Page 6 of To Free a Soul
“And I would say two hundred years is a bit of a stretch. I believe I look more like my age, a hundred and seventy.”
“You look barely twenty-four, and you know it,” Kyrah argued, pushing her glasses up her thin nose.
Due to the thickness of the glass, and the fact that there were three pieces required for the woman’s three eyes, their heaviness caused them to slip back down the bridge of her nose. The two lower frames were octagonal, with the top one diamond-shaped to fit on the bridge of her spectacles.
Kyrah spun away, her white robes fluttering around her lean calves as she continued her search. “I’ll get out of your hair shortly. One of the Unerica sectors would like a certain spell, and apparently we have it.”
I should have guessed, considering the hour and her primary skill.Kyrah was best with scrying, which had been tested and confirmed to be her primary skill.
Choosing to leave the woman be, Lindiwe peered outside. The Demon Hunter Incorporation’s stronghold was still bright. With all those torches, it was hard to believe the hour was late. Those who weren’t protecting the city that surrounded both their stronghold and the Anzúli temple would soon be crawling to their hard beds.
“Is it okay if I return to you by the end of the year?” Lindiwe stated, tapping her index finger against the table. “I think I can finish everything I need to by then.”
“Talking tohimagain, are you?” Kyrah commented dully.
“Then I shall see you shortly,”Weldir stated through their bond, his voice echoing around in her mind.“I’m intrigued to see how many souls you have collected with the Demon Hunters.”
Her lips curled at that.You have no idea.She had quite the surprise for him.
“Yes, I speak with the spirit of the void,” she answered Kyrah.
A groan forced its way through the bond, and her lips curled further, but with humour. She picked up her translation tool and inspected the spell she’d been engrossed in earlier.
A way to create illusions of creatures through blood magic. They would do little but frighten someone or give the impression that the wielder didn’t travel alone. She wondered if she could give the illusion of having bears, cougars, or even wolves as companions in her travels to frighten off the Demons.
Tracing the inscription with her fingertips, she read the notes.I don’t even need a body. Just the blood and the incantation will do to recreate the animal.The only visual indication that the illusion wasn’t real would be the presence of flickering flames coming off its flesh, fur, or feathers.
Her elbow came out from underneath her when Kyrah rudely stole the book she was reading. She’d been so light on her feet, likely after Lindiwe’s earlier teasing, that she’d snuck up on her.
“You,” Kyrah sneered, with a playful glint in her lime eyes. Her delicate dark brows narrowed as her pale cheeks puffed out. “You had the book I wanted all along!”
Without another word, Kyrah spun on her heels, wafting a cascade of vanilla and something else otherworldly over Lindiwe before stomping out.
“Hey! I was reading that!” Lindiwe yelled, throwing her arm over the chair’s backrest towards the door that was already slamming shut.
With a sigh, she slipped back into her chair properly. “Gosh. That girl has no manners.” Another smile spread across her face. “She reminds me of myself when I lived with my parents.”
The yearning in her heart panged, but it was merely an echo of nostalgia. Of long ago – a time not forgotten but very much a healed wound.
I guess tomorrow I should train with the Demon Hunter Incorporation.She groaned, already imagining the aches and pains. Just as she’d been training with the Anzúli in their temple, she’d also been learning how to wield weapons, so she could fight using those she could conjure with magic.
She leaned forward and blew out her candle, and let the shadows she was familiar with guide her.
Someone else would come to put out the fireplace. Her gaze flicked over the wooden protection charm above its mantle, etched with the Anzúli symbol. At the fireplace’s mouth, a translucent sphere held back the smoke and flames licking against the spell.
The Anzúli had magic for everything; even something as simple as stopping this library from burning down when there was no one monitoring the flames.
February 28th, 1831
Black feathers tickled up and down the edge of Lindiwe’s jaw as the high altitude billowed around her. She pulled her raven cloak of feathers tighter over her shoulders, adjusting the material so it sat more comfortably.
More snow was expected to fall for a minimum of another month, but at least it would begin to taper off in the coming weeks as the world in the northern hemisphere warmed. The southern hemisphere would only grow colder now.
Her white dress robes did little to keep out the wind, but she couldn’t feel the cold with the Anzúli talisman tied to the inside of her cloak. To her, the snow cushioning her seat upon the tallest tower of the Demon Hunter Incorporation was nothing but a soft place to rest.
She couldn’t say the same for those below.
“They really do look like Demons from up here,” Lindiwe mused, as she watched those waking up to begin their morning routine of exercise and training.
