Page 89 of A Soul to Embrace

Pleasure radiated in her chest at how the red in his eyes seemed to glow, although the feeling was bittersweet.

Their earlier conversation hadn’t been forgotten, and it left her heart more confused than ever. She was beginning to feel as though she was alone in her tenderness, which was a rather harrowing thing to discover.

His avoidance was obvious, and she didn’t know how to combat it. He deflected, and she submitted because she didn’t want to ruin their companionship.But it’s already ruined.

He was quieter than before, and the space between them felt vast and cold. His apology meant much. She appreciated him informing her that he didn’t find her presence bothersome, but she couldn’t get to the root of the problem in his weighty silence.

A silence that had never bothered her until now. It didn’t help that there was little to teach her in the Veil, as the plants were dreary and lacklustre.

She missed the surface. She missed their cave and the way he sat with her while teaching her how to read. She missed how his features seemed to soften whenever he showed her a simple herb or flower, appearing to enjoy her interest and the way she smelt them or inspected them with abject curiosity.

I hope he’ll feel better once we are done here.

She hadn’t known his lack of magic was so bothersome for him. To Zylah, he was just Jabez – with or without magic. He’d frequently boasted about his prowess regarding it whenever she picked on him for his lack of strength and speed, and she’d merely found it rather endearing. She’d listened like one might listen to another tell a story, humour and tenderness spreading in her chest at his eccentric disquiet.

She didn’t care if he was without his powers, and originally thought it frustrated him because it meant he was weaker than her.

She wished he’d told her sooner that it was deeper than that; it almost seemed to... ache him that he lacked them.

If he gains his magic again, will he return to the way he was before?Would he be less cold and perhaps even be more forthcoming, more amicable? She’d thought him kind and gentle before. Would that only grow stronger?

The light dimmed the longer they walked. The sun was falling, but they also appeared to be heading in a large, curved arc through the forest, making it shine elsewhere other than their faces.

“This should be enough,” Jabez informed her, as he took them towards the forest’s edge.

Zylah didn’t expect the scene that would open up before her.

Considering her only experiences with towns and villages were those belonging to humans, she’d been imagining the roofs of houses, and a wall of protective stakes. Instead, a gigantic tree, taller than any she’d ever seen, sat in the middle of a large open meadow.

Only when they stepped into the last of the light, the sun now at their left, did she realise she was mistaken. It wasn’t a singular tree, but dozens that were nestled closely together. They hadn’t grown upwards, but rather spiralled to the right with their long branches twisting and interlocking with each other.

“It’s not a barrier from Demons, but from the sun,” she rasped, noting how the canopy of leaves would create a perfect shield.

“That’s exactly right,” he stated, allowing her just a moment to stand on the top of the hill to absorb the village before descending.

Long stalks of grass brushed against their thighs, and Zylah bent to the side so she could skim her hand over the tops of them, taking in their softness. They danced with the light wind, waving together until they created a pleasant rustling noise.

“During the day, it’s impossible for any Demon without a cloak to travel to it. The sun is the real barrier, allowing all those inside a chance to rest before nightfall. Although, any potential of being attacked is very low, so no one inside really worries about night anymore.”

“Why do you say that?” Zylah asked, cocking her head in curiosity.

“When it was first created, the three rings of the Veil hadn’t existed. Demons of all kinds ran rampant throughout. It’s only been in the last century and a half that the inner ring has become safer. They even reduced the number of guards that patrol it.”

“Is that how it obtained its name then? Spiral due the way the trees twist, and Haven due to it once being the only safe place here?”

“That’s correct,” he stated, but she thought she heard the smallest note of pride in his tone.

It didn’t take long to cross the meadow. By then, the sun had faded enough and cast the entire area in shadow. It’d be long before day was truly gone, but the forest of the Veil seemed to darken it earlier than it should.

They approached the village, and she saw just how daunting the trees were now that they were up close. Each one spannedmetres in diameter, and she couldn’t even begin to guess their collective height – a half a kilometre, perhaps more?

If her venture down the Veil’s cliff wall was any indicator, she’d hate climbing one of them.

A small gap between each tree was just narrow enough to create a path inside. Already a sickly sweet smell came from within, leaking from every crevice and gap available. Curious about that scent, and the muted sounds of life she could hear within, Zylah’s skull jerked one way and the other as she sniffed wildly.

She thought he’d immediately take them inside it, but Jabez led them on a path around its perimeter instead.

At the centre point of each tree, he knelt between large, overarching roots and swiped at the ground. He brushed away dirt and dust before knocking on it, only to shake his head and stand once more.

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