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

mouths of each other, slowly dropping towards the ground.

She screamed as loud as she could. Kicked her legs in hope of scaring them off.

They dropped low enough for Fenris to reach again. He bellowed out khexide at the surrounding hladrun forcing them away from the one clinging to Sparrow. By now she was no longer screaming. She was not even trying to hold onto anything. Fenris snatched up the bird by a wing and dragged it down. With its other larger hand it gently took hold of Sparrow and stomped on the bird’s back to crush through its body.

It took the little soldier into both of its hands, not wanting to risk hurting her further with the smaller, armored limbs. Her body limp, covered in crimson blood and the black blood of the hladrun. She stared wide eyed up at the valkyrie, a shaking hand reaching for its chest. Head to toe, her frail body was lacerated and punctured. Only bits and pieces of her suit pasted to her body due to the fluids. Her breath was short, whistling with each inhale.

The lights on Fenris’ armor reversed to flow downward, its lower jaw quivering. It could see her life fading. The light of her soul darkened as it trickled out of the meaty shell like embers flickering from a fire.

Jackal was first on scene, running as fast as his aching body would let him.

Fenris crouched down as it turned to face them. Its hands lowered to the ground to gently lay her.

Jackal fell to his knees, his breath catching in his throat.

“No...No...No. No. No.” His lips trembled, hands unsteady. He touched her head and shoulder, looking her body over.

She took in a short, sharp breath. Those dark green eyes looked up to Jackal. Begging for help.

“Stay with me.” Jackal said, squeezing her hand. He brushed the hair from her face. “Breathe. Breathe.”

A medic was next on scene. When he saw Sparrow, he dropped the med-kit and backed away.

The others soon arrived, all sharing the same reaction of horror and disbelief. Reaper grabbed Jackal’s shoulder, biting onto his own lip.

“No...Sparrow...No…” Yaaranam touched her mouth, opting to hug herself as she stepped back.

Mjolnir could barely look at her. That was not how he wanted to remember the little soldier. How would they tell Ruby? Who would tell him?

Jackal took her into his arms and held her. How could he let this happen? She should not have been in the gunner’s seat. He should have made sure she was inside the truck. He should have done something more to save her.

The light faded from her eyes. Her last breath barely came through.

“God, no.” Jackal said, squeezing her. He watched as her head fell backwards and her hand dropped from her waist. “I’m so sorry.” He swallowed. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t have done more.”

Jackal adjusted his weight to stand up with her in his arms, but Fenris put its hand between them. It shook its head.

“What do you mean, no?” Jackal said, his voice cracking. “She’s coming with us.”

It pointed to the black blood seeping into her wounds.

“Not safe.”

“We can’t leave her here.”

“What are you saying, Fenris?” Vactubstein stepped up closer, patting Yaaranam on the shoulder.

“Infested.” It tilted its head.

“She’s dead,” Vactubstein stated, “There is no danger with infections.” He would have gone on, but Fenris stopped him.

“Soul...crystal...lizing.” It said it as if it were unsure of the words. “Eos take. Spread.”

Reaper looked up to Vactubstein, a brow raised.

“Wait. What does that mean?” Yaaranam asked.

Mjolnir stepped closer, looking to Fenris, then down to Sparrow.

“She’ll turn into one of them.” Jackal said, glaring down at her body.

“We can’t let that happen.” Mjolnir looked at the valkyrie. “How can we stop it?”

It shook its head. “Fenris can...not.” Its larger claw reached up to pick at a tooth. “Hilor….” Another shake of its head.

“The source of the infection is her soul, unless we have the right tech, there’s nothing we can do.” Vactubstein stated. “I can’t say whether it has been known in the past, or if it is entirely new to our kind.”

“We could wait for the soul to crystallize completely.” Reaper said. “Take it out when it does.”

Fenris’ head tilted to the other side. “Sparrow eos.”

“I’ll do it.” Yaaranam said. “I’ll watch her and take out the orb when it’s done. It’s just the core of an eos, right?”

“Fenris, could that work?” Jackal asked.

The valkyrie shrugged. “Eos soul take shell.”

“Captain Reaper, are you sure this is worth the risk?” Nostradamus asked, a question mark displayed on his face. “This concerns many issues on ethics, morals, and health. A human turned eos could provide many dangers to the people.”

“If we could bring her back, then it’s worth the risk.”

“What about the others? Everyone else who died?”

“It’s...probably too late for them. Had we known sooner.”

“We’re doing it.” Jackal stood up, cradling Sparrow’s body. “Yaaranam, you’ll watch her?”

“I owe her one.” She smiled.

“What about Ruby?” Mjolnir asked.

“I’d want to have her back, too.” Jackal grumbled, walking to the back of his truck.

FIFTY

None were sure of Fenris' words. They did not fully understand what it was trying to tell them. Nostradamus volunteered to stay with Yaaranam and watch over Sparrow’s body so he could study it. Perhaps he could figure out a way to reverse the effects, or to stop them from happening on the next to fall.

Sparrow had been strapped down into the bed of one of the trucks where Yaaranam and Nostradamus sat. They watched her intently. Watching her skin pale as her blood cooled. Black tendrils slowly surfaced first at her chest, then crept up the neck to the head where its presence was more prominent in the softer parts; eyes, lips, eyes, and nose.

Nostradamus scanned her all the while. He watched as what made her body human and made her uniquely Sparrow was eaten and taken over by foreign matter. He reckoned it was the eos DNA that evolved to such a degree, it consumed foreign material and used it to power