Page 115 of A Soul to Guide

He did give it to her though, after she slept, and she thought he may have rested as well.

She didn’t need to remove the mana stone from the piece of jewellery, which he was relieved about.

The central piece was simple in design. The stone was locked into place by a metal coil that ran around its edges and back. The coil had a loop at the top where the chain, knotted and twisted in design by tiny rings, ran through it.

From what she’d briefly seen of the diadem, he locked it in place by wrapping it around the bases of his upward protruding horns. The stone was a deep blue, like the ocean.

He complained in a low murmur about not having removed it in over a hundred and eighty years as he handed it to her.

She’d placed it on the stone bench and then began working her feeler magic into it.

Merikh commented on how the roots of her hair turned grey, which was the base of her magical properties. That was her spirit magic, although it was different for everyone.

Then, her hair, as well as the markings over her sternum, began to glow multicoloured as she examined all the stone’s components, from all elemental magic to spirit magic.

The only reason she knew the diadem floated between her spread hands was because of the magic essence that glowed within her sight.

It allowed her to see the mana stone’s properties up close, check its absorption rate, and if it had any flaws – of which it had none. It was in perfect condition, although not very strong or large. She’d need to feed it her own magic for a few days once she’d neutralised the current enchantment.

A glamour enchantment wasn’t easy to achieve. She’d wondered at first who had given it to him, but only one name came to mind – Weldir.

That demi-god was doing things he wasn’t supposed to. He was messing with the circle of life by creating his own children, creating enchantments, and apparently, he’d figured out a way to steal a mana stone from Nyl’theria without being able to step foot on it, probably using his mate.

Weldir’s history was a part of her own, and most Elysians learnt of it growing up.

She was uncomfortable talking to Merikh about him. He may not appreciate learning what he did about his semi-divine father, or the truth of their origins.

The more she came to understand Merikh, the more she wanted to tell him, especially since it was obvious he didn’t know the truth.

She didn’t want to blindside him when they went to the city and he was questioned, and she didn’t want to upset him withwhomight question him.

Once she was done checking the mana stone, she’d given it back to Merikh. The big Duskwalker had run off with it like his tail was on fire.

A soft laugh bubbled past her lips.

His tail had given her a fright at first when it swatted the back of her thighs. Now that he was home, he was freeing it from the inside of his pants, and it seemed to have a mind of its own.

It’d brushed the side of her legs a few times, tickling and swaying against her, before darting away. She wondered if that was just because it was swaying as he turned, or if he had a thought. Hard to know, since she didn’t have a tail of her own to compare it to.

She turned her face up towards the heat of the sun. It was late in the afternoon, tilting in her direction under the cover of the tree.

I wonder if Merikh will be back soon.

He’d left to go to town with the intention of obtaining a flower with the kind of bulb she required. It needed to encase the entire stone.

Then, she could begin her experiments.

Just as Raewyn tilted her head down and off to the side where she thought he may eventually come from, she bounced on her perch, having been startled. For a moment, she swore she saw a transparent woman in her sight, clear and white like a Ghost.

The moment she was spooked, though, the ghostly woman disappeared. A scent took its place, one unfamiliar and close.

“Hello?” she called, her ears flattening. “Is someone there?”

It was strange asking when she hadn’t heard anyone approach, nor had she smelt another person nearing. She wasn’t sure if there could be someone there, not even a few feet from her.

“Hello?”

Her pulse settled when the wave of paranoia softened.

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