Page 102 of A Soul to Embrace

He pointed to the lowest branch, which was at least forty feet away, if not more. “I wonder how high you can jump.”

She cupped her hands over her stomach as her orbs lightened in their teal colour in worry, threatening to turn white. “I am... I don’t think I’m good at climbing.”

“Don’t know unless you try.”

Zylah stood close to the tree’s base and looked up.Maybe I can make it?Then again, she didn’t have much faith that she could actually jump that high. If she managed to grip it with her claws, the bark should allow her to stay attached to it.

Deciding it was just better to face her newfound fear of heights, Zylah lowered into a crouch until her backside touched her heels. Then she jumped.

She knew immediately that she’d fallen short by at least ten feet and tried not to scream as she headed back towards the ground. With her arms waving, she accidentally tipped her body backwards, and her sight darkened in preparation for landing on her arse.

Instead, she landed in a set of arms with anoomph.

The laughter that burst from him was bright and warm, and vibrated against her torso as if it came from his very chest.

“I didn’t actually think you’d try. There was no way either of us would make that,” he exclaimed around chuckles. “Fucking hell, Zylah. I guess my humourcanbe a little dry.”

Before her orbs could flare an embarrassed hue, dizziness assaulted her when the world went dark and then brightened. This time, her stomach fluttered with a queasiness she’d never experienced before, and she went lax in his arms as she tried to breathe through it.

Strange lights in the distance twinkled in her spinning vision, as did a warm and comforting orange glow.

“Like I said, teleportation is easier,” he explained. “Are you okay to stand?”

She shook her head and closed her sight so she could escape it. He placed her down on solid, rough ground with her legs dangling over the edge of something. Thankfully, when she shot her hand out to stop herself from falling forward, she found more hardness.

She opened her sight once more when she heard his clothing rustling as he sat next to her. With one of his feet flat against the gigantic tree branch they were seated upon, the other one dangled over the edge like both of hers. He folded one arm over his bent knee and leaned back on the other.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” he asked, nodding his chin to what lay before them.

Now that the dizziness had settled, she turned her gaze forward. Her gasp was loud, and she straightened her posture so she could get a better look.

“Oh, wow,” she rasped, eyeing all the buildings and different colours.

Most of the houses or establishments had either clay tile or straw roofing. Most of the structures were made of stone, more clay, or wood, and everything was lit up by hundreds of lanterns, which was where the comforting orange glow was coming from. Many of the buildings were two levels, some even perhaps three, and they were all closely cluttered together.

She could tell there were levels to the village, since stairs allowed people to climb down towards the centre with ease.

“I don’t know why, but I thought it’d be darker,” she commented, noticing hundreds, if not thousands, of Demons walking on dirt or stone paths. Every few feet, lanterns situated at the top of wooden poles, with colourful flags swaying underneath them, lit the way for all.

“Because it’s a village for Demons?”

Her orbs shifted to reddish pink. “Well... yes.”

“We seek the light as much as everything else. No one wants to live in the dark, and since we can’t enjoy the sunlight, we do what we can.”

She nodded as if she understood, then drifted her gaze upwards. She took in the long pieces of wide cloth that hung from the very top where the twisting tree canopy came together. Green leaves rustled from the lightest wind, creating ashaasound. A few came loose to dance around the purple, red, blue, and yellow cloths that were attached to the lowest branches on every tree surrounding the circular village.

It took her a while to notice, but strange noises could be heard even from a distance. They didn’t overshadow all the chattering, but they did manage to soften it. They were odd, something she’d never heard before, causing her head to twitch this way and that as if it would help her understand them.

“What is that sound in the background?” she asked, intently scanning her orbs over the busy village in search of its many sources.

“Music,” he told her. “There is entertainment to be found all over. Many play drums, pipes, or guitars from their homes, or others will follow behind a performer. Ribbon and fire dances are common, and it livens up the place between all the merchants and stalls.”

“Why would they do all this?”

This... wasn’t what she expected at all. Then again, she had nothing else to go off besides her one adventure through a human town at night. She truly never expected it to appear so... happy, warm, or inviting.

“Demons who are near completion seek out company like any intelligent species. Spiral Haven gives all a chance to share their hobbies and interests in a place where they can be appreciated.Knowledge can be used as a way to trade for other things, such as clothing, food, and tools.”

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