Page 211 of A Soul to Guide

“And the Taihee are no different, yet they had fur, tails, and wings,” Raewyn argued. “How is he any different? There are even a few Bansu and Taihee hybrids who live here.”

“Yes, but–”

“There is no ‘but.’ It was his heart, Cykran.” She held her hands forward like she was holding it. “That’s what I fell in love with. It didn’t matter that we came from two different puzzles; our pieces fit perfectly.”

“His heart?” Cykran eyed her warily. “For you to say that... Was he really that great?” Then his lips turned downward. “Are you even sure he felt the same way? What if he was using you just to get here?”

“I don’t know,” she answered sadly, fidgeting with her fingers. “I never told him because I just wanted to come home first. I think so, though. At least, I was hoping so.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mean this offensively, but have you met you? You’re an obsessed workaholic who never hides how she feels, which kind of makes you annoying.”

She threw her empty plate at him, and he quickly ducked with a chuckle. He’d just been trying to cheer her up, since she was so distressed.

The wooden plate clacked against the ground before it settled.

“None of it matters now,” she said as she looked to the ground. “I already asked Thorill, and I can’t go back to get him.”

“Raewyn... I don’t know how to tell you this if you truly feel that way about him,” Cykran said in a serious yet solemn tone. He turned to the side as he scratched at his ponytail. “He’s gone. One of the soldiers... They, uh, they removed his head. You can’t go back to get him.”

Raewyn turned her face away to look out of one of the sections of tree branches that acted as a window. She’d always preferred her home bright, which is why anywhere that could allow her to see outside but be private was filled with glass rather than ore.

That was before everything had become dark, of course. She’d barely looked at her home now that she was back and actually able to see it.

Should I tell him there may be a possibility he’s not dead?What did it matter? It’s not like Raewyn could go to him.

Unless Merikh figured out a way to come here, she’d never see him again. The less anyone knew of him, what he was or how he came to be, the better it was for him and the other Duskwalkers.

It was better that she didn’t reveal he was still alive.

“Cykran, can you please leave? I want to be alone.”

His white eyelashes lowered briefly as the corners of his eyes crinkled with regret. “I’m sorry.”

“I know,” she murmured. “I want to have a bath and just deal with how I’m feeling.”

“I wish I could give you that, but I actually came here to tell you the other councilmembers want to have a meeting with you. They want to know about your journey and the state of Earth.”

Her lips tightened into a hard line. “Tell them I’m still resting. I’ll deal with them when I’m ready to.”

“Alright.” He went to the plate she’d thrown and picked it up to take it away. “The tea is in front of you. Drink it before it goes cold.”

He left, giving Raewyn the sweet, blissful silence she preferred.

She bent her knees so she could hug her legs and attempted to drink the tea. Her heart just wasn’t in it. She wondered how she was supposed to go back to work or face anyone when she’d completely lost all will.

She gave up and eventually stood.

It was... weird being home. It felt much emptier than it did before.

The space would have perfectly fit Merikh. It was tall enough that not even his horns would have scraped the lighting. Shaped like an oval, it was twice the size of his cave.

It was an average sized home for her people, and it held everything she could possibly need. There was only one additional room, which held a toilet for privacy, but beyond that, it was open.

Her bed was big enough to fit two of Merikh. She’d opted for more sleeping space, since she often used it for multiple functions, like a chair and table all in one.

She owned two chairs, but their backs rested against her kitchen bench, which had a heating stove in the middle so she could cook snacks and drinks. Her lounge table was round to fit the room, made of black obsidian, and it was more a storage space for all the paperwork she always brought home.

Most items were made of either molten ore or obsidian, considering there were veins of both underneath the city.

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