Page 68 of A Soul to Embrace

He imagined for humans it was frightening and made it appear haunted.

Since he’d shoved his hood off the moment the sun had faded, he reached back to tighten the strap of cloth tied around the base of his high ponytail. Then he flicked the hood forward to hide his identity from those who might see his face from afar.

Lesser Demons wouldn’t likely have come into close contact with his scent, and if they had, they wouldn’t remember it.

Noticing Zylah still slumped on the ground, he offered his hand out to her. “Ready? We need to leave.”

She jerked at his offered palm, then her orbs shifted to a telling bright yellow.She likes it when I reach out to her like this.She willingly took it, and he helped pull her to her feet.

Then, as he’d instructed earlier, she morphed into her more monstrous form.

Once more, he regretted his choices when her clothing sunk beneath her fur and flesh. Suddenly he had a very naked female beside him, and the fact she’d taken on a more rabbit-dog mix in posture didn’t diminish his opinion of her.

He metaphorically face-palmed himself, and then leapt into a fast-paced sprint. Zylah quickly caught up and then matched his speed with ease.

The moment they entered the forest, darkness descended upon them. He had no issue seeing through it, and he doubted Zylah did either. The white mist was thickly layered, being winter, but no frost or snow ever stuck within the Veil. It frolicked between the trees, only to be overshadowed by the black mist he knew belonged to Weldir – an annoying reminder that he was always there, touching and feeling, but not truly present.

Are you watching us? You damn creep.Had every action or word since Jabez’s ‘fall’ been watched? No, he didn’t think so, considering Zylah’s parents hadn’t known he was alive. What about since then, though? That’s if he could see beyond his own mist, which was only present in the Veil.

The nape of his neck prickled in alertness, but he wasn’t sure if that was because they were being watched or because he was just paranoid.

At least the environment was warmer, and he would have basked in that if it wasn’t for the danger surrounding them.

All around them, tree branches scraped against each other in the intermittent harsh breeze. The area was eerie, although that didn’t bother him in the least, but it did make it hard to tell the movement of creatures apart from the gusts of wind. The forest itself was gnarly with many twisted roots, reaching branches, and tight spaces to jump through.

He’d lived in it for so long that these things were normal to him.

The air in the Veil was dewy, and moss lined almost every tree trunk they passed. Despite the darkness of it, it was vibrant with subtle, healthy flora, and he was able to breathe in that life with familiar fondness.

The ground dipped and waved with small hills, short drops, and an occasional river they needed to leap across. The terrain eased the further they ran, and after some hours had passed, the world began to open up as the trees incrementally became larger.

Occasionally a Demon ran near them, its footsteps heavy and fast, but each one backed off. The smell of a Mavka and a Demon travelling together instilled enough doubt in their would-be attackers. That, or they were just too slow and couldn’t keep up.

Not all were that wise, and one eventually chased them from behind. Jabez considered ignoring it until he realised it was running on all fours by its double thumps of pawsteps. He also heard the propelling aid of wings flapping, which gave it additional speed that not even he could combat. It would catch up to them eventually.

Hopefully it’ll grow tired or get bored of chasing us.

It didn’t.

When it was close to being on their heels, and Zylah shone reddened orbs at him, he knew he had to intervene before it was too late.

“Keep going,” he stated as he slowed his steps. “Stay out of the way.”

“No,”she replied with a growl, her voice deeper and grainy in her monstrous form.“I am stronger. I can–”

“Do as I say!” he snapped, baring his fangs at her with a glare. His senses on high alert like this caused his irritation to strike quicker. “You want to keep me safe? Stay out of the way and don’t go into a rage. That’s what you can do to help.”

She chittered nervously and her orbs flashed white in unease. With a curt whine, she nodded before darting out of the direct vicinity, revealing the speed she’d been holding back.

Frothing pants and cackling came up quickly from behind, and he turned to meet the Demon head-on. Running on all fours with a doggish form, two small bird-like wings flapped behind it. A long tail was stuck up, and it danced behind a semi-humanoid face that was alight with excitement. White foam bubbled from its lips, while sharp fangs gleamed in the intermittent fractures of dappled moonlight. Its entire body was black like a glossy void, proving just how far it was from completion, as it lacked any human flesh.

Even though Jabez had stopped, its mind was so useless that it didn’t even sense the hostility it was sprinting towards. It licked at its maw and cackled as it leapt for him. With claws at the ready, aiming straight for his chest, it flew through the air with its wings flapping to keep its momentum.

Jabez timed his defence perfectly. He stepped to the side and brought his bent leg up at the same time.

With the speed at which it’d been coming for him, and the power of his attack, his knee landing straight into its gut made it fold in on itself. A disgusting choke came from it, as spittle sprayed from its mouth while its wings kinked in agony. Jabez lowered his leg when it crumbled to the ground in an abrupt stop.

Indifferent to the battle he’d foreseen being easyandpredictable, he came behind its wheezing form and stepped upon its back. Wings flapped on either side of his body as it rent out a strangled hiss from the pressure of his weight, and he reached down to grab either side of its head. He twisted its neck with a satisfying crack, and it became limp and loose.