Page 51 of Souls We Rip

With a smile on my lips, I left the candle on the ground and brought the wood to him to cut it.

After some time, I replaced Andrei in splitting the wood into pieces that would fit in the terracotta stoves. The sun took over the darkness, its heat slowing us down.

The last month of summer, Secerar, was the hardest. It was the time of the year when we would take the wheat from the crops and turn it into flour. Besides that, we had to prepare the seeds from our vegetables for the next season.

As promised, after we took a break to eat, I went back to the stables with apples for the horse. Leaving the wooden door ajar, I went straight to it.

“Here you go,” I said, taking one apple and, with a steady hand, gave it to it.

The beast munched on the fruit, its tail wagging. The hay that was spread beneath it flew in the whole stable, pieces of it landing on my hair. The horse licked my hand, laughter bubbling in my throat.

“What are you doing here?”

Shivers broke on my skin. The horse nudged my hand for more apples, but I couldn’t move. Seeing that I had no intention of giving more, its snout moved to the basket.

“I asked you a question.”

I closed my eyes, trying to keep my heartbeat steady. Turning around and prying my eyes open, I saw the Goat Man standing in the stable door. I squinted, noticing that instead of hooves it had feet.

Moving my gaze over its hidden figure, I saw nothing beyond its abyss. Its cloaks were the same, dark, with small embellishments, either gold or silver. A contrast between my clothing and its.

“I do not have to answer to someone who cowers behind a hood.” My shoulders stood straighter as the Goat Man advanced.

The man, because Goat it was not then, kept his hands hidden, but I had a clear memory of one of them touching me. His feet brushed my opinci, and I couldn’t take my eyes off them. It was an odd sensation.

What lay behind the mask and cloak?

“I am still your master,” he said, his voice low and touching my skin.

The feelings this creature instilled in me were against my beliefs. As he waited for my reply, I prayed to God to illuminate my path and not to fall into his spider web.

“That you are, yes. On paper.” My retort came quickly, and my prayer was forgotten. “I am here to feed your horse.”

My eyes travelled to the hood, my fingers twitching to pull it back from his strange eyes.

The Goat Man sidestepped me, going to the stallion, which was still eating the apples. A smile broke over my lips.

I watched enthralled as the Goat Man took a brush and started to run it over the horse's coat. It stood quietly, under the power of its owner.

“For how long has this horse been your companion?” I asked, supporting my shoulder on one of the wooden poles that held the structure of the stable. The Goat Man stood behind the horse, hiding.

“Since the beginning.”

The answer was curt, but I felt his eyes on me. “And that is…?”

“A very long time ago,” he said, his mind far away. “I don’t remember,” he admitted.

“Will I forget my life too?” My voice became smaller, imagining that I had to unlearn everything about my family.

“To be honest, I don’t know. I heard the other members of the Order talking about their past lives, so you might still have memories.”

My brows furrowed. “And you do not.”

“And I do not,” he repeated, bending to brush the hair from the stallion’s legs.

It seemed odd to be calm around the Goat Man, to talk to him as if we were sharing a glass of mulled wine.

“Are you sure you won’t be able to come?” He knew what I was referring to – the baptism procession.