Page 51 of To Trap a Soul

It gave her a chance to forage for food, trusting they wouldn’t scamper off somewhere. It let her explore old paths she’d taken as a child, or practise with Weldir’s magic – she’d learned she could carve almost any shape with the barriers she could make, and not just a dome.

Progress was progress, and life had been... easy. Simple.

Lindi still itched to leave and continue her self-appointed mission of destroying the occult, but she had found a purpose for the time being. She couldn’t take them with her, considering the smell of blood she’d produce from her justice, but she often pondered on a solution.

She’d never been harmed when out hunting those vile people, since she often worked in the shadows and overpowered the occultists with the magic she could wield. Then there was her ability to turn intangible. If her child remained attached to her as they did now, she didn’t see why she couldn’t continue for the time being. If they changed, she would adjust to make it work until it was no longer possible.

I really need to figure out how to hide the smell of blood,she thought with a belly full of chicken-and-pea stew and a basket of supplies on her arm.

The walk to the river was as uneventful as it was every day. Her gaze scanned over the colourful spring flowers that had sprouted, and she occasionally knelt down to see if they were edible. She took a few of the nicer-smelling ones so she could liven up her home, and tucked them into her basket before continuing on. The cool air was warmed by the sun, even with the shade of leaves from above.

Insects that had gone quiet over winter now buzzed with life, and numerous pretty butterflies fluttered around looking for a mate. She made sure to avoid a certain tree that had a nasty pair of magpies, as they liked to swoop to defend their nest of newly hatched fledglings. Their whooping calls in the distance made their presence known to all.

Learning to hide the smell of blood would help during my monthlies as well.

Getting her period had become a rather distressing time. She hated locking her child away under one of her dome barriers, but they’d spend the entire time trying to eat her if she didn’t. That, or she turned incorporeal so they could venture around her home freely – but that often resulted in lonely, distressed cries.

There was no winning.

I wish it was easier to learn new spells.She’d been practising with an idea but hadn’t quite figured out how to conjure it.

Once she reached the riverbank, she placed her child on the ground, and they sat next to her basket. She removed her boots, yanked her sleeves up, tied the skirts of her dress, and entered the water.

As she always did, she eyed them constantly to make sure they wouldn’t run off. They often got to four legs to adventure near the basket, sniffling at the ground curiously before sitting or lying down again.

With her net firmly in her hands, she threw it with precision and practised skill, and caught the first fish that came her way. Her child gave a shrill cry, jumping up and down when they heard it flapping around in her hands and then on the ground.

She placed a dome around them as she removed the head and bones, so they didn’t choke, and then she released them while stepping back. They ran for it and immediately ate what remained. They licked at the grass for every bit they’d missed before giving a gross belch and sniffing around for more.

As much as she wanted to sit next to them, Lindi didn’t move. For a little while afterwards, they could be rather... violent. Only once they stopped searching and came to her, seeking her scent rather than more food, was it safe.

She’d been bitten numerous times. Despite how much it hurt and how scarred her hands and arms were, she forgave them. She figured they didn’t mean to, even if it infuriated her or made her tear up from the pain.

There was cloth stored away in her basket to cover any wounds once they stopped bleeding, and she washed them with the river water. She’d also brought a homemade salve that she placed on her wounds to stave off infection.

Sitting down cross-legged so they could nestle themselves in her lap, Lindi placed her hands on the ground behind her. She let the trickle of water lull her mind with the dappled sunlight flickering over them. The wind was soft, pleasant, andrefreshing, and she took it in as she watched the river ripple and crash around protruding boulders, sharp rocks, and broken branches.

She patted the top of their head, and her child immediately pushed up against her palm in welcome with their slightly pointed snout.

As much as this all frightened me at first, I can’t deny how peaceful this is.

She needn’t worry about income, since she had no tithe to pay, nor did she feel the survival need to eat. Lindi wasn’t ever at risk of starving or dying of thirst, and she chose to fulfil those needs through the desire to remain human. In reality, there was nothing but loneliness that nibbled at her, but that had started to wane with her child’s presence.

I’m surprised I’m content.Not happy, not loved, but content enough to not dwell on the negatives.

With one last face tilt to the sun, Lindi pushed her feet back into her boots, scooped up her child to place them against her breast so they’d cling to her dress, and stood. She swiped up her basket and scrunched up her skirts, not wanting them to catch on forest debris or get dirty, and headed off through the brush to return home.

She avoided the area she knew had the pair of swooping magpies, giving them a wider berth than usual since they were out hunting. Glaring upwards at the sky when one of them flew above her, she was ready with her basket to swat it if she needed to.

Go home. I’m not a danger to you or your babies.They were horrible and mean black-and-white birds.

She walked to the right of a fallen tree trunk to get away from it when it landed on a branch nearby. Leaves crunched and crinkled underneath her boots, and she looked down to make sure she didn’t step in a burrow or trip over.

Just as she made it around the fallen trunk and stepped into a streak of bright sunlight, the disinterested magpie flew off.

Her next step landed on something squishy... and alive.

It jolted, exploding from underneath a pile of unassuming leaves, and struck. Lindi screamed and stepped back at the lance of pain when the bottom of her calf was bitten into.

---