Page 125 of The Souls Harvest
Slowly, I turn to Kris. “That’s a Mack Frog.”
Kris’s eyes grow teary as he tries his best not to laugh in my face. “Sure, we can call it that from now on. That’s a scout. They’re handy when we don’t want to venture outside. Mack has his own little army of frogs, birds - you want to stay away from those entitled beasts by the way - mice…worms, even, but they’re only good for overgrown bushes.”
I secretly thank the dark for masking my blushing face. I probably wouldn’t be in this situation if I had my memories. But I don’t need to remember everything to know what a scout on amission means.
As though reading my thoughts, Kris studies the lake’s surface with worry. “If that frog is flying outside the perimeter, Mack must have spotted something on the cameras. It may be nothing, perhaps a randomrealanimal approaching too close to the fences. It’s happened before.”
He pulls back his hair, staring at the wall, and holds up a finger, kindly asking me to stay quiet for a moment.
“We should go back inside,” he mutters, beckoning me closer.
I do as he asks, also following my gut feeling, which is shouting to run back to the building. “I thought the fences were strong enough to stop anything from breaching the walls.
“They have been because Roden has never managed to locate this place. We don’t know the range of his power…your power. What he did to my brother, without being physically close to him…he could do the same to everyone in here that has Harvester blood. He can’t control Horigeans—but we are his product.”
To my ears, his explanation is almost perfect, except for one small missing detail.
“That means…I could do the same to him. Hurt him like he did to you. To us. Without being near him.”
His face lights up, and he stops running his fingers nervously through his hair to stare at me instead.
Without notice, he devours the space between us and grabs my hands. “I forgot how good it feels when you say it…”
“What?” I squeak, forgetting I can speak like an adult.
“…us.”
“Oh…”
His skin against mine is more than I can take, more than my mind can endure without coming undone. My hands in his find the perfect fit as an image slowly pushes to the surface. We’ve been here before, many times, by this lake—just the two of us.
A net of light flows from my palms up to my arms and all around us, but Kris doesn’t seem to be scared. It’s warm and comforting, and it speaks to me.
It’s telling me to go ahead and that this is the right thing to do. For me, Kris and the rest of Horigos. I wriggle my fingers until I’m the one holding his hands. Tight. Tighter. And when his eyes widen, staring at me with a hint of dread, I realise I’m harvestinghislight.
His soul.
I drop his hands, inhaling sharply, and pulling back, hiding my face in my hands. “No, I don’t want this…” I shake my head, turning my back to him.
A firm but gentle touch weighs down on my shoulders.
“What was that?” I ask, my voice so weak, I struggle to hear myself.
Kris gently spins me around, tilting his head, with a soft smile. “You’ve just relived our last night together. Somehow, you remembered.”
“I was harvesting your soul…” I blink, agape. I was willingly stealing his life, without my vials, no tools—only my bare hands.
I fight the urge to push him away. What if I touch him and take what’s left of his soul by accident? I try to withdraw from his grip, but he remains unfazed.
“July, stop.”
My body responds. I close my eyes, hoping my guilt won’t show anywhere else.
“Look at me.” He brushes my cheek with his knuckles.
“I made you suffer like Roden. Worse than Roden did to you. I…”
My face collides with his chest. His smell reminds me of Galen, but there is something else beneath, something feral that everybody should be frightened of—but me. His arms are strong around me, but his hand is protective when it dives through my hair, keeping me safe and hidden from the rest of the world.
