Aria craned her neck and searched for Pan’s grey-blue aura. She’d see that before she saw the physical form of Pan.

Aria had to stand up to get a good view. She sat inside a gazebo, and some pillars blocked the street beyond. A small lawn surrounded the gazebo, and a quiet street allowed cars to pass by the artsy shops on either side. Water tinkled from behind. A sheltered fountain spewed water straight up, almost touching the gazebo’s vaulted ceiling.

Beside Aria, Sotir sat on the edge of the fountain. He held his staff between his knees and waited. His aura shone with subtle yellow and a hint of green. Sotir usually had a haze of white over his person, signifying his inability to escape his power. Today, he had no white, just yellow.

Aria sat down again. The fountain sparkled in grey and sprinkled the occasional drop on her head. Her curls caught and held the drops.

“She’ll show up,” Sotir said.

“I thought you couldn’t make predictions for another twelve hours.” Aria folded her hands.

Sotir had a kind of countdown going. When they met up for the hike, he declared himself vision free for a remaining sixteen hours. When he’d said it, Aria couldn’t see his features through the light of his joy.

“It’s not a prediction. Just an assurance. I know Pan keeps her promises to you. She’ll be here.” Sotir tapped his staff, up and down, against the gazebo stones. He needed it for the times a vision might hijack his sight while he stood or walked.

“What did the spirit look like?” Aria asked. “The one from your vision?”

“Shadowy. When I see future possibilities, it’s not like looking at things in everyday life. It’s more like a dream.”

Aria nodded. “Do you ever see anything about me?”

Sotir’s aura flared a brighter yellow. He smiled. “No.”

Aria sighed. She bet a lot of people asked Sotir about themselves. The requests probably replaced many inquiries they would make about him. She would find that a tad offensive. Luckily, he was amused instead.

She felt Sotir’s eyes on her. Aria turned and faced him.

Sotir said, “I don’t see things about other arcanes very often. I see the things that might happen to me throughout the day. And, when I have a job, I focus on the things I’m told to predict. Then, I see bigger events – things that affect Scaldigir as a whole.” Sotir shifted his staff and looked out the gazebo. His eyes seemed to settle on the clock in the middle of the lawn. “I’m not omniscient, Aria, despite what everyone thinks.”

“I’m sorry.” Aria narrowed her eyes. “I wasn’t suggesting that. I just know you make a hobby of spying.”

Sotir’s aura flushed with a quick haze of orange and pink. He looked straight ahead. “I…I’ll be honest. Sometimes, I take a look at other arcanes…just for fun. You can call it spying. I’ve been talking to Pan more. She seems interesting. So, I looked ahead. That’s when I noticed I couldn’t.”

Interesting…is that what he calls it?

Aria drew a sharp breath. “Oh, Sotir. Tell me you don’t.”

Sotir waved a hand. “It’s idle curiosity.” His aura, with its blaze of pink, suggested otherwise.

“I can see it’s not.” Aria rubbed her temples. “You have a crush on her.”

“We meet once in a while for lunch,” Sotir said. “That’s all.”

Aria shook her head. “I can see your lies.”

She saw so much pink affection it made her think of her parent’s anniversary decorations – the ones her mother put up for a month every year. Aria sighed. She had steady work for six months, and Pan got herself into a troubling romance. Could Aria not trust Pan to be on her own?

Sotir’s aura flushed in bold yellow and pink. “I wouldn’t call it a crush. Let’s call it…love.”

That was bold.

Aria put her chin in her hand. “A love that’s doomed to wilt. You can’t just choose another arcane. We have an obligation to marry out, not in. And, if the speculation is true, you could never have children. They’d be doomed.” Aria twisted her head and looked at Sotir. “I know neither you nor Pan have opted out.”

Sotir nodded. “I don’t believe that speculation, and before Pan’s future dropped off my radar, I had a look…”

Aria raised her hand. “I can’t listen to any more of this.”

Sotir got quiet. He waited. His aura remained bold – yellow and pink.

Aria knit her brow. “Has it ever happened before? That you couldn’t see someone?”

Ripples of deep blue ran through Sotir’s aura. “Yes. Many times. The event is always followed by a death, disappearance, or a big decision. Pan’s not dead, and she hasn’t disappeared – at least not yet. There’s still time. Although, I’m starting to think she may have been presented with a decision.”

Aria crossed her arms. “What kind of a decision?”

“The kind that could change the course of her life.” Sotir bowed his head. “I think she may want to leave the arcanes, which you know, is not an easy thing to do.”

“Leave, but…”

Sotir’s aura rippled blue and pink. “She’s been rather critical of the arcanes lately. It gave me the idea that she might be open to…me.”

Aria shook her head. “No, there’s no way. Pan wants to be one of the best. She…”

She always thinks about good and bad powers, and she says hers is one of the bad ones.

Sotir leaned close. “Why else would Pan lie to the mentors about what I told her? She said that I played a joke on her. I did no such thing.” Sotir looked Aria in the eyes. Threads of red crept into his aura.

Aria breathed a little faster. “That’s true. Why would she lie?”

It wasn’t so far-fetched that Pan hated her lot in life. She had to talk to ghosts for a living, and when she wasn’t useful, Pan got left idle. She spent the time drawing the monsters that plagued her days and nights.

Aria had to admit to a similar situation. She saw personalities and emotions, often unpleasant, but her day was filled for her. She was so busy, she had next to no down time.

Before either of them could say anything more, Pan climbed the gazebo steps. She crossed the gazebo and stood before them, wearing her usual colors.

“What are you up to?” Aria asked.

“What do you mean? I’m up to nothing.” Pan smiled.

“You’re…covered in purple. Lavender to be precise, which is the mischief color, especially on you.” Aria rose and looked eye to eye with Pan. “Did something happen at the hospital?”

“I saw a boy that’s probably going to die.” Pan shifted. The purple in her aura faded; somber grey dominated.

“Maybe...you shouldn’t have visited the ward today.” Aria studied Pan.

Sotir stood. He came close, and his aura reached for Pan. “Did you see the spirit again?”

Pan’s aura recoiled. “No, Sotir. I did not see the spirit. Why are you so concerned about a deceased life insurance salesman?”

“I’m in rather a lot of trouble for the little joke you invented. Perhaps, I got it wrong. That happens sometimes. Perhaps, you did meet a life insurance salesman, and today, you met the real spirit.” Sotir’s aura put out shoots of light, which again reached for Pan.

Pan’s aura became a momentary scene of chaos, a mess of color. Then, it went smooth. “Maybe, you were wrong about the spirit entirely. No ghosts have tried to drag me to hell or trick me to my death.”

Aria didn’t like her view of Pan, not one bit. “What about a choice? Have you been presented with a choice?” She watched Pan’s aura closely.

Pan turned grey. “No.”

“Why are you lying to me?” Aria asked. “Sotir and I just want to help.”

Pan directed her next request to Sotir. “I heard you have a job. Where will you be?”

He narrowed his eyes. “I’m reboarding a ship. So, you don’t have to worry. I won’t be watching over you.”

Aria reached for Pan and saw her own aura lead, with tendrils of blue. “Pan, I’m sorry. Let’s go for a walk and…”

“No.” Pan lowered her gaze. “Sotir, can I talk to you alone?”

“Yes.”

Sotir and Pan walked to one side of the gazebo.

Aria watched their auras intertwine. Sotir’s did most of the reaching, but Pan’s accepted his. Aria frowned. Pan glanced at Aria and tugged Sotir out of view. Aria didn’t like it at all.

 

“I don’t want her to watch our auras.” Pan tucked herself behind a gazebo pillar and a bushy shrub.

“I don’t either, but hiding does no good. She already knows.” Sotir held his staff off the ground. He didn’t lean on it as usual.

Pan narrowed her eyes. “Already knows?”

“About you and me.”

“That’s what I need to talk to you about. You’re right. I did meet a ghost. I couldn’t make my way back through the hospital because my usual route got closed for cleaning. I had to pass through the Palliative care ward. That’s where I saw it.” Pan felt an interesting combination of mischief and pain. She felt pride in the little lie she was about to weave. It would keep Sotir out of her future, though she wasn’t sure that was necessary given his upcoming rigorous schedule off-planet. The pain stemmed from the lie too because she really did like him.

“Go on,” Sotir prompted. He wore rare anxiety on his face.

“I saw a child’s ghost. Someone that seemed to be the product of two arcanes, and his situation was not pretty. So, I have a choice to make, Sotir. Be with you and give up all hopes for family, or let you go and move on.” Pan’s lie would cover it all. It would even cover her trip to the library and her research into mysterious arcane deaths and the deaths of children. Pan took a step back.

Sotir frowned. “No. You’re mistaken. That’s not how it works.”

“How would you know?”

“Because I’ve looked. Maybe that’s the result of some matches, but…” Sotir gestured between them. “That is not the result of you plus me.”

Pan’s heart beat fast and hard. She felt light-headed. “You’ve looked far enough ahead into that kind of scenario?”

Sotir nodded. “MmHm. I have. However, I set it up, nothing bad comes of a match between us. I try not to look too far, lest I get attached to a specific child…”

Pan’s mouth dropped open. “Stop looking, please. I don’t want you to plan out our entire lives. My entire life.”

Sotir shook his head. “Pan, I don’t. I just look to see what the risks are.”

Pan held up a hand. “I want you to stop looking, until I’m sure about what I want to do.”

Pan meant it. She’d always found his presence and power thrilling. Now, she saw the other side, the creepy manipulative side. She didn’t hate it, but she didn’t know yet if she wanted to play Sotir’s game long term.

She had another game to play, and he distracted her. She needed to solve the reaper riddle first. Then, she could solve Sotir.

“I won’t look,” Sotir promised.

“Don’t look at me at all. Not into my past. Not into my future. Do you understand?”

“I promise. I don’t want to lose you over this.” Sotir frowned. He seemed a bit tearful.

Pan bit her lower lip. “Just stay in my boundaries, and you might not.” He is exactly where I want him.

Sotir nodded. Sotir in tears – that was not Pan’s goal.

She wiped one of his tears away. “I’m going home now. Have a good trip.”

“I’ll try. Please, be careful and be safe.”

Now, Pan nodded. She would take care, but she had a lot planned.

 

Aria hurried after Sotir. “Where are you going? Where’s Pan?”

Sotir jabbed his thumb towards the back of the gazebo. “She left already. She’s headed home.” His aura showed pink and blue, love and sorrow.

“We were supposed to spend time together.” Aria’s eyes widened. “What happened? Did you get dumped?” Aria reached for Sotir’s arm.

“I’m close. I made a mistake. The thing she saw at the hospital affects our relationship.”

“She’s not leaving the arcanes?” Aria felt her eyes narrow. “What did she see?”

Sotir shook his head. “Can we talk about it later?”

Aria nodded. She didn’t know how much later it would be. Sotir had a long job away from home. He could avoid her, with great success. But, Aria should show the arcane man some compassion. He really loved Pan.

“We’ll talk later,” she promised.

“Thanks.”

 

Pan paced her room. On a nearby table, her sketchbook sat open. Pencils scattered around, just inches from the holder Pan usually kept them in. On the paper, Pan had drawn the deceased reapers – their portraits. She feared to print pictures of them, but she wanted their faces. So, here they were, drawn by her hand.

Pan spoke to two different reapers. She was sure of it. They both described a desire to touch the dying. The girl, Zoi, even seemed to know what she was – a reaper. What’s more, both told Pan they’d been murdered. Maybe, Zoi’s murder was in defense of another arcane, but Celin received a shot. Someone lied to and murdered him.

All this time Pan could have known about the other reapers, but she never entered the ward. Sotir had been right. She met a spirit, and it changed her entire outlook.

Pan crossed her arms and looked out her window. Trees below waved in the wind, and young arcanes gathered in the new spring. Pan felt bad about the lie she told Sotir. Once she solved her mystery, they would make up. She’d already decided she didn’t want Sotir plus Pan to end, not yet.

Pan turned away from her window. She looked again at the reapers’ faces.

Once in a rare while, Pan resolved to help a lost ghost. They didn’t make it easy, with their short tempers and confused minds, but Pan tried. She usually failed. She had no handbook for this kind of work. She failed so often, she wondered if her attempts were more for her conscience than the ghosts.

For these reapers, Pan might be able to make an exception. All she had to do was locate their murderer and bring him or her to justice. That would be the hard part. Then, Pan had to communicate that knowledge to the ghosts. But first things first: find the murderer.

Celin said a woman murdered him. Zoi never gave a description. They gave Pan so little to work with, but she had her own ideas. She needed to find someone who could locate reapers – a family member, a healer, a mentor – any of these options could work.

Pan wondered if her search would lead her to a group of people, like a committee in the hospital or the government...or the Arcanes themselves. Maybe, they had a mandate to quietly kill reapers. Maybe, they killed anyone whose power couldn’t be determined in a set amount of time, just to be on the safe side.

Pan’s heart pounded. She couldn’t stop everyone. She shouldn’t even try. What if they discovered her and finished the job?

But, I have some protection, Pan reminded herself. I’m not related to the other reapers. Whereas, they all had ties to the Reaper family tree.

Jacinth and Celin had been cousins, distantly related to the first reapers. Zoi and the others also shared distant relation with Jacinth and Celin. All of them were reapers in the most traditional sense.

Pan pulled a list of arcanes from her person. She’d found the arcanes, active during all five murders. If she needed to stop a group of people, the list might be moot, but if she still needed to find a single person, her list was the perfect place to start. She looked at the names. She wanted to eliminate some people, but she couldn’t – not yet.

Pan needed a plan. She needed to get more information, but at the moment, all she could think of was how she had managed to slip through the cracks. She spent the same amount of time in the hospital as the others, seemingly powerless. Why did she escape? Could the murderer already be dead and gone?

It’s a dangerous game, but it might be the most interesting thing I do in the next twenty years.