Death Dealer Reapers Book Three: Reapers, #3

By Tara Vasser

Half the pieces of the only weapon known to kill Death have been recovered and are now in the possession of a dangerous Necromancer. The same Necromancer who has been a major pain in my ass since I first found out I'm part of the supernatural world.

 

Death's Reapers are on the hunt for the remaining pieces, but the Necromancer seems to always be one step ahead of us. My partner Gunnar and I suspect we have a mole in the Reaper ranks. How else does that asshole Necromancer keep beating us to the punch?

Now not only do we have to travel to remote and dangerous locales to search for pieces of the doomsday weapon, but we have to try to get there ahead of the Necromancer and prevent, well, doomsday. Let's also not forget having to sniff out the traitor in our midst.

 

At least the life of a Reaper is never dull.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tara Vasser
• Release date: Jun 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223057635

Tara Vasser

Tara lives is the frozen north in Minnesota with her wonderful husband and two rambunctious little dudes. She is an engineer during the day, a crazy mom in the afternoon and a wicked writer at night. She enjoys spending her time playing in the dirt when her gardens aren’t covered in snow and listening to a wide variety of music that inspires her writing – sometimes doing both at the same time.    

Book preview

Death Dealer

Reapers Three

Tara Vasser

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, or other status is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever known, not known or hereafter invented, or stored in any storage or retrieval system. Exercising these rights without written permission of the author is forbidden and punishable by the fullest extent of the law.

Copyright© Winter Musings LLC 2023

Editing by: Leanore Elliot

Cover Art by: MiblArt

Death Dealer

Reapers Book Three

Half the pieces of the only weapon known to kill Death have been recovered and are now in the possession of a dangerous Necromancer. The same Necromancer who has been a major pain in my ass since I first found out I’m part of the supernatural world.

Death’s Reapers are on the hunt for the remaining pieces, but the Necromancer seems to always be one step ahead of us. My partner Gunnar and I suspect we have a mole in the Reaper ranks. How else does that asshole Necromancer keep beating us to the punch?

Now not only do we have to travel to remote and dangerous locales to search for pieces of the doomsday weapon, but we have to try to get there ahead of the Necromancer and prevent, well, doomsday. Let’s also not forget having to sniff out the traitor in our midst.

At least the life of a Reaper is never dull.

Contents

1.One

2.Two

3.Three

4.Four

5.Five

6.Six

7.Seven

8.Eight

9.Nine

10.Ten

11.Eleven

12.Twelve

13.Thirteen

14.Fourteen

15.Fifteen

16.Sixteen

17.Seventeen

18.Eighteen

19.Nineteen

20.Twenty

21.Twenty-One

22.Twenty-Two

23.Twenty-Three

24.Twenty-Four

25.Twenty-Five

26.Twenty-Six

27.Twenty-Seven

28.Twenty-Eight

29.Twenty-Nine

30.Thirty

31.Thirty-One

32.Thirty-Two

33.Thirty-Three

34.Thirty-Four

35.Thirty-Five

36.Thirty-Six

37.Thirty-Seven

38.Thirty-Eight

39.Thirty-Nine

40.Forty

41.Forty-One

Author's Note

About Tara

Other Books by Tara

One

Blackness turned to blinding light as I walked through the portal from The Realm of The Dead into what I hoped was Costa Rica. Fuck, that’s bright, I called to Gunnar while squinting in the bright sunlight. When my eyes adjusted enough, I turned to see my Vampire partner surveying the landscape with sunglasses on.

Did you have those the entire time? I demanded, shielding my eyes from the bright glare.

Gunnar raised his eyebrows at me, barely visible above the frames of his aviators. I always have them with me. Vampire eyes are very sensitive to light.

I remembered that now. It was just that I didn’t feel like I had been operating much in daylight hours lately. The perks of being a Reaper working for Death, I supposed.

Using one hand to shade my eyes, the other still clutching my dagger, I took in all the lush green vegetation around me. The warm air and green grass were far better conditions than the wintry Minnesota weather we’d left behind. Drawing in a deep breath, I savored the warmth and humidity. I sure was missing summer now.

So, where do we go from here? A road led past the plot we stood on, and as I turned in a slow circle, I noticed the gravestones dotting the lawn. "Are we in a cemetery?" I asked as I scrambled to the side so I wasn’t standing over any dead bodies.

Where else did you think a portal from The Realm of the Dead would lead to? Gunnar asked with an amused chuckle.

Touché, I mumbled in reply. So…do you have any idea where we’re going?

Nope. He shook his head and began walking toward the road. But I figure if we start walking, we’ll find someone to ask. That made sense. Except that I was sure we looked way out of place here and would likely scare away anyone before we got the chance to ask for directions.

I squinted against the light as we walked down a packed dirt path, which I think was supposed to be a road, but it certainly didn’t look wide enough to accommodate multiple cars. This graveyard portal thing, I started as I walked beside Gunnar, how does it work?

You see, we go through a door in The Realm of the Dead and come out in The Realm of the Living.

Thanks smartass, I figured that part out, I said, smacking his arm. Like, how do you tell it where to go?

I’m not telling you. Gunnar shook his head emphatically.

Why the hell not? I demanded.

Because Death says you’re not ready.

Did he really? Or do you just not know? I accused.

Gunnar laughed and I couldn’t help but smile.

Fine, then at least tell me why we couldn’t take a portal to Sanctuary School.

Because there isn’t a portal near there, he stated with a shrug.

I frowned as I let that roll around in my brain for a moment. "You’re saying there isn’t a portal anywhere closer to the school than a three hour drive?" I asked incredulously.

Nope.

But there’s one in the middle of fucking nowhere in Costa Rica?

Yep, he said, glancing at me before turning back to the path before him.

Why not?

I don’t know, he answered with another shrug. I don’t manage the portals.

Who does? Who created them?

Why, are you going to file a complaint? he said with a snort.

Very funny, I replied, pulling my winter coat off and tying it around my waist. Right about now I was wishing I’d had a little more time to prepare my wardrobe before the change in climate.

There’s a mini-super up there, Gunnar announced, pointing ahead.

I looked where he pointed, and could sort of make out a speck that could have been a building. Freaking Vampire vision. What the hell is a mini-super? I asked, still squinting into the distance.

It’s a store. Probably like a grocery and convenience store in one. When we get there, just let me do the talking, he advised.

I was fine with that. Hot, tired, and grumpy, I was in no mood to socialize with the locals. Or anyone, for that matter.

A few minutes later, we walked into the little store, the dim lighting a welcome respite from the sun’s harsh rays.

Hola, a woman stocking a shelf greeted us, eying us warily.

I felt pretty sure they got tourists in the shop, judging by the number of random items emblazoned with the Costa Rica flag, or with sayings like ‘I love Costa Rica,’ but I was betting none of those tourists looked quite like us. We didn’t exactly look prepared for a rainforest climate, what with our heavy coats and winter boots.

Hola, I replied back, moving quickly through the store so I wouldn’t have to try to recall any high school Spanish lessons. That knowledge was long gone.

Gunnar replied with a ‘hola’ and then launched into fluent Spanish with the woman. She seemed to grow more relaxed the longer he spoke, so I assumed things were going well.

Wandering through the store, my mouth began to water when I caught sight of the snacks and water. Gunnar may not need to eat, but I was tired of operating on fumes. Gunnar, I called across the small space.

He looked up from his conversation.

You have money, right? I verified before I was tempted to use a five-finger discount to keep from starving.

Yes, he confirmed, holding up a credit card that only half-obscured my view of the annoyed expression on his face.

Okay, cool. Thanks, I called back as I began loading my arms with food and bottles of water. I didn’t know what a few of the food items were, but at that point, it didn’t matter. On my way to the register, I nabbed a pair of sunglasses and a cute colorful cross-body bag to carry things in. I placed my armload on the counter.

Find what you needed? Gunnar asked as he produced his credit card.

Just because you don’t eat, doesn’t mean I need to starve. I’ll pay you back, I reassured him as I smiled at the clerk and began shoveling the items she had already rung up into my new bag.

Gunnar shrugged. It’s Death’s card.

Even better, I said with a grin.

Gracias, the Vampire told the shopkeeper with a dazzling smile as he took his card back from her and tucked the only purchase he made—a map—under his arm.

Those are some pretty impressive language skills you pulled out back there, I told him when we had started our way down the road again.

When you’ve been around as long as I have, you pick up bits and pieces, he said absently as he stared at the map.

That was more than bits and pieces, I pointed out between crunches of what I learned were plantain chips, not banana chips. They were pretty good, too. That was full-on fluency.

Gunnar shrugged.

So modest, I teased.

He just shook his head in response. If we take this path here, he said, tracing his finger along a line on the map, we should get there in four or five hours.

Awesome. Four or five more hours of walking. In winter boots.

And where exactly is ‘there?’ I asked, squinting at where he pointed on the map.

There’s a lodge there, and it sounds like we should be able to get to the densest part of the rainforest from there by bus in the morning.

Is there a bus that could take us to the lodge from right here? I asked, spreading my arms wide to encompass the dirt road we walked on.

The last bus for the day has already passed through, Gunnar informed me with a shake of his head.

Of course. It could never be that easy.

Where’s your sense of adventure, Chloe? he asked with a chuckle.

Oh, it’s not my sense of adventure that’s missing, it’s your sense of urgency, I grumbled.

Look, he said, all teasing leaving his tone. I want to get these pieces of the sword before the Necromancer does just as much as you do. I’m working with what I’ve got.

I know, I replied, properly chastised. Just like me, he was doing the best he could.

The rest of the walk passed with a little small talk, but as the track grew steeper the higher up in elevation we went, the more panting I was doing, which left little room for words. Gunnar, of course, wasn’t even close to winded. It was a good wake-up call to remind me I really needed to get into shape.

There it is, Gunnar announced shortly after it was already too dark to properly see where I was going. I’d had to squint to make out the ground for the last half hour of walking. Gunnar had offered to give me a piggyback ride, and while the thought of resting my tired legs was tempting, I kept getting flashes of a certain popular Vampire movie in my mind, and refused. Nobody was going to be calling me spider monkey today.

"We’re staying here?" I asked over the howling wind as I squinted up at a tiny hut perched on the mountainside.

Yup, Gunnar acknowledged as he continued onward, leaving me squinting up at the miniscule building. It barely looked like it would withstand the strong wind.

I had a feeling it was going to be a long, sleepless night.

Two

T hat wind is insane, I whispered from beneath the covers of my twin-sized bed across the room from Gunnar’s.

"We are looking for the air stone, my partner pointed out unhelpfully. Therefore, someplace windy."

The wind howled through every crack and crevice of the small hut where not much more than our two beds fit. It was a symphony of eerie moans and wails as the wind traveled into any place it could reach.

How the hell does anyone sleep with all that racket? I asked, each creak of the walls as they were buffeted by the gusts popping my eyes open in case I had to jump from the bed to avoid being crushed when the roof eventually gave out.

They close their eyes and ignore it, Gunnar said with an exasperated sigh. Chloe, just close your eyes.

Easy for you to say, you’re strong enough you could probably push the roof off you when it collapses. I’ll just be crushed flat.

The roof is not going to collapse, he said with a groan as an especially strong gale collided with the hut. Go to sleep.

I’m not a fucking child, I snapped from beneath my covers, which I had pulled up to cover my face.

You’re certainly acting like one, he grumbled.

I feel like being afraid of a house falling on me is a perfectly rational fear. Especially when it sounds like a tornado out there. I’m a Minnesota girl, I know what happens when there are tornados. We should be in a basement, I whisper-yelled at the Vampire. "Didn’t you ever watch The Wizard of Oz?"

Gunnar began to laugh so hard, I worried he was going to give himself an aneurism. If Vampires even got aneurysms. I doubt anyone will be dropping a house on you to steal those boots, he managed to gasp out between laughs.

"You asshole! Are you calling me a…oh, wait. I am kinda a Witch, aren’t I? I started laughing, too. I was so tired it was funnier than it should have been. It took us a good ten minutes to calm down and catch our breaths because each time one of us stopped, we began laughing at the other’s laugh again. I’d been here before—when you’re so exhausted that everything is fucking hilarious, even when it’s not. I’m so tired," I gasped when I finally stopped and my stomach hurt from all the laughing.

We’ve only got a few more hours until dawn, Gunnar confirmed. We’ll need as much sleep as we can get.

I tossed and turned the rest of the night, catching sleep in fifteen-minute intervals until Gunnar woke me at six the next morning.

The bus leaves at seven-thirty, Gunnar warned me as he rubbed a towel over his wet hair. I hadn’t even heard the shower turn on.

Peeking at the clock, I threw my pillow over my face. That’s an hour and a half away, I whined, my voice muffled by the pillow.

I thought you might want a shower and breakfast, he said from somewhere nearby. It was difficult to tell from beneath the pillow.

Unfortunately, he was right. I did want a shower and food before we headed out for what I naturally assumed would be a long day. I just didn’t like the idea of sacrificing what little sleep I got for it. Fine, I groaned. I’m getting up.

It took a while, but I did manage to drag myself from the bed and into the shower. Which was relaxing and served to fully wake me, especially the good-sized brown spider hanging out on the wall just above the spray. Sped up my shower, too.

When I emerged from the bathroom, Gunnar was nowhere to be found. A little jaunt through a maze of paving-stone lined pathways brought me to a building with a dining area.

Please tell me there’s coffee, I pled to Gunnar as I slid into the seat across from him.

You’re in luck, he said, flipping a mug over and pouring the life-giving liquid into it. We’re in coffee country. There’s a plantation not far from here.

Oh. My. Gawd, I said with a gasp after my first sip. This has got to be the best coffee I have ever tasted. Please tell me I can take some of this back home.

Gunnar laughed. We’ll grab you a few bags when we head home after retrieving the stone.

Oh yeah, my sleep deprived brain forgot for a second why we were in Costa Rica in the first place. How much time until the bus? I asked, hoping there would be time for me to consume more than coffee.

Another half hour, Gunnar replied, looking at his watch.

Did you bring your phone? I asked.

No, why? He frowned at me.

I was just going to see if there was a Wi-Fi connection and search to see if we could pinpoint a location instead of wandering aimlessly in a rainforest obscured by clouds, I explained with a shrug.

I think relying on the locals’ knowledge will be our best bet, he countered. First-hand anecdotes instead of travel guide bullshit.

That made sense, I supposed. Is there a menu? I asked, amid the growls of my stomach.

Gunnar pointed to a chalkboard behind the bar. What do you want?

Eggs, I replied confidently. And toast.

Rice and beans okay? Gunnar asked, frowning at the menu.

Dude, get me some eggs and I’ll eat whatever else comes with it, I told him before taking a sip of my amazing coffee.

While Gunnar went to the bar to order for me, I selected a few English language activity brochures from a nearby stand and began perusing them. Is this where we’re going? I held up a brochure and asked Gunnar when he returned to the table.

Yep, he confirmed.

There are tons of trails listed in here, how will we know which one?

Gunnar took the brochure from me and quickly read through it. Let’s start with the waterfall trail, he pointed to a blue dot on the map.

I couldn’t think of a better path, so I agreed.

My huevos rancheros with rice and beans arrived shortly, and while I stuffed my face, Gunnar ran through the plan. Which incidentally, wasn't much of a plan at all.

Most missions aren’t like this, he grumbled. "Usually we at least have some idea where to look."

Well, I said between bites of food, it could be worse, we could totally be in the wrong country.

Gunnar glared at me. Don’t even joke about that. He shook his head. "There’s still a very good chance we are in the wrong country."

I wrinkled my nose at him while I chewed. I liked adventure as much as the next girl, but if we came here and found jack-all, I was going to be a little gun-shy for the next location the librarian pointed us to.

"Remind me why we’re out here looking for a stone we don’t even know for sure is here instead of getting the water stone when we know its location?" I asked curiously, but not without a hint of irritation.

Precisely because we don’t know where it is. Take care of the difficult task first. Then the easy one is that much easier, he