Page 168 of To Free a Soul
He worried they’d strip him of his ability to reach Earth, leaving all of them without his assistance. And with Jabez on the loose, crazed for bloodshed and war, they’d all – including her – need him more than ever.
And it’s not just Jabez.There were other Demon factions across the world that had their own menacing leaders. Most considered Duskwalkers a threat, since they ate them, but they weren’t planning an all-out war with them, from what information she’d gathered.Things are shifting.Much was happening.
Austrális felt like a catalyst. Soon enough, Lindiwe expected battles to break out between Duskwalkers and Demons across the world. Right now, all she could do was be here for those within Austrális. Eventually, she would have to help the others.
We need to be rid of Jabez now, before I’m forced to stretch myself across the world.She’d sincerely need Weldir’s help then.
I also don’t know if an Elf and a Duskwalker can bond.And Weldir wasn’t available right now to answer that question; he’d been asleep since helpingFaunusachieve full life by bonding him to his bride, Mayumi.I’m worried Merikh is setting himself up for failure.
I’m also human. I think the reason the other brides can have children with my sons is because they’re human.What if it was different between Merikh and this Elven woman? Say they couldbond, they may not be able to have children together, if that was what they wanted.I tried to explain this to him, but he didn’t want to listen.
“Heneverwants to listen,” Lindiwe grumbled to no one. “He always grunts, snaps, and snarls, thinking I’m trying to get in the way.” She buried her face in her pillow. “I want him to find happiness.”
She wanted all her children to be happy. To find brides and fall in love.
“What if he goes with her to the Elven realm and they try to destroy him?” She worried about this constantly. Lindiwe wasn’t privy to what the Elvish people were like, but she knew they weren’t above imprisoning people for years when they were young boys or Demons who sought sanctuary.
Sure, they’d imprisoned them for good reason – to protect the hundreds of thousands at the cost of a few – but it was still undeniably cruel. There were likely other avenues they could have tried first, but they’d obviously let fear get in the way of logic.
What if that same fear saw them trying to imprison Merikh, or kill him, or other horrible unknowns she couldn’t even possibly imagine? Fear was a horrible emotion. It made people do stupid, cruel things. It could make people change or force an entire society to go against its own moral code.
That same fear pulsed in her veins for him.
He’s suffered enough.
He didn’t need to be tortured or attacked when he was just trying to find a place to exist without being hated.
If he goes there... then I’ll never be able to help him.If he needed her aid, he’d be too far away. There would be nothing she or Weldir could do.
That was part of the reason she’d tried to beg him to stay. And it was likely that same reason that he hated her even more.
I just want to protect him.Physically, emotionally, mentally.Why do I keep failing when it comes to him?He was so hard to connect with. His anger and spite, even at himself, made it difficult to convince him to soften and see her side.
Maybe I should just leave him be.
He was an adult. He could make his own choices and mistakes, even if they weren’t things she wanted.
“It’s not like I’ve ever had a say in the matter.”
If he wanted to throw all his hope at a strange Elvish woman and go with her to Nyl’theria, then so be it.But if this brings harm to his brothers...Lindiwe didn’t think she’d ever be able to forgive him.
It’d taken her years to forgive him for killing her first child. If he brought destruction to all the others due to his selfishness, then she’d find that irreparable.
“I miss Nathair,” she said with a sniffle, rubbing her face against the pillow she hugged to rid herself of any tears. She hissed again at the pain in her hands, when tightening her grip made them ache even more. “Every time I see Merikh, it reminds me of him.”
It was probably the same for Merikh.
I miss Weldir too.Constantly.
It’d been seven months since he’d gone back into a magic recuperative slumber, and that silence was getting harder and harder to bear. She missed his presence, his voice, his guidance, and his... distant care.
It’d also been the same amount of time since Faunus had bonded with Mayumi, who had given birth to a baby two and a half months later... only to immediately fall pregnant again.
At least he was happy, they were doing well, and they’d long built their home within the Veil with the help of Orpheus and Magnar. Well, mainly Orpheus, who enjoyed helping his siblings even if he grumbled about it – Lindiwe had a feelinghe didn’t know how to take compliments, so he liked to pretend everything bothered him to shy away from how it made him feel.
He often hid his bright-yellow orbs of joy whenever they were near, and only truly let Reia see the positives he felt.He’s not used to happiness or contentment after nearly two hundred years of pain.
Delora was also much happier, and she followed Magnar around wherever he went like she was his shadow, clearly smitten with him. If she wasn’t with him, she was with Reia or Mayumi – who had become fast friends and training buddies.
