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

have finally arrived! We tried to signal you when we saw your ship. We are so happy to see you!"

Reaper removed his helmet, held it against his hip. "The feeling is mutual. You're safe now, ma'am. We have room for everyone on the Syndicate."

"The Syndicate?" The other two birds squawked to one another.

"Oh, my, you're the famous Captain Arturo Phillips! How lucky we are!"

I took my helmet off to preserve the oxygen I had left in my tank. The survivors were in suits, but no helmets themselves. I watched the petals of the fleebeeron with the cockatoo. Beautiful rosy pink petals that stretched out far and wide with ruffled edges. Long pollen stems stretched from the middle of the five petals, though they were without any pollen, a female of the species.

Fleebeeron were small and frail. They were walking flowers with stems that branched out for legs and arms. They had the impression of a face, but only had eyes. No ears, noses, or mouths. That was why they all had birds. The birds communicated for them.

"What were you doing way out here?" Reaper asked.

The creature from the door approached. My eyes were drawn to it. It seemed to stare back at me.

"I am Fauriei, captain of this vessel. We were traveling on our normal migration route. We made a stop to pick up new nomads and met Fenris.” She gestured to the creature. “He needed a new destination for his mission. We were headed near, so we allowed him to board. When we got within the system…” She lowered her head.

The bird squawked and flapped its wings wildly.

“We are sorry we do not remember exactly what happened. We remember being escorted to the bridge in the middle of the night.” A soft sigh. “There were many more of us. Fenris could only do so much. We expected more, and that was wrong of us.” She and the bird both looked up to the creature.

The creature, Fenris, cocked its head to the side.

“What do you mean?” Reaper raised a brow. “How long have you been here?”

“We relied solely on Fenris in the disaster. Those monsters were held at bay by Fenris for weeks!”

“So, it was protecting you?”

“Yes, of course! Were it not for him, you would have found no one, but!”

“Were you leading us?” I asked the creature who was now a wolf sitting in front of me.

Silence.

“Can it speak?”

“Well…” The bird’s head lowered. “We do not know.”

“Then how can you understand it?”

“Oh, we cannot understand it as clearly as we do you, however you can trust in the pheromones one releases.”

I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“So, it smells trustworthy to you?” Reaper questioned. “You let it aboard and you do not suspect it at all?”

“Fenris would not harm any of us. We are no threat to him. Nor are you. He may be off-putting, but he cannot help that.”

The creature grumbled. I felt my chest vibrate.

“We must leave this ship.” The cockatoo spoke quieter. “We will not be safe for much longer.”

Reaper and I both looked to Fenris, who was now staring at the door.

“What are they?” I asked.

Fauriei shrugged. “We do not know. Fenris does. He can sense them.”

The creature moved to the door. I watched its jaws spread apart, then snap back together. The sound that came from it was deep and hollow. It resonated through the ship. Rattled my bones. I found myself completely still, like a statue, staring at that wolf. “Off-putting” was over simplifying it. Fenris carried a great cloud of dread. Yet when it, or he, moved out of sight, I followed as if I were on a leash.

I fit my helmet on over my head. The air spat out of the hole just above my visor. I checked on my HUD for my oxygen reserves. Might not be enough to make it back to the shuttle.

The temperature plummeted. It was much colder than when we got here. A strong breeze rushed around me. Fenris seemed unphased.

We could hear the creatures stalking us through the walls. Thumps and clacks came from out of sight. Fenris led us in a new direction, perhaps to confuse the creatures. While we walked, I watched this seemingly friendly being. How would it have known we were here for the survivors and not pirates hoping to score lucky? Did it guide us to the bridge, or try to deter us? The more I watched it and thought about it, the less the weight of its presence seemed to exist. I found myself trusting this stranger and the otherworldly sense it had.

NINE

Fenris had taken them down a completely different path compared to how they got to the bridge. It must have been a safer path. Fenris had wandered the ship for days. It knew the layout better than anyone else. The gas hung in the air, barely knee high, but no more rolled down the creature's back.

Reaper leaned towards Jackal to whisper.

"How's your oxygen?"

Jackal took a second to answer.

"I'll make it."

Reaper knew when Jackal was lying. While he may not have known just how much was left in his tank, he knew it would be trouble soon. Luckily, Fenris had a good pace. Just fast enough to make good time, but not so fast the smallest of the group was left behind.

The survivors gasped and covered their faces at the sight of what they had to walk through.

Bodies were piled against the walls. Mangled up by what could only be determined as meat grinders, or metal crushers.

"We see why Fenris kept us in the bridge." Fauriei's cockatoo squawked.

"I am sorry you have to see this." Reaper put a hand on her shoulder.

"No. We are sorry we could not have done better protecting them."

"Don't blame yourself, miss."

Something slammed into the wall from the other side. Fauriei jumped into Reaper's arms.

Fenris had not stopped moving. If it hadn't then the threat was not immediate. Fauriei straightened herself and elegantly stepped past Reaper. She kept her chin up,