Page 75 of The Souls Harvest
Tabitha rushes to Galen and Jyn, imparting orders in such a low voice that I can’t understand her words. She points at the forest, while Merya takes my hand and drags me to the hole’s entrance.
“Mack, pass me that helmet. Quickly!” Merya orders the stranger, who is wearing all-black, and who has been witnessing the scene without interfering.
Mack—theoctopus?
“She’s got a big head. Will this fit?” The stranger’s muffled voice asks as he saunters towards us, tilting his head to study me before taking off his helmet.
He’s probably younger than me, but he has several scars on hisface and neck—ones he shouldn’t have had the time to collect at such a young age.
“Excuse me?” I snap, taken aback.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful head.”
“Mack—what happened to counting down from ten before we voice what’s on our minds?” Merya steps between us, stretching a gloved hand to Mack and flexing her fingers.
He looks at me in response, scrunching his lips to one side. “Right, she doesn’t know.” He bends over slightly, making eye contact with me and tapping a finger on his temple. “Octopus brains—sometimes one or two escape my control,” he whispers.
Before I can even think how to respond, he straightens his spine, chuckles, and tosses a helmet to Merya.
Despite bearing the evidence of too many battles, it feels sturdy and strong when Merya smacks it on my head, tapping its top twice for good measure. “That’ll do.” She winks at me before moving her attention back to Tabitha, who’s gone to Jyn’s aid, helping him lower Galen down into the hole.
The diameter of the opening is so large we could all fit in at once, but Tabitha directs the operation with such confidence that I can only stand by and wait for my turn—to go where? Not sure. At this point, I don’t really care.
“Hold onto that ladder for a second. Jyn will be right next to you. Once he’s there, let him go first and climb down one step at a time. We haven’t used this door in a while…” Tabitha orders Galen as he disappears from view.
From where I stand, I can see several ladders running down the dark hole, all shiny with watery moss but also covered in flaking rust.
“He’ll be fine. I’ve seen him in worse conditions.” Mack’s voice doesn’t match his face. It’s deep and full of the echo of battles and losses. Despite his size, I didn’t realise he’d moved up next to me. His boots don’t make any noise when he steps closer to the edge and squats to look down, bracing his elbows on his knees.
I startle. “How long have you known Galen for?” I keep my tone vague, pretending I’ve already forgotten his first insulting words.
“Well, not long enough if I can’t still predict his next appearance, apparently.” He stands up and cups his hands around his mouth. “I thought you got tired of the cause, mate? You took your sweet time to come back to base.”
Merya is, if possible, even more imperceptible than Mack. I could easily mistake the two of them for Popplewish’s random long-lost relatives if I didn't know that it was impossible.
I jolt when she appears behind us and smacks Mack on the back of the head. “What the hell are you doing, shouting like that? Didn’t you hear what I said?” She towers over him, legs apart and with her hands on her hips just over the thick belt heavy with bullets, one of its ends running down her left thigh.
Mack winces and scratches his head, looking up. “I was just saying hello.”
“You were waving a massive flag with ‘Hey, assholes, we’re still here,come get us’written on it.”
“Don’t be stupid. That’s too many words to write on a single flag.”
“Enough. Both of you. Down. Now.” Tabitha puts an end to their argument, grabbing them by the shoulders to separate the duo, leaving me to wonder if I should really be putting my life in their hands.
Or maybe I should laugh and pretend this is normal, like Mack is doing now, trying to hide his amusement from Tabitha by pulling up his black, tight shirt’s collar to cover his mouth.
“I thought I was keeping guard!” Mack bursts out. But one look from Tabitha silences him, and he nods, defeated.
“Well done, little brother. That’s how you accept orders,” Merya flicks his nose.
Brother?Looking at them side by side, I can see they share the same high cheekbones and fair skin. Their lips are the same, with the upper one slightly fuller. A subtle, reddish stubble shadows Mack’s face, but both their nose and cheeks are peppered with freckles.
Before Mack can say anything, Merya moves agilely and fast, like a big black cat, in my peripheral vision. Without hesitation, she falls into the hole backwards, arms spread wide as if jumping off a plane—without a parachute.
Nobody around me seems to care. I rush to lean over the edge, but Tabitha calls me back, “Don’t worry, she’s fine. For now.” She sucks on her teeth, betraying a hint of annoyance. But it’s difficultto ignore the corner of her lips twitching, fighting back a smile.
“Mack, please check on your sister,” Tabitha sighs.
