Chapter 28
Bastian and Trendan headed to the area Ava had directed them to. Both were moving in stealth mode, as he liked to think of it, invisible to the human eye.
Stopping, Bastian looked around to make sure no one was close before he spoke. Just so any nearby humans wouldn’t hear voices. “Other,” he said and looked at his brother.
“What?” Trendan turned and looked behind them.
“Victor said the Solrelm Prince’s other when Troy was going to offer up blood.”
“Yeah.” Trendan started walking again. “What of it?”
“How could he know such a thing?” Bastian waved the wand around. “I’ve barely just realized it.”
Trendan shrugged. “Probably from the smitten, sappy look on your face every time you look at Nova.”
“I don’t have a sappy look on my face.” Bastian paused and watched a small group walking down the street. No darkness in any of them. “It’s more of an ‘I can’t believe I finally caught up to you’ look.”
“Only in your head, brother.” Trendan smirked. “You just admitted her soul is meant for you.”
“It is, and it’s going to be very complicated.” Bastian glanced at him. “I can’t exactly announce to all of Solrelm that I’ve found my human other, can I?”
Trendan shrugged. “Not yet at least. I want to see you introduce her to Dad.” He paused. “Or Elyas.”
Bastian blew out a breath. “That’s not happening until I talk with mother.”
“Get her on your side?”
Bastian smiled. “Exactly.” They both stopped and looked around. “I think this is the parking lot.”
Trendan nodded. “Think there’s any trace left behind from the one that got zapped by her pendant.”
“Let’s hope so.” They moved along the sidewalk, both watching the ground. “What was with you and Jeri staring each other down back there?”
“Jeri?”
“The redheaded, skittish one.”
Trendan scowled. “She wears the same stone as your Nova.”
Bastian smiled. “My Nova, I like that.”
Trendan snorted and kept walking.
“Maybe she’s your other.” Bastian shrugged.
“I don’t think so.” Trendan paused and then squatted down and looked at the sidewalk. “I doubt fate would give two princes human soulmates.”
“Until a month ago, I would have agreed.” Bastian pointed beside him. “A trace and drops of blood.”
“Think it’s the one she belted in the face with her marble bookends?”
“Too much of a coincidence to be otherwise.” Bastian turned and looked at the sidewalk. “That way.” He pointed.
“Yeah.” Trendan got up. “You know we can’t rip his soul out and kill him if we find him, right?”
“Not right away, I know.” He leveled him with a serious look. “But he is going to die for hurting Nova.”
“I agree, but we need the information they have first.”
The creation of their wands was one of Bastian’s favorite technological inventions. Only advanced soul watchers were given them, which in his realm meant roughly a few thousand residents. The wand allowed you to remove the soul from a body with a light touch, without pain from the one dying, and store it until you got back to the chamber of souls. It could also just stun a person for a short time. Before they had their wands, soul harvesting was a very unpleasant event, for both parties involved. It could be done with little discomfort to the human, but not completely peaceful. The watcher had to take the second soul into their body and keep it safe until they reached the chamber. Depending on the soul they harvested, they could feel anything from euphoria to heaving their guts out as the soul objected to being inside a body that already had one. Bastian did not miss the hours of the jitters, nausea, and chilling pains that followed the release of the transported soul.
The wands were a combined effort from an Alterealm genius, a Solrelm elder, and a FaTerra scholar. He remembered the finished product was done just in time for the start of a global plague in the human realm. He’d always felt relief that he’d been able to offer those suffering so cruelly such a peaceful end. He was always thankful he couldn’t contract any of the human diseases. Their suffering still got to him, even though he knew it was inevitable for many reasons. Humans may have weak bodies, but their spirit was stronger than the hardest metal in existence.
“Now who’s distracted?”
Bastian stopped and turned to see Trendan had turned while he kept going straight. “Just thinking.”
“Of course.” He pointed to the sidewalk. “It’s gone.” He looked all around on the pavement. “And the blood.”
Bastian stepped out onto the street. “Someone picked him up?”
“Most likely.”
“Shit.” Blowing out a breath, he pulled out his phone. “Let’s head back and see if the supercharged fae princess was able to get anywhere.”
Trendan nodded; disappointment clear on his face. “I’ll check in with her.” He gave him a hard look. “You need to talk to mother.”
Bastian groaned, “I know. I have no clue where to start.” He felt like a teenager going to his big brother for advice.
Said big brother chuckled. “Don’t look at me, my soul has never so much as hesitated near any female, so I can’t relate at all.”
Bastian sighed. “Do you think Elyas felt the connection with that female?”
Trendan shoved his jacket up to reveal his link bracelet. “I doubt it. I don’t think he’s equipped with any emotion. I’ll check in after I talk to Aireese.” He pushed the button and was gone.
Bastian looked around, debating for a moment about going to see Nova. He would have too, except for the fact she was with the Gemini women. Who clearly didn’t welcome men into their humble abode. It had been as if he’d hit a wall when he’d tried to step into their garage. He’d call her, nodding he pushed up his sleeve, that was a much safer thing to do.