The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1) by Gwyndolyn Russell (e reader txt) 📕

It seemed we had time to spare. I climbed into the truck to get out an MRE and sat down on one of the doors. I prepped it and let it sit to cook.

Just as it was done, about three minutes later, Fenris crawled out of the skaginvar.

He came over to the truck with this mystical cyan orb sitting snug in his palm.

"Is that what you were digging in there for?" I asked.

"Yes." He nodded.

The others gathered around.

"Soul of skaginvar."

"That's a soul?" Yaaranam raised a brow.

"Yes. The core of eos. It must be destroyed."

"Is...is that awful sound coming from it?" I asked. I could hear static like a scream, circling around as if it were stuck in a vortex.

"What sound? It's quiet." Yaaranam looked around.

"You don't hear it? Really?"

Fenris tossed the orb into his mouth and crushed it in a single bite. When he did, I could hear what he said was the soul, screeching all the way down his gullet. He bit the air and shards a few times making sure to get every bit of it.

Overcome with hunger, I dug into the MRE. At least the screaming was gone.

"Is it dead?" Fenris asked, pointing at the truck.

"It is not alive at all." Nostra stated. "It needs to be flipped onto its wheels. Could you help?"

Fenris nodded and reached up to me with one of his larger hands. I gathered up the packets from the MRE and took the help getting down.

With us safely out of the way, he pushed the truck so it teetered on three wheels, then dropped onto all six.

The vehicle bounced and whined.

"I could get used to this." I grinned. "There's nothing you can't do."

"Coffee." He stated in a grumble.

"No. Pretty sure you made it just fine."

"Tiny tools."

I laughed. Wheezed. Cried a little. I dug into the back seat of the truck for the medical kit. Opened it and went right for the painkillers. These weren't the kind you give your mother either. These were like horse tranquilizers. Best in small doses. I took about four and prayed they not only kicked in asap, but numbed my entire body so I couldn't feel a damned thing.

Yaaranam reached into the driver's side and turned the keys. It only clicked. She tried again and it fired up.

A breaking twig caught our attention.

Fenris growled, taking a defensive posture.

I bit on the plastic spoon, grinding my teeth. Please don't be another one.

A beast with a thick, long neck emerged slowly from the trees. It made a soft call like a trombone in a higher key. Flesh and metal. Its front legs were fairly short compared to its back legs which put its hips up high above its head. Its tail was thick with muscle and metal plates, twice the size of its body. Pointed scutes lined its tail from base to tip, top, bottoms, and sides. Sharp claws replaced short fingers on its front feet. Its head was a rectangle that had a small slope down at the nose. No teeth that I could see, but tiny eyes on either side of its head.

The odd part was the suit of weathered black armor sitting on what looked like a leather saddle on its shoulders. A bridle on its face with reigns gripped by the armor. Slowly the creature and its rider approached.

The closer they got, the more details we could see of the armor. It was weathered down, dented, scraped, and cut. Its original paint showing through the black. Oranges and yellows. It actually looked like a dragon made of charcoal. Big horns swept backwards. The front of the helmet came out in a smooshed in muzzle complete with sharp teeth and glaring eyes. Even the jet pack on the back had more aesthetic designs to look like bat wings.

We all knew the armor. It belonged to an eldiravan.

"It is okay, Devourer!" The man called. "We mean you, nor your companions, any harm."

"Who are you?" I called back.

"Will your wolf attack? I promise my girl is a kind one."

"Fenris, relax." I touched his arm.

He seemed to calm down, but he was focused on the eos the man rode.

He came closer, pulling on the reins to turn his beast's side to us.

"I did not think there would be any survivors. That ship that came down. Is it yours?"

"It is. Some sort of tumor of an eos attached itself and landed the ship."

"It makes me happy to know some of you are all right." He looked to Nostradamus. "Kalroun? Is that really you?

"I'm sorry," a question mark, "have we met?"

"Of course we have! We traveled together for some time. I am sorry for what happened to you when we last saw each other on Thacatis. Had I not ran, I feared our troubles would be in vain. It is good to see you again."

"Who are you again?"

"Vactubstein. Those monsters must have damaged you severely if you---"

"Vactubstein?" Yaaranam came around the truck. She pulled the mask down from her face. "Father?!" She rushed over to him.

He pulled the reigns of his mount to keep it calm.

"Father…?" He paused, staring at Yaaranam. "Yaara? That can't be you."

I saw tears well up in her eyes. I had no idea eldiravan could cry.

Vactubstein set down the reins and jumped down a few feet from the beast.

Yaaranam immediately wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest. He embraced her, holding the back of her head with one hand.

"I feared you were dead."

"Oh, now. Chin up. Soldiers don't…" he took a breath. "What are you doing out here and with humans? Where is your armor?"

She pulled from him. Wiped her eyes.

"It's a long story." She said.

"Well, we have time. Tell me everything."

I could not believe the difference. I expected her father to be a lot worse than her. Yet not an impolite word out of him. Not even a gesture of hate, or a bad attitude. He was a noble soldier. Made me think of a knight in an old movie.

"The Emperor