Page 5 of A Soul to Guide

One thing she did know is that they didn’t have the long, pointed ears she had, nor were the women generally as tall and willowy as she was. Add the fact that she had very striking white hair, and to these people, she was an oddity. She’d already been asked a flock of questions when she arrived.

After walking towards the only sound of life she could hear in the forest, the guard who had found her had barely understood her.

However, the moment he’d spoken, her heart had nearly burst with fright when she realised he was human.

She hadn’t been able to explain how she found herself outside the town, nor had she been able to explain where her special gown came from – one that had malleable gold etched into the white silk. She struggled to answerwhatthegolden jewellery cresting over her forehead was, but they gave her the worddiadem. She also couldn’t explain where someone like her had gotten the many bangles that rested around her ankles and wrists.

They questioned the colour of her hair, her height, her willowy physique. Her ears had been hidden underneath her curls, which was lucky since it had fallen from her original half-up, half-down tie up.

Raewyn pretended she had amnesia and had no idea why she looked the way she did, or how she came to be in the forest. They eventually stopped questioning her.

She asked for a cloak so she could hide her identity when they let her go, which they thankfully gave her. She’d ripped the bottom of it so she could place a strip of cloth over her eyes to hide them, and, more importantly, her white eyebrows.

Other than the golden chain around her waist, a special contraception spell she hadn’t been fond of parting with, no matter the reason, she no longer owned any of the jewellery she came here with.

She’d found a merchant after they released her from questioning, and she’d sold most of her jewellery so she could make transactions within the town. That was after she discovered humans were so cruel, they wouldn’t feed those who were hungry.

Raewyn refused to be hungry, or to not sleep in a proper bed because they wouldn’t house anyone without money. Ridiculous!

They also weren’t beyond trying to rip someone off. Unfortunately for the dear, unsuspecting merchant she’d sold her jewellery to, she knew what gold, silver, and copper felt like, and that they had their own unique smell. They also had their own distinct tone when tapped against a hard surface.

She’d gotten most of what it was worth, and half of that was a very weighty bag tied to her waist. The rest was hidden underneath a glamour spell at the inn she was staying at.

The long sleeves of the itchy dress she wore helped to hide a skin-deep geometric band glowing around her left forearm – the only indication she was currently using magic. It was easy to do on an inanimate object, but to glamour a person required a much more advanced spell – which she couldn’t do without a mana stone.

I can’t let anyone know I can use magic.She just needed to remain hidden until she got home.

That meant she needed to leave this town and find some Anzúli. When she’d asked if there were any people who could use magic, she’d found they were referred to as Priests and Priestesses here.

There were none in this town, or in any of those close by. She wouldn’t have faced the outside world to go to them, even if theyhadbeen nearby. Not alone, at least.

She’d been inquiring for the past Earth month about travellers leaving this town,Clawhaven. The few who were brave enough to leave refused to take a visually impaired person with them, or a woman in general.

Cowards!She wasn’t going to let them tamp down her fight.

She continued every day, determined to find someone who would travel with her. Of course, she’d do the best she could with what she had. She’d grown up rather pampered, perhaps a little spoilt, but she’d learned to be resilient, no matter the battles she faced.

It didn’t help she couldn’t share with them that she had superhuman hearing, or a superhuman sense of smell, or that she could probably lift and throw them a few metres. These weren’t normal qualities for a human, and her lean frame gave everyone the impression she was underfed – which wasn’t the case.

She was just... tall, which meant all her limbs were longer, and the healthy fat she had on her was evenly spread out.

They called her lanky, and she’d wanted to smack them on the nose!

Most were nice to her, though, probably out of pity. She wasn’t fond of that, since she’d rarely received pity from anyone back in Nyl’theria. She was just Raewyn, a person who couldn’t see.

Her people didn’t pity her, or think less of her, or anyone else who had an impairment. They just made sure they were comfortable, happy, and had all the assistance they needed without complaint. If something wasn’t available, they would find a way to make it so.

Humans were different. She’d already seen they were mean, judgemental creatures, and their morals were only as strong as the laws that suppressed them.

I miss home,she thought as she tried to navigate the town and return to the markets by the paths she walked every day. They were easy to locate by the smell of freshly cooked food and chatter.Dear Gilded Maiden, I miss my laboratory.

She missed being buried underneath paperwork, and experiments, and being forced to listen to Cykran’s sarcasm. She missed the freedom of dressing in flowy gowns that showed off a little shoulder or thigh, rather than this heavy layered winter dress.

She sighed as she raised her face to the sun washing over her, wishing this apparent summer heat was hotter. Time seemed to pass quicker here, and it was disorientating. Night came often in comparison to Nyl’theria.

From what she’d learned, Clawhaven was relatively small. Distressed, rough timber formed a barrier around the town. Housing and markets were all mixed together, most people selling their wares outside of the very places they lived.

Those who were better off lived in the middle of the town. The inn she stayed at was located towards one of the four exits, which is why it was so cheap.

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