Page 119 of A Soul to Embrace

“There is so much here I don’t understand,” Zylah said quietly, coming just that little bit closer to him. “I noticed there are tools to make certain items, but I don’t know what.”

“That’s fine. If you come back here one day, you can ask and figure out if perhaps a craft is to your liking.”

“Can we really do that?” she asked, her orbs morphing to a bright yellow with all this hope in her voice.

“Sure,” he lied, averting his gaze to the side.

How quickly she tried to involve him in her future wasn’t comforting.I can’t wait much longer to tell her the truth.Perhaps that’s why he had allowed them to come here.

The things she experienced tonight would be critical for her future. Like a cloth soaking up water, Zylah drew in knowledge like it was second nature. What he’d taught her here was invaluable in developing social skills for situations outside of those she could trust – like him.

If she comes here on her own, she’d have no issue communicating to storekeepers.She wouldn’t be startled by the crowd, the people, the place. They were surely allowing Mavka to return in his absence, as they’d never truly been put off by them – although wisely wary.

Hell, with Jabez gone and no longer placing a glamour on her, she may even make a friend. He’d been aware of a few who had come to know Faunus, the feline-skulled Mavka, well – which, unfortunately for him, made him an easy target for Jabez.

He paused when a particular store had something that caught his eye, which he would have missed had he been continuing to focus on her. He turned towards the counter and spared a glance at the bird-like features of the female seller.

She watched him like a hawk as he picked up a silver piece, whereas he slipped his gaze to assess the width of Zylah’s waist.Getting this would be invaluable for her.But, fuck, was it awkward. He’d have to explain its use to her, without raising her hopes of what it meant.

He put down the long silver chain and picked up the longest one made of gold. It looked like it’d fit.

His lips thinned at what he was about to do, but it was imperative that he actually checked it. The moment he shoveddetection mana into it, his gut twisted and sweat rose on the back of his neck.

The detection showed that the enchantment was strong, and he eyed the attendant. She raised a feathered brow at him before her red eyes narrowed into a glare.

“It’s rude to check a person’s enchantments,” she stated coldly, her tone revealing she was a moment away from pecking him with her pale-pink beak.

“I’m merely checking its quality before I buy it,” he answered dully.

She folded her thin arms. “Well? Is my magic suitable for you?”

I could do better.But yes, it was good enough quality.

He reached into his bag, shoved his fingers past the drawstring of a coin pouch he’d stolen, and acquired three gold coins. “As a token of apology, I’ll give you extra.”

The moment he placed them on the table, she snatched them up and gave him her shoulder. “Appreciated. No take backs.”

He nodded and shoved the chain into his bag. Zylah tilted her head when he approached.

“What was that?” she asked, looking down at his satchel.

“I’ll explain what it is and give it to you later.” He looked up to mentally map where they were in the village before veering them to the right. “For now, let’s head to our last destination.”

As much as he could tell she wanted to walk the last street block of markets, that additional expenditure of magic rotated a ball of nausea in his stomach.

I need to shed the glamours soon.Actually, to give himself breathing room, he removed the physical one containing his genitalia in order to preserve what little mana he safely had left to expend.

I should have let myself heal first.The well of his magic was currently lacking in volume. A wiser choice would have been to sit with it for a day or two before he started spending it.

It was also making him unwell. He only had a little while longer before the second signs of ookmanik sickness truly came on. The first signs were sweating and nausea. Thankfully, there were deeper signs, and he was conscious of them.

But his reason for going against his better judgement looked as though she was about to break into a skip beside him.It’s the least I can do.And he likely wouldn’t have brought them back here had they left straight away.

Even when he took her down darkened streets, she never lost her enthusiasm for where they were going. He’d already informed her he had a surprise for her, one which, without a doubt, she’d adore.

The moment he saw the sign down a tucked away, almost hidden street, a grin threatened to lift into his mouth. She hadn’t noticed it yet, and he hoped she didn’t at all.

They approached a heavy wooden door with a single step, and she tipped her skull back to look up at the big sign above.

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