Page 111 of To Trap a Soul

Lindi yanked her arm away and drew her feathery cloak to her chest. His red eyes followed her, and they seemed to lack any hostility or callousness. They were observant, and she hated to think how much of her body he’d seen while she’d been bathing.

I can’t believe I didn’t notice him come up behind him.He’d been quiet, freakishly so.He probably snuck up on me on purpose.

She shuddered to think what that could have meant for her if he’d had ill intentions.

“Some of the more... intelligent Demons have noted you using this waterfall to bathe in the past few weeks. A large raven that isn’t a Demon flying over the Veil is odd, and cause for concern.”

Lindi’s blood ran cold.I was watched?

“What do you want?” she snapped, stepping back from him as she donned her cloak. She was now ready to escape if she needed to. “W-why did you follow me here?”

“They gave me your description, and I thought it might have been you. You look human, but you don’t smell like one, just like before.” Once more, his gaze flittered down her body, and she realised then that it had always been observational and nothing perverted. “I’ve never heard of a Phantom. No human has everbeen able to turn into some kind of spirit or bird before. Are there more of you?”

Her lips tightened. Should she give him any information?What harm is there?She knew what to keep hidden and what she shouldn’t. At least, she hoped she did.

“No. I’m the only one.”

“As far as I knew, only Anzúli can use magic.” He tapped a pointed claw at his forehead. “You don’t have a third eye like them.”

Swallowing thickly, she said, “I’m not one of them.”

“Then how did you come to be here?”

Lindi bit the sides of her tongue and stepped back a little further, her eyes narrowing.

“Not a question you’ll answer?” Instead of looking annoyed, Jabeziryth leaned forward with his arms behind his back. His short hair swayed around his pointed ears, as if the strands had caught a light gust of wind. “There’s only one being I know who can wield magic such as yours, and it’s doubtful he can touch this world. I had my suspicions then, butseeingyou use your magic in person...”

Her expression became more closed off, and she tightened her hand on her satchel while curling her fingers around the neck of her cloak. She prepared herself to flip her hood up and transform.

He might be fast, so I’ll have to jump.

The shift was near instant, so she doubted she’d touch the lake below before she shifted.

“Phantom, you can either admit your tie to him or not, but you’re a half-dead creature who can wield shadowy magic and does not age. You reek of magic that doesn’t belong to you.” Then he straightened and grinned before cupping his broad chin. “Actually, this is perfect. He doesn’t answer my call when I stand in his mist, and I have been trying to speak to him.”

He’s a lot more intelligent than I could have ever given him credit for.He’d managed to summarise her bond with Weldir with such little information.

“Why do you want to speak with Weldir?”

Jabeziryth was slow to answer, as if he wanted to be careful with his next words. “I just want to talk with him. Perhaps even obtain his assistance. A mutually beneficial agreement, if you will.”

“I will never help him,”Weldir stated through the bond, and she almost wanted to groan.

The moment she uttered his name, she should have known he’d come.

“You should leave, Lindiwe.”

“He has warned me to keep my distance. He will never help you.”

Oddly enough, Jabeziryth let out a small, genial laugh that seemed true and soft. “He’s worried because of what has happened, but he and I have faced the same prejudices and experiences. I want to see what we can do for each other.”

“My answer remains the same.”

Lindi opened her mouth to relay that, but then shut it.Should I be letting him know that Weldir can speak directly to me?She didn’t want to be trapped in some way because of it.Who knows what kind of magic the Elves have?

So, instead of speaking for Weldir, she asked, “How do you want to help?”

Jabeziryth brought his hands out from behind his back and shrugged. “He and I are both outcasts, shunned in horrible ways by the Elvish and their deities. I seek his help and wish to offer my own.” He tilted his head while his eyes narrowed on the centre of her collar bones, and she wrapped her nimble hands around the mana stone there. “If there is only one of you, there is only so much you can do on your own.”

---