Page 31 of Souls We Rip

That made me jump from the spot where I had been on the brink of despair. I grabbed the feather and ink and signed my name on the deed.

At once, everything halted.

The sun shone again, warming my cheeks, the wind turned into a musical breeze, and the birds started their trill.

“In a month, your first soul will be collected.”

My legs jerked at the sound of its voice.

“And if you fail, human, let’s say your sister will be the One-Eyed Bride.”

The cold breeze of its breath tore my heart in two. Its vivid description of my sister would live in my head forever.

The horse followed in its master’s steps, neighing in the distance.

I signed my life away.

My heart felt as though it had died the moment I wrote my name on the contract.

My spirit crossed the edge to the abyss.

The Goat Man

“You must be proud of yourself, master! You succeeded!”

The ghost’s face was elated. His clear eyes were wide open, and the grin stretched unnaturally across his translucent lips.

But I was not feeling that.

I was content with my powers and that I had her name on the contract.

What I did not like was how she felt. Seeing her crammed in the dirt, with her legs to her chest and her lean body trembling, made me sick to my stomach. It gave me a bitter taste in my mouth.

How would this affect her pure mind and soul?

Would she turn to the devil? Or would she stay with the angels?

The garments I brought for her were tousled, muddy and dirty, in contrast with her purity. Her frail features were twisted from the pain that my own mind inflicted.

The little voice in my head, which kept some sense of morality, told me to get to my knees and apologise for inflicting pain. To beg.

Thus, the Goat Man never stays on his knees. Only for his master, who soon would not be served anymore.

The ghost wandered around my chamber, cleaning my skull, and taking far too long.

I clenched my fists on the small table. The food the boy had brought lay untouched, the pilaf with chicken kidneys getting cold.

“Take it and be gone! The echo of your steps poisons my thoughts.” My shout rang off the rock wall, the candles flickering from my anger. The servant rolled his eyes in his head, as he did each time he got chastised.

Snapping my fingers at him, his gaze fixed on me. He apologised and scurried away, carrying my goat skull with him, the ivory bone glistening in the candlelight.

My naked body strutted to the Souls’ Mirror, the red-yellow flames from the candles reflecting on the glossy surface. I tapped once with my finger, the nail scratching the glass.

The same image of the woman, with midnight hair, pure eyes and long and pointy horns, stood before me. In a second, the image changed, my own body joining. My head was tilted to her, something akin to admiration, filling my blue swirls.

My body was circled by the souls I took, their red ink staining my pale skin.

I turned my back from the mirror, my blood pulsing in my ears, ignoring the odd sensation the image gave to my body. Any feelings of pity I might have for the human, I had to put aside. I had to succeed in getting out of this world.