Page 82 of The Souls Harvest
At that, she straightens her spine, assuming the strong stance and composure she had when I met her, and adds, “Mack, don’t wait for Galen and get inside. We checked the ground only a few hours ago; don’t stay out here longer than necessary.”
In response, Mack only waves one hand at her while crouch-walking along the perimeter of the building, patting the grass and sniffing random handfuls of soil.
“I convinced Galen to come back and let Tabitha go. I’ll see you inside,” Merya sighs, takes a left turn andvanishesbehind a corner of the building.
I stare. Agape. Pointing at the spot that has just swallowedMerya, where there now remains nothing but exposed metal scaffolding and thin air.
“I told you. An octopus.” Mack taps at my shoulder, his hand carrying the scent of wet grass. “Alteration is key.”
The sound of an opening door catches his attention, and I cannot be more glad the awkward conversation is over.
Jyn’s head pops out between a wall covered in moss and the void that once formed the left side of the building. Startled and without thinking, I push Mack aside to inspect it more closely. One rushed step after the other; I aim for that trickery. My right arm stretches out, my fingers ready to touch the incoherent structure.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Amusement, but also a warning, in Mack’s words.
“July, wait—” Sheer urgency in Jyn’s voice.
“Oh, fuck. Merya didn’t tell her…” Mack’s voice pops like a soap bubble.
The rush of electricity shocks me as soon as my fingertips scrape against thenon-void, leaving me only enough seconds to register my heart speeding, before the inevitable blackout hits me.
Chapter 32 - One of Us
July
“What were you thinking?”
“Oh, well—I’m sorry if, after the mayhem of risking my life to save yours, and being chased and forced to spend hours in a tunnel, I forgot to mention a little,well-knowndetail too—has she always been so nosy?”
“Shut up, Mack, she could be—”
“Mind your tone. All of you…”
The voices shouting in my head pause, but soon an annoying ringing noise takes their place.
“She could have died, for fuck’s sake. And don’t play the hero card with me. You probably begged Merya to take you along.”
Nope.Ringing and voices can apparently coexist inside my poor head.
“What the hell are you two doing?”
“Can you please just stay quiet?” At last, my voice joins the others, husky and weak, even if all I want to do is shout at whoever is around me, despite black being all I can see.
A gentle touch on my hand makes my body tangible again afterthe sudden awakening. My mind floats for a few seconds before rediscovering the existence of my limbs.
“I can’t see anything,” I mutter, struggling to form the words, gaining a giggle to my left and a disappointed growl to the right.
“Come on, Galen, she’s alive; drop theWho did this to you-look.”
The same fingertips that have woken my skin run up my arm, tracing a path from my wrist to my shoulder, pinching here and there.“Can you feel this?”
“Merya?” I think I’m smiling when I call her name, but I can’t say if it’s all in my head. “Yes, yes, I can.”
“Well, the good news is, your nervous system and hearing are not damaged.”
“What about the bad news?” I mumble, my lips peeling off my teeth in a wince of pain when I try to move my head.
“Just stand still.”
