Page 116 of A Soul to Embrace

Zylah’s gaze slowly moved back to them as she focused on their conversation.

The first one who spoke wore a cloak, which hid most of his features except for a boorish snout. His features were mostly void-like, making it difficult to see within the shadow of his hood. The second male had black hair, his skin a light brown, and he sported a big set of antlers that looked heavy. He appeared further in completion except his bare hands still retained the black, glossy sheen of most Demons she’d encountered before the village.

“Yes, well, with our king dead, they believe they are best suited to take over,” the boorish one stated.

“Didn’t he cut out Kaan’s tongue for speaking out against his rule?” the antlered one asked.

“Yeah, but Zyier is speaking on their behalf, and we all know he’s the brawn and not the brains. He fumbles every announcement like a fool.”

“Kaan was only marginally better.” The antlered one shook his head as he shoved his strange, half-hoofed foot into a boot. “Neither seems to comprehend we just don’t want a replacement. Our king may be dead, but most of the laws and rules he put in place still stand. We don’t want change.”

“They’re likely only being so loud since there are little repercussions now that he isn’t around to punish them for the big idiots they are.” The boorish one removed a boot and dumped it on the ground next to him while obtaining a different kind. “It is concerning how much disarray has befallen us since his death. He may have been a tyrant, but he sure as shit knew how to keep people in line.”

“Hmm. I wouldn’t call him a tyrant. He always had a reason for killing or punishing, and he did go out of his way to make our lives easier.”

The boorish one scoffed at that. “Soft-hearted wimp. It’s only because he sided with you in that argument that you’re so beholden to him.”

“He made them give back my chickens! If I don’t have eggs, I have nothing to trade!”

“Learn to hunt, like the rest of us. Or pick up a craft. Don’t be lazy and make animals do your work for you.” The boorish one pulled back his hood slightly, revealing messy brown hair. “You, guy with the tusks. What do you think of our old king?”

He tipped his head to look at Jabez standing in the aisle near him, who was waiting for the attendant to rise after pulling open a drawer filled with shoes.

“I have no interest in trivial matters,” Jabez answered, waving his free hand dismissively.

“Ugh.” The Demon’s snout created thick creases in his cheeks when he grimaced. “What a limp-cocked answer.”

“I would like to remind you that we have a female in our presence,” Jabez warned, his tone darkening multiple depths in anger.

The boorish one glanced at Zylah and narrowed his eyes. Uncomfortable with multiple stares now on her, including the attendant’s, Zylah turned her limbs inwards, wishing it made her invisible.

“Sorry, lass. I’ll watch me language.” The male twisted to look at the attendant. “What about you, geezer? Got anything to add?”

After giving Jabez a set of shoes, the attendant groaned and held his back as he tried to get up from the ground. He turned to pull out one last box and obtained something that looked like an open-ended leather cylinder with lots of strapping attached to it.

“I have little to add. The Genverous brothers are always up to no good, and they’d ruin this place if we let them.” He shuffled his feet as he made his way back to his counter and sagged into the seat next to it with a huff of relief. “I didn’t mind how ruthless our king was. Now, lesser Demons feel like they can run through the inner rings without his army keeping us safe, and wehave fewer volunteers guarding each entrance of Spiral Haven. With order comes sacrifices, and his promise of returning us to the Elven world is now non-existent. The loss we have faced in his death means all our hopes died with him. We shouldn’t be speaking such ill of him.”

Displeased by his answer, the other customers grew quiet. The air in the shop immediately thickened with disgruntled tension.

Zylah was thankful no one asked her opinion on the matter, as hers wasn’t pleasant and she knew she couldn’t share it.He told others how to kill my kind – shared our weakness, our secret.She found it hard to shed how much she disliked him, regardless of how nicely they spoke of him.They even called him a tyrant, who kills and punishes cruelly.

It didn’t matter that they also stated he was protective and helpful. Perhaps her feelings were biased, but she was relieved he wasn’t around anymore if he was so hateful of Mavka and wanted them all dead.

Jabez returned to her, his expression unbothered, as if no one had spoken at all. He placed one knee on the ground in front of her, while he rested on the sole of his opposing foot for stability. He put down two pairs of small, flat shoes and the strange strappingthings.

His touch was careful and gentle as he lifted her left foot to slip a black shoe onto it. It almost fit perfectly, except that it had a lot of wiggle room at the back around her narrow heel.

“How does that feel?”

“I don’t like it,” she answered, splaying her toes and finding the constriction uncomfortable.

“I had a feeling you’d say that, which is why I asked for this.”

He slipped the thick, wide leather cone just past the pad behind her clawed toes, while pushing an attached cushioned tongue against the underside of her foot. He then began to wrap the arch of her foot, ensuring it was tight but not painful.

He kept his gaze set on his task as if he found it important.

Zylah watched him intently, wishing she had the confidence to push his hair away from his eyes so she could see more of him. She leaned forward a little to better observe what he was doing, which brought their faces closer. She stole a few quick sniffs of his scent, and his ears twitched as if he heard them. He looked up and cocked a brow, making her straighten her back and put space between them at being caught.

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