In a dark library room, Pan sat at a private terminal. She’d had three choices for research: her personal computer, the Arcanes’ public machines, and the library. She couldn’t access city records for free from her own computer, and Pan dreaded the eyes that would look over her shoulder at the Complex, with different variations of ‘whatchaya readin’?’ on their lips.

If Pan wanted to know what had happened to Celin – and she really did – she needed to be at the library.

The computers logged Pan’s every move, so although she immediately spotted Celin’s name, she clicked through other names first. In her line of work, looking at records of the deceased seemed very normal, in fact, expected, but Pan felt strange about this situation.

The way Celin described his death made Pan think of reapers. She wouldn’t accuse his murderer of being one, but she might accuse him.

Celin felt compelled to visit his dying friend. He didn’t know his power. Pan experienced both of those things when she went through arcanerty. Then, an arcane killed Celin, possibly to keep him from becoming the next Merig or Cesarina. How could Pan not think reaper?

Pan stopped herself. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions. The stories of the previous evening influenced her day. She might see reapers where there were none.

Pan took a deep breath and worked her way down the list of arcanes that died during their arcanerty. She stopped.

She found a deceased girl, also with an unknown power, dead forty-nine years, and only a mere two years before Celin. Pan read:

Jacinth Ritratt of Glyptik

Admitted: 14-18-2217

Death: 14-20-2217

Cause of Death: Arcane-morphosis

Power: Unknown

Pan frowned. Glyptik. That was reaper land.

She took a long look at Jacinth’s picture. Black haired, grey skinned, an oval face. Just a normal girl. Of course, Pan knew reapers looked normal. She could see one in the mirror every day.

Unable to remain patient, Pan skipped several names and brought up Celin’s record. She read the entry:

Celin Bassan of Glyptik

Admitted: 08-21-2219

Death: 09-03-2219

Cause of Death: Arcane-morphosis

Power: Unknown

Pan sat back in her chair. Glyptik again?

She heard someone pass the room. Pan looked as a man strolled by the window. He didn’t come in, and if he saw her inside, he didn’t question why she sat in the dark.

With shaking hands, Pan searched the list of deceased arcanes and found three more like Jacinth and Celin, all dead within fifteen years of each other. None of them discovered their powers, and all perished as they recovered from arcanerty. All but one came from Glyptik. Pan couldn’t help but feel that Jacinth, Celin, and the others should never have died.

She pulled a piece of sketch paper from her pocket. On the paper, in the order they died, she wrote their names: Jacinth, Celin, Roch, Zoi, and Polina.

She copied their places of origin and their dates, but she would find no more information from the records. She couldn’t access their medical information, and in those times, personal information stayed off the Cybernet. If she wanted to know more, she needed to find another of their spirits, and she knew just where to do that, assuming Celin was not the only one.

Pan couldn’t return to the hospital – not tonight. She glanced at the clock and found that evening had long since come and gone. She needed to return to the Arcane Complex and face Kat and Brynn, maybe even Chara and Spy.

Pan folded up her paper and closed the death records.

Before she left, she looked through some arbitrary files – a whole stream of news articles on strange deaths. In case anyone questioned her work, Pan wanted that person to think she just researched the deaths of children. She clicked through articles on children gone missing in mining towns and children dead from a mysterious river pollutant. She created a convincing rabbit hole, one that almost sucked her down with it. Then, she abandoned the terminal.

Jacinth, Celin, Roch, Zoi, and Polina. Pan wanted to know if she found all the missing reapers.

It wasn’t unheard of for a power to be rare. Aria was the only aura reader. Pan stole from the only ghost seer. Yet, most powers weren’t rare. Once a power popped up twice, a third and fourth case followed. Soon, people discovered the power wasn’t rare at all.

Pan believed she possessed just such a power. She wasn’t reaper number three. She was reaper number eight, or maybe even nine or ten.

What Pan couldn’t determine was if all the reapers had been related. Some powers ran in families. Some powers popped up spontaneously. Her research placed the five suspected reapers in a small geography, centered on Glyptik, exactly where you would expect to find reapers. Was Pan the only spontaneous occurrence?

Children ran past and bumped Pan. Their mom apologized and followed. Pan paid them no attention.

She prepared to step through the tall security poles at the library’s entrance. Then, she stopped and looked back at the records room. The reaper family tree would be in that room.

Lights turned off in the back of the library, and others fled for the doors. Closing time had arrived.

Damn. Pan had to wait.

It was a short, quiet walk home in the dark. Pan made it alone and set one foot on the steps to the Arcane Complex.

“Where have you been?” Brynn asked.

Pan looked up. In the shadows, she saw Brynn, Chara, and Kat. All stood outside, and all restrained anger. To get the attention of one mentor was a feat. To get the attention of three deserved a prize.

“I’ve been at the hospital, and then, elsewhere.” Pan climbed the steps.

Chara rubbed her forehead. “Pan, we have been worried sick about you. What happened? Why were you gone so long? Did you meet the spirit Sotir told you about?”

When Pan came close, Chara laid two hands on Pan’s shoulders. Pan didn’t know what to say. Chara seemed concerned as did Brynn and Kat. It was genuine.

“Well,” Kat growled. “Answer us.”

“Which question?” Pan looked between the three women. “What happened? Why was I gone? Or the spirit?”

Kat growled again. “You and Sotir are the most smart-ass young arcanes we have. Did you meet the spirit? Sotir had no information to give, which is concerning coming from someone who sees the future. I’m sure even you can grasp the seriousness of that.”

Pan cocked her head. “I met the spirit. I’m not sure what Sotir couldn’t tell you. It certainly wasn’t the doomsday scenario he painted. The ghost just wanted to sell me life insurance. It trapped me in a deserted hallway, down in maintenance. I had to listen to its spiel for an hour before I could get away.” Pan told her story with a straight face, but inside, she felt a pang of mischief. “He has a sick sense of humor – Sotir that is. But I wouldn’t bother him about it. Aside from having my ears talked off, it was a funny joke.” Pan extracted herself from Chara’s grasp. Then, she waved, intending the gesture to be goodnight.

“And where were you after the hospital?” Chara commanded.

Slowly, Pan turned. “I went for a walk and visited the art supplies shop on Menzone Lane. Then, I visited that store that has food from Tochgraf.”

“We were looking for you,” Kat hissed. “You knew we were worried. You knew you should come right home.”

“That hasn’t been my standard protocol for four years. Maybe more. We all agreed I was fine on my own. I didn’t need backup.” Pan glared at Kat. “Isn’t that what you said? That you trusted me to keep myself safe.” Pan gestured to her chest. “I did. You never gave me the impression that I should return immediately, and you never gave me the impression of concern.”

Not true. Kat and Brynn did seem concerned. Pan watched Kat’s face. She could see Kat’s gears turn. Kat struggled to remember exactly what they said that morning. Brynn remained quiet.

“I’m disappointed in you, Pan.” Chara stared, with sad eyes.

Pan looked at her feet. “Is Sotir around? I wanted to tell him what I thought of his joke.” Pan really wanted to make sure that Sotir couldn’t read her future and discover her reaperhood. She needed to convince him not to look.

Brynn pointed to the sky. “Sotir, is probably working on those long-term scenarios he got assigned, concerning colonies within our solar system. I imagine that would put him on a spaceship. Near enough but certainly out of your reach.”

And, I’m out of his. Inwardly, Pan smiled, but outwardly, she remained emotion-free. She nodded.

“We’re going to talk to him, Pan,” Chara assured her.

“I’d rather you don’t. Just let it go. Are we finished?” Pan half turned to the door.

Kat waved her off. “Go.”

Pan hurried inside. She couldn’t tell the mentors about the suspected reapers. After all, an arcane killed them, and for all she knew, they would applaud such an action.

She might be the only person who cared about the deaths and only because she was one.

Who could kill five reapers? Who could identify them? A healer? A mentor? Someone from the original family?

These would be Pan’s suspects, but first, she would make sure she had a series of five murders on her hands and not one giant mistake.