Reaper's Word

Chapter 19: Three Days Earned

Clair was on her stomach when she woke, and she had slept remarkably well. She figured it was the soft bed that had made the difference. Her dreams had been fairly messed up and twisted. At times she hadn't even been sure they were truly hers, but Isaiah was in all of them. How could you dream about a man that terrified you? Dream about him doing things to you? She buried her face in what she thought was the pillow for a second unsure if she wanted to laugh, cry or scream.

There was a strong smell of sandalwood and clover in her nose and something soft was against her face. Her arm was over it as well. It felt like fur, Clair came fully awake and sat straight moving away from the hell hound who lifted his head looking over his body at her. He yawned, his jaws gaping fully. How she hoped those teeth never got hold of her. Jesus had she been cuddling the thing? And it had let her? As if life here couldn't get any weirder.

"Sorry." She apologized sitting there with her knees up. She didn't know what time it was but seeing Isaiah wasn't here yet it must still be early. So she must have slept only for a few hours. A few good hours that made her feel refreshed.

Beta jumped down and sat scratching behind his ear or trying to. It was very odd to see him do this. Like an ordinary animal, he let out a breath of air and tried to scratch again. Clearly it wasn't doing the job. He lowered his head to the floor and tried to rub it against the carpet. The sight of it was so ordinary, so normal that she could almost believe him to be a real dog. Granted a very large and deadly one.

Clair felt the laugh come up and out of her. She hadn't laughed since the day she'd been brought here. Nothing real at least, just a smile or two that she honestly felt. His head snapped up and he seemed to glare at her.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." He looked away from her and tried to scratch again. Clair took pity on him. He hadn't chomped on her while she slept so she guessed she could help him out.

"I could get that for you. I promise not to do anything foolish or try to harm you." He stared at her and then jumped up on the bed. He sat down right next to her, his large head facing her. She felt her mouth go dry and fear prickle down her spine in a wave. Beta was huge up close and his jaws mere inches from her, she reached forward.

"Okay, you want to make a sound when I reach the spot?" He gave a head bob and she found it very odd and slightly funny to be talking to an animal, then again she spoke to the house.

She reached behind his ear and he made a sound when she moved it slightly down. She sunk her fingers in his fur and half scratched half rubbed. His eyes closed after a moment and his head lowered. She kept a firm circular motion. His one foot moved slightly and then faster, a purr almost coming from him.

His leg stopped moving and she dropped her hand. He pawed her hand his eyes narrowed. She gave a shrug and did it again. He closed his eyes and Clair put her other hand on the other side and rubbed along the sides of his neck. Beta's ears lay flat against his head and he moved slightly closer to her. Clair found it funny but just bit her lip instead of laughing. She didn't think that laughing would be productive to her health.

She moved her hands to the front of his neck and chest. He raised his head letting out a low kind of howl, it was very quiet. She kept up the kind of massage she was doing and he left his head like that.

"You like that?" She asked him in a calm tone.

"Yes he does, very much." She jumped letting go of Beta. Turning to look at Isaiah who was standing in the doorway, just leaning against the frame.

"You continue to surprise me Clair." Beta jumped down. She moved off the bed keeping her gaze low.

"Isn't my job as your property to provide entertainment?" He thought he heard a bit of bitterness in her tone but he just gave a smile.

"Yes it is, that and sustenance." Her hair was slightly disheveled and her clothes askew. It just added to her appeal. Beta moved over to him, there were waves of contentment and something close to happiness coming from him.

‘Let's not kill her just yet.’ He said via mind and Isaiah looked at him.

"No, not yet." He moved for Beta to go out. He was hungry and having Clair next to him all night long hadn't helped the need. Though it seemed she wasn't as much as a desire to the hell hound as she was to him. Isaiah couldn't help but look her over. The clothes she was wearing did not do her justice.

"How do you talk to them?" She asked her gaze still not meeting his.

"In my own way, very complicated creatures they are."

"Nothing is ever simple. The moment you believe you have figured it out something unexpected comes along." She commented in a kind of sigh.

"Hence why I think you were sent to me." Isaiah agreed. "Come, we are going to the caves." Her head snapped up and she looked at him alarmed.

"You can go there?" From the look it seemed she hadn't meant to say that, but she moved forward to the door.

"I can go most everywhere."

"Except the grounds." Clair said, moving past him into the hall. He noted that she made a quick movement around him to get out of reach. Not that he would grab her, wouldn't do so well for him. However the temptation was there.

"Follow me." He ordered and she did. They went through the house to the right side where he chose a flight down and took a left. The hall grew odd and stony here, she could smell damp earth after a moment. The light also faded. Isaiah stopped and turned to her.

"Your hand." He said holding out his, she gave it to him and he pulled her close to him but then turned around. He placed her hand on his side.

"If you don't want to fall into a crevasse or hole, you will stay very close to me and not let go. Understood?"

"Yes." she said though her hand on his side trembled slightly.

"It's going to get very dark for a little bit. You won't be able to see." He said and moved forward, she moved with him, it did get very dark. And soon she couldn't even make him out in front of her. She used one hand to hold the back of his shirt and the other holding his side.

Clair stayed very close to him, nearly brushing him as he walked. When he moved to the side she did as well. A couple times she had to turn sideways as instructed. She could feel that the tips of her toes hung over nothing.

There was a sudden grey light ahead and they moved a bit faster. Clair didn't hold so tight to him anymore and then she could hear the roar of a waterfall. They came out on a large ledge that overlooked a huge cavern.

Clair moved around him to the edge and she looked in awe around the cave hall. It was massive and there were ledges and tons of odd stalactites and stalagmites, all different colors and sizes. The waterfall didn't look that large but it was deceiving.

It was the size of a small river coming down from above into the cave. The huge pool that could have been more like a lake was brilliant shades of blues and greens. Vegetation was coming down and over

the large hole above and growing along the walls of the cave as well. She saw small things fly in and out every now and then.

To her left and below was a large flat area and what looked like a door in the cave wall. Another entrance to the house. It was open and two of the hell hounds were down there curled up. Where they were led to the water.

Clair was staring at the center island where two statues stood. One was a dragon its head tipped up and looking at the entrance to the cave where light spilled in, illuminating the island at the moment and water. Its tail was very close curling around the woman's feet that stood there. It seemed that the tip was near her right ankle, almost touching.

She had one hand outstretched and up. Her head was down and her hair veiling her face. The other arm was bent outward from elbow to shoulder but her left hand hovered level at her down turned face. It was an odd scene. Like she was waiting for something, an instruction to twist around or move. The dragon while it looked up seemed very aware of the woman statue. It's tail waiting to strike out should she make a sudden movement.

"How far do the caves go?" She asked.

"Miles and miles. Unexplored and still very active. This is what I want you to draw Clair. Because I want an image of this room in the house."

"I can do that." She told him. He noted that she sounded excited, her scent spiking slightly as it had in the bedroom. When he'd opened the door he'd found her just sitting there petting Beta. Beta had been letting her do it. Neither of them had realized he'd been watching them until he spoke. Beta hadn't been ashamed at all.

She moved around the ledge and he watched her. She was mumbling to herself and shaking her head slightly then looked down. She shook her head again and moved to the far side of the ledge near

where Alpha and Zeta could be seen.

"Here will do I guess." She said and he could feel that she was excited to draw this. She seemed to get excited about drawing. How he got excited about music. To each his own, he guessed.

"Your items are here." He said pointing against the wall. "You have till nightfall." He turned and went back through the tunnel to the house. Clair just gave him a glance. She could do this in less than that time. She just had to make sure that it met his expectations.

Clair also found a board here. She wasn't sure when that had been brought down but she was grateful for it. She picked her spot, and hummed to herself as she tied back her hair and started. She really emphasized the light on everything. Paying very close detail to the opening and how it looked. Trying to match it exactly. Then the statue, as that felt like the center.

She used her fingers and blending sticks along with white contie crayon to give extra contrast. The waterfall was a bit more difficult but she felt very satisfied by it when she finished it, and moved on to the statue’s details. She found it odd that even as the light shifted the woman always seemed to be in shadow. She would bet her life that it was a center of magic, it seemed alive.

She had to have worked on the drawing for hours. She wasn't sure what time she started, but there was still a good amount of light. Looking down she noted that the hell hounds were all there now. Though every so often one would leave and return shortly.

Clair wanted an opinion she was worried that even though she was satisfied with it, though she felt perhaps she could fix a few things, was it what he wanted? It looked alive like you could touch the image. It appeared deep and mysterious.

"Hey," She gave a shaky shout. The three heads down there turned up to look at her. "I... I need an opinion please." She requested. From here it was hard to tell who was who but one turned and darted off. Then the other two did as well.

Not what she wanted, she just needed one and she preferred it to be Beta. She tinkered with it while she waited and not five minutes later Beta came from the tunnel and loped over to her. From where she sat she turned the board and held it up.

"Is this what he wants?" Beta sat down as the other two came in and Clair felt very trapped but hoped that the promise was being upheld. Zeta looked at the lower right corner and then down at where they had just been. In the image the three of them lay down there.

Beta made a kind of motion with his head that said yes. She went to put it down and Alpha made a sound. She put it back up as this was what he seemed to want. He made a slight sound again. His large head looking up at the waterfall.

Beta gave a small snort and Zeta padded over to one side and laid down staring at the image. After a minute the other two moved and laid down on the ledge too, watching her. She pulled out the fixative and sprayed it. They made disapproving noises.

"It's how the image is saved." She said and they quieted. After a while she rolled it back up and took another sheet of paper out, and secured it to the board. There was still plenty of time that she was stuck here until nightfall.

She drew another image just of the waterfall and pool. She'd put some colored materials in as well last night, and used the blues and greens. She really focused on where the waterfall entered the pool catching the ripples and splashing. The waterfall was white and grey with a slight dark blue tint behind it. The pool was a sharp green with blue accents the waves and reflections of light.

Clair set it aside and just sat there looking around the cave. She was starving and felt a bit tired. The air here was different, it wasn't good or bad. It just felt like it was waiting and looking at the statues she thought that the dragon's head looked ever so slightly lower than earlier. She stared at the woman

statue and felt transfixed for a moment. Like it meant something to her. She felt a strong nudge to her arm and turned her head, Alpha was there and did it again.

"Yes?" She said feeling a tightness in her throat. You couldn't be this close to such a predator and not feel small and weak.

She had her arm raised and her hand out. He raised a paw and hit her wrist. She glanced at Beta who was watching a tip to his head.

"Do you want to be scratched?" She was confused by this. Beta must have really enjoyed it to have told the others. They didn't seem like the kind of beings that would like to be touched. His head bobbed and Clair turned raising her hands.

"As long as you promise not to bite me when I do." His head bobbed again and Clair sank her hands into his fur. His reaction was much the same as Beta's.

Alpha sat but scooted a bit closer to her. There was a low rumble from his chest as she massaged his neck and throat. She also moved to his shoulders for a bit. His head tipped up as she rubbed his upper neck. Clair jumped when Zeta emitted a kind of irritated sound. Alpha dropped his head and looked at her. She thought she saw annoyance but he got up and moved off. Zeta wanted the same thing and Clair did it to her as well. She, like Beta, at one point had her leg moving very rapidly and she gave a short low howl that echoed in the cave.

After a while, and having petted Beta again she moved to get up and stretch. The three of them let out low growls of different pitches. She lowered herself back down to the floor as they had moved circling her. The second that she sat back down they calmed.

Beta was the first to lay down but he put his large head right on her left leg nudging her hand and she scratched the side of his head. Zeta and Alpha followed suit. Zeta on her right side had her head along

Clair's right leg facing her stomach. Alpha laid against the front of her legs his back to her. Clearly they wanted attention. She kind of felt a laugh wondering if Isaiah spent time with them like this. Probably not, she didn't even think a hell hound would like attention.

She alternated between petting each of them, rubbing and scratching. Beta was half curved around her back. His eyes closed, and he seemed to have fallen into a light dose. Zeta's eyes moved around the cave, closing when it was her turn to receive attention.

Clair's arms were sore and she was just glad that their fur was soft and not coarse as it looked. She gave a sigh and was staring off into space. So used to her rotation of petting, that she was half unconscious about it. She didn't stop. Too worried about what they would do if she did.

"Finished?" She turned her head and looked at Isaiah who stood watching her, his gaze moved to the hell hounds. Alpha raised his head and with a yawn got up and moved past Isaiah with a lope. The other two just looked at him. He raised an eyebrow at them.

"Yes." Clair said. "Can I stop with the rubbing now?" He looked down at the two remaining hell hounds. They thoroughly enjoyed her attention. It was relaxing to them and they wanted it, but they were content to leave her be for the moment. Interesting, that was all he could really say. Clair was interesting and clearly caused odd reactions in others.

"Yes." He answered. "The drawing." He demanded wanting to see what she had done. As much as he would prefer her to have failed at it, he doubted very much that she would. Now he just wanted to see what she created because he enjoyed the way she drew.

"First." She stated standing and holding the canister. "I want you to promise to take me back to the house. I don't trust you to just leave me sitting here for the next three days." Isaiah wasn't going to lie the thought had crossed his mind. He wouldn't be breaking any of the rules so long as she had food and drink.

"If you don't give me the image you'll fail to hold up your end."

"And if you don't take me back I'll just have three days to wait for the same end." He looked at her slightly amused. She was a hard one to trick. He liked this game they had started, even if it annoyed him with her ability to get away. He didn't have to, but he was going to because it was much more satisfying if the game was played right and fairly. He had all the time in the world anyways.

"Alright, I promise to take you back as you are right now."

"Thank you, I accept that." She said just to make sure the deal was sealed. She opened the canister and the two hell hounds had moved off down the tunnel. She pulled out the drawing and handed it to him. He unrolled it and looked at it. Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

"Acceptable?" She asked mentally crossing her fingers.

"More than." He sighed, the image was perfect. "I want that one as well." He said pointing to the water drawing." She nodded and rolled it up putting it in the canister. Then he handed her the cave drawing and she slung it over her back.

"Come." He motioned and moved down the tunnel, Clair hurried after him taking hold of him as she had before. Staying very close, she tried to memorize the twists and turns but gave up. There were too many of them.

Isaiah could see in the darkness. It was pitch black in here but with his eyes it was clear. He wasn't using light to see the tunnel before him. It wasn't quite a tunnel. There were a few large spaced areas that they moved through.

He moved differently than he had coming in. He wasn't giving her an easy way back to the caves. If anyone had the slightest chance to escape it would be her. He'd chosen the most difficult way to it so she would be discouraged to come back.

She was holding very close to him. Her grip tight in the dark but her breathing was even. How irritating to have her holding on to him but unable to touch her. His promise gave her full immunity which meant that she had three days that neither he nor the hell hounds could touch her, for anything. Not for any reason. Of course she could touch him just not the other way around. He could prompt for the touch, but she had to move first. Very careful planned out loopholes.

He was trying to not breathe in through his nose, to stop him from feeling this need to break the promise. He still had over a week and a half or so before the moon was in full. Plenty of time to get a hold of her. Didn't mean he would, but he was determined this time not to fail. They came back to the house. He held his hand out for the images and she handed them to him.

"You are free to go Clair." He said. Her green eyes met his with relief and she scooted around him to a staircase and disappeared up them. His gaze tracked her the entire way. He was counting the hours until he could catch her again. His hand tightened around the canister. Then a dark smile spread over his face. Well he might not be able to harm or touch her, didn't mean he couldn't follow her or be in the same space. That made his smile widen a bit and he moved forward.