Page 19 of Between Soul and Vessel
“Thank you,” Zahra said to her.
“Of course, goddess,” the soultender answered, her voice young and airy. She turned to me, my gaze mapping the discolored skin on her face—a pitted landscape full of scar tissue, her top lip and the tip of her nose chewed away. To anyone else, they would see a normal girl, but I saw the truth of how she’d died.
“My king,” she said to me, bowing in respect before she made her way over to the bedside of a slumbering man.
I nodded in reply, then turned to Zahra. “How is she today?” I asked, my eyes meeting hers.
The whites of her eyes were bloodshot, the flames inthem dimmer than normal. That told me all I needed to know.
“Not good,” Zahra breathed, those two words full of worry. We began to walk toward a corridor, leading to the private rooms. “She refuses sleep, food. Not even the comforts of being reunited with her parents or those before them bring her solace.”
My brows furrowed. “Transitioning can take time,” I reminded her.
Zahra’s voice grew quiet. “And if she doesn’t? Then what will you do?”
“Zahra,” I sighed. “I can’t think of that right now.” And truly, I couldn’t. I couldn’t think of losing another person I cared about, not right now.
She let out a breath. “Apologies. I know you are hurting deeply, despite your hardened exterior.”
“It’s alright,” I stated, offering no more.
We walked the remainder of the way in silence, listening to the bloodcurdling cry, followed by bouts of sobbing coming from the closed door we approached. I opened it, allowing Zahra to enter first.
The small, private room consisted of a bed, a few chairs, and a tiny kitchen area. Lit sconces lined the walls, bathing the room in cool, blue light. Kaleb, who was seated in one of the chairs, jerked his head up, his weary eyes meeting mine. His hand was linked with the woman’s who was lying on the bed—
Harper.
A lump formed in my throat as Iwalked over to her side. It had been a few days since I saw her last, and she looked just as tormented as she had then. Her skin was pebbled with sweat, her hair matted in clumps, the skin sunken under her eyes.
“Von,” she sobbed, her hand slipping from Kaleb’s.
“I’m here,” I said as I walked toward her bedside while Zahra made her way to the small kitchen space. I sat down, the bed groaning under my weight, and I took Harper in my arms, wrapping her tightly in my embrace.
“I need to go back to the Living Realm. Lyra and Ryker—” Her voice cracked. “They need me.” Desperately, her fingers clenched my tunic, and she buried her face into my chest. Another sob wrenched its way out of her.
Zahra, who was heating a teapot with the caress of her flame, glanced at me—her worry ever present.
I let out an exhale, then said to Harper as my hand rubbed her back, “You will be reunited with them again, but you need to complete the transition first.”
“I cannot accept this is my fate. I will not accept it. Lyra needs my protection.”
“She has Ryker and Graiyson,” I softly reminded her.
“I will check on her for you,” Kaleb added. “I will check on them all.”
I looked at him over the top of Harper’s head, silently thanking him.
He just barely acknowledged my gratitude, the nod of his head mechanical.
I understood.
Losing Sage had broken us both.
“Harper, dear, do you think you could try to drink some of this?” Zahra asked as she held a cup and saucer in front of Harper. “It will help.”
Slowly, Harper lifted her head, her hands unweaving from my tunic as she considered Zahra’s offer.
It was easy to tell they were related. The two shared a great deal of similarities, from their appearances to their personalities. The five-times-great apple had not fallen far from the tree.
