Page 83 of A Soul to Steal

He inched closer to Aleron and cupped his skull tenderly, gazing at him with trust and appreciation in his green eyes. His anger finally gentled at his human’s affectionate touch, and his orbs returned to their normal pink colouring.

Are you okay?Aleron could see the question in Gideon’s eyes, even if he never stated it. Aleron leaned into his touch in answer.

“Cruel, immature, insane.” She clapped her hands together once. “You try being alive for thousands of years, and have many thousands ask you for a wish. Sometimes it’s best to play with them first and ensure you aren’t helping those with terribleness inside them.”

“You can’t even give him what he wants,” Gideon grumbled, never taking his eyes from his skull. “So why bother at all?”

“I can’t, but someone else can.” When they both turned their gazes to her, she gave them a knowing but pitying smile. “And Aleron’s actions have allowed me to trust in someone who, until today, was a stranger to me.”

Gideon rolled his eyes. “He’s your grandchild.”

“And my own children have attempted to swallow me for their own power. Blood means nothing.”

Tired of their conversation, of her, Aleron stepped between them.“Will you give us what Weldir seeks?”

Her pupilless eyes slipped to his skull. “No, I intend to give him something much more valuable.”

She waved both hands to the side, and their environment wobbled like a mirage as it changed. Then, once more, they stood on the surface of the lake – or pond – they’d originally arrived through from Nyl’theria.

The two-legged serpent male from before stood near the steps leading to the glittering black crystal that reached kilometres high. With arms folded, a clawed foot tapping against the water’s surface and making it ripple, he glared.

She peeked back at him before flicking her hair over her shoulder to show she intended to ignore him. His yellow eyes narrowed further, and he stormed forward.

“Almethrandra,”he hissed in warning.

“Oh, shush you,” she hissed back. “I am fine, aren’t I?”

“You are weak!” he roared, only to smash into an invisible wall when he came too close. He cupped his nose after he bashed it. “You should not have left my mending vines!”

She lifted her nose to snub him, and the sound of him bashing against the barrier turned to quiet warbles. She’d silenced him, or possibly anything beyond where they stood.

“Want to see a deity lose his mind?” she asked with a laugh.

Then she reached up to the floating halo crown above her head. The green male behind her grew more agitated, slamming his shoulder against the barrier. Then, with much force, she snapped a chunk off with achink.

Judging by his open maw, the Evergreen Servant roared.

Aleron paid little attention to him, instead tilting his skull at her. For just a split second, her entire body...changed.

The rich colour of her brown skin had turned ashen. The gold in her hair had stopped glittering and dulled – even the glossy curls had frizzed as though the moisture in them had dried up. Her cheeks hollowed, as did her collar bones, while her lips cracked and dried.

Even the swirling gold on her limbs had turned light grey, as did her pupilless irises.

She looked haggard and weak, her appearance drawn as though the very life and blood had been sucked out of her.

Yet, within the span of a heartbeat, she appeared as voluptuous and lively as they’d seen this entire time...almost.Now that he’d seen it drop, he became acutely aware of the glamour she’d placed over herself.

Is this... how she normally appears?The version before them now looked the same in terms of structure and form, just stronger.She is hiding how weak she is...That must be it.

Aleron drifted his skull to the reptilian male who had managed to embed his claws into the barrier. The scales around his humanoid face became spikes as his eyes crinkled. He even bared a set of feline fangs, thin but sharp.

He’d stopped moving, but the quiet, unnerving stillness was more telling of his internal struggle against what she’d just done. His yellow eyes spared a hateful glance towards Aleron and Gideon as she approached them.

The chunk of her crown no longer glowed, but it still glittered in the light when she extended it towards Aleron. Considering he’d need to hold on to it, he wisely changed his form back to his more humanoid one.

He reached out for it, and she placed the long, thin spike in his dark-grey palm. He grunted at its weight, not expecting it to be so heavy due to its small size. He fisted it tightly, noting the unusual warmth of it and how it tingled his hand as though lightly vibrating.

“When I release my hold on you, I doubt Weldir will be prepared for it,” she stated, her voice crackly and strained. He lifted his sight to her at the difference. “If you wanted to go back to Nyl’theria, you won’t be able to. You’ll be transported back to his realm from here.”

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