Fate's Pawn: Four Horsemen

Chapter Twelve: Krim

Eros's warmth was nice, but there was a point it became suffocating. Holly moved her friend to the middle of the couch where he whimpered for a moment before cuddling against Quix.

She held back a chuckle. Even though she was still upset with him, she couldn't deny he was cute. 

What had woken her up? The sky was dark outside which normally meant she'd be in full running mode at this point.

It was strange to not be running at all. Her Chasers were not what she had expected. Ruby was a friend, maybe not a close one yet, but just having a friend was nice.

Quix too was different. He looked so innocent curled into his ball. He liked to tease her, far too much for her tastes, but he'd been relatively safe so far. 

"Hey," whispered a voice from nearby.

Holly looked around herself until she spotted him. It was the last reaper. He was reclining in the door frame his eyes locked onto her. This one gave her chills. "How did you get here?" she whispered.

She left the room and looked up and down the hall. The chair was still set up against the door. "Can you teleport too?"

Krim shook his head. "No, I just climbed through a window."

Holly's eyes widened. She hadn't thought of that possibility. The blonde in front of her smirked.

Not for the first time did she realize that a smile suited him far better than his usually present scowl. "Why are you up here? Are you worried about Quix?"

"Him?" he snorted. "I could care less about my companions. Considering how much grief he gives Ruby, I thought you might want an escape."

Holly nodded. "I do."

He held out a hand. "I can't teleport you, but I'm strong enough to take us both out of the window if you want. Some fresh air could do you wonders."

She shivered. "That sounds dangerous."

Krim snorted again. "I may look weak, but I'm not."

"I didn't mean to offend you," Holly winced. "Okay, let's go."

Krim nodded and led her down the hall to a random room where the window was wide open. The cool night breeze made her sigh with relief. It truly did feel nice. "How do I get down?"

"Get on my back. I'll handle the rest. Just climb up there."

Holly hesitated for a moment before getting into position so he could lift her up. His ice-cold hands encircled her calves and she shivered. "I'm ready."

Krim nodded and wrapping his robe over her he went to the window with her snug on his back. He didn't hesitate as he jumped out of it.

Holly screamed, the sounds being ripped from her lips before she had even made a proper descent. There was no chance the others had heard that.

They soared through the air for but a few moments before Krim grabbed a tree branch and slowed their fall. It didn't stop it, but it was enough for them to descend safely.

Krim picked a room far on the corner of the structure and guided them right through the open window.

Once they got through, Holly scrambled off Krim's back and to the safety of the solid ground. Her body was still chilled from every area that had been in contact with him. 

Would Quix and Eros forgive her for leaving them? Eros probably wouldn't. He'd either be hurt or go into lecture mode. She sighed, her selfishness wouldn't be forgiven easily.

"Too late to sigh about it now, you've already left them up there." Krim walked around the room inspecting it and locking the door leading to the main hallways.

"I"m going to give you something that no one else is willing to. In exchange, I want you to follow me when this is over."

Holly swallowed. Maybe she shouldn't have trusted all of these reapers. Still, her curiosity was piqued. What could he mean by that? "What are you talking about?"

Krim leaned against the wall. His pristine light hair clashing with the darkness around them.

"I can give you answers, real answers. But, in exchange, you come with me. I'm not willing to wait however long for the fuzzy deeper side of your soul shenanigans. I just want to complete my mission."

Holly glanced at the window. Should she try to make a run for it? She hadn't thought any of the reapers would flat out betray her.

But still, his words enticed her. Could he be telling the truth? "You want to take me to Death?" she whispered.

Krim nodded. "I will take you. Nothing you can do at this point can stop me. However, I might look cruel, but I believe in being fair. I'll tell you what Sin is awake right now."

"You can't tell me what magic I have inside?" she complained. Was finding out who she had to battle worth being taken to fricking Death? She wasn't so sure about this.

"No, but I'll even reveal something that will shatter your perceptions of everything you've thought. Something that the other reapers know and are keeping from you. I'm willing to be honest, as long as you agree to my terms. Death wants you, and I obey him."

"No," Holly shook her head. "I don't care about any of that. I'm not about to be dragged to Death after I've been running for so long. I just will not do it. If you come near me, I'll scream."

Krim raised a brow. "You'll scream? I have ways of keeping you from doing that. I am offering you important information here. Information that they do not want to give you, but that you have every right to know."

"I don't care about your information," Holly had backed up against the wall. The window was just a short few feet away.

All she had to do was throw herself through it.  "Just let me out of here." Teleportation would be really useful right about now.

"No," Krim replied as he too looked at the window. "You'll never get through it before I catch you. Don't even bother."

Would Eros still be sleeping without her? Or Quix? Shouldn't one of those two be up by now? Krim still stood in-between her route to safety and didn't look like he was moving. "Why are you doing this to me?" she demanded.

"I'm just doing the job I was handed. I feel nothing negative or positive toward you. You are but a pawn in this mission. I don't want to have to drag you kicking and screaming, but I will drag you if you insist. Now, let's go."

Holly bolted. She jumped to the window and forced half of her body out of it. Using the only upper body strength she had she pulled herself as high as she could and screamed as loud as she could.

"That was a mistake."

Holly's entire body was jerked back inside before she could scramble out and Krim was wrapping her up in his robe, it clung to her like sticky tape and she could wriggle, but not break free.

"What'd you do to me?" she demanded.

"Just immobilized you until you can calm down. Your scream was pointless. They'll never find you in time." He grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder so her head was hanging down towards his mid-back.

"Don't try anything, or I'll make you regret it."

Holly wriggled harder but try as she might she couldn't get the tape to slip even the tiniest bit. "Please, don't do this," she whispered. 

"I told you, it's nothing personal." Krim motioned with his hand and the tiles around them cracked.

Bony hands reached from the dirt and a four-man group of skeletons pulled themselves free. "Go, give us a way to get out of here."

Holly stared as they broke the door down and marched out in single file. Now she'd never get saved.  She only hoped her friends would be okay.

Krim went to the window, and he climbed through it with ease, even with Holly on his back. As he marched away from the building he glanced back at her. "I'm still going to tell you that information."

"I don't care," Holly whispered. Would her friends be okay? Would Eros fight them? And what about Atropos?

"Then I'll explain it in a way to make you care." Krim sighed. "The sin you're up against is Sloth this time, and she's not going to be easy to take down."

"She?" Holly whispered. That had got her attention despite her earlier belief she wouldn't care.

"That's correct, this Sin is a woman. But that's not the part that is going to make your brain explode."

Holly sighed. She hated she was being kidnapped, and she wanted to struggle but right now this information was too precious.

So her enemy was the Sin of Sloth that didn't sound too hard. Those animals couldn't move that fast anyway. "I give up, tell me what it is."

"This entire world has been crafted just for you. Those memories you have of before we started chasing you? Those are all fake." 

Krim grinned at her silence. "I told you that you'd be shocked."