Page 29 of A Soul to Embrace

I did what was done to me, and then more.

Whether it be Lindiwe’s actions, or the repercussions of leaving him bleeding to death to retreat herself, he’d faced many adversities due to her and Weldir’s interference.

The sacrifice had been noble, whether he wanted to admit that or not.

Resigning to let go of his anger of the past, Jabez stood to assess the easterly direction the redhead and her Mavka had been travelling. He checked the raven skull’s tracks to see which way his claws pointed.

If we continue on our path, we may run into them.He’d much rather avoid anyone who may be hateful of him while he was so powerless. He also refused to be cornered like prey, having to rely on the power of his companion for assistance.

They couldn’t go back, as he didn’t want to return to Zylah’s burrow. North was towards the Veil, which meant more chances of running into a Demon – who would likely know his face or scent. That was fine, so long as they couldn’t escape into a dense and Demon-filled forest to inform others.

He turned towards the village.I guess we’ll go deeper south.

There may be a few caves, and mountain Demons had a tendency to live in solitude. They were harsh creatures, but less territorial except for their specific nest areas. They almost lived like a hive, keeping to themselves in their caves but understanding that those residing above them needed to cross their dwelling entrances to get higher.

With Zylah by his side, he doubted those Demons would come within sniffing range of them.

Zylah grumbled to herself as she sat inside a shallow cave that had formed halfway up a small mountain covered in forest. Much bigger than her burrow, she moved around with ease and picked up a rock to scratch at the ground in annoyance. She considered throwing it at the back of his head, but decided against it, knowing it would only make him growl at her.

She peeked over her shoulder at Jabez, noting he’d removed his cloak for the first time in days.

She’d already summarised that he wore it to protect his skin from the sun, as she’d seen him wince a few times when the light touched him. She’d never understood why he’d worn it in her home.

A home he was refusing to return to.

He kept saying no. That they would be staying here from now on. Zylah was disgruntled about this, as she longed to go back already.

She watched his arms move as he did some task all by himself. He held dark-grey fabric that shimmered in the smallest amount of light. She didn’t know what he was doing.

And she couldn’t approach him either.

Jabez didn’t like being snuck up on from behind, and he could be quite snappy when she did so. He would snarl and turn his head to her before quickly quietening, as if he hadn’t meant to have a small outburst. It was enough to warn her that he didn’t like people behind him.

Yet, he often gave her his back, as if he trusted her despite his misgivings – so long as she kept her distance.

If she approached from the side or front, he didn’t show a shred of irritation. She often wondered if he’d been attacked.

Jabez has scars,she mused, eyeing the way his white hair was brushed over his left shoulder.

It’d taken her a long time to notice them. They were so small, so thin, so weak in appearance, that she kept thinking she was mistaken. From afar, even to her, his skin looked mostly flawless except in a few spots.

Those spots with deeper, larger scarring made her realise what all the hairline marks were in his skin. He had a large scar that partially revealed itself throughout his hair and where it was now shaved. She’d seen a deep one on his lower back and then obvious claw marks on the back of his right thigh. She only saw these places when he bathed, which she watched since he didn’t seem to care.

She’d also inspected them when she first brought him to her home, and knew they were different to the black, magical markings he’d somewhat explained to her.

However, there were these barely noticeable, hairline scars all over his body. She’d even touched one and it felt like nothing. His skin was smooth, but there was a slightly darker discolouration like the rest of his bigger scars.

He had them everywhere. The worst was his throat and his back between his shoulder blades, as if... creatures kept trying to target his vital points. Even his poor ears appeared mangled, as if they’d regrown many times.

Or perhaps she was wrong, and these lines in his skin were normal.

Like he could feel her gaze on him, Jabez looked over his shoulder at her. Her sight turned a reddish pink, and she quickly looked up to the rocky ceiling to avoid his stare.

“Still upset with me?” he asked in the tone he often gave her when he’d cocked a brow.

“Yes,” she grumbled in response, wiggling her head to show her annoyance. “I want home.”

“I told you, we can’t return home.” He gave her a sigh, as if she was being bothersome. “It’s dirty, smells rotten, and it’s small. This is better.” He lifted his hands, one holding grey fabric while the other held a silver sewing needle – something he’d explained to her. “Most Mavka first live in a cave. The fact you dug a hole like a rabbit doesn’t surprise me, all things considered with your anatomy, but a cave is better. I can... deal with a cave.”

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