Page 190 of A Soul to Embrace

From the day he’d defended himself in a savage, uncontrolled rage, the safety of this place had become nothing but a cage. A cage he’d been striving to return to, where only he held the key to the lock so he would always know freedom.

All his pain, all his suffering, all the horrible things he’d done... it was their fault. They’d taken a quiet, meek, and shy boy and twisted him into a hateful being. They made him into a monster, and he allowed that to be what he saw in his own reflection.

I don’t want to be here.And they didn’t want him here either.

He could already foresee they wouldn’t reach a consensus.

Worse still, he could feel himself crumbling from the inside, the flames of his vengeance sputtering out. Because even if he hated the thought of staying... he would if they accepted Zylah into their fold.

A cold sorrow radiated behind Zylah’s sternum as they were led through the bleached-white wooden hallways of the Elven tree. Every time she peeked beside her at Jabez, it ached and deepened.

Something happened,she thought, her orbs growing darker in their blue hue.

The way he’d shouted and thrown himself forward, only to crumble to his knees, immediately set her heart into a panic. There was little she’d been able to do as she fought against her bindings to go to him. His voice had croaked, his body trembling as he’d spoken, and each word seemed to ring with unbearable torment.

He was always so confident and had a big personality.

To see him in such a state had been undeniably saddening. She’d thought it was just pure rage that they weren’t giving him what he wanted, but it hadn’t taken long for her to realise the truth.

Despite her inability to understand his words, it was clear he’d been speaking from a place of pain.

I wish I knew what was said.She hadn’t liked not comprehending anything, but she’d trusted Jabez and remained quiet. However, what he’d shouted was obviously important to him, and the current listless stare of his faraway gaze was haunting.

He looked exhausted – more so than usual.

His eyes slipped to her skull, and Zylah faced forward to evade them. A chill crept down her spine despite the warmth she felt in the air.

They were taken to a wooden white door that had a long, wide yellow sash nailed to it. She couldn’t read the symbols or words on it, but nervousness struck her at seeing it.Where are they taking us?

She’d been expecting Jabez to explain it to her, but he’d been wordless from the moment they were taken away from the conference chamber.

One of the guards opened the door for them since they were still bound, and a spacious room was revealed on the other side. Her fur lifted when she felt some kind of magic brushing over her flesh as she passed through the threshold.

The guard closest to Zylah touched her wrists, making her flinch, before the bindings around her arms loosened and fell away. Zylah stumbled forward to get away from them, and the aches in her biceps from being tied behind her back subsided. She rubbed at her forearms as she turned to watch them release Jabez as well.

When his arms were freed, however, he turned and offered them his wrists. They placed thick golden bands around them that shimmered with pink when they closed, obviously imbued with some kind of enchantment.

When Zylah offered her own wrists, Jabez placed his hand on her arm and shook his head. “No. Only me.”

“Why?” she asked, watching as the guards stepped out of the room and closed the door behind them. There was the distinctshluckof some kind of lock being engaged, and the walls of the room glittered with blue before fading.

“It stops me from being able to use my magic,” he answered quietly, his voice lacking in emotion. “It was the only way they’d agree to bringing us here.”

Once more, she asked, “Why?”

Now that they were facing each other, she noticed dried tracks of salty-smelling liquid down his dust-smudged face. There were so many that on one side it just looked like a thick, blobby streak. His features appeared ashen and lacklustre, and she’d never seen them this way before.

His eyes flicked to her skull before darting away.

“Because every spell that lacks a mana stone has a code, and they can be broken. It’s to ensure that I don’t bring down the barrier keeping us locked in here.”

Is that what that blue glittering was?she thought, looking at the wall around the door frame.

She tilted her head, considering his explanation. “But can’t I do that?”

“No. It takes a very skilled magic user and years of practice.” He rubbed at the bands covering his wrists. “They’re wary because I was able to break down the one in my prison cell which, considering it was powered by a mana stone, was deemed impossible until me.” Then his expression pinched as he muttered, “Give a child five years with the same puzzle, and he’ll figure out a solution.”

Zylah cupped her hands in front of her chest as her limbs knocked inwards. “What is going on?” she asked nervously, since the way he was acting only deepened her anxieties.

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