Page 229 of A Soul to Guide

Reddish pink sparked again, this time deeper in colour. “It’s not the same, and you know it. I have done things I know were wrong just so I could escape Earth. Lies I have told, ways I have harmed, people I have turned on.”

“They will see you don’t want to do that anymore. When you enter the city, you are reborn, and your past transgressions are forgiven.”

They usually only ever turned away those who were dangerous, who couldn’t be trusted. Over two-thirds of their people had been lost when the Demons came, and they feared extinction.

She understood why they were wary of Weldir. She was as well.

Although there was little the Gilded Maiden could do to aid him right now, as she was still recovering, what if he felt abandoned? What if he turned on the Elysians and his mother, the Gilded Maiden, not knowing that she would one day come to aid him?

But I know Merikh would never turn on us for Weldir.

“See?” Ulair cut in. “He does not trust us, so how can we trust him?”

Raewyn hadn’t even translated the conversation, and Ulair was just making an assumption because it benefitted him. He was a terrible hypocrite at times.

“If he is not allowed within the city, then I must go with him,” Raewyn informed them, hoping her backup plan might work. “For reasons that are our own, we are bonded. I cannot break that bond, even if I wanted to.”

“Mericato says it’s the flame he holds between his horns. I watched him eat it. I’m not convinced he didn’t coerce her into giving it to him, though. She was trapped beneath his body while he had his spikes keeping us away.”

Raewyn guessed that would look suspicious to people who didn’t understand their relationship.

“Foolish,”Zerik, an older councilmember, proclaimed, his voice deep. “She made her choice regardless, knowing there was a chance she would be forced to leave with him.”

“The city’s safety is priority,” Ulair stated on Mericato’s behalf, perhaps giving it more bite than he was supposed to. “Your life does not matter against the thousands, even if you are a valued councilmember.”

He’d spoken over Cleth so he could put more emotion into it, whereas they were likely to speak neutrally.

“I wasn’t coerced,” Raewyn snapped back, the heat of rage prickling her neck. “I give you permission to use the spell on me to prove that.”

“It’s not your truth we’re after. It’s his,” Ulair argued.

Raewyn turned to Merikh. “I don’t think you have a choice.”

It wasn’t the first time a growl had emitted from him, but he ended it on a huff of defeat.

“Fine.” Then he coldly chuckled. “I told you on Earth that your people weren’t as forgiving as you made them out to be.”

“It’s only because of your connection to Weldir,” she answered back with a wince before she faced the table of councilmembers directly in front of them. “He has agreed.”

Since he was the head of security, Mericato switched places with one of the members sitting next to Ulair so that he could go through Merikh’s mind with him. Questions were asked in order to incite memories, which Ulair only noted out loud if they were of importance.

Unlike the truth spell, this one required the use of a mana stone because of how complex it was. It glowed red before a ball of energy formed, and she could see the shadows of their hands upon it.

He detailed Merikh’s dislike of Weldir, his lack of connection to him, his mother, and his Duskwalker brothers. They detailed some of the horrific acts he’d done to the humans, how he’d lured them from their cities so he could kill and eat them, how he hunted Anzúli to grow his magical capabilities and what spells he knew – none being a deflection for their previous truth spell.

They mentioned how he killed his own brother – although they were relieved to know he had a weakness if they ever needed to utilise it. Her people were non-violent unless it was to defend against the Demons, so she didn’t believe the other councilmembers learning of it was any cause for alarm.

“He’s a serial killer! Pulling out the hearts and heads of humans just to advance his own intelligence.” Then Ulair asked, “Do you know he planned toeatyou?”

“Yes,” Raewyn responded swiftly. “I’d already surmised from what he told me of his past what his original intention had been. I already knew he’d harmed people to increase his humanity. He never hid that from me.”

“What about the fact that he had four humans harass you in a human town in order to obtain your trust?”

“W-what?” she rasped, cupping her wrist when both her hands flung to her chest.

“You didn’t, did you?” Ulair said with a hike of humour in his tone. “He paid four humans to pretend to rob you.”

She knew the ones they were speaking of. She remembered how frightened she’d been when they’d grabbed her, how they’d cornered her in the street. She even remembered how the woman had smelt like burnt food and mouldy hay.

---