Read Online Villains by Rhiannon Paille - Free Book Online Page B

were up to her, she’d never forget a single thing about him.
    “You ask too many questions, youngling.”
    “Aria…my name is Aria.”
    The Ferryman huffed, putting his hands into the opposite sleeves of his cloak and folding them across his torso. He changed direction at a fork in the road, and Aria wondered how he knew where the cairn was. “Kallow.”
    “I’m sorry?”
    “Kallow is the name I prefer.”
    “And the long name?”
    “Krishani Mekallow Mekelle Tavesin,” he rattled off, slurring the words together so, to Aria, they didn’t make a lot of sense.
    She let out a sigh. “I like Kallow.”
    “It means hero.”
    She hadn’t expected him to anticipate her next question, but she was obviously out of her league with Kallow. She swallowed hard, and glanced up, trying to feel for the cairn. She was worried with all of the tramping through the forest directionlessly, that they had gotten lost.
    “The cairn is seven minutes away.”
    Aria blushed a deep shade of amethyst, and twisted her hands together, not sure what to do with herself. An awkward ache in her stomach kept her attention, while the loud moans from the ghosts kept her mind alert. “Where do you take the ghosts?”
    Kallow stopped. He whirled and faced her, fire and sorrow in his eyes. “I’m surprised you know so little,” he began, his eyes combing over her, the intensity making Aria breathless. “The Valtanyana like the wars, it gives them much entertainment. Of course, there are consequences. Spill too much blood and the land fills with…” he glanced at the trees and Aria suddenly realized why he was so quiet the whole time. She didn’t realize that the moans weren’t for her, they were for Kallow. They wanted him to untangle them and take them with him. She hadn’t even realized what she was asking when she asked him to come ashore and travel to the cairn. In an instant she felt sorry for the grave task he had to perform.
    Aria locked eyes with him. “They want to destroy everything.” A wan smile crossed Kallow’s lips and Aria felt the urge to touch him, deepen. She remained stalk straight, waiting for him to continue.
    “They want what they can’t have.”
    Aria frowned, she didn’t understand.
    “Emotion. They don’t know fear, anger, jealousy, remorse, sadness…love.”
    Aria’s mouth went dry on the word love. She didn’t know the first thing about love either, she was created to fight, and Tor was elusive, if not rude at times. “Where do you take them?”
    “To Hades of course. He gives some new lives and others he torments.”
    “Why?” Aria couldn’t fathom being forced to fight in a war and die, only to be tortured in an endless after life. It didn’t seem fair.
    Kallow shrugged. “For their pleasure. We’re all pawns to the Valtanyana.”
    Aria blinked rapidly, trying to gain herself. Anger gathered deep inside her, and she fought to keep it under control. She understood why Tor refused them, why Tor created her and the others, and why he was willing to put them in danger to stand against the Valtanyana. Kallow dropped his gaze and continued walking. Aria followed until he rounded the large stone cairn and found the opening on the northwest side.
    “Let me go first,” Aria whispered, wanting to make sure Tor wasn’t hard at work. He said he wouldn’t be back until morning but she didn’t trust him not to show up when he needed to. She peeked inside the cairn, finding the lantern on the edge of the table, glowing and dimming like it was breathing. She winked at Tiki and silently begged her to act normal for a change. Tiki’s Flame shifted until she was a solid glow and Aria emerged from the cairn, finding Kallow staring at a puff of cotton in the trees.
    “Come, the cairn is empty.”
    Kallow turned, pointing at the tree. “Do you know him?”
    Aria smiled. “I have spoken to him many times. He calls himself wise, but if he were wise, he wouldn’t have gotten stuck in that tree.”
    Kallow