Page 131 of To Trap a Soul

For as far as the eye could see, there was life – flora and fauna. Yet, it was so quiet that she could hear even the smallest insect not far away.

I guess there are things I’m thankful for since giving away my soul.She’d seen much beauty, none of it possible without Weldir. Her new length of life, the ability to travel into the horizon, and the safety his magic provided offered her incomparable freedom. No other human, past or future, would ever experience such wonder and awe.

Feeling the Earth on a spiritual level, investigating its life and flourishing colours, its smells, and even textures, was a blessing. It often left her spirit enlightened, as if she’d touched the mesmerising veils of life and saw beyond them in a way no other could.

Just this scene – how the plains below swam with golden sunlight, as if the sky touched the ground and created an ocean of unfathomable, intangible glory – was enthralling.

With the gentle warmth of the ending summer billowing in a refreshing breeze, Lindi let her tired eyes droop. When night finally won against the light, and she had Weldir’s magic to keep her safe and snug, Lindi shut her eyes to rest.

I’m starting to rather like the quiet.

These long lulls brought on a sense of calm, and Lindi was in control of every minute.Well, when I don’t have a ghastly shadow speaking to me from beyond the void, that is.

Lindi stirred when she heard a shout, only to snap her eyes open with a sharp gasp and sit up in shock. Except her body couldn’t bend like that with a giant ball attached to her middle and she kind of flailed for a moment. Pitch night greeted her, and she squinted in the darkness, to no avail.

“Lindiwe,”Weldir called, louder than usual.

Lindi searched for him, but she knew – even though she couldn’t see – that he wasn’t actually there.

With a groan, she rubbed the heels of her palms into her sleep-dusted eyes while shutting them. They ached like never before, and her fatigue was just as bad as ever. She’d probably only had a few hours’ sleep – then again, she couldn’t quite tell.

“Why did you wake me?” she whined, rolling to her side before getting on her hands and knees so she could toss her stomach forward while rearing back to sit. She straightened her legs out before her but with enough of a gap that her belly had a place to nestle. Then she lowered a hand to the ground behind her for support. “And what’s with your tone?”

It almost sounded... panicked, and that didn’t seem like him.

“I’m doing all the hard work here, so the least you could do is let me sleep,” she continued, waving at her pregnant belly. “I don’t get to slumber forever like you do.”

Right now, she’d love that more than anything. To just sleep and sleep until her body didn’t feel like it was straining.

Silence greeted her, and for a second, she thought she may have imagined him calling out to her. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d dreamt of him saying her name – although this had less of a naughty element to it.

When too long passed, she peeked around at the nothingness. “Weldir?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this without upsetting you. I... don’t know how to share this delicately.”

That instantly sobered Lindi from her sleepy daze. Alertness clutched her, and she fumbled in the dark for her lantern and tinder box. She needed to know where everything was in case she needed to move quickly.

She doubted she was in danger, as she could still sense the barrier dome was in place.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, striking her tinder box and setting the oil alight so she could see. Her items were mostly put away in her satchel, except for her journal and food. “Sometimes it’s best to just spit it out.”

“Nathair is... dead.”

Leaning awkwardly to the side on her bundle of multicoloured bedding, Lindi paused just after she tucked her journal into her satchel. Her ears twitched in a pulling back motion, like she was checking they were working and she’d heard him correctly.

This horrible, sickening feeling clutched her stomach and hardened around her swollen belly in a contraction. Within a single heartbeat, her pulse was pounding in her eardrums, her throat, and in her chest. Coldness bled through her veins.

“What do you mean... he’s dead?” she whispered, like the words couldn’t be true. “You’re a god. They’re... yours. You said they can’t...die.”

“I was wrong.”

Tears didn’t have time to well in her eyes; they were so heavy and profuse that they quickly flowed. Her bottom lip trembled, as she knew Weldir wouldn’t joke or lie about this.

“What do you mean you were wrong?!” she screamed, rolling back firmly onto her backside to cover her face. She clawed at her forehead when an agony she didn’t know existed lanced her entire being. “How could this happen?! Y-you promised!”

Well, he’d never truly said he knew for certain, but she’d taken his words as a guarantee. And now it felt like her heart was about to give out.

She didn’t care that her children were... weremonsters.They were hers! They were beautiful, strong creatures, and they weren’t allowed to die!

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