Page 59 of Souls We Rip

My eyes peered to see a delicate mirror, floating in front of me, flowers ingrained on its frame. Its size was the same as my mum’s mirror, which stayed on her nightstand. Fit for a gentle woman, as she would say.

“Now that you have your mirror, you will finally cross the threshold to our side, your purity and god long forgotten,” the Elk mocked.

I kept my mouth shut. My God would never be forgotten, not when He lived inside my mind with each passing second. Bowing my head at the Elk’s words, I focused on the familiar scent of old tomes.

Composing myself, I checked my reflection in my Mirror. It was majestic. I was not a fragile thing anymore.

Ivory bones stood in front of me, the antlers higher than any of the stags I’ve seen before. My fingers touched the rough surface; the elongated ridge was a haunting picture. Hands flew to the top, which resembled the pines’ branches outside the cave.

Yet even so, my mind and soul would never change.

“Now, we should choose for you a mentor. Since yours abandoned you,” the Elk jeered, my cheeks warm at the thought that it was right, “we should choose you another one!” Its upper hooves went in the air, making the ground rattle.

“I did not abandon her! Therefore, master, I will show her our ways.”

His hooves clanked, creating an echo. Every skull in the room watched his steps, parting the crowd in two. All their hollow eyes followed his body moving, his low voice making me tremble.

The Goat Man placed a cloak on my shoulders, a dark one with gold embroidery to match my dress. The fabric was soft on my skin, warming me instantly.

“Thank you,” I whispered, only for him to hear.

He ignored me completely, a challenging look passing between him and his master. “Are we through here?” He held his skull higher, his chest puffing.

The Elk nodded, pushing the mirror into one of my cloak’s pockets. “We’ll see how well she handles tomorrow.”

And with those words, every member of the Order, besides the Goat Man, faded away as in a dream.

“You came,” I whispered, sudden shivers rocking my body.

He removed my skull mask while keeping his own.

With his mind, he grabbed a piece of cloth and placed it over my eyes.

“I see you’re still hiding,” I whispered, touching the soft fabric. My ears perked at the sound of both skulls clattering on the stone floor.

He grabbed my elevated body in his furless arms by my legs and underarms, cocooning me at his chest. I closed my eyes, cradling my head in the nape of his neck. He was warm, or I was too cold, but somehow it felt as if we were in equilibrium.

Two pans of a balance, bound by fate.

“One day, dear Ana, I will think of myself as a good being. And then, you will see my true face.”

After he saved me from further embarrassment, I didn’t think of him as evil anymore. But something in between.

His arms, from time to time, pulsed, waking me from my dizziness. The words he spoke after were unclear, my mind conjuring the time when I felt the warmest.

In a past winter, my sister making the fire, blazing flames touching the wood logs. My mum’s plum jam on a fresh piece of bread. Snow surrounded our yard, and the livestock crowding in the coop.

I did not feel when the Goat Man ascended the stairs, nor when he climbed his horse. My brain registered his last words, which raised goosebumps on my skin.

“Sleep, agonising woman. Sleep, because tomorrow our fate awaits.”

The Goat Man

The first soul

I stood in my room all night, watching her chest rise and fall. From time to time, my ear listened to her breathing.

She looked just as the Souls’ Mirror showed me. Her hair sparkled like the stars, her eyes of pure white, waiting to be filled with the blue of the souls.