Page 29 of Between Soul and Vessel
“Alright,” the girl said with a nod. She picked up the wooden ladle and returned to her task.
Ezra faced me, her clouded eyes shooting straight past. “Yes.”
I quirked a brow. “Yes, what?”
“Yes,” she stated again. Then, she gave me a toothy, knowing grin. “To the two questions you’ve been asking yourself since you returned.”
“I’m going to need more than that, Ezra,” I sighed, mentally preparing for another helping of nonsense, but what else could be expected from the old rock worshipper?
Instead, I got the opposite as she replied, “The Lost Soul might be right about what she told you. If she had been able to see her husband after she passed, it might have helped her to transition. I know this can be very risky andhave adverse effects, but at this point, I fear Harper is treading in dangerous waters. So yes, to answer your question, I think you should trust the Lost Soul and bring Ryker and Lyra here to see her.” She paused. “Put it like this—what do you have to lose?”
Ezra had a point.
I thought it over for a while, weighing each side—risk versus reward. After some time had passed, I let out a breath, then said, “Alright. I’ll have Folkoln go get them.”
“Let us hope that it works,” Ezra added.
All I could do was nod.
“Now, about that second question of yours. Lost Souls are misunderstood creatures. They are conduits, speaking between worlds, even connecting the living to the dead. You see, they act as a channel and connect souls, even ones that have been extinguished. They then use that connection and exploit it, sometimes trapping their victims forever.” Her voice softened. “The reason whyit felt so realwas because it was Sage’s dream pairing with yours. It was really her.”
My eyes widened.
For a brief moment, Sage and I . . . we had beenconnected.
Her dream and mine—husband and wife, our precious daughter, slumbering soundly in the room next to us. A family. Together. Bonded.
The future we should have had.
I let out a shaky, deep breath as I tipped my head toward the ceiling, carving every precious second of our shared dream into my mind, holding on to it as if it were mylast. Every touch. Every glance. Every kiss. Every second of it. From beginning to end.
The only problem?
It was a dream, and it wasn’t real.
Itwasn’treal.
The pain was, though.
A dagger to my chest, carving out my heart, splitting my rib cage open and tearingherfrom me. It hit me with the weight of a crumbling mountain, nearly wiping my legs out from underneath me. I had to put my hand against the wall just to stabilize myself as I grappled with my reality—
Sage wasn’t here.
And neither was our child.
I looked down at my ink-marked skin, my gaze shifting over the ones I had made with her. I would hold on to my tattoos with everything I had as I stumbled through the darkness, searching for her light.
Shadow
“You are lucky it was me who walked in on you two the other night,” Aryx muttered as we made our way toward the empress’s private atrium.
I side-eyed him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Uh-huh,” he drawled.
Two females walked by us, their eyes fixed straight ahead.
When they were out of earshot, I spoke in a hushed tone, “There is nothing between me and the priestess, nor will there ever be.”
