Page 56 of A Soul to Guide

He was silent for a long while, like he’d been assessing her reaction. Raewyn bowed her head at the thought that she’d trampled on his kindness, acting so aghast and rude by asking him what he was doing.

She truly feared she’d ruined the moment, but his deep, rumbling voice cascading over her had her chest filling with warmth. It eased some of the ache she felt.

“The horizon looks like it’s on fire while purple stains the clouds. The sunset is making everything look as though it’s orange or yellow, but most of the houses have auburn, brown, or yellow timber slates. Some are straw, though.”

Merikh continued, explaining that the houses were all made up of different materials. Some were built from grey stone, others red brick, and many were made of wood. People had painted their houses varying shades of blue, red, and yellow.

Despite all the neutral colours, he told her there were long banners hanging over the walls, and she could almost picture them fluttering with the soft wind that danced across her clothing. There were also banners hanging from flagpoles that lined the main street.

The way he explained everything gave her the impression the town was more colourful than other places on Earth.

A few people were beginning to light their chimneys, and some were only just heading inside to hide from the oncoming night. However, these townspeople were apparently more confident about being out later than others, due to the charms and protections given to them by the Anzúli.

The longer Merikh spoke, his voice surprisingly gentle, the more her pain ebbed... until her tears eventually dried. She still hurt. Nothing could remove it, but at least it had calmed to a state where she could tuck it away.

As he was explaining the circular shape of the city, the forest beyond it, and the expansive landscape further away, Raewyn’s eyes began to droop, exhaustion threatening to pull her under.

She braved leaning to the side and resting against his thick, strong arm. She was tense, ready to pounce away if he gave any indication he didn’t approve of it.

Then, for a moment, she sworeshesawthe city.

She saw the blinding orange, red, and purple glow of the sunset. She saw the blob of the city, brown and grey, but it was clearing with every second.

However, when she flinched and lifted away slightly, she was shoved back into darkness.

What was that?She blinked rapidly and then cautiously leant into his side once more to see if it would happen again. It didn’t.

Perhaps her mind had truly painted what he was explaining.

When he didn’t nudge her away, Raewyn relaxed and let his heat melt into her. His close scent calmed her further, and she soaked in the physical contact as much as she could. She even rested her head against his shoulder before she let out a shuddering breath – the last one she released from her crying stupor.

Merikh went quiet, and she wondered if he sensed she needed a moment of peace to collect her thoughts. He didn’t touch her. Rather, it was like he’d turned to utter stone.

It ended too soon.

“We should get going,” he stated. “We will need to find an inn before all the establishments close and lock their doors.”

With a defeated sigh, Raewyn sat up straight, checking her clothing and hood to make sure nothing was showing. She patted the stairs until she found her blindfold to hide her eyes and brows and tied it around her face.

Just as she tensed to get up, Merikh said, “I have my hand out. It’s your choice whether or not you take it.”

Raewyn paused, her lips parting in surprise. She gingerly reached up, and instead of making her look for his hand, he grabbed hers to assist and gently pulled her to her feet.

His palm was massive, swallowing her thinly boned hand nearly completely, but the roughness and warmth of it was comforting. His claws lightly stabbed into her forearm, but she didn’t mind them.

Her knees wobbled a little, unsteady from sitting for so long, and from feeling weak in general. Three days of non-stop walking and then bursting into tears could do that to a person.

Merikh continued to hold her hand until she was steady, then he released her so she could find the guide rope around his waist.

Once they were at the bottom of the stairs, Raewyn huddled into the back of Merikh’s side when she could hear there were still plenty of humans around. She gripped the edge of her hood to make sure it didn’t fall back somehow.

Even though she wanted to thank him for what he’d just done, Raewyn’s jaw stayed glued shut. She didn’t want to bring attention to it, in case it made him feel awkward or if he took it the wrong way – as though she was mocking him because it ‘seemed’ out of character for him.

She was more thankful than he could ever know or realise. Her opinion of him had significantly shifted.

A heartless person wouldn’t have tried to comfort another.

Maybe he cares more than he shows.A sad smile curled her lips; she was still incapable of showing any true cheer.I wonder what else about him I haven’t been paying attention to.Or ignoring, rather.

---