A Soul to Embrace (Duskwalker Brides #8)

Chapter 40

I’d been hoping to show Zylah more of the city before they called on me, Jabez mused, as he was led through the central tree’s hallways. Then again, they did mention this yesterday.

It was still rather early in the day, and the first sun barely crested over the horizon with an aqua hue. He was thankful their new home faced west and prevented the morning and afternoon suns’ north-to-south arc from directly shining through their windows.

The morning horizon kind of reminds me of her orb colour, he randomly noted, liking this new facet of it he could appreciate.

Keeping his expression bored and dull, warmth filled his chest as he remembered her inspecting their house. It was larger than the one they’d been staying in and had a small kitchen should they wish to make a snack or tea – since it was common to eat communally. The bathroom consisted of a toilet, sink, and a shower, while a special bathtub large enough to fit them both comfortably had been built into the floor near the window of the main area.

A seating area consisting of two lounges and a small table was common among most households from memory, but there was also a small dining area for two people as well. With their bed situated against the wall, similar to their previous room, the foot of it was positioned towards the bathtub and wall of glass panes.

There was a spacious area free of any furniture that they could fill themselves, and he had no idea what they might put there. He appreciated that, as it meant their home could evolve freely. There was also a small private room that could be turned into a study should they choose it.

Their home was considered bigger than most, but that had been done on purpose to keep him complacent. Had the councilmembers tucked them into some tiny nook as a form of punishment, despite them being taller than everyone else in the city, he would have been annoyed.

They wisely thought ahead.

After the council meeting and then being shown their home, he sat Zylah down and finally explained everything that had happened since they entered the city, so she wasn’t left out. She’d been concerned when he explained his behaviour in the first meeting within the conference chamber, but he figured she deserved to understand.

It also allowed him to share some of his childhood experiences, which he’d never explained to anyone else before. It’d been a hard conversation to have, but she was his female now, and keeping the truth of his past, where everything had started, was unfair.

He also... wanted to share it with her.

How he’d been treated as a child and all the way through to his late teenage years had been a heavy burden to bear. He was tired of carrying it on his own, and he wanted her to understand him in a way that no one else ever had, or ever would. It also let her know that his mind may not always be well, and that he may sometimes recede into the depths of his past while they were here.

When she’d attempted to coddle him, as he expected she would, he’d made the excuse to show her around the central tree. There were no shops inside, but there was still much to show her, and it took the rest of the day. He also wanted to familiarise himself with an environment he’d barely known as a young boy.

They sat in the communal eating area for dinner. He’d been uncomfortable with the inquisitive stares, mainly because they were cast at her and not him. She hadn’t seemed to care, too busy staring back at them in curiosity herself, which almost had him laughing.

His face and name would become known, and soon the citizens would grow wary of his presence. He was excited for that, and couldn’t wait to see people cast their uneasy, frightened stares away from him.

Since the days were so long here, they’d had plenty of time to spend with each other in just a single one. There would be many more.

Which was why, when he was led through the halls, he wasn’t that annoyed he’d been stolen from her. Zylah had wanted to come, but he thought it was best she remained behind.

I will have to find things for her to do when I’m called away. She’d already shown her dismay at the idea of being left behind when he did go outside the protections.

Where he was being led to was on a far outreaching branch of the central-tree palace, as if it had purposefully been designed to be out of the way. At the end of a long, empty hallway, a set of double doors came into view.

A woman, who was obviously an attendant for the councilmembers, rapped her knuckles against the door. Her hair was short, only coming to her chin, and she’d dyed the ends bright red. Many Elysians played with the white of their hair, dying it an array of colours to show their individuality.

“He may enter,” Raewyn stated on the other side.

When Jabez had first laid eyes on the willowy woman and her soft, freckled features, he never would have guessed she was one of the head scientists. Considering she’d taken over his mother’s work, he figured Raewyn had a good relationship with her. He intended to keep the woman at arm’s length.

As he opened the door, two scents wafted through the crack.

One was gentle and sweet. He frowned when he found it familiar in his memories, but he struggled to place it. Maybe I did know her as a child. It’d been hard to pick it out in the conference room due to the other seventeen councilmembers.

The other scent had one side of his nose wrinkling in surprise. Merikh? Hard to mistake that citrusy, spiced, masculine aroma.

As soon as Jabez tried to enter, Merikh’s broad, muscular chest came into view and was entirely in the way. Arms folded above his rounded gut and partially leaning against it, a growl rumbled from the Mavka as he tipped his bear skull down to him. His bull tail flicked to the side in irritation.

Since he had no issue getting into the Mavka’s space, his chest grazed the back of Merikh’s armoured forearms when he stepped forward and closed the door behind him.

He peeked up at Merikh, just as the burly bitch growled, “Behave.”

“I am the epitome of tranquil and controlled,” Jabez said with a shit-eating grin less than a foot from Merikh’s. “You’re the one who doesn’t know how to keep himself from losing it. How’s your mother? Does she know you’re here?”

Speaking of the Witch Owl – who Merikh hated – was a terrible idea on Jabez’s part. But he was incapable of not needling the brutish male, and after how things had ended during their last conversation, he did really want to get back at him.

He expected the roar that came from Merikh. What he hadn’t foreseen was a massive fist slamming into the side of his face until his cheekbone cracked . Being shunted to the side with nothing but a singular, unexpected punch, Jabez crashed into a long counter. Glass jars filled with herbs, questionable liquid, and who else knew what, knocked over, rolled across the counter, and then smashed against the ground.

“Merikh!” Raewyn yelled at the top of her lungs. With her fingertips brushing the edge of the counter to orientate and guide herself within the room, she ran to the side. “I told you that if you couldn’t keep your temper under control, then you weren’t allowed to be here today!”

She spoke in English, probably due to Merikh still learning Nyl’kira. Jabez continued in the same language, so all understood.

Immediately discombobulated, Jabez used his elbows against the counter’s top as he fought to get back to his feet. More jars shattered and broke. He wiggled his jaw to make sure Merikh hadn’t fractured that as well.

“I’m not quite sure I deserved that,” he muttered with a pout.

“You killed my brother, you pointy-eared fuck!” Merikh roared with his claws bared. He stomped towards Jabez, his heavy, bare, claw-toed feet slapping against the obsidian floor, and he was surprised the big bastard didn’t crack it.

Oh shit! Jabez teleported before Merikh could even swipe at him and ended up on the opposite side of the enraged Mavka.

I guess I did deserve it. He hadn’t known Merikh was aware of what had happened to his winged brother.

Merikh snarled as he turned with orbs so red, Jabez was surprised he hadn’t fallen into a rage. “I should break every bone in your fucking body.”

“Temper temper,” Jabez taunted, stepping to the side before Merikh could swing. “If you can’t behave, perhaps you should leave.”

“And leave you alone with my bride?!”

Figured as much. Why else would Merikh be in this laboratory? The reminder of the woman had a callous glint lifting into his features.

Jabez teleported again. Raewyn gasped when he clasped her face from behind and pressed his chest against her back to keep her still. She stiffened in his hold, especially as the point of his right index fingernail stabbed into the thin, fragile skin right beneath her eye.

“Calm down, Merikh, or else,” Jabez warned.

“You’re a fucking coward!” Merikh snarled, refusing to move with his precious bride now in harm’s way. The guards covering his forearms and calves were struggling to keep his quills down, and he appeared to be moments from shredding them apart.

“Cowardliness is just a word.” Jabez brought his face right next to Raewyn’s and gave the brute a glare. “A smart man will use any means to take back control of a situation, and we both know I’m no stranger to hurting someone’s mate to get my way.”

“You’ve been here a little over a day and you’ve already violated one of your restrictions,” Raewyn sneered, her gentle voice hard and unbending.

“How so?” Jabez let a chuckle fill his tone. “So far I have harmed no one, and threatening someone has never been a violation of a crime. I was told to use my ability to teleport to evade a fight, even in self-defence.” Then, right next to her ear, he stated, “You demanded I come here this morning, then kept him here, knowing he was angry with me. What did you think was going to happen?”

Although he preferred the terms playful and witty, he was sure Merikh told them he was an asshole or something. Of course Jabez would go out of his way to annoy his old friend, and Merikh should have foreseen this outcome.

“He refused to leave me unprotected. Can you blame him after everything you’ve done?”

“What about what he’s done?” Jabez countered, raising a brow at Merikh when he dared to step closer. “He helped me raze towns, even an Anzúli one. He’s eaten people, and killed countless humans and Demons. His hands are just as bloodied as mine.”

“He didn’t kill your brother,” she muttered quietly, but her lips did flatten, unable to deny what he’d stated.

“I removed that command months before it happened,” he informed them. “Sure, it’s still my fault for issuing it, but I attempted to stop my destruction of Mavka. I wasn’t pleased when they brought me the winged one’s skull, and in fact, I punished them for it to ensure word spread faster that I’d undone it.”

“You revoked your order?” Merikh asked, the red in his orbs dimming.

“I did it before I last spoke to you on Earth. I realised destroying Weldir wasn’t the way to get what I wanted and had already planned to abandon Earth with or without you.” Then Jabez’s brows drew together as something became startlingly apparent. “You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?” Merikh bit out.

“Weldir brought that Mavka back to life.”

Merikh’s orbs flooded with dark yellow as he stepped back on a shaky leg. “What?”

“I was surprised, too, when I heard of it,” Jabez admitted, as he softened the stab of his sharp nails on Raewyn’s pretty face. “But Lindiwe confirmed it.” He shook his head as an annoyed chuckle came from him. “You fucking attacked me and tried to prevent us from entering the city when your brother still lives.”

“He still died .” Then he folded his arms across his chest with a scoff. “You deserved me hitting you for a lot of reasons.”

Maybe that was true, and Jabez couldn’t deny it. He had much to make up for regarding Merikh, but he was willing to try.

Now that things were calming, he slowly removed his hands from the scientist. She stumbled forward against the edge of the counter, and Merikh quickly rushed to her when it appeared like she’d fall.

But Jabez’s temper was still high; he was annoyed, and he despised the way his fractured cheek throbbed. A bruise was rising and blood dripped from a rather nasty gash.

The fact that Merikh nearly had a hand in endangering Zylah, when Jabez had been trying everything to protect her, had anger burning in his muscles.

He teleported right in front of Merikh, and with the force of them approaching each other, he kneed the Mavka right in the groin. Merikh choked and then wheezed as he cupped right where his seam would be. The hit had been so hard that it sent the guy to his knees and the bottoms of his orbs wavered when they turned white.

“Control your fucking temper,” Jabez warned, giving him a steely glare as he looked down. “Especially with your mate nearby.”

Then again, Jabez knew he was being a hypocrite. Unashamedly, he often was.

“I should kill you,” Merikh quietly growled up at him.

Jabez crouched down next to him, although wisely out of reach. “Can’t kill something that doesn’t die,” he answered with a sickly sweet smile. “I’m a Phantom now, Merikh. Zylah has ensured I’m untouchable. The ability to teleport and turn into a Phantom? Could you imagine what violence I could have unleashed had they thrown me from the city? They were wise to approve us, otherwise the next time we met, it would have been me ripping into your mate just to hurt you for getting in the way.”

Then Jabez placed his hand on Merikh’s shoulder and teleported them both next to Raewyn’s side. It got him out of the way so Jabez could put space between them after materialising next to the door, and it allowed the couple to be together after the mess Merikh had caused.

“You have no idea who she is, do you?” Merikh stated with a chuckle, slapping his hand on the counter next to Raewyn to support his attempt to rise.

Jabez looked at the pathetic way the Mavka had shakily gotten to his feet. He inwardly winced. Perhaps I did knee him just a smidge too hard. He bet rage was simmering beneath the surface of his agitated, flared muscles and fur.

“Should I?” Jabez asked, tilting his head.

“Merikh, don’t,” Raewyn whispered before nibbling at her bottom lip.

“I thought you were lying or just insane, but you actually don’t remember,” he said with a wheeze. “I never picked you for having memories missing in that stupid fucking head of yours.”

She’s a councilmember, a scientist that took over my mother’s work, and knows different languages like my stepfather. It didn’t take him much to figure it out. Is her surname the same as...?

The laugh that burst out of him almost had him keeling over. “Let me guess, she’s my half-sister?”

The little girl whose face had only recently been haunting his dreams. He should have picked it, considering the familiar hair and scent, but she’d only been, what, seven when he’d been taken away permanently? How was he supposed to know what she’d look like at thirty-two?

We don’t even share the same last name. Jabez had his mother’s name, and he’d been the only one to use it even when she’d chosen her life partner in Doctor Daefaren. His stepfather refused to properly adopt him, a Demon spawn, or maybe no one had thought to do so yet. Regardless, the lack of action from his ‘parents’ had weighed heavily on his conscience.

“Why the fuck should I care?” Jabez countered, causing her sweet face to twist into hurt. “We were children when I last spoke to her, and much has changed. I let go of my family when I was rotting in my prison cell.”

If she wanted some fateful, long-awaited hug from him, she was poorly mistaken. Jabez had no affection for her, nor anyone from his past.

“I visited you,” Raewyn stated softly, turning her head to the side.

“And what good did that do you?” Jabez asked, folding his arms across his chest defensively. “I didn’t want anyone watching me falling into madness, and reaching for you did nothing but deepen my hurt. You were free, I was not. You were an Elysian, and me a hybrid cursed by the very mother we share. I hated that you had everything I never did.”

“That wasn’t my fault!” Raewyn screamed while placing her hand over her heart. “I loved you! Looked up to you! You have no idea how much I missed you, worried for you, cared for you!”

“I was locked away inside darkness for so long I forgot your face,” Jabez told her. “Missing you in return only made everything I lost hurt more.”

She flinched, her ears twitching as if she misheard him, then slowly brought her head forward. “You... missed me?”

“You were the only thing that made me happy as a child,” he admitted, his arms tightening as his gaze narrowed. “You were my only friend. I lost you, and everything, the same day. I had to let all that go in order to protect myself.”

She nibbled on her bottom lip as tears flooded her eyes. She was strong-willed enough to stop them from falling, quickly blinking them away before they could spill over. He was thankful for that, as he didn’t want to have to pretend he cared – and likely wouldn’t have.

“I’m so sorry,” she muttered as she raised her trembling hands to cover her lips.

“Can we get to the point as to why I’m here?” Jabez asked, wanting to get away from this uncomfortable conversation.

He was sure they would have many more in the future, but he wasn’t open to rekindling any kind of relationship with his half-sister right now. He didn’t know if he ever would be. Maybe Zylah could help him open his locked-up heart – she had a way of doing that – but now wasn’t the right time.

He’d just been accepted into this horrid city, and his senses had been on high alert since entering it. At the moment, he wanted little more than to get to know his mate better and discover that bond far more intimately. His deep affection for Zylah was entirely new to him, and he was still learning who he was as a bonded male.

Just a few days ago, his goal had been everything, and his hatred the backbone of who he was.

He needed time to adjust to all these new changes.

Jabez appreciated knowing the truth, especially as he’d be having a lot of contact with her through her work and Merikh. Being uninformed over the course of weeks would have infuriated him and would have destroyed any trust in her he may have developed, despite that being unlikely.

Although her features scrunched with further hurt, she snapped her face forward and cleared her throat.

“Yes, maybe that’s for the best,” Raewyn muttered as she stepped back behind the main counter in the room and took a seat on a stool. She skilfully managed to harden her voice like a true councilmember and the head of a scientific department. “Merikh, go clean up the mess you made.”

Grunting, the bull-horned Mavka deepened the naturally red colour of his orbs at Jabez before doing as he was instructed.

“Good little assistant,” Jabez playfully sneered.

“Fuck off,” Merikh snapped at him. “Next time, I’ll kick you in the seam, unless you’re letting it all swing again. If so, I might just rip your balls off.”

A grin incidentally caused him to flash his fangs. Fuck, I missed him. That argumentative temper of his matched Jabez’s own.

His humour died as he looked towards Raewyn, who had her left ear turned more to him. She’s very pretty – no wonder Merikh was enthralled by her. I imagine he likes taking care of her, since he’s usually so destructive.

He was even obediently sweeping up glass with a dustpan and broom, and Jabez doubted he could ever make Merikh do such a thing. She had a special hold on him.

Whatever makes him happy.

“Now that I know of our relationship, and how it means you likely have a close bond with our mother, I expect you to keep your word and not reveal to her what I’m about to disclose,” Jabez stated clearly, and likely a touch too loudly, to make sure she heard him well.

“Yes, I vow it.” Raewyn cupped her hands and placed them on the laboratory counter in front of her. “It will be hard, but I promise the information will not leave this room.”

“Merikh?” Jabez asked.

“Yeah, yeah.” Then, under his breath while he cleaned, he muttered, “Not that I can really talk to anyone properly yet.”

Jabez nodded, satisfied with both their answers, and tapped a finger against his biceps to battle the restraint he held on his secret. His following silence made the noise of Merikh fixing the counter he’d shunted Jabez into louder than it needed to be.

“She was close,” Jabez finally admitted, letting his mask of indifference neutralise his tone. “But Dr Kneis lacked one thing for getting the answer: callousness. I know she tested my blood repeatedly and it brought no answer. That’s because she needed to feed it to a living Demon. I’m guessing the idea never crossed her mind, considering no one thought to feed me blood or meat.”

Raewyn’s lips parted on a quiet gasp. “Wait, are you saying...?”

“Yes. My blood, the blood of a hybrid, quickens the process of completion. I’ve tested it, and I’ve been able to prove my theory that if a lesser Demon were to eat me whole, they would reach full completion in one go, rather than needing to eat multiple people.”

“You’re joking,” Raewyn muttered, running her hand over her braided fringe. “The answer was that simple?”

“You can imagine why I couldn’t share that secret.”

Had it become known that eating him could finish their evolution, Demons would have done anything within their means to trap him. Then they would have bled him, waited for him to regenerate, and repeated the process. That’s if someone greedy didn’t get their claws into him, mercifully killing him on the spot.

Merikh’s comment was accompanied by the rain of glass shattering as it fell into a nearby bin. “I’ve eaten bites of you multiple times and it didn’t do shit for me.”

“I think my DNA balances out other Demons,” Jabez said, ignoring him. “I’m the perfect blend because I was born naturally this way. I imagine it’d be the same for other hybrids.”

“But that means there is little we can do to help them,” Raewyn said as she turned her head down and ran her thumbs over the top of each other in forlorn thought. “If that is the only way, then there’s nothing we can do.”

“What are you talking about?” Jabez scoffed. “Didn’t I already state that I would be willing to help?”

“But it would mean we’d have to extract from you.”

Jabez tilted his head when he could see the moral dilemma in her features. Weakhearted.

“Exactly. I won’t allow any of the councilmembers to dissuade the others of your tentative approval. Since one of my conditions for sharing this was that it remains confidential, not assisting with this could be considered me going back on my word. The others will be too curious as to why it’s not possible, so I’d rather avoid that and just do what needs to be done. Considering I’m deathless, bleeding me repeatedly would do little but make me feel a bit weak. Since there is no reason for me to fight, I see no issue with it unless I’m mining for mana stones. The healers here can help me, as they did for Zylah.”

“Did you just say you needed a healer for a Mavka?” Merikh asked as he stomped his way to Raewyn’s side. “Why didn’t you just wait a day?”

Jabez’s brows furrowed, and he loosened the fold of his arms. “I did. Her body wouldn’t regenerate.”

“Were you in Nyl’theria or Earth?”

“We were already here when we were attacked.”

Merikh let out a warm laugh. “Did you wait a Nyl’theria day or the equivalent of an Earth day?”

“An Earth day.” As soon as the words left his mouth, his eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?! If we’d waited a full Nyl’theria day...”

“Idiot,” Merikh choked out with a laugh, before pointing at him. “You brought her here for that reason, didn’t you? I bet you feel like a fuckwit now.”

Jabez rumbled out a growl, his eyes narrowing into a glare. “How the fuck was I supposed to know her body would match this world’s sun cycle?” He slapped a hand over his face and let his annoyed rumble die. “I guess that means she’ll heal on her own now.”

“And so will you,” Raewyn interjected. “Although we are able to heal you, if that’s how you’d prefer it.”

“I’d rather not be touched by Elven magic, if I’m being honest.” The idea made him shudder with disgust. Don’t touch me, you horrible cretins.

He’d only offered to be healed by them as an alternative – one he likely wouldn’t have actually used.

“Thank you for speaking with me on this,” Raewyn offered, as she tipped her head up towards Merikh beside her. “I’ll consider our options, and once I begin formulating a plan, I’ll call on you for your assistance. In the meantime, perhaps it would be wise to begin collecting from you as soon as possible in order to slowly build our resources to help as many as we can once we start.” Raewyn cupped her chin in thought, and like she was sharing the inner workings of her mind, said, “If you’re willing, I can run experiments to determine what it is in your blood that allows for their completion, and maybe we can develop a means of extending it so we don’t need as much from you.”

“Whatever makes it easier.”

She nodded, keeping her hand on her chin. With her voice distant, as if she was already working out theories or whatever in her head, she said, “You may leave now.”

Jabez turned and headed towards the doors. When he opened them, he drifted his face to the side and said, “I’m sure you’ll ask Merikh sooner rather than later about mining mana stones if you want me to start on that promptly.”

Before he could obtain an answer, he left to let his statement hang between them. The curious Mavka wouldn’t be able to resist finding out what Jabez was insinuating, and he would no doubt force her to have the conversation even if she wasn’t ready.

It also allowed him and Merikh to begin training together, which was best to start now, rather than delaying it, if they wanted mana stones soon.

On the other side of the door, he met the eyes of his Elysian guard. A smile curled his lips. I guess our family is insane. Considering both of them had chosen Mavka as their partners, perhaps it was in their blood that they’d be different.

Then again, Jabez had an excuse for openly accepting the unusual. But she did grow up with me. He and Raewyn had a healthy bond before he was ripped from his family. He figured because he was different and she’d been exposed to that young, she was more accepting than most.

It was a pointless theory, but one he found humorous all the same.

He stepped towards the guard. “Take me to the library.”

The man nodded and led the way, while Jabez silently followed. He was taken down the central tree until its base touched the ground, where a network of roots arched and twisted, allowing for plenty of rooms and public spaces.

At the hollow, open entrance was a semi-circular desk. Its purpose was to allow true civilians to make requests or ask for passes into the central tree. Jabez was led in the opposite direction, to the back of the tree’s arching roots, where he followed his guard through a large doorway.

Inside, thousands of books were neatly placed on dust-free shelves on multiple levels with stairs. Many people were already inside the library, either searching for books or sitting down in comfortable areas to read freely. The place was quiet except for the occasional footsteps, a cough, and pages flipping.

To the right of the entrance, a long counter desk was situated in front of a shelf with nooks filled with scrolls of information pertaining to the library. Behind the desk, Zerik sat reading a book, wearing a pair of reading glasses.

The guard hung back as Jabez approached the counter, and Zerik paused to peer over his glasses. He flinched, shut his book without his bookmark, and shifted in his seat.

“Jabezir–” He cleared his throat nervously and removed his glasses. “I mean, Jabez. What brings you here?”

Zerik was unable to hide the way uncertainty filled his wrinkled face, nor how mild fear lifted into his scent. Considering that he was the one who had pushed so hard for a young Jabez to be imprisoned, the man likely worried about his potential retaliation.

“I would like to borrow all the books you have in English, if you have any. It’s an Earth language.”

His bushy brows twitched; he was clearly not expecting that kind of request. The man nodded as if he understood, then his eyes flicked to the side like one might if they were about to turn. He was too nervous to do it, as if he didn’t wish to expose his back.

“I-I should be able to locate them easily with one of my organisation scrolls. We only have a small number, though, and they aren’t in the best condition.”

“That’s fine. Zylah is unable to read Nyl’kira. Anything would be helpful, so she has something to entertain herself with.” Then he placed his hand on the counter and thrummed his fingers. “I would like books that’ll be useful in teaching her Nyl’kira.”

Seeing that Jabez had no intention of starting anything violent, or wasn’t attempting to strum up the past in anger, Zerik’s stiff shoulders softened. He gave Jabez a relieved, although forced, smile.

“Do you plan to be the one to teach her Nyl’kira? You can bet I was surprised by how well you’ve managed to remember it, even after all this time.”

“Yes, I’ll be teaching her. Do you also have anything on creating a translation spell that would help? I’d like for her to be able to read on her own, but also being able to speak with others while she’s learning would be beneficial.”

Zerik finally stood, and his long, flowing, sleeveless robes fluttered as he turned. He pulled scrolls from the organisation nooks, unfurling them to check their contents, then put them away when they weren’t the ones he wanted.

“Translation requires the use of a mana stone. You haven’t been informed yet, as we haven’t even begun that endeavour, but you won’t be permitted to keep any for yourself.”

Jabez’s jaw clenched before he muttered, “I figured as much.”

At his tone, Zerik glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. Then he looked away sheepishly, with his very long ears drooping. “Give me a moment. I’ll be right back.”

He ducked around a partition to go behind the organisation shelves to a private room. He returned shortly, and impishly checked that Jabez’s guard wasn’t watching as he slid a small dark-brown pouch across the desk.

“What’s this?” Jabez asked, taking it and opening its drawstrings.

“It doesn’t have much power left, but it should work in the interim,” he said, just as Jabez peeked inside. His ears perked up when he saw the faintest pulsating yellow glow of a mana stone. “It’s from back in the day when we were forming bonds with those on the other sides of portals. I used it when I was a young lad.”

Jabez lifted his head and cocked a brow at him. “I thought you said I wasn’t allowed any mana stones.”

Zerik’s head dipped downwards as his shoulders lifted and his features turned shy. It was a startling difference to the overconfident man from years ago, who’d acted similarly to Ulric. Loud, obnoxious, rude. Considering he was likely in his late seventies, it shouldn’t come as such a surprise that his personality had changed over the years.

“There is little harm in me giving this to you. It’s almost at the end of its life. If you were to attempt to change its use, you’d destroy it in the process.” He pulled another scroll from the shelf and placed it on the desk. “It’s... very precious to me. It’s the only personal stone I’ve kept, as all others have been confiscated for powering aspects of the city.”

“If it’s so precious to you, why give it to me?”

With his back turned to Jabez, Zerik’s face tilted towards the ground. A loud, solemn sigh shook from the elder, causing his shoulders to droop heavily.

“It’s my attempt at making amends for the past, and how much I had a hand in it. Many of the other councilmembers stepped down after you left, too shamed to remain in their seats. I stayed because I wanted to prevent it from happening ever again, as did Laele.” After obtaining one last scroll and confirming it was the one he wanted, Zerik placed it on the desk next to the first he’d taken. “We really are sorry–”

“It will take more than this to fix the past,” Jabez stated over the top of him, while placing it in his pocket.

Zerik’s wrinkled features cringed, and his eyes hinted at regretful sorrow. “I know.”

“If you truly wish to make amends, then I have a counteroffer,” Jabez stated, once more thrumming his fingers on the desk. His eyes narrowed into distrustful slits. “I have little interest in whatever words, apologies, or actions anyone will attempt to rectify what has happened to me. However, Zylah has already shown to be a rather cute bookworm, and she enjoys learning. You giving me this stone means she can already start coming here. If you take her under your wing and help her any way you can, answer her questions about anything she needs further clarification on, and maybe one day let her work under you, it will appease me.”

“The Duskwalker is interested in books?” Zerik asked, his expression lifting warmly. “I’m always willing to help those in need in my library. The stone only translates the written word, but if she shares it with me while she’s here, we can communicate through paper until she understands Nyl’kira.”

The corners of Jabez’s lips quirked to smile, but he quickly hid it. “Then I’ll let her know.”

With a renewed spring in his step, Zerik moved to open one of the scrolls. “Let me find the books you requested. There may be quite a few, so if you wouldn’t mind helping me carry them, these old bones would be grateful.”

Jabez stepped back and waved his hand to the side, letting the man know to begin their search.

This will make her happy.