Page 106 of Souls We Rip

The happiness I felt was exhilarating. And then I stopped, hearing something I missed. I pressed my hand to my chest, the vibration coming from it pounded my hand, moving it up and down.

“It is not there yet,” an ominous voice spoke. It travelled over the rock, the sound stealing my euphoria and replacing it with dread. “It is an illusion.”

The Elk’s laughter froze my hand on my chest, the blood stopping its course through my body.

“What do you want?” I growled through my teeth.

I saw one of his antlers’ shadows on the stone walls, a nightmare coming alive. His hooves clacked on the floor, their sound filling me with rage.

He was here to destroy me. To break every dream Ana and I allowed ourselves to have.

“You relished your skull for good, brother,” he whispered, stopping in front of me.

I leaned my head closer, assessing him. His coat was ripped at the bottom; his fur lost its glimmer, and somehow, he’d managed to break one of his antlers. “What happened, older brother? Got dragged through the dirt?”

“None of your concern!” he hissed, his voice making the bed and Mirror tremble.

Chuckling, I took off my cloak and threw it on the floor. “What can I do for you, heir of sheep?”

A guttural sound came from his neck, rattling once more the Mirror.

“You’re right, I am the heir! Thus, if you become human, then you will receive what belongs to me, and I cannot have it, little brother.”

The threat blocked the smile on my lips. And then, I was aware of the silence. The ghost didn’t make an appearance, and Eugen should have come to my chamber by now, his curious mind making him question every little sound.

“Where are they?” I asked, my tone low and filled with bitterness.

“Finally, you ask. They are in my lair, guarded by my whisperers. Guarded is an understatement, of course.”

“What did you do to them?” I shouted, the Mirror almost falling, balancing from side to side on the wall.

“Don’t get hasty, I did not do anything to them…yet.”

It was his turn to chuckle, the skull moving as his chest puffed. I was sick to my stomach, and for the first time, I truly wanted to end him, but not then. I had to wait for the right moment.

And as I did not have a pure soul…

“So, tell me, brother, how do you expect any of us to claim something that probably disappeared? Perhaps there are new owners to that land, the sheep’s bones have already decayed, and the house is already in shambles.”

“You would know that?” His tone hinted at something that I would rather lock up and keep safe.

“Yes, I have visited the old house, if that is what you are insinuating.”

“Ah, and that was the moment you trusted your whore?”

I dashed to him, my arm pinning his neck, his skull almost coming out of his head. My other hand punched his chest, squeezing whatever he had inside, a gurgling sound filling the air.

“Do. Not. Talk. About. Her! Do not mention her name with your soiled mouth. She is above us all!” My voice was low, my lips too close to the bone. “You’re nothing more than a speck in front of her!”

He pushed me to the opposite wall, my back hitting the stone.

“Are you certain?” he said, malice ingrained in his voice. He arranged his cloak and skull to fit and strutted to me. Its hooves tapped against my head. “You need to be proud, brother; you corrupted her in killing nine humans. What does that say about her? She does not seem to be pure anymore. Especially not after she killed her own father!”

His skull was in my face, darkness watching me. I slammed my hand on it, sending my brother onto the wooden table, breaking it under his weight.

“You and your cult made her this way! The contract pulled at her and took and took. By the time I realised it was the vilest thing I could do, she had already ripped the souls of three people!”

I stood up, watching my brother crawl. He was stumbling to regain his posture. Something was off with him. The Elk did not seem to be that almighty anymore.