Page 48 of A Soul to Guide

Once Merikh had written their names, the guard wrote down a full physical description of them. He didn’t force her to remove anything – since she pushed her hood back to show her face – apparently more interested in the big ‘human’ next to her.

Raewyn wished she had a glamour as well. She’d love to be able to walk around with her hair and ears out without a care in the world.

She feltshadyentering the town with her hood propped so far over her head that it was likely shielding most of her face. She didn’t know if it made her less conspicuous or more so.

It’s busier here than Clawhaven and that farm town,Raewyn thought as she stuck close to Merikh. She no longer held the length of rope,opting to curl her hand around the rope circling his waist instead.

She gauged his confident strut through the humans to make sure she didn’t step on the back of his heel, walking slightly behind and to the side of him. She didn’t know if he minded, but he didn’t stop her.

Keeping her head down, she tried to remain as small as possible. She wasn’t shy or bashful, just nervous about humans in general.

As soon as they’d entered the town, all she could hear were the voices of hundreds of people clustered together. They were chatting merrily, which was a different atmosphere than Clawhaven.

“What’s that smell?” Raewyn asked, lifting her nose slightly.

There was the generic smell of food cooking, as well as sweet pastries. Of course, there was the general scent of so many bodies that came with their own odours – some pleasant, some not. There were flowers and herbs littering the air.

There was also something else, something strange and unusual, a fabricated musk.

“It’s incense,” he answered as he navigated through the dense crowd.

From what she could tell, whenever she accidentally bumped into Merikh, his back was straight, his walk determined. Not a single person bumped into them, as though the crowd was parting for him.

“The temple acolytes have created the incense to hide the scent of humans,” he continued. “It lowers the risk of Demons coming here. They have also placed charms all along the brick walls spanning around the entirety of this village. It’s effective against the Demons, but not so much against Duskwalkers.”

She almost shushed him for speaking about his kind, but concluded that he absolutely did not care. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spoken so openly about it.

Music emanated from all around her, though none of it was in sync. Someone was torturing a poor guitar, while a woman sang her heart out in some sort of establishment.

Many tried to offer them food or wares with cheer in their voices.

The town was alive, filled with hope and joy. She never expected such a place to exist on Earth.

A pang twisted in her gut.It sounds like home.

The beachside city she came from was filled with laughter, as though the Demons beyond their magical barrier didn’t exist. People danced and sang in the street without a care in the world, happy to be alive and sheltered.

This town smelt and sounded so similar, a beacon of hope for the humans, just like her own city.

Once her homesickness dissipated, relief washed over her like a gentle wave. She even smiled for these people, overwhelmed by their happiness despite everything they obviously faced.

If they could be like this, live like this, then there was a chance the Elysians could repair their wrongdoings and make things right again. They could help the humans heal once they ridded them of the dangers that lurked in the darkness just beyond the walls.

Everything began to quiet the further they walked down the path they never deviated from. The noise echoed over the distance as Merikh took them away from the main areas.

“We’re about to go through the first temple gate, so watch your step,” he warned her.

He slowed to allow Raewyn to toe the edge of a stair, so she didn’t trip. Then they climbed the stone staircase, and the rock tapped under her boots.

They climbed and climbed, then climbed some more, as though the ascent was never-ending.

“Holy maiden,” she gasped. “Just how many stairs are there?”

“There’s always a large staircase leading to each of the main temples. This being the only temple in the southlands, it’s the tallest one. The building is situated on the very top of a hill overlooking the rest ofAshpine City.”

Raewyn nodded, smiling in thanks at him for explaining this to her.

The ground evened once again, and after a few steps, they halted.

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