to survive and experience joy even in the midst of this rugged wilderness. I wondered what they thought of their enclosure. Had they ever contemplated going beyond these death-magic-imposed limits? Had they ever yearned to discover the outside world?
Far past the houses and the square building in the middle of the village, I could see the tops of peculiar trees, unlike anything else I’d seen in the jungle. From that same area, animal sounds emerged—squeaky bleating and husky clucking. They probably had domesticated animals, making them a part of their lives. Had the animals been here as long as the soul fae, or were they more recent additions? I had so many questions, my tongue was practically itching.
“They’re peaceful creatures,” Unending murmured. “Notice how none of them are carrying weapons.”
“Joy obviously protects them fiercely, since they’ve survived this long,” I replied.
“There is comfort and safety here. As much as I’d like to berate Death for her hypocrisy regarding her intervention in the natural affairs of the universe, I have to admit I’m glad she saved them. They’re… quite the sight to behold.” She paused to give me a sly grin. “I bet you’ve got a ton of questions, Mr. Anthropologist Extraordinaire.”
“You can’t even begin to imagine.” I chuckled, then grew serious. “Can we get in? I’m glad we can see through the protective magic, but is the membrane weak enough to grant us entry?”
Unending nodded once. “Bear with me, my love. You’ll get to talk to them yourself before long.”
We needed to speak to them anyway, considering the item we were looking for was somewhere in their village. But I certainly welcomed the opportunity to converse with these creatures, to understand more about their way of life and seclusion. It couldn’t have been easy to be stuck here, though they all seemed content with their living arrangements. Nothing about the village spoke of intrusion against the natural elements—as far as I could see, they lived in perfect harmony with their environment. But since Rothko’s Hermessi were so ruthless and violent, I could certainly see why Death had taken additional precautions to protect them.
“I’m wondering… if the local Hermessi are so violent, why would Death leave the soul fae here? Why not relocate them somewhere else?” I asked.
“To be honest, I have no idea. But if I were to guess, I’d say Death is a bit of a sentimental. She didn’t want to take them away from their home, regardless of its conditions.”
“Or maybe she didn’t want to take them to another place where others might find them, accidentally or otherwise,” I suggested.
Unending chuckled. “Perhaps she just wanted to stick it to the local Hermessi. To prove that they couldn’t destroy everyone. That they couldn’t go against her. That actually makes more sense.”
Unending whispered another spell against the blade, then used it to cut an opening through the membrane. Without hesitation, we slipped inside, the hole slowly closing up behind us. We’d reached the soul fae village undetected, and my heart was racing, a rapid pulse pounding in my ears. Excitement and fear had taken over, making it harder for me to concentrate, but Unending took my hand in hers and squeezed gently.
“It’s going to be okay,” she said, revealing us both.
The soul fae didn’t notice us right away as we walked quietly toward them. Following one of the white stone paths, we reached the nearest igloo-house, where a young woman was gingerly squeezing the orchid-like blossoms to extract their precious nectar, each droplet filling the ceramic bowl in her hand. She had mint-green eyes, her white hair loosely braided over one shoulder.
Unending opened a telepathic connection between us and her, using our thoughts and words to convey our good intentions. I didn’t speak their language, but I was suddenly able to understand the young woman and the other soul fae. It was as if a whole new world had revealed itself to me, filling my mind with their warm thoughts.
“Hello,” Unending said, her lips fixed in a soft smile.
The soul fae glanced up and finally saw us. She froze, fear marring her beautiful features.
“We do not wish to harm you,” I added without actually speaking. “We’ve come in peace.”
“Who… who are you?” she asked.
“I am Unending, and this is Tristan,” my wife replied. “It is an honor to meet you. A joy to see you and your kind have survived for so long. May your lives be filled with kindness, good health, and prosperity.”
The soul fae stood up, both hands