Page 228 of A Soul to Guide

It was mostly going well, except for one problem: Ulair and his boorish lack of a heart.

He was always a menace during council meetings. He liked facts, and he completely disregarded a person’s feelings and opinions unless they were his own.

Merikh was an unknown, a mystery, an enigma, which meant he didn’t trust him. He also had a thing against Raewyn, perhaps because they were polar opposites in personality andalwaysbutted heads.

To be honest, each member had their flaws and was very protective of their station and speciality. They always fought. It was only when at least seventy-five percent agreed on a topic, a large majority, that they could settle a matter.

There was a reason there were so many people in charge of the city, and it was to make sure every decision was made fairly. They wanted to have the opinions of many, and to make sure they had a diverse council to ensure their choices would be what the people would want. To hear every voice.

If the council could not come to a seventy-five percent agreeance, they would then turn to the people for a vote.

They weren’t perfect, nowhere was. If the Demons didn’t roam beyond their walls, things would be different, and so much better; they had once been.

However, it was Ulair who was being the biggest thorn in her side right now. It didn’t help that he had Mericato’s support, who was being translated by one of the other members for Raewyn’s sake.

She wished she could walk right over and smack them on their noses.

“You wish for us to allow this... thisDuskwalkerinto our city, but we have no idea who he is, what he is, or why he is truly here,” Ulair announced loudly, with a steely tone.

Raewyn opened her mouth, but he quickly spoke over her.

“He is one of Weldir’s descendants. That he was made at all is an abomination, and we have no idea what that demi-god is up to. How can you expect us to approve of him when he could be a spy?”

“It is known that Weldir was unhappy when he was sent to Earth,”Sliveria, a female councilmember, stated in a soft, angelic voice. “We know he still barricades the Demons from returning from Earth, but he may have ulterior motives for creating his children, other than what we have been told.”

“If he starts taking Elysian souls via this vessel, there’s no telling how strong he’ll grow,”Cleth, a non-binary councilmember, sighed. “If it’s information he seeks, there’s nothing stopping him from going through Jabez’s portal and spreading it.”

There was a short pause.

Just as Raewyn opened her mouth to speak, she was told to wait by Cleth, who most often translated on Mericato’s behalf. Cleth was in charge of the city’s shield maintenance, as well as the conduit stones that powered the city.

“Mericato has said that he ran and attacked multiple soldiers in both realms. While he did nothing more than snarl and roar, I thought he was a mindless beast. We don’t allow beasts to freely roam, as they are likely to attack when provoked,” Cleth translated.

Teyen, a female Delysian, said, “I agree with Mericato. If he wanted sanctuary within the city, he should’ve had faith that we would not hurt him and do the right thing. Instead, he fled, frightening our people and causing alarm in the process. What if he accidentally hurt someone?”

“When given the opportunity to lay all his truths forward, you have denied us that request,” Ulair bit, and the sound of him rubbing at the short stubble on his face was loud enough to irritate her ears.

“Because it is invasive,” Raewyn rebuffed. “You would not subject anyone else to a mind reading, and yet you want to violate his privacy just because you don’t know what he is. Isn’t the truth spell enough? That’s usually all we do for the Delysians who wish to enter. He’s already answered your questions. He’s already explained that he intends no harm, and that he is not Weldir’s puppet.”

“We have too many concerns,” Ulair stated. “How are we to know this creature cannot manipulate the spell like the Anzúli are able to? He has already explained he can use magic that he’s stolen from the Anzúli on Earth.”

Her hand tightened into a fist at her side.

This had never been asked of a Demon before. Merikh was an unknown and had frightened everyone when the portal appeared on Earth. He’d roared and bolted for her, with soldiers between them, and ‘attacked’ them.

The councilmembers were afraid. For themselves, for the thousands of people they were trying to protect, and for those they hoped came after them.

The rules they had in place gave so much freedom, but they were also designed to protect. The fact that every single councilmember agreed with this mind reading just showed how deeply they were all worried, how scared they were.

They didn’t know Merikh like she did, and it hurt her to know that if someone else was in her current position, she would have agreed with them all as well. But she wasn’t, and she wished her voice on the matter could convince them.

“Raewyn?” Merikh asked from beside her, since she’d stopped translating.

She turned to him and explained what was happening.

“I am not comfortable with that.” Reddish-pink sparks flashed in her vision, and she thought they may be from shame. “There are terrible things I have done, Raewyn. If they learn all of it, they will not trust me.”

“The Delysians we approve have hurt people, too, Merikh. They, like you, want a better life, one without bloodshed and pain.”

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