Page 186 of A Soul to Embrace

He figured it was now part of their history lessons, and he would justadoreseeing how they twisted it. Had they painted him as some awful villain who deserved what they’d done to him, or had they been truthful about their own wrongdoings? He’d always hated how the past was written by those who held power, and they always wrote it in a biased manner.

“Would you mind telling us the name of your companion so we may speak of her properly and not have to reference her as Duskwalker for the duration of the trial?” a gentle voice asked, and he darted his gaze to almost directly in front of him.

His brows twitched with his subtle frown as he took in the way she didn’t look at them, but rather over them, as if she stared at nothingness.

Is she... blind?he thought, as he took in the white starburst pupils that were encased in brown irises. Her white curly tresses were styled in cornrows from the front to the crown of her head,while the rest remained loose around her head and shoulders.

Removing his eyes from the woman he didn’t know the name of, he tipped his head towards his female. His voice softened as he said, “Her name is Zylah.”

Zylah’s skull darted to him, and she tilted it in question.

“They asked for your name,” he told her, before he cringed inwards in realisation. “I’m sorry, but I think it’s best if we don’t waste time by me translating everything. You will likely hear your name often, and I will explain the result of the trial once we’re done.”

His ear twitched when the woman who asked for Zylah’s name began translating forhim, so the other councilmembers were informed of what he said in English.

He lifted his face to her with his brows furrowing deeply, wondering how she understood English, an Earth language.Perhaps she’s a linguist?He wouldn’t be surprised if there were those who had sought to learn the many languages the Elysians were aware of.

There went any chance of him being able to have a private conversation with Zylah within this room.

“Okay,” Zylah said, before turning her snout forward to inspect those before them. “I trust you.”

Once more, the woman translated on their behalf.

Each of the councilmembers went around the room introducing their names, and Jabez tried to remember each one. None of them sounded familiar, and he was unsure if that was due to the loss of his childhood memories through trauma, or just because he didn’t know them.

He only remembered Mericato’s name because his face had been one of the few he’d wanted to gouge into every day he’d been locked away.

“I’m worried a few members of the council will be incapable of having an unbiased opinion in this trial,” Cleth stated, and Jabez noted that their features didn’t lean towards masculine or feminine, but a near perfect blend of both.

Their hair was long on one side, while the other half was shaved. Their hazel eyes peered down at Jabez with distrust, and their small lips nibbled with worry.

“Whether we are biased or not, we all must be present in order to cast our votes,” Silveria translated on Mericato’s behalf.

The woman was lithe but short, from what he could tell. Her ears were also stout in comparison to most and were easily hidden behind the soft waves of her chin-length hair.

Someone in the room scoffed disapprovingly and Jabez darted his gaze to the scrawny man named Ulric. The top of his hair was fluffy and roughly gelled back, while the shorter sides flowed into a short beard and moustache. His green eyes were shrewdly judgemental, and when he opened his big mouth, his grainy voice instantly scraped against Jabez’s ire.

“The fact that you brought him into the city at all shows you are incapable of being indifferent due to what has happened in the past. You are the head of our security, yet you brought inside a man who has sworn our demise from the day he escaped.”

“He deserves a chance, like all Demons, to be reborn into the city,” Silveria translated once more. “It’s no different. How many Elysians have the Delysian councilmembers in this very room eaten in order to be here?”

Ulric slammed his forearm against the gold-and-silver counter before him. “It’s different! They sought peace, but we’re aware of what he has been up to on Earth! He has spent decades trying to build an army, and he suddenly shows up at our gates, seeking sanctuary? This stinks of trickery, and you are being afool.”

“Why are you here?” Silveria herself asked Jabez, her soft voice hinting at concerned interest. She leaned forward across the table with her hands folded.

Mericato placed his hand on some kind of device or mana stone on the table, and a glittering orange ring lit up around Jabez and Zylah. He grunted when the sensation of a spell layered over his body.

“A truth spell?” Jabez stated with an indignant chuckle. “I have no desire to lie. I truly don’t care enough about what any of you think of my actions to hide them.”

“It is merely a precaution,” Laele’s elderly voice rang out, “to weed out any distrust in your words so we can make a clear decision. That’s all.”

His features dulled, but he willingly accepted it as he leaned back on his ankles. There was no strain in his tone, proving just how little he felt the need to hide the truth.

“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Zylah,” Jabez admitted freely. “Not even a few hours ago, I attempted to instigate an alliance within Nyl’theria in order to build an army on this side of my portal.”

“See?!” Ulric roared, throwing a hand in Jabez’s direction. “He’s not here for peace. Such an admittance is enough to throw him from our city.”

“You’re welcome to do so,” Jabez answered, darting a chilling gaze at the thin man. “But the next time you’ll see me, it will be as I raze this place to thefuckingground.”

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