CW:

Soul wribbles? Saving children from slavery. Soul fighting and angry and trapped and talk of drowning. Mhm. Two big cruel predators tackling a little gal and threating to hurt her.

I drag my talons along the crumbling sandstone of the thick railing that separates this upper level from a long fall downward. Squinting eyes out over the midnight colored sands of the desert beyond.

This… really really tall tower thing on the edge of the city of Theradas has kinda been the best spot to work from.

From what I could read of their souls, the people using this place before us were basically runaway slaves. Not super nice, and plenty willing to hurt others, but… Awnya insisted they might have not had any other good options and we would treat them kinda like Undreka. Adopt them into the manor and try to help them heal into better people.

Now we have the twenty-two levels to ourselves, and use the second to top one as the gathering place where I drop off the souls I snatch up now.

The Fae are… all a mess. They’ve gotten three more spooky goose souls, as Awnya calls them. Big and scary and kinda dribbling with a desire to hunt. But… They don’t seem to know what happened to Heklis. My Riftwalk’s scent seems to have already melted away by the time they tracked where their lost Fae went, and now all these souls seem to bubble in fear at the monsters in the city. Even sent a few more Fae to watch Thendra’s manor.

And with just how fast the little echoes of my smelly Riftwalk fade… Awnya and Tretion seem pretty sure they don’t know we’re here. All the slaves they might be hearing talks disappearing just the outcome of more cruel things being done to people they don’t want to worry about.

“Alright.” Awnya calls while walking up to stand at my side. “You good to start pulling in the next batch?”

I turn back and give her a nod and a grin. Then begin adjusting hood and scarf to cover my eyes and face.

Raska stands close, Amwella focused and bubbling in such harmonic patterns as she watches me and Awnya and this tower and everything she can. Her 5 flames, as she calls the extra flickers of thoughtpaths within herselves, beginning to wiggle together like never before. All of them seem to enjoy when I hug their soul and want to keep me safe.

In this past week of trips after capturing Hekliss we’ve kinda all just… collapsed into bed together. Either at Getrik’s or back in the Manor. All of us so exhausted and filled with relief at another bundle of souls saved while also worried about the coming days' dangers.

And while I am still always flinching in worry at the shadow beneath and behind my soul… no more spirits have bubbled up. And with so many other things to worry about and my Fuzzy Fae spirit radiating promises, I’ve started to relax a little. Sleeping better and pushing away the memories I don’t want. Focusing on the loving souls I snuggle to every night, our Jellyfish, and the happiness we’re building together.

“Any changes?” Raska asks.

“Sh– shifting.” I reply. “A b– bit. M– moving th– through S– south tunnels. Qu– questioning p– people.”

“How fast?” Awnya asks.

I shake my head. “Sl– slow. Spread out. B– but guarding. N– not m– moving.”

“What about the scarier ones? They always wander off.” Raska pressed.

“Also sl– slow. C– careful. C– can avoid.”

She doesn't like that. But…

“She can outpace them.” Awnya replies. “Hekliss didn’t even know this was Lyra till she already had them back at the house. Even if they see her snatch a soul they’ll think her just some predator so long as she keeps her hiding song going.”

I’m getting really good at it. My old silly sneaking son was already strong when I was hunting for Thendra, and I didn’t need it very often. But now that staying hidden is everything? I’ve slowly learned to wrap all my Amwella inside it. Only a few tendrils will slip out and even that’s only when I’m holding 2-3 people!

And while my Curse still bites pretty bad sometimes… my soul is just so big now! I can go all day singing my Riftwalks and hiding songs before needing to rest and recover. And like always my Amwella is totally healed and ready to sing the next morning!

Raska’s core wriggles a bit, 5 Flames considering that with her. “Yeah. Fair enough. Alright girl. Keep your loads small. Don’t risk more than you can carry. Those Fae see even a glint of your full Amwella and we lose our stealth.”

“Mhm! N– no risks. C– careful. Sneaky.” I move up to wrap a hug of soul and layered body about her. Whisper so the words are clear. “Stay safe. Oke?”

She huffs out a laugh and squeezes me back. “Same to you girl.”

After another tighter hug for my Fae and the Jellyfish that nap nuzzled to her soul, and I’m enduring a little bite of the curse to start the work.

First three are close together. Huddled in a side passage and chained together. So I add a little song of asking the metal to stop holding them as I tug us along through a Shift back to the tower. Drop them into Awnya’s waiting melody and move to the next bundle.

Two in a kitchen of some kind cooking something tasty. Snatch them up and drop them off.

Three little ones playing on a rooftop. No Amwella sparked but a nice trio of parents we freed yesterday asked me to make sure and grab their kids so like… of course they’re next! Was worried about finding people without souls but… I manage. It's not hard to follow their directions and leave them safe in my Fae’s song woven net. Then Shift back over to…

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Hmmm… That’s… like… there are more running about. Little ones without sparks and pretty much ignored by most of the scary monsters due to their lack of Amwella to eat. And when I focus really hard I… I can…

Sense a weight.

Huh. The Dream or some such getting ready to spark inside them?

Weird. But… also good because now I know what to look for! Without Amwella they’re actually way easier to carry back to our tower!

Try to also get their parents if I can sense some matching wribbles but… most seem to be alone and kinda fending for themselves. Awnya’s getting a bit overwhelmed though. This is a bigger group than we planned for now and her Amwella is humming in worry about the weight of it all.

“V– very light.” I assure her and kinda wrap the sleepy calm group in a big hug with her. “O– out time.”

She nods through her song, and I pull us through.

Skip through a bubble in a smelly Rift, then tumble backways into Getrik’s manor.

The little ones are recovering quicker than the others. Glancing about and still deciding if they should feel safe or start to panic. Buuut… our brilliant Watcher and Nelops are there and calling out to the ones whose parents we got and that seems to help them tilt toward better feelings.

Quick and easy, they’re through to the manor and Raska and Awnya and I are Riftwalking back to Theradas again. Another couple hugs, and I’m off.

Shifting and slipping and growling my songs of hunting. Snatching up prey and dropping them back with my beloved and our Everflame. Then we have the most I can push through a Riftwalk, let them get taken to the manor. Help Awnya with that Riftwalk too since she’s getting a little tired and then we’re back and doing it all over again.

And again. Too many times for me to count, although our Brilliant Watcher has given me numbers that kinda just feel too big to imagine.

That’s… Why I missed it. I think?

Pausing atop some high point in the city to feel everything and everyone and who to save next and letting myself enjoy the spiced scent. Hood and face cover have slipped down enough so that my eyes are free to open and dance across the pretty midnight colored sand and buildings and twinkling sky and the horizon and the trees I can see in the distance and…

Wait. Trees? A forest?

Squint, look harder at the things at the farthest horizon. Soft brumbly shapes that sparkle with new colors?

Shift out into the desert past the city. Atop another big rock. Just a quick peek to understand what I’m seeing. Not getting distracting. Not alone. Looking at something the could be a thing my Beloveds need to know and staying well away from anyone who might want to hurt or capture me.

Pull all the cloth away from my face so I can get a better look. The spiced smell hits me before anything else. So much stronger here that within the city. Mingled with the sand and the winds and…

What? Dreamer’s Tits is… is that… is that really a forest?

I stare for a while. Breathing deeply and trying to understand what I’m seeing.

But nothing grows like that out here! It’s too dry and hot and I’ve almost never seen it rain!

Make sure no Amwella is anywhere nearby, and shift closer. Jellyfish coo and titter in their own curiosity. The growing spice is filling us with some deep emotions I… Like I’ve been here before. Which I haven’t?

R– right?

Thendra never took us here. Always stayed in the tunnels beneath the sands or a new Rift entirely when she wanted quiet places to train me.

So… Why…?

Fuzzy Fae is purring… something. Not words but… worry? Trying to tell me something?

That makes me stop just after one more Shift closer. Turn my focus inward to the mebe places and it’s bristling from.

No distractions. Right. Sorry. I huff and nuzzle it back. Awnya and Raska are probably starting to worry.

It rumbles agreement as I focus. Take a step back and… And feel the shadows beneath and behind my soul bubble. Then begin to pop with screams.

Another spirit swimming close through the pitch.

Gotta get back! We… we planned for this!

Fuzzy Fae twists out and around us. Fur solidly between my Jellyfish, me, and the bubbling shadows as I begin to push through the curse’s sting to weave myself a Shift back to Awnya and Raska so we can get this group back home and…

And it shatters and falls apart. Fingers don’t break like they used to, but… I’m on my knees and hissing at the curse’s sting and the surprise and failure and… and the fear.

Stupid. It’s fine. We’re fine. Just… keep trying.

And so I do. Jellyfish gurgling in worry at my sea-bed as it writhes in pain at the Curse’s bite and the fear at the song just… not working! Getting smushed or smothered or…

Pulled deeper.

Drowned.

The idea makes my everything go cold.

Shadows keep bubbling. Keep screaming. Something is swimming near and now I’m worried my messy broken songs are drawing it closer!

So I stop even trying to run and instead wrap my Naranggas close. Nuzzle my thoughts to my Fuzzy Fae Spirit and fill the mebe parts of our soul with furious Reaver instincts as we wait to see what comes up from the pitch.

Ready to pounce and tear this new threat to pieces.

Another howl, followed by a twisting and pulsing of the shadows.

Then they explode out in a hissing spitting mess of angry violence. Looking like a wigglie mess of arms and teeth and a long tail slapping all around.

Takes us a second to realize that there are three spirits. And that they’re ignoring us completely while tumbling around.

The biggest one has four arms, seven clawed and taloned fingers on each hand, spines all running down its body. The second is almost as big, and is all long and scaled and has really big talons with mouths on the palms. And between them is um… their pinning a smaller one while biting and striking and howling wordlessly cruel laughter. The one below writhes and twists and tries to escape but… finds herself too small and too weak to get free as this bigger and meaner one begins to… to…

Pause, the two look around in surprise. The biggest then turns to me and… and…

Six blazing red eyes drink my everything in. Followed soon by a grin of twinkling teeth dripping with spirit flame and hunger. Then it whispers with half of a familiar voice that makes my skin crawl. [Little Fae…?]

I… I know this spirit. But how is that possible!?! I don’t remember it!

“Wh– who…?” I stammer, taking a step back that does nothing to change how close this spirit is to us.

The second tilts its head and shifts weight to keep the smallest spirit pinned. [Since when does Thendra let her Desolate Maw talk?]

It knows Thendra? But… but how would it know about that stupid name she gave me?

Fuzzy Fae bristles with the anger I’m struggling to pull up through my confusion. Jellyfish are starting to hiss and swim about in odd patterns.

Wait… If all the godlings were like me. Then this one could have been…

The bigger growls warnings to the spirit beneath itself, hissing dark threats before pushing off and rising. The second does the same and follows. Leaving the third spirit to whimper on the ground. Both looming as tall as my Dark Goddess and beginning to move toward me. Saying something about… something?

It doesn’t matter. Because I know who they are.

Or were.

“F– Fur F– Furth– O– Nois?”

Or at least parts of them? Parts I met after they bubbled up the day they demanded I bring them Awnya.

The spirits grin, seeming to crouch low and prowl toward me like the predators they are. Then separate and move to approach from two angles.

The parts they let bubble up when it was time to eat a Fae.

Naranggas flex deadly claws and twisting death and even my sea-bed grows darker and more threatening.

[We’re not limited by flesh and oaths to weaker slaves this time.] The larger purrs, seeming totally unworried by my soul’s changes and warnings. [You should submit to us, little Fae.]

I hiss, and Instead I swirl my Naranggas into a twisting mess of soul death and swing a limb down to smack this horrid spirit!

[Wonderful.] It smirks just before the strike lands.