Chapter 92 - 20 Eyes

Dinner was much the same as breakfast, with Cersi dominating the conversation as she hopped from one topic to the next. She did seem particularly excited about learning to sew, however.

Afterward, Morrigan risked taking a shower before bed, opting for a moment when Jenna’s crew seemed occupied in the game room. She realized she’d taken having a locked bathroom door for granted her entire life. Though no one bothered her, she did hear someone enter, do their business, and leave at least once before she finished. As much as she didn’t like it, it had been two whole days since her last shower, so skipping another night simply wasn’t an option.

She kept her towel and clothes on a stool close by so she could reach them without coming out then dry and get changed all from the safety of the shower curtain. When she returned to her room, Sarah was making her rounds, announcing it was time to get to bed. Morrigan also spotted Miss Cheyenne in the hall with a cup of coffee in preparation for her night shift.

“So Morrigan,” the older ex-military woman said, “are we going to have any trouble from you tonight?”

“Not unless some ghosts show up that we have to deal with,” Morrigan replied sarcastically, though she was technically telling the truth.

Cheyenne fixed her with a dry gaze. “You’re on thin ice, girl. Don’t test me.” With that ominous warning, she gave Morrigan a once-over, her eyes settling on Morrigan’s ankle. “Has your bandage been changed today?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Come with me, then.” She led Morrigan to a small room with a TV where she produced a small first aid kit. Morrigan eyed the small TV, figuring this must be where she spent her nights. Cheyenne removed the old bandage, cleaned around the cut with an antibacterial wipe, and then rebandaged it all in a matter of minutes as Morrigan sat silently, letting her work.

“Alright. Now, get to bed.”

“Thanks,” Morrigan muttered, rotating her ankle. If it weren’t for the woman’s constant commanding tone, Morrigan may have liked her. She didn’t seem like a bad person, but Morrigan couldn’t stand the way she spoke to her.

With that taken care of, Morrigan left Cheyenne to her guard post, where she suspected the woman would start her night by selecting which TV shows to watch.

Once back in the room, Pepper asked quietly, “So Morrigan… um… how are we going to…”

Morrigan put a finger to her lips and whispered back, “Don’t worry. Once my friend gets here, it’ll be easy. You’ll see.”

Pepper nodded, accepting the explanation, though she looked nervous. Then again, she almost always looked nervous, so Morrigan couldn’t tell if she was more nervous than usual.

Pepper read her book while Morrigan stared at the ceiling, waiting for the call for lights out. When it finally came, Pepper reached over and turned off her light. The room fell into silence, broken only by the occasional creak of a floorboard in the hall, which was probably Miss Cheyenne patrolling.

As Morrigan lay in the darkness, she felt her eyes growing heavy. Despite her long nap that afternoon, she was still a bit behind on sleep, and the past few days had been emotionally exhausting.

But before sleep properly took hold, she felt something land on her bed. Snapping back to reality, she saw two glowing eyes staring at her through the darkness. Noir’s silhouette appeared, a skeleton key held in his mouth.

Morrigan smiled, sitting up cross-legged as she reached for the key. “Glad you could make it.” She took the key from his mouth, the cool, tingling metal felt reassuring in her hand. After being stuck behind locked doors, holding this magic key felt like she was holding freedom.

“You made a concerning comment back at the hospital,” Noir said dryly, diving right into the topic.

“Oh, right, my friend Pepper.” Morrigan nodded toward her roommate, who was now sitting up, clutching her bedsheet to her chin as if hiding behind it. Even in the dark, Morrigan could see the whites of her eyes, wide and round.

“Can this human truly see spirits?” Noir asked. Morrigan was surprised; she expected him to jump into a lecture about how foolish it was to involve a human in the business of reapers or something like that. She was sure that was coming soon enough, though.

“Yeah, she can see spirits,” Morrigan confirmed. “She can tell you all about it while she guides us to that hollow I mentioned.”

“It is a risky proposition,” Noir said flatly. “I do not think—”

“What is that thing!?” Pepper squeaked.

Noir turned his gaze toward her. “Yes, I’m sure it’s quite surprising to see an animal talk, but please calm yours—”

“No! It’s horrible! M-Morrigan! Get away from it! I-it’s—”

“Whoa, Pepper! Calm down!” Morrigan whispered loudly, waving her hands to signal her to lower her voice. “It’s fine! He’s my friend.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Pepper shook her head wildly. “It’s a monster.”

Morrigan wasn’t expecting such a reaction. Granted, Noir wasn’t exactly the typical cute talking animal companion from magical girl shows, but Pepper seemed unnecessarily horrified. Morrigan crossed the room and sat beside her. “What’s wrong? I told you he’s okay.”

“It’s not!” Pepper squeaked, hiding behind Morrigan and clutching the back of her hoodie. Morrigan felt the changeling stir at the sudden contact. “What is it?”

Then Noir chuckled softly. “Oh, I see. Pepper, is it? Why don’t you confirm a suspicion for me. What do you see when you look upon me?”

Pepper’s trembling intensified, her voice a mix of fear and awe. “T-tentacles. Shadows that move like they’re alive… a-and eyes—so many eyes. They’re all staring at me.” Her voice trailed off, almost in a trance. “They see everything… I-I can’t look away. What do they want?”

“Ooo… kay…” Morrigan said, completely confused. Noir just looked like a cat to her. He wasn’t even doing his weird tentacle thing right now.

Noir turned slightly, pausing as if to consider something. Then, he jumped from the bed and disappeared. A chill ran down Morrigan’s spine. “What’s going on?” she asked.

Pepper’s tension eased slightly, and she shook her head as if snapping out of it.

“For now, I will step outside of this plane,” Noir’s voice echoed from somewhere. “It seems your friend can see me as I truly am, and I do not wish to damage her mind.”

Morrigan glanced over her shoulder. Pepper was still shaking but not as badly now that Noir wasn’t in front of them.

“Wait… I mean, I’ve seen your true form before, right?” Morrigan asked. “Whenever you’ve helped fight something.”

“No. Reaper or no, you are a human soul, and too much exposure to my true form would cause madness. That’s why I always hide myself. Even in battle, you see only the smallest fraction of my true nature.”

“Then how come Pepper can see you?”

“It’s an extraordinarily rare gift, though I would sooner call it a curse, as there are things in this world humans are not meant to see. If she still wishes to come with us tonight, find something for her to blindfold herself with. Simply closing her eyes will not be enough in my presence, as the nature of humans is such that they cannot help but gaze upon us, even as it breaks their minds.”

That was a lot to process, but Morrigan was more shocked by Noir’s willingness to let Pepper come along. She had expected to listen to his complaints the entire night. “But…” Morrigan wasn’t sure what she was trying to ask. Something about this still felt like it needed clarification, but she couldn’t put her finger on what exactly. “Why?” was all she could manage.

“Why?” Noir echoed.

“Why are you like that? Why would simply looking at you do that to someone?”

“I told you where voidlings come from, did I not? We are fragments of what we call The Great Old Ones, which no longer exist. But when they did, even the briefest glimpse of them was enough to shatter a mortal’s mind completely, and the merest whisper of a single word from them could plague a mortal with obsession, driving them to seek the Old Ones even though finding them would only lead to their own destruction. I am infinitesimally small in comparison, but it is still better she not look upon me. My words, however, will do her no harm.”

“You’re being awfully forthcoming with information,” Morrigan said dryly. “I thought you were going to be mad at me for sharing things with a human.”

“It was foolish, but I think Master would like to know of this human. Besides, I doubt you would listen to me either way. Now, you have two names on your list tonight, plus the hollow, and you won’t have the benefit of public transportation or even shadow-stepping since the human is coming. We have limited time and must get moving.”

“Pepper, do you still want to come?” Morrigan asked.

Pepper, still loosely holding onto Morrigan’s shoulder, nodded slowly. “If I can see Juniper… and say something to her. I don’t care if she doesn’t respond. I just have to.”

“Alright, then,” Morrigan said, holding up the key and slipping into her shoes. Pepper got up and began to do the same, still dressed in her pink pajamas. “Pepper, maybe you should put on something else. You’ll stand out too much otherwise.”

“Oh…” Pepper looked down at herself. “Good point.”

Morrigan stayed in her sweatpants and black hoodie while Pepper changed into a dress. She would still look out of place walking through town at night, but at least it was better than pajamas.

“Alright, Noir,” Morrigan whispered as she crouched by the door. “Give me a signal when it’s clear.”

A bit of shadow slid under the door that she assumed must be Noir. Morrigan waited silently, and although Pepper’s teeth weren’t exactly chattering, there was something in her presence that made Morrigan feel—more than hear—Pepper’s conscious effort to keep herself from shaking. Morrigan thought she’d handled the hollow in the basement pretty well, but maybe seeing Noir’s true form had shaken her too deeply. Morrigan wondered what it looked like and considered asking Noir to show her some time, only for a moment, so she could understand. Then again, if it freaked Pepper out this much, maybe that wasn’t a great idea.

“Morrigan. Now,” Noir’s voice came.

Morrigan inserted the key into the lock, and they both slipped out. She carefully shut the door behind herself, pulling up on the knob and letting it go as the door jam slid into place, then used the skeleton key to relock it.

Pepper followed Morrigan’s lead, sticking close to the baseboards and placing her feet carefully. Then again, Pepper had followed her that first night without Morrigan noticing, so maybe the girl was even better at sneaking around than she was.

They made it down the steps and into the living room, where Pepper whispered, “Let’s leave through the sunroom. The front door is too loud.”

Morrigan looked at the imposing front door and figured Pepper was right. No matter how careful she was, there was no way those hinges wouldn’t squeak and echo through the entire house.

She followed Pepper through the living room, into a turn in the lower hall, and then to a room with walls mostly made of glass windows. The room housed a few flowers but mostly herbs like rosemary, basil, cilantro, and lemongrass.

The door’s locking mechanism could be unlocked from the inside, so Morrigan didn’t bother with the key until they slipped out into the cool night air. Then, she used it to relock the door. She took a deep, humid breath through her nose. For some reason, the air at night just felt different than during the day.

“Alright, Pepper, lead the way,” Morrigan said.

“Right,” Pepper whispered back. They moved around the house, past some bushes, and soon were out on the street and on their way to begin a night of reaping.

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