Page 193 of A Soul to Steal

Oddly enough... he hadn’t minded her presence. In a way, it had been comforting to not be alone in the air.

After Weldir spoke with Aleron in Tenebris, and explained who and what she was, fondness had grown in Aleron’s heart for her. She’d also played with him and his kindred, toying withthem from the air to invite them to chase her. They could never harm her; she was too quick for them and seemed to know their next actions as if she could see the future.

She’d also rested just outside their kindred cuddle. Never inside it, as they wouldn’t let her, but she’d inserted herself into the warm bond as best she could.

He’d never understood why until Weldir.She is my creator.The one who had given the Mavka life, and had tried to guide them as best she could.

Since Gideon never woke during their short flight together, Aleron refrained from speaking to her. Yet her yellow owl eyes communicated silently – she was relieved about his return. She also looked towards Gideon in his arms, as though she’d truly approached to check on their progress.

Aleron just held him tighter and nodded. Then she banked to the left and disappeared into the mist.

Tranquillity fell over him after she left, only for it to be broken when they were attacked in the air by a curious winged Demon.

He was able to grab ahold of it with his talons, spin in the air, and throw it towards a tree below them. He quickly flew and evaded from then on, and flew higher, hoping to avoid a second one noticing him in the air over the Veil.

The interruption startled the human awake.

Gideon spoke even less after this, if at all, and Aleron found that... alarming after the day before where he’d chatted non-stop. He wanted to believe it was just due to tiredness, but he couldn’t shake that something was amiss.

Where was the annoyingly chatty, cheerful human from the day before? He missed that side of Gideon already.

When Aleron asked him about it, he mentioned his backside was sore while laughing. He didn’t find that funny whatsoever. He didn’t want Gideon to be in pain, nor did Aleron wish for him to deflect what truly bothered him with humour.

Then Gideon had receded further into himself.

Yet he terribly confused Aleron. Gideon would respond to Aleron’s attempts at stirring him, and would smile warmly up at him, with emotional exhaustion evident in his gaze. At one point, Gideon even placed his palm over the back of Aleron’s hand where it gripped his thigh, grasping it like Gideon wished to silently comfort him.

He became a contradiction – tender towards Aleron, but otherwise subdued and withdrawn.

Aleron hoped he wasn’t the reason for his troubled mind, since Gideon kept reaching for him. It did leave him wondering...why.

Musing on this was pointless, as he’d gain no answers within his stunted thoughts.

Just as dawn tinted the sky with purple, the glow of multiple domes glittered into view. Aleron ducked inside the closest, a yellow one, before dropping to the ground.

“This is new,” Aleron stated. Although the magical dome above wasn’t, the small clearing surrounded by dense trees was. His gaze drifted over the freshly built house that hadn’t been here last time he’d seen this ward, but the scent here was familiar. “It is heavy with Kitty... I mean Faunus’ scent. No one is here, though.”

There were also many others’ scents here, but he only knew who one of them was. The wolf-skulled Mavka had frequented here regularly, as well as three humans – he couldn’t tell their genders by the faded scents.

Even Ingram’s scent lingers.But it was weeks, perhaps even months old.

It was Faunus’ that remained the strongest, and he gazed up at the dome.This is his magic? It is the same colour as his orbs.

A ripple rushed down his back, shuddering his wings. He swiftly lifted off without warning.

“Whoa!” Gideon yelled, taken by surprise.

As soon as Aleron was high enough, he took in the two other wards he could see. One green, like the fox Mavka’s orbs and the other... purple! Like his kindred’s!

Aleron shot for the purple one barely a few minutes’ flying distance away.

All the hope that flooded his veins with fiery adrenaline bled out like cold poison. As soon as he landed, Aleron knew it to be empty. There was no building, and his kindred had spent so little time here that not even his scent remained.

It bordered directly with the fox-skulled Mavka’s ward, and he walked through them. Ingram’s dome half sat over the top of it, as though Ingram hadn’t wisely planned where he placed it.

Another house came into view, this one empty like the last. The scents here were stronger, as if those that occupied it only left within the last few days.

A deep growl tightened his lungs as it bubbled up his throat. He could not question the other Mavka if none of them were here! And if he struggled to find Ingram, Aleron doubted he’d have any luck finding these Mavka either.

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