Page 39 of To Free a Soul
After many hours, Lindiwe knew too long had passed. The sun was descending, and soon his home would be dangerously in the shade.
She flew off ahead and searched the ground with her enhanced owl vision. Her ears picked up on the slightest scratching, and she followed the sound of another hare, gliding towards her prey. It was given no warning as she snatched it from the ground.
Being careful of her sharp talons so she didn’t make it bleed, she snapped its neck. Then she flew back towards Orpheus and dumped it on the ground right before his hands.
He paused with his head tilted at it before lifting his snout to her when she landed on top of a boulder. His dark-yellow orbs peered into her black eyes.
With an annoyed, head-wobbling grumble, he swiped up the hare and began his journey to return to the Veil.
He’ll eventually figure out how to hunt on his own.
Until he did, Lindiwe would be there to help him provide for his human.
May 19th, 1832
The tip of a pointed quill meeting cheap paper scratched in Lindiwe’s ears. The glide left behind a neat stroke of ink as she held a wooden ruler to the page to ensure a perfectly straight line. As the black ink dried, the glossy sheen reflected the sunlight peeking through a beautiful bay window.
In the background, two fireplaces on either side of the spacious library were carefully maintained by multiple human attendants. The area was quiet and peaceful, and she went unnoticed as she worked.
Craning her neck to the side, she rubbed at a corded knot where her nape met her shoulder. She winced at the pain, pushed in hard to loosen it, and then tried to ignore the twinge as she curled back over the low writing desk. She double-checked the page of the book she was copying to make sure she had recorded the directions and measurements correctly.
She didn’t follow everything exactly, instead simplifying the steps in a way that someone who wasn’t a master craftsman could emulate easily.
Of course he’ll need help reading the words and numbers.Then again, she truly thought it would be idiotic on his companion’s part to not assist.She asked for this, so she’d better be thankful.
Well, Katerina hadn’t asked Lindiwe, but demanding that Orpheus find her somewhere suitable, like a house, in the Veil was rather ridiculous. Almost as if... the woman was looking for an excuse to dislike her son by asking for something that was entirely impossible.
So here Lindiwe was, gathering all the knowledge he’d need so she could prove to the woman that her son was good. That he was of higher thought and could be taught everything, provided he had a willing teacher.
She could have stolen the book rather than meticulously copying it, but she tried not to be a thief where possible. She didn’t mind doing the work, so long as it would be put to good use.
Once she was done, she flicked through the pages of furniture that could be hand built and found things like a table, chair, bed, and even a counter. She also squished onto a single page how to make a low-quality fence. Nothing needed to be fancy, only practical.
Warm shelter. It was more than Lindiwe had all these past years.
Seeing as she had a few blank pages left, she tapped the brown feather of the quill against her lips.
I guess... the only other thing I can think of is how to sow a small garden.Lindiwe had helped her father farm, so she didn’t think it would be a hard task to make a fruit and vegetable patch.I’m glad I found all those seeds now.
Done with the library, she wiped the quill tip on a pad to clean it, pushed the cork into the ink bottle, and stood. An attendantwas kind enough to take them from her so they could be placed in their correct homes.
The smell of dust pervaded her nostrils even when she left the library and escaped into the fresh late-afternoon air. She flared them, then rubbed the tip of her nose to help rid herself of the musty smell of old books.
Bright sunlight pierced her eyes, so she placed her hand above her brow to shield them as she looked down the street. People were still walking around, and many of the stores were thankfully still open. In an hour, it would be a very different story.
Although Ashpine City was protected from the Demons by the Anzúli temple that sat on the top of a large hill, people still feared the night. They hid away in their homes and barely made a peep, as if any noise would alert the nightmarish beasts of their presence.
It likely helped, as the stone walls surrounding the large and lush city had scent-cloaking enchantments aiding them. Unless a Demon came this way out of curiosity, they were invisible by smell.
The southland border helps too.They would likely finish building it in a decade, but it was a task that’d been underway for nearly half a century. The border crossed the southernmost part of Austrális, and every log they staked into the ground was another foot the Demons couldn’t easily get through.
A few citizens of Ashpine regarded Lindiwe warily as she walked past them, her snowy-coloured feathers catching people’s attention. She ignored them and found the merchant who sold nails for building and repairing.
She stopped to purchase three large crates.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright to carry them on your own, missy?” the man asked, raising a blond brow at her when she picked one wooden crate up.
“I’ll be fine, thank you.” She forced a smile on her face as she pretended it wasn’t heavy. “My husband is right around the corner, and he’ll take it from me.”
