Page 93 of The Souls Harvest
She’s grown so much from the day I found her and Mack roaming the streets of Ventiol. I still don’t know how she’s turned into this beautiful, strong, excellent at baking woman without any guidance, if not mine. And I’m definitely not good with sugar and flour, nor with expressing my opinions in a less blunt way.
Sometimes, I struggle to remember that enjoying the sunshine - even if weak and never as warm as it was before the Famine - and the smell of new flowers growing outside the barriers is potentially lethal because we could be intercepted in less than thirty minutes.
At least the little orchard Mack manages to keep in bloom all year round gives us the illusion of a normal life. And I don’t have toforce Sable inside like a kitten in a cage.
I’m sitting on one of the stone benches when Galen comes out to meet me before our official meeting. He’s showered, and in his light blue jeans and white shirt, he could easily pass for a Horigean, if it wasn’t for those bright silver flecks in his iris.
“Your eye looks better. How’s the wound?” I ask him, shifting along the bench to let him sit beside me.
“Merya stitched me up pretty well, but it will leave another scar. Thanks for coming to the rescue, Tabs; I know it was on short notice.”
I turn to meet his gaze. His face is more tanned and freckled compared to those who chose or were forced to stay on Horigos.
I study his face. “A question has been nagging at me since we left Libera. Why the rush? Evelyn told me we still have a few days left—”
“I thought the same. But Roden has been acting erratically since discovering where Kris was hiding. He pushed for July to cross as soon as possible. As to the people who attacked us, I strongly believe they did not arrive in Libera that night. They were already on the island…”
I nod. “Do you think that was a decoy to cover what was happening here? We’ve never seen so many red souls travelling so fast and in such numbers. The armed forces Roden sent our way scared the shit out of me. We managed to save some, but Roden’s dogs took the rest.”
Galen runs a hand through his damp hair. “That is nocoincidence. Roden sent July to harvest a red soul not far from here. I’m sure he thought Kris wasn’t far, and July could have led the Chapter to him. Evelyn thinks Roden is working on a plan B we didn’t see coming.” He looks away, contemplating the orchards. “Now, I have a question for you.”
He stretches a hand to the tree beside him and picks a peach, juggling it before biting into its juicy flesh. “What is Krisdoing here? I thought we were going to wait for July to steadily get back on her feet before dumping everything on her. Again.”
That’s it. Here’s why he didn’t join the others for breakfast, and why he’s been so distant with me. I mirror him and grab a ripe fruit for myself. Mack did a great job; it tastes exactly like the original ones.
“This was the plan from the beginning, and Kris gave it an extra push by curing all the Reds he could get hold of. He’s hiding it well, but his mind and body are growing weaker by the day. I assumed, at this point, there is no need to keep them apart—”
“You do realise that’s a bomb ready to explode?”
At my puzzled look, Galen smirks, shaking his head, “So, Eve had time to call you but didn’t think it crucial to tell you about one little detail.”
He bites into the fruit, bracing an elbow on his knee.
“What are you talking about?”
His low laugh is anything but happy. “July made a deal with Roden. He promised her freedom. From her duties. From Libera. She only needs to deliver Kris’ soul to him. Not his body—just hiswholesoul. He must have sensed Kris’ energy drop to a dangerous level. And thanks to you - and your decision to bring him to HQ - we may have just given her the chance to do that before she could even learn the whole truth.”
My half-eaten peach drops on the floor with a squelching sound. “She did what? Why? Hang on, hang on. You left her alone for hours, risking her walking around and ending up face-to-face with him?”
Galen allows me a couple of seconds to gain back my breath, munching on the peach before saying, “Well, excuse me, but apparently I wasn’t the one shoving them under the same roof and—”
“Andapparently,I am the one still not aware of many things. That seems to be the leitmotif of my fucking life lately. Care to explain?”
We both turn our heads at the sound of July’s voice to find her staring at us from the kitchen’s back door, as another ripe peach hits the ground, falling from Galen’s open hand.
Chapter 36 - The Face in My Dream
July
Galen and Tabitha leap to their feet like the bench is on fire, and they stare at me as if I have ignited the flame.
I shift my weight onto my left foot, staring back. “Lost for words all of a sudden?”
Galen attempts a timid step in my direction, and all I want to do is to smack that guilty smile off his face.
“Oh, no. You stay where you are. And you…” I concentrate on Tabitha, pointing a shaking finger at her face. My whole body is trembling. “I bet even those trees know more about me than—fucking me!”
“July, why don’t we all sit and discuss this—civilly?”
