right, searching for the Reaper, but all I saw were books and more books, along with a few study tables and artifact cases. Frustration filled me, but I kept scanning the area. Nothing-absolutely nothing.

I'd just started to head down another aisle when a cool breeze kissed my face.

My eyes narrowed. The library was climate-controlled to protect all the books and artifacts. There shouldn't have been any sort of breeze-unless someone had opened a door or window.

I followed the swirls of air, stepped around another bookcase, and found myself in front of one of the side entrances to the library. The door was standing wide open. So that's where he'd gone. Clutching Vic even tighter, I eased through the door and peered outside.

Night cloaked the upper quad, and shadows had stained everything an inky black. A bit of snow had fallen while I'd been inside the library, the white patches standing out like silvery ponds against the darkness. The balcony that wrapped around the building was deserted, as was what I could see of the main quad. I stepped outside and walked over to the wall that ringed the balcony. I stared out into the darkness, scanning the quad, hoping that I'd get a glimpse of the Reaper running across the snow-dusted gra.s.s, but I was too late.

The Reaper was gone-and so were the artifacts he'd stolen.

Disgusted with myself for not catching the Reaper, I hurried back inside the library, making sure to shut the side door behind me. I had no doubt that my friends had taken care of the other Reapers by now, so I retraced my steps back to the artifact case that the leader had broken into. I wanted to know exactly what had been inside it and how the items could possibly be used against the Pantheon.

The Reaper had smashed in the top of the case, and chunks of wood and gla.s.s littered the floor. Some books had fallen off the shelf above as well, adding to the mess, so it took me a few minutes to pick through everything and find the ID cards that had been inside the case.

To my surprise, there was only one card, despite all the items I'd seen the Reaper grab.

Apate's Keepsake Box. This box and jewelry were rumored to have belonged to Apate, the Greek G.o.ddess of deception. Apate was known for her love of jewels and collected so many of them that the other G.o.ds were jealous of her finery. To keep her possessions safe, Apate put an enchantment on the box so that if anyone opened it except her, the box would appear to be empty, instead of filled with valuables as it truly was . . .

Okay, so the box had some kind of magic mumbo jumbo attached to it, some kind of illusion that kept whatever was inside safe. I frowned. From the card, it didn't seem like the box had any great magical powers, and there was no mention of the jewelry at all. So why would the Reapers risk coming into the library to steal them? Sure, all those gems were no doubt priceless, but Loki had rewarded his followers with gold, silver, and more, just like the other G.o.ds in the Pantheon had their supporters. The Reapers had just as much money as everyone else did in the mythological world. So why go to all the trouble to swipe more gemstones? Why not go after some of the swords in the library? Or the armor? Something with more obvious magic and power?

"A box?" Vic asked, voicing my thoughts. "The Reaper took a b.l.o.o.d.y box? Why, it's not even a weapon!"

My head started aching from all the questions that crowded into my mind, but try as I might, I just couldn't figure out what was so special about the box or the jewelry. There had to be something here that I was missing because the Reapers never did anything without a purpose, without an end goal, in mind.

"Gwen!" Daphne's voice drifted across the library to me. "Where are you? Are you okay?"