Page 172 of A Soul to Steal

He found himself chuckling as he lifted a leg out of the water to step up onto dry land. “Only if fish can fly.”

I can ponder later. For now, I must keep him safe.

Holding a rolled-up piece of parchment, Gideon ran up a small hill of swaying grass. He looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes at the town just behind him with a large cornfield right beside it.

Greenshire had been less than friendly.

When he made it to the top of the incline, he ran his fingers through his hair in annoyance, shoving it back – only for some of it to flick forward. He lacked the sap gel that used to hold his hair the way he preferred it.

Crouching to stay hidden in the daylight, Aleron met him.

He’s annoyed with me.Gideon’s lips tightened.I can’t say that I don’t blame him, even though it’s not my fault.

At least things between them seemed less tense after yesterday. Sure, it meant Gideon often blushed when he remembered what they’d done to each other – that neither had chosen to speak of since – but he could tell the air between them no longer seemed to be laced with wariness.

Instead, at times, he thought it may be charged with something else, somethingmore.

Whatever it was, it often caused his heart to flutter bashfullyin his chest. It’d softened him to Aleron immensely.

Gideon scanned his gaze over his twisting goat horns to his glittering bat skull, until his eyes fell onto his fangs. Fangs that had parted so Aleron could nearly lick him from head to toe, nibbling along the way.

Shit.He quickly looked away when his chest and groin lurched at the same time.Every time I look at his fangs now, my body gets weird.

“Sorry that took me so long,” Gideon stated, pushing a pout into his voice in an attempt to be cute – despite knowing he wasn’t a very adorable person. “When I asked them about Emerie, they detained me and questioned why I wanted to find her. Apparently, she’s not only a wanted criminal for deserting the guild, but she also stole from a few of the markets here.”

Orbs flaring bright yellow, the irritation in Aleron’s stiff muscles softened. “Does that mean they have seen them recently?”

Gideon winced at the hope he heard. Since Aleron was crouching, Gideon brought his eyes to his skull near the same height as him.

“No. This was nearly two months ago.” He cast Aleron a sympathetic, crinkled expression. Then Gideon punched the parchment he had upwards. “But I do have this. They were polite enough to give me a map, so maybe we can figure out a plan tonight to tackle where we’ll go?”

It’d taken a fair while, with Aleron scouting and flying at the same time, to even make it here to Greenshire from the hot springs. Half a day, in fact, despite them being rather close to each other since they were only separated by a little distance and the southland wall. Sure, they were being thorough, but searching without any rhyme or reason would likely take too long.

It’d taken too long already.

“Night is almost upon us,” Aleron grumbled with a snorted huff, turning his head away. He was sulking. “You also stink of the other humans more than usual.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Gideon sighed and knelt down to attach the strap he’d bought for his guitar, since he’d left it with Aleron. “Like I said, they detained me for questioning. If I hadn’t managed to think my way out of it, I’d probably be locked up right now. I also bought a few things.”

The rings in his pocket had been deeply bothering Gideon. He should have sold them sooner, but he hadn’t wanted to stay long in the villages or towns they’d visited along the way here. Just enough to ask the guards for some information and then leave.

He’d hoped they would disappear at the hot springs, since they’d stayed there the night, but he’d woken with them in his pocket. Yet his torn underwear had gone missing, and he hadn’t appreciated donning his leather trousers without them.

He’d bought a new pair after selling his rings for a decent amount of gold. His coin pouch was rather hefty.

Strapping his case over his back, he waited for Aleron to pick him up. “Alright, let’s go find a place to camp for the night where it’s not out in the open.”

Aleron took them west, seeming to want to scout the area just in case they’d come back this way. They hadn’t.

Just as they were landing, Aleron hovered them above the ground. He turned his head in a certain direction, while sniffing the air.

“There is a Mavka who has made a nest nearby,” he stated, tilting his head with dark-yellow orbs of curiosity. He slowly lifted back off, taking them into the air. “I do not know their scent. We cannot rest here. They will not like us lingering in their territory.”

Gideon never expected Aleron to have that type of reaction to one of his own kind, considering the intimate brotherly bond hehad with his twin. Gideon thought they would all be pleasant and familiar with each other.

Is that why he’s never taken us to one of them?He placed a fist against his temple, uselessly trying to force memories to the surface. It’d never been that easy, nor had it ever worked.Didn’t we meet one in the Elven world, though?That’s what Aleron had told him.

By the time they found a place to camp, night had long fallen. Making a campfire in the dark wasn’t the most optimal time, since finding dry kindling was difficult. A layer of sleet covered everything, but they both worked together to ensure it was done efficiently.

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