“I always thought Gabe’s humanity made him weak. It appears my inhumanity did me in,” she mused. “The underworld will still exist. It just won’t be my problem anymore.”
“Whose problem will it be?” Rhyn asked, his gaze going to Gabe.
“It looks like I’ll be promoting my best assassin before I leave,” Death responded. “Don’t make the mistakes I did, Gabe. And get rid of the demons.” And with that, she strode past them both, towards the door. “I’m leaving now. Rhyn, you’ll want to be gone before I cross through the portal, or Gabe won’t be able to send you back. Gabe can’t break that many Codes his first day on the job.”
Rhyn grunted as he pulled Kiki over his shoulders. He feared the palace would go down with Death, what with the nonsense she was spouting about leaving. He took in his best friend’s features, uncertain whether becoming Death was a good thing or not. Gabe looked the same, and hopefully, he wouldn’t turn into the riddle-talking sociopath that preceded him.
Gabe shifted finally and faced him. “What the fuck just happened?”
“Don’t change, Gabe,” Rhyn said. “I’m getting out of here. If what she says is true, you can come visit whenever you want.”
The death-dealer looked around, lost. Rhyn moved away and drew off his demon power to call forth a portal.
“Gabe,” he said, pausing before he stepped through. “You’ll make a good Death.”
“I fucked up this time, if this is what I get,” Gabe said, regaining himself at last. “Eternity at the day job I was trying so hard to leave.”
“No, I think she fucked you up.”
“She’ll be the first soul I hunt down.”
“If the Council can help, let me know,” Rhyn half-joked.
They gazed at each other, and Gabe shook his head, a smile spreading across his features.
“At least we’re a good match for Darkyn,” he said.
“Maybe that’s why things ended up this way,” Rhyn said, his humor fading as he thought of Kris. He looked at the emerald in his palm.
“You can’t save him, but you can save Kiki. Get going, Rhyn.”