Page 92 of The Souls Harvest
“Fumo, we need to check the perimeter around the woods. Make sure the barriers didn’t suffer any damage after last night. And—you need a shower. Look at the state of your face. Did you remember to get some sleep last night?”
Sitting on the kitchen counter, Mack’s face is a canvas painted with black smears of dirt and sticky spots of syrup.
He rubs his cheek, smiles and gives me a thumbs up while chomping on food, “Yes, Sir. I’ve actually checked the perimeter, the lake and the outskirts while you were all comfortably snoring. Hence, my rough, but still attractive, appearance.”
“You what?” I blink, ignoring thesir.
“Couldn’t sleep last night,” - he shrugs - “I thought I might as well make myself useful.”
I run a hand over my face, “Where do you find the energy—never mind. What about the armoury?”
Mack jumps off the counter, balancing a mug of coffee so well that not even a drop spills. “That, I can do. I’ve received someexplosivesupplies I’d like to play with before using them on the field. Nikkindlyoffered some of his blood after I told him Lily would surely appreciate his extra help to the cause.” He winks. “Well, I’m sure she’d say something like that if she knew.”
Any conversation with Mack could go on for ages, especially if he’s passionate about the subject, but likely for me, a small hand pulls at my trousers. “Can I go with Fumo, mummy, please?”
Sable’s eyes are the only weapon that could seriously damage my heart. She’s built lean and petite despite sharing my blood. But her determination sometimes prevails against me.
Merya steps in, kneeling and pinning back a strand of black hair that’s escaped Sable’s braid, “Why don’t I teach you how to make a trap instead?”
My little earthquake starts jumping up and down, clapping her hands, “Like one of those that makes you dangle from a tree and then…and then…Fumo’s barrier comes up, and you goBzzz!and then you’re likeGhh!”
When she’s exhausted her repertoire of sounds to explain the picture in her mind, Sable sticks her tongue out, pretending to be electrocuted.
“All right, enough.” I must pretend I still have a say in the matter. I lift Sable in my arms. Her cheeks are flushed with excitement, and her face is covered in cake crumbs when she presses it against mine.
She smacks a sticky kiss on my forehead, “Thanks, mummy. I promise I’ll showerandbrush my teeth - all of them - when we’re back.”
In the background, Mack is scraping dirt off his fingernails and giggling at my evident defeat.
“I didn’t agree to anything yet.”
“No worries, Tabs. We’ll prepare just a couple of small ones, big enough for rabbits. And,” Merya holds up a hand before I can speak, “I won’t let her go near the lake.”
I sigh, putting my child down, and bend to flick her nose. “Sable Elpis Lorne, you put one tiny toe in the water, and I take away all your books for a week.” I’d never, but she believes my mother-glare.
She looks at me, squinting her eyes. Something is brewing in her sophisticated brain. She purses her lips, enunciating with the tone of an experienced negotiator, “Will you get me a new book if I don’t touch the water?”
I suck on my teeth and hold her stare. Merya coughs twice as if to gain Sable’s attention, and out of the corner of my eye, I see her shaking her head as if to sayYou’re pushing it now.
Sable puffs her cheeks, moves back a step, blows me a raspberry and rushes for the door with a trail of giggles.
“Where did I go wrong?” I ask nobody in particular.
To my surprise, Mack approaches, extending a slice of cake towards me. “If I could choose a new mother for myself, that’d be you. I would hug you, you know, but I smell like one of our tunnels. A beautiful, but nevertheless smelly, genius,” he adds, leaving both me and his sister lost for words.
Mack’s innocence is his brand. He can say anything, even the most inappropriate thing, and still come out forgivable and likeable. If we survive this shitty situation Roden forced us into, I will tell him I’d be honoured to have a son like him.
“He’s not wrong, you know,” Merya says, checking her brother over her shoulder before pulling out a chair and gesturing for me to sit. “You’ve checked on us, made sure we’re all fine and well fed; now, please take your time and let us worry about the rest.”
She makes to leave but then stops by the door. “I was meant to ask you, but Sable and Mack captured the audience. Do you think it’s safe to have July and Kris in the same room so soon? I know they met briefly because Mr. Reckless couldn’t be bothered to listen to orders, like always, and she was still recovering from the shock. This is why she hasn’t gone looking for him just yet. But things have changed dramatically. As far as we know, her gift may have grown into a dangerous weapon. She could strike, and we wouldn’t even notice until Kris lies soulless on the floor.”
I dissect my slice of cake with a fork as if searching for the best solution in its crumbs. “Don’t you think I know that? The thought has been tearing me apart since I decided to risk a trip to Libera.But we don’t have many options, or much time. Galen told me July had been scratching the surface a lot this time. There are some truths she already knows that we can’t ignore.”
Merya places her hands on her hips, resembling a taller, ginger version of me. “Galen should have handled the situation more carefully. Let me know if you need me to beat him up a little. I could say it’s just a training session.”
Her offer rings with a slightly amused tone, and I know she won’t even pull a hair on his head. But that doesn’t shake off the feeling that we’re running out of time and must act quickly, risking everything, like we never have before.
Her steps fade quickly as she leaves me alone in the kitchen.
