Page 205 of To Free a Soul
Orpheus, Magnar, Faunus, Aleron, and Ingram had formed a murder of Duskwalkers. Their brides were off to the side on blankets rolled out like they were having a picnic, and eventually they were joined by their Duskwalkers. Then tails, wings, and long legs filled up much space and forced them to spread out as they cuddled.
“This is nice,” she commented cheerfully, the corners of her lips curling up. “They’re all getting along. This is what I always wanted.”
“I’m displeased by the requirement of it,” Weldir chimed in. “But I could have done all this, if any of them requested it. Nowthat I have a physical form, making temporal passageways is easy enough.”
She muffled a small laugh behind her lips to hide it. “You sound a little jealous.”
“Jealous? Unlikely. More annoyed thathewas needed when I now have the capabilities to do much more.”
She leaned forward so she could peek inside his hood. “You forget, none of them have met you like this yet.” She pulled back and noticed the many dark-yellow orbs and snouts pointed in their direction. “They’re curious about you. That’s a good sign.”
“I’m not quite sure if I want to be dissected by their gazes in blatant inquisitiveness. If they attempt to prod me, as they have done to each other, I will be angered.”
“What? You mean like this?” She sneakily poked his thigh and then side multiple times, without hurting him.
He grunted. “Exactly, but I don’t mind you doing it.”
I think... he’s afraid.Even though a little over three and a half months had passed since he first stepped onto Earth, and five since obtaining his new body, Weldir was still adjusting. He was uncertain of their children, as he’d never been spoken to in a swarm, and they both could foresee their reactions.All I can do is support him.
She was patient, and willing.
Out of the corner of her eye, Nathair finally unfurled himself from his rested position. He put his hand out, telling his bride, Linh, to wait as he approached Magnar’s home on his own. He tilted his serpent skull up to them and then gestured with his hands in sign language.
“He wishes to speak with us,” Weldir translated.
“Can we?” she asked, with a beseeching, hope-filled gaze.
His big warm hand slipped underneath her cloak to clasp the small of her back, and Lindiwe prepared herself to dematerialise. In the blink of an eye, she was before Nathair,who stood eight feet tall, if not more. He shuffled down to lower his own height for their comfort, although Weldir definitely could have matched it freely.
“For the sake of conversational ease, I’m going to relay your words directly into her mind. Do you have any objections to that?”
“No,”Nathair signed, and unfortunately, the voice distinctly sounded like Weldir’s. At least his lips didn’t move.“I actually like that. It would make things simpler if I could share in that ability.”
As Lindiwe pressed closer to Weldir’s side, her heart fluttered a little faster with nervousness, and her hands shook in excitement. She couldn’t believe she was having a proper conversation with him, or that he’d wanted to talk to her at all! He might be the first of her children ever to do so, without there beingmeaningor dire requirement behind it.
“Weldir is going to teach me in the future,” she told him. “Now that I can actually see his hands, it’ll be easier to learn.”
She also just hadn’t been prepared for his sudden return to life, and never thought she’d need it. A language was best learned when it was in repeated use.
“I would appreciate that.”Nathair’s orbs glowed a bright yellow before they quickly dulled back to his normal orange. He twisted to her a little more and even lowered his head.“I wanted to thank you for all you did for me after I was brought back to life, and apologise for the many ways I hurt you – physically and emotionally. It was...”His hands paused, his fingers twitching in hesitancy.“It wasn’t an easy time for me. It would’ve been more unbearable without you at my side.”
Not expecting this, Lindiwe had to bite back the tingle of tears. None of her children had ever thanked her or apologised for all the hurt they’d put her through. She couldn’t believe one even wanted to, from the bottom of their heart, and that it wasNathair, her first, and the one she’d felt as though she’d failed the most from the very beginning.
It was overwhelmingly emotional. All she could do to combat the way her heart ached in reaction was force a broken smile on her face.
“Of course, Nathair,” she answered with a croak. “I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
All the pain, the claw strikes, being envenomed and nearly eaten, Lindiwe would do it all again so long as it helped him.
Nathair then waved his claws in a beckoning motion, and a little female not much shorter than Lindiwe came over. Her eyes were such a dark brown they nearly looked black in the shade, but were molten in the sunlight. Her face was sweet, young, and heart shaped, and she smiled freely at Lindiwe as her set of long black braids swayed in the warm breeze.
“This is Linh. She has been wanting to say hello since she saw you at our wedding.”
“Hello, Linh. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Lindiwe greeted with a smile.
“Hi,” she answered with a wave.
“And these are our younglings.”
