Page 24 of To Free a Soul
Then again, maybe that’s what it was like to be human, and it had nothing to do with one’s lived age.
I’ve seen people in their seventies act less mature than those in their twenties.Sometimes life made people grow and harden much too fast and at an alarming and saddening rate.
She often felt like she was fumbling through life, even now. It had hardened her, but her situation was also so wildly abnormal that it was frequently puzzling.
“Is there anything I can do to put you at ease, then?” he asked, lowering the cloak now entirely covered in white feathers while looking up. “I’m enjoying having you within my realm.”
There was something he could do, and it would require either his hand, tongue, or cock... or maybe all three.
“You’re enjoying me here? We aren’t really talking though,” she mumbled to get away from her thoughts, her cheeks warming under the compliment.
“Does that matter?” He tilted his head. “It is nice to hear someone’s heartbeat and breaths in a place where I do not have my own to fill it. It is... nice knowing my realm isn’t empty of your life.”
When she didn’t say anything, just wriggled uncomfortably because his damn voice was petting her and making her wetter, his visible brow pinched inwards.
“Should I be filling the silence?” He lifted the cloak to look down at it, spreading it out with both his hands – although one was invisible to her. “It’s difficult to cast magic like this and speak at the same time.”
“N-no, it’s fine,” she answered with a false grin. “I’m enjoying going through my things and having your silent company.”
He lowered the cloak to peer at her as if he wanted to decipher the very fabric of her soul. Then after a long moment he turned his gaze down and resumed his task. She was thankful he let the conversation die.
He brought the dead owl closer and cut into it with a claw. Then he appeared to draw out some of its blood with nothing but his mind. A bubbling stream moved through the air, while the light-blue mana stone attached to her cloak floated and the blood encased it.
Hovering his hands on either side of it, a bright light radiated from them. Silence rang in her ears.Is he doing some kind of incantation in his mind?
Then Lindiwe noticed the bright light actually had a shape. Tiny threads twirled with the blood until they were twisted tightly, and they wrapped around the mana stone and slowly began to sink inside it.
“Wait,” she rasped, her eyes widening. “You can use magic that isn’t of shadows?!”
Weldir grunted as his hands pushed closer towards the mana stone. He didn’t answer, nor lift his head, and Lindiwe winced.
Oops. He did say he couldn’t talk at the same time.She turned back to her own task – she was supposed to be reading.
But she was interested in the fact that he could use magic that was entirely colourless and wondered what else he could do. At the same time, giddiness simmered inside her at knowing her cloak was likely going to be ready soon.
Since he was distracted and wouldn’t watch her strip, she took the opportunity to change into a dress that would be suitable for the warmer seasons of Austrális. She folded her sealskin garment on top of a pile she thought best fitted it.
As the many hours passed, unable to be tracked in Weldir’s realm, she eventually curled up on her side. Deciding to rest in a place of utter safety while she could, surprisingly she dozed off quickly.
Only when something tickled her cheek and brushed over her temple did she flinch and fling open her eyes. Weldir was next to her, with his foreclaw close to her face, like he’d brushed a curl behind her ear.
Exhaustion continued to pester her, but her cheeks warmed because all her earlier thrumming meant her dreams hadn’t been innocent. They hadn’t been for a very long time, often waking her with a prevalent ache between her thighs over the years.
He handed her cloak to her. “It is done.”
Blinking against the tiredness and desire battling each other, she spread it out with a wide smile curling her lips. “It’s perfect. Thank you so much.”
He nodded, then floated back to give her a small amount of space. Adoration filled her as she thumbed the snowy owl feathers, excited to transform into one for the first time.
I wonder if the flight will be different.If it wouldfeeldifferent, not just in the air, but in her heart, her spirit.
“Would you like me to transport you to Austrális now?”
The question caught her off-guard. Not because it was strange, as that was usually where she would start her check on her children when she’d been away for a long time, but because she hadn’t expected him to offer it so readily.
Her heart sank a little at the prospect.I’ve been here for hours and he hasn’t wanted anything.He didn’t even ask to touch her, or for an offspring.
Maybe my expectations were a little too high.
