Page 49 of To Free a Soul
The white mist that lingered all throughout it had thickened by the year, making it appear eerier. The trees were taller, their branches crisscrossing like a network to create a frightful, shadow-casting ceiling. It’d grown quieter, as if the very world wanted to hide from it.
Her eyes homed in on the top of a sparkling blue dome, and she banked a little to the left to head towards it.
I doubt I’ll be here long.She just wanted to check in person that all was well, ensure their garden was healthy, and assist them should they need anything.
Orpheus had gone back to the Demon Village on his own twice more since they first went there a little over six months ago and was gaining confidence with each trip. She’d returned temporarily the first time to aid him should he need it, and then the second time she left him to either succeed or make his own mistakes.
What he obtained, she didn’t know.
When she neared Orpheus’ dome, she found a suitable branch to perch on that allowed her to see within his ward.
Then Lindiwe waited.
He’s cleared much of the forest,she thought, spanning her gaze across the log cabin she could almost see perfectly.
Only a few dozen trees still remained within his ward.
The house was well built and looked surprisingly good quality, considering Orpheus’ lack of experience. His care and slow, methodical process meant he’d tried to do everything to his idea of perfection. Each timber log appeared to be of similar width, and she remembered watching him compare them to make sure.
The garden fence was a little crude, as Katerina had indeed eventually made it, but Lindiwe could tell that Orpheus, over the last two years, had somewhat fixed it.
She didn’t know what the inside of the cabin looked like. It was his home, and although she was curious, she doubted he’d be okay with her entering it.
She also didn’t want to be caught doing so and violating his or Katerina’s privacy.I’d like to be invited in one day.
As...sillyas it was, she would have adored being allowed to sit at their table and enjoy a meal or tea with them. A part of her had been hoping that Katerina would eventually warm up to her, so they could spend time with Orpheus together and learn together. Since he had someone he wanted a bond with, Lindiwe might have been able to make a connection with Katerina, who then could have helped Lindiwe and Orpheus get better acquainted.
In reality, she wished Katerina had leaned on her more and seen her as someone safe. Yes, Lindiwe’s first priority would always be Orpheus, but she had room in her heart for Katerina.
Kicking her talons against the knob of a branch that was annoying her, she thought,I would have liked a friend.
If Katerina became a Phantom, then they could share in that strangeness. She would be someone Lindiwe could help guide with her newfound abilities, and together they’d discuss both the good and bad aspects of their dual lives.
It would mean someone else who was human, but would also live just as long as she did.
To not feel so solitary in this... Lindiwe would have moved the stars and sky for that person.
Lindiwe longed to have an undying friend in this world, especially one who could share in her struggles of being bonded to someoneother.
But this would never happen.
Although Katerina’s behaviour towards Orpheus had become more positive over the years, she still hated Lindiwe.
The woman seemed to hate her more, actually.
She no longer had an issue with taking Lindiwe’s help, but it was always with this awful little sneer of disgust at her magic.
She sighed.She doesn’t have to like me, so long as she likes Orpheus. That’s all that matters, really. But it would have been nice...
If she didn’t currently have a hard beak, she might have pouted.
Rustling from a few trees down brought Lindiwe’s attention in that direction as Orpheus breached the tree line and entered his ward.
Across his shoulder lay a large deer, with its long legs dangling down the front and back of his torso. In his humanoid form, he approached their home’s porch steps, and the carcass thudded against the steps when he placed it down.
“No, no!” Katerina yelled, throwing open the door, and she immediately pointed away from the house. “I don’t want you bringing that dead thing in here. Put it away. Out of my sight.”
Despite her bossy tone and non-existent greeting, Orpheus’ blue orbs shifted to bright yellow, and his deer tail waggedinsidehis trousers.
