Page 47 of A Soul to Guide

Her ears twitched when he let out a weird, raspy, “What?”

“What colour is the sky here?”

The silence that radiated between them only highlighted the noise of their footsteps through the forest – the way sticks snapped under their weight, or when he brushed back a branch to make sure it didn’t snap back to whack her.

It was such a small detail, him holding that branch, but it was one of the many tiny things that had her wondering if he was a good person deep down inside. She also doubted it.

“The sky is a pale blue on a sunny day, whereas at night it’s such a dark navy, it appears black. There are sometimes white clouds, but they are a dark grey when it rains. The sky is the prettiest when it is either dawn or dusk, and it is rarely ever the same. The sky starts to turn purple, and the horizon starts to turn orange because of our yellow sun. Sometimes, though, it is such a deep colour of red, it appears as though the very edge of the world is on fire.”

The corners of her eyelids crinkled with a small amount of joy. She hadn’t expected him to be so detailed, and it caused her heart to swell in tenderness as she tried to picture this world’s sky.

“What about the trees?” she asked, worried he’d grow bored of answering her questions.

“Depends on the time of year. Currently above you, the leaves are a deep green, and the trunks are brown. Yet, many of these trees in the autumn will turn red or yellow, and their leaves will fall to the ground.”

Her smile grew, and she thought it may have been the first real one she’d shared in his presence since learning he was a monster.

“What about the grass?”

“It’s green. So are the shrubs we’ve passed. Most of Earth is brown with green leaves. It’s the flowers that bring colour, and they vary in size, colour, and type. I imagine snow is white for your realm, since it’s nothing but frozen water.”

Raewyn shrugged. “We can create ice with a spell, but I’ve never seen snow fall before. It’s too hot in Nyl’theria, but we do know of a few ice realms.”

Bringing her head forward, she let her imagination run wild as she pictured the world. She imagined the trees were shorter here, so with the colours he gave her, she made up her own version of Earth.

She could almost see it, like a murky painting.

“Thank you,” she softly whispered.

She received no answer from him.

Then, after what could only be an hour, he said something that almost had her weeping in relief.

“The town is just ahead of us, so you’ll need to put your boots on.”

“Oh, thank the holy maiden,” she sighed before she tugged on the rope. “Could we stop here a moment, then? I’ll need to wrap my hair and cover my face as well.”

In her dark vision, a flicker of yellow appeared. “Why do you need to cover your hair? Just keep your hood on.”

Raewyn shook her head. “What if it gets knocked back?”

Merikh gave a grunt, which she figured was his way of saying okay. She donned everything she needed, but her awareness of him prickled.

“What does it mean if your orbs or whatever turn yellow?”

Once more, twin sparks of yellow glowed in her vision before one disappeared, as though he’d covered it with his hand. Then they were both gone, and she wondered if they remained that colour or if they returned to his usual red.

“You can see them? How?”

“Kind of,” she answered with a shrug. “It’s only for a moment, but I can see magic when it’s being used.”

He never answered what the colour signified, but she thought it may have been curiosity or confusion.

Entry into the city was difficult, as the gates were also closed, but the guard was far more lenient about letting them inside. They were issued a warning: if any deaths happened while they were within the city’s walls, they wouldn’t be permitted to exit and would be imprisoned as the culprits.

“You can read and write?” Raewyn asked in surprise when he was made to fill out their details in a ledger. She hoped it didn’t come across as rude.

“You’d be surprised what I can do,” he stated in a dark tone.

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