Page 34 of A Soul to Guide

“It’s not like I could see where you kept running off to!” she yelled, full of chagrin. “There were so many people that following your scent and stupid voice was really difficult.”

“Why are you looking for people from the magic temples?”

Raewyn folded her arms and turned her head to the side. “No reason.”

All false pleasantness faded as he gave a terrifying snarl. His hand shot forward to grip her cheeks firmly and force her head forward. His claws stabbed into her flesh, and they were the only reason she didn’t fight him.

“Currently, your life is in my hands. I can either be your willing guide in this world, or I can make you my prisoner. You will give me the answers I seek. Thehowis completely up to you.”

“Were...” Raewyn worried her bottom lip as her heart shrivelled in her chest. “Were you ever planning to take me to another town?”

“Sure. It just depended on what you were.”

Why did she feel like that was a lie?

“So, Raewyn... Why were you looking for those people? Are they the key to helping you go back to the Elven realm? I know they’re not human. Their scents are different, and I long ago realised their skin glows with magical symbols – as do their eyes – when they are stripped of their garments.”

It took her a long while to answer him, unsure if she should share the truth. He was right: her life was in his hands, and shedidneed someone to help her navigate this unknown world.

He wasn’t hurting her. Although there were minor threats in his words, he hadn’t truly said anything frightful... yet.

In reality, she cared very little about what he was. Delysians were Demons accepted by the Elysian. They had killed and eaten her kind, but they had transformed into a species that could be trusted.

Could he, a Duskwalker or Mavka or whatever, be trusted as well? He obviously wasn’t a mindless, bloodthirsty monster. They wouldn’t be having this conversation otherwise.

He knows what I am. He knows I’m not from here.She didn’t have to hide from him about what she was, her needs.He knows I’m trying to get back home.

Raewyn let out a defeated sigh. “Yes, I’m looking for the Anzúli... urm, the Priests and Priestesses of this world?” When he let her face go, probably satisfied she was answering him, she rubbed at her arm. “The portal that brought me here was one I created by accident.”

“Where is it? If you tell me about the location, I can take you back there.”

Raewyn laughed, but it was so hollow and sad that it stung all the way to her soul. “It’s gone. Portals like that, accidental ones, don’t have a lasting power source. Once I was sucked through, I doubt it lasted more than a minute.”

Her hands clenched tightly.Had I been able to hold on just a little longer, I wouldn’t have been sucked through.She would have remained in Nyl’theria, wouldn’t have suffered for a single second on Earth.

“These... Anstthulie you spoke of.”

“Anzúli,” she corrected, and a deep but quiet growl rumbled from him. “What? If you’re going to say their name, you should say it properly!”

“These Anstthúli you spoke of,” he repeated. At least his pronunciation was a little closer this time. “Can they help you make a new portal to the Elven realm?”

“Maybe?” She gave a one-handed shrug. “We don’t know if they have been sending more of their kind across to this realm. If so, they may have a way to redirect their portal, or make a new one temporarily for me to cross through.”

The slightest shift from him and a smalltap tapgave her the impression he’d raised his hand and was tapping a claw on the hardness of his face in thought.

“Their magic has been growing weaker over the years,” he admitted with a high pitch hum of thought.

“I have to try,” she answered sadly. “Elysians, uh, my kind of Elf, are forbidden from practising portal magic.” Of course, she’d studied it, but it was insanely complex. It was a speciality field, one that required a minimum of ten years’ experience – which she didn’t have. “I can’t make a new portal myself, since I don’t know how. Like I said, the one I made was an accident.”

“Then they’re your only possible path home?”

The shudder that racked her body was deep. “No, but the alternative is too dangerous.”

“You’re not wrong about that. Jabez’s portal is so guarded that not even I can get to it.”

Raewyn tilted her head in surprise. “You know of Jabez?”

“Of course, I fucking do,” he bit with a growl. “That half-Elf is a menace, and your kind made sure he had a fun playground to mess with.”

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