Page 19 of To Free a Soul (Duskwalker Beginnings #2)
Then again, he probably shouldn’t have been shocked by her rather cold words. She belonged to him, and over the years, her ideologies regarding faith had been warped and twisted by him. She prayed to no one, sought faith in no one but herself, because she had no need for any other deity except him.
She was aware of the other Elven gods, but she cared so little about them that she likely didn’t spare them a second thought.
“He is here, as he always has been. This was his will, and he’s merely testing me as one of his mortal children.
” Katerina folded her arms and rolled her shoulders back rather self-righteously.
“You’re a witch, a master of a Duskwalker.
You won’t help me, and you can apparently gallivant through the Veil. Sounds like trickery and evil to me.”
“I’m a master of no one, least of all a Duskwalker who can think for themselves.
And like I said, it’s not my place to interfere with his wants,” Lindiwe answered in a closed-off tone.
She gestured to the burlap sack on her hip.
“I’ve brought blessed salt that can be used as a barrier to stop Demons from entering his home.
I also brought some food and water, as well as an enchanted diadem that should–”
“Why should I take anything from you?” Katerina sneered, and the blue of her eyes seemed colder than before. “Anything you give me is likely cursed. I won’t touch something that could be impure and taint my soul.”
Lindiwe’s cheek twitched and her jaw muscles pulsed. “So you would rather be eaten or starve?”
“I’d rather go home!” Katerina yelled, causing Orpheus to step forward and snarl at Lindiwe. “Either help me do so or leave!”
“I already said–”
Katerina threw her hands into the air and went deeper into the cave. “Then I refuse to speak to a vile witch. I’ll figure out how to escape on my own.”
Orpheus, with dark-yellow orbs, tilted his head, seeming bemused at her willingness to go into his home. It was obvious he didn’t quite understand what had happened, or what had been said.
Lindiwe’s lips parted in disbelief, and she shook her head, causing her ponytail to sway.
“Fine, I’ll show you, Orpheus,” she stated with a sigh.
“You’ve been watching us!” Katerina yelled from within the cave, likely due to Lindiwe saying his new name he was gifted the day before. “You spy on us like an evil spirit!”
Lindiwe took one step closer, just one, and it snagged Orpheus’ attention. He leapt forward with a roar, Lindiwe too close to him, his new female, and the entrance to his home.
She relaxed her expression, dull and unimpressed, as a shadowy dome materialised over him and the cave. Orpheus bashed into it, then swiped his claws right where her torso was.
Since he was unable to penetrate it, he paced within the barrier, snarling at her when she moved. Lindiwe placed the burlap sack on the ground and then removed her satchel to rest it next to it.
She threw her right hand to the side and a spike of shadowy magic formed.
With very little effort, she knelt and stabbed it into the ground right next to the cliff face.
She proceeded to draw a semi-circle around the dome, with pointed looks at Orpheus, who eventually calmed enough to watch her while snorting annoyed huffs.
“You must dig into the ground so that the wind doesn’t blow away the salt line,” she explained. “See? Carve. You must carve.”
She picked up the burlap sack and opened it. Her hand slipped inside the bag of white grains, and she obtained a careful fistful, making sure hardly any fell out of her palm. From just an inch high, she proceeded to sprinkle a small amount into the groove she’d made to form the salt line.
“Do not waste it. Be careful. Be slow,” she explained multiple times, as repetition was the best way to teach him. “Rain removes protection. You must protect your human and sprinkle more salt when dry.”
Orpheus, who had backed up to the entrance of his cave, snorted a wolfish chuff. “Rain bad?”
“No. Rain is good. Rain is clean, but rain is bad for protecting your human.” Lindiwe walked over to her satchel. “Be good. Don’t hurt your human. Feed her, keep her warm.”
Opening up the flap, Lindiwe retrieved the diadem from it before tossing the satchel through her barrier. Food and the water sack partially slid out from its opening when the bag landed next to Orpheus’ hand, and he leaned down to sniff it with mild interest.
“I told you, I don’t want your cursed food or water,” Katerina said as she peeked out from behind Orpheus.
“In the Veil, you take what you can to survive,” Lindiwe answered, backing away. “You’ll die otherwise.”
The two females held each other’s stares. Then Lindiwe flipped up the hood of her cloak, proceeded to shift into her owl form, and flew off. Katerina’s eyes grew stark, her jaw fell, and a raspy near-scream escaped her.
“She really turned into an owl!”
Weldir could only imagine how horrified she would’ve been had Lindiwe turned into a raven, as it could have easily been mistaken for a Demon.
I’m surprised she didn’t want to return to me straight away, as we discussed. Then again, his mate looked rather... jaded after the interaction. She is likely upset and wishes to clear her mind.