“What sort of test?” Ryther asked.
That… was an excellent question. What could Ryther possibly to for her to prove he wasn’t loyal to the Reaper King, or the other Reapers? “You’d have to be willing to forsake your life for this test.” Yes, that was good. Something life-endangering.
Tian frowned. “Ryther, perhaps you shouldn’t—”
“Understood,” Ryther said. “What is it?”
Carissa peered around them to look at Mera. “Mera knows.”
Mera approached them slowly, her footsteps lighter than a mouse’s. “I… do?”
“Yes. You remember what we were talking about earlier? Wouldn’t that make a good test for him?”
Mera began to shake her head. “No, I don’t quite remem—”
Carissa raised her eyebrows.
“Oh! Oh. That. Right. Yes. You’re right; he would have to risk his life. And take something from the Reaper King that he values… Something that would aid us in defeating the Reaper King. That thing.”
Ryther spun to face her. “What thing are you talking about?”
And then it clicked: the Nephesh. If the border still existed, the last Nephesh still had to be here. And Ryther would know where it was. “We want you to destroy the Nephesh,” Carissa said.