Page 86 of To Trap a Soul

Many also thought they could simply fight them back like they did with the new wolves, bears, and large cats that had suddenly appeared ‘out of nowhere.’ Fools, the lot of them.

Lindi and her family would have been those fools if it wasn’t for what happened to them twenty-four years ago.

“Lindiwe,” Weldir called, his voice deepening in what could only be anger, when she hadn’t responded for quite some time.

“Okay. Fine,” she reluctantly bit. “If that is what you desire, then so be it. I will make do.”

“I don’t understand why this bothers you so.”

Many things bothered her about this, including the slip of his essence finally leaking from her and soaking her undergarments. She squirmed, uncomfortable with the way it made the material cling to her pussy.

Making children was surprisingly messy. And there was never any fun in it for her.

And now... she had to embark on a journey to an unknown place, pregnant of all things, and figure everything out all at once. It was a hard ask.

“So long as you help me reach our other children when I need to, or if they need me, I will do as you have asked. Just... let me stay there for a while before asking for another. Let me understand the world beyond the borders of Austrális.”

She finally lifted her gaze to Weldir, who stood floating like an unmoving statue that had been broken into pieces. If it wasn’t for his cloud and chalky spots constantly shifting, she wouldn’t have thought he was alive. Maybe he wasn’t, and that was why he lacked such a heart.

He dipped his head slowly to show her the top of his horns. “As you command, Lindiwe.”

August 22nd, 1714

“How are you going with that poultice, Lindiwe?” Karlann asked, peeking over her shoulder from across the aisle where she ground amethyst crystals in her mortar and pestle. If she leaned back any further on her heels, she was sure to fall.

Both Lindi and Karlann worked in a warm, spacious laboratory with two tables parallel to each other to create an aisle. Both their tables were tall enough to meet their midsections, made of Northern Elm, and had a perfectly polished red-brown colour to them.

Although they were neatly put away behind ornate wooden shelves, an array of tools and ingredients were available for any person to use at any time. More could be accessed from either side of the table, as there was a walkway around each one. Large bay windows on one side lit up the area, whereas decorative lamps, with scenes painted on their cloth shades, had been bolted to the walls and lit up the rest of the room.

Lindi placed her hands around the handles of the iron pot she’d been stirring, filled with a green, grainy, and seed-likeconcoction, and took it to a heating stove that ran perpendicular to their workstations. It was large, spanning almost the entire wall, and made of iron. Its magnificence had daunted Lindi at first, as she’d never seen such a large cooking hearth before, but she’d long come to appreciate the extra space and utility of it.

Incense seeped through every nook and cranny, and was a pleasant aroma that filled the entire temple, including this room.

“It’s going well,” she answered, wiping her dirty hands on her colourful, pleated apron skirt. “I just need to heat it now and add the final ingredients.”

Lindi then wiped the sweat from her forehead, the area a little too warm and humid, and peeked at her companion for the morning. Her gaze immediately darted to her forehead before shying away, and she fumbled for the next ingredient. She cleared her throat when she’d been caught, and the woman laughed.

“You don’t have to be so shy about it, Lindiwe. We really don’t mind if you stare.”

Lindi offered Karlann a wry smile.

Karlann’s short black hair reached to the base of her neck and was as straight as an arrow. It framed a cute, round face with a smattering of freckles that dotted her light complexion. Her nose was small, her lips as well, but her eyes were large and warm. Her eyebrows were slightly crooked, her jaw prominent and strong.

She was as pretty as she was curvy and tall, though her loose-fitting changpao hid the majority of her plumper figure.

Although most of the people in this country wore colourful clothes made from bright silks if they were richer, and hemp and ramie if they were poorer, these people predominantly wore white. Well, except for their leader, who was the only one who wore black to signify her station.

In their temple, the only colour came from the polished wooden walls, the painted cloth tapestry art, and their aprons.

Even though she was in a foreign land, those here in this special place were even stranger. The people within this temple all had different-coloured hair, different complexions, and varying body types – as if they were gathered from across many lands and brought here to Sing Dynasty.

But they weren’t. They weren’t just foreign to the country or this continent, but to this very world.

Lindi met Karlann’s pink eyes, which seemed to shimmer, before she couldn’t help dart a peek at the third one sitting horizontally above the middle of her brow.

Once more, the dark-haired woman laughed. “You would think after a year, you would be used to it.”

“I can’t help it,” Lindi muttered, turning away to stir the now bubbling and revolting-smelling poultice. “I know all three can be looked upon, but it feels impolite.”

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