A Soul to Keep

Priestesses dress 26-year-old Reia in a white dress as she questions why she is blamed for the existence of monsters around her town, given that monsters have seemingly always existed in the human realm. A priestess tells Reia she brings bad omens. The priestesses wear purple robes covered in runes and white clay masks painted like women’s faces. Reia’s house is small, with only one room, sparse furniture, and no decor, and is positioned at the edge of town closest to the walls. The priestesses continue to dress her and style her blonde hair as they tell her she should have died with the rest of her family. When Reia was seven, her entire family—including her mother, father, baby brother, and dog—was eaten by demons. Reia listened to the horrible event happen while hiding in the corner. After the demons left, she walked to the nearest village to find help, but everyone was suspicious about why the demons did not eat her. When three guards went with her to see the carnage, they were attacked by demons, and again Reia survived while two of the guards were killed. The town did not want to strengthen the demons by letting them eat another human, so, though they were wary of Reia, they kept her alive inside the walls of the town. The priestesses believe Reia is cursed.

Now, the town plans to sacrifice Reia to the Duskwalker, as it is bad luck to kill a human thought to bring bad omens. She is to become the Duskwalker’s bride, as she is “pure” and supposedly willing, which enrages her. The town always treated Reia as an outcast, allowing her out of her house only to receive food. She had to place a basket on the ground and stand back as people tossed food into it. She was not kept in the dungeons because the villagers feared karmic retribution; now, though, if she refuses to be the Duskwalker’s bride, they will keep her in the dungeons underground for the rest of her life. The priestesses lead her out of her house and toward town for the sacrifice.

Following the priestesses, Reia sees the townsfolk gathered at the town center. The chief, former guard Gilford, asks Reia if she’s ready, though Reia is not allowed to speak. She is only allowed to talk to the priestesses due to their protection amulets. Gilford and the others lead Reia through town toward the border between town and the walls, where the two backup sacrifices wait. Clove, a girl oddly fascinated by demons, and Darren, an eldest brother seeking to protect his family, are alternatives in case the Duskwalker rejects Reia. They refer to Reia as a monster, which again makes her angry. As priests swing incense to dispel the scent of fear, the gates open and reveal the waiting Duskwalker and his enchanted wolves. He is human-shaped, with a wolf skull, antelope horns, and glowing blue eyes, but very tall, which makes Reia realize she likely cannot outrun him to escape. Gilford greets the Duskwalker, attempting to introduce himself, but the Duskwalker does not care to learn his name and asks for his sacrifice. Gilford then offers Reia in exchange for the protection wards the Duskwalker will place around the town to keep the demons at bay. He approaches Reia and asks her name. She panics as she is not allowed to speak. Gilford then cruelly shouts at her to speak, and the Duskwalker grabs her by the throat with tight but not suffocating pressure and lifts her to the tips of her toes. She says her name.

Orpheus, the Duskwalker, finds Reia intriguing; he notes her pale skin, a sign of her confinement to her home and lack of sun exposure. He cannot smell her, as he put mud in his nose hole to block the smell of fear and resist the urge to eat the townspeople. He finds Reia beautiful to look at and thinks he will smell her fear when he leans closer, but to his surprise, she is angry rather than scared. Gilford panics and offers the other sacrifices for Orpheus to choose from, which confuses him as in the past he has only had one sacrifice offered. He wonders what is wrong with Reia and questions her willingness before he goes to inspect Clove and Darren. He doesn’t want Darren as men never last long and often try to kill him. He doesn’t want Clove as her fear is too strong, and he finds Reia’s wariness more enticing. He confirms Reia’s willingness and chooses her.

Orpheus uses his claws to extract a drop of blood from Reia’s wrist, which, combined with his magic, makes the protection wards around the city come to life. Reia tries to pull away, but Orpheus holds her until the runes and six-pointed star appear around them, signifying that the magic is complete. Orpheus then tells Reia it’s time they leave and begins to walk away from the town. Gilford thanks Orpheus as they leave, but Orpheus does not view the wards as a gift for he knows that in 10 years, the wards will fade, and the town will be vulnerable to the demons once again. Orpheus is tired of the ritual of receiving another human and wants a true companion, a human who will want to remain with him. He wonders if Reia will be different, or if in another decade, he will be back for another bride.

Reia struggles to keep up with Orpheus as they leave the town, the gates closing behind them. Orpheus’s wolves nip at her to hurry along as she struggles through the snow. She asks Orpheus why she couldn’t retrieve her things before realizing she has little to even bring with her. She falls in the snow, and, while getting up, she trips through a wolf and realizes the wolves are illusions. She recovers, and as they walk, Orpheus asks if she lied about being a willing offering. She admits she was coerced, which slightly upsets Orpheus, though not enough to return to the village to take revenge. When Reia trips again, Orpheus begins to carry her. Reia decides she likes his deep voice and his smell of pine and mahogany, even if he is a terrifying monster.

Orpheus carries Reia through the night as she sleeps in his arms, the demons watching but kept at bay for fear of him. He is frustrated that he cannot smell Reia’s true scent under the oils and herbs the priestesses put on her. Though she does not smell like fear, Orpheus doesn’t yet trust her. In the morning, Reia wakes, and Orpheus is enchanted by the beauty of the snow glittering on her skin. Orpheus enjoys the feeling of holding her and has to be careful not to squeeze her too tightly. Reia wonders if he used magic to put her to sleep, but he reveals that his magic is minor and requires sacrifices to work. Reia asks why he can use magic, but he does not answer her. She says his name when she questions him again about why he can use magic; this stuns him, as no other offering has ever said his name to him. Instead of answering her question, he offers her a boon for saying his name again the same way, with gentleness. She says it, and he relishes it. The moment is cut short when Orpheus is shot in the arm with an arrow by a demonslayer. Three demonslayers appear and attack Orpheus, demanding he release Reia. He puts Reia down and transforms into a more beastly form with glowing red eyes to attack.

Reia is stunned and horrified as Orpheus attacks the demonslayers. She felt sympathy for him when he was shot with the arrow, but his transformation frightens her. He becomes more animal-like, an amalgamation of many creatures meshed together, with wolf legs, a deer tail, fish fins on his elbows, and rib bones protruding outside his chest. Reia realizes that the human demonslayers offer a rescue opportunity for her. However, when Reia runs toward one, he holds a sword against her neck and demands Orpheus stop attacking the other demonslayers. Reia struggles and screams, which gains Orpheus’s attention. She cries out his name, and he turns and runs straight toward the demonslayer holding her hostage. She elbows the demonslayer and runs away. She falls in the snow again, and Orpheus catches up to her. She freezes with fear as he puts his mouth around her entire head as if to eat her. Reia panics and begins to laugh, which makes Orpheus pull back. He sniffs her and transforms back into his humanlike form. He tells Reia that he was going to eat her, and he doesn’t know why he stopped: Perhaps he was shaken out of his hunger by her laughter. He licks her neck and chest to gain further access to her scent, which arouses and confuses Reia. Orpheus then stands up and helps Reia to her feet so they can continue toward their home. He cannot carry her due to his exhaustion and injuries but promises to protect her life. Reia then offers to bandage his wounds.

Reia tears strips off her dress to make bandages for Orpheus’s arrow wounds. Orpheus has never had a human care for his well-being before, so he finds it intriguing. Though he will heal by the next day, he lets Reia bandage the injuries that are outside his coat and shirt. What lies beneath his clothing has horrified all humans he’s shown it to. He wonders why she’s helping him after she ran away from him. Reia admits she was afraid of what he turned into, which saddens Orpheus, but that she was also angry at the demonslayer who used her as bait. She wanted to run away on her own. She trusts herself and has the knowledge to survive. She wanted to be a demonslayer when she was younger as she doesn’t experience as much fear as others. Orpheus tells her he can smell fear on her, but Reia thinks the demonslayer guild could have trained it out of her. Orpheus asks if she wants to protect the people she cares about, but Reia admits that there is no one left that she cares about. He sees Reia is cold and offers to carry her, and she climbs into his arms. Orpheus feels a glimmer of hope that even though she was afraid of him in his beast form and does not know whether he is demon, human, or both (Duskwalkers’ origins are shrouded in mystery, even to Duskwalkers themselves), she still came to him and let him hold her. At her presence in his arms, his eyes turn from blue to purple. 

Reia feels conflicted by the sense of safety she has in Orpheus’s arms. She asks him why he chose her over Clove, and he answers that he was drawn to her anger. He also clarifies that Reia is not his bride but his companion, which is all he seeks since no human has been willing to pay the price to become his bride. Reia asks what happened to the other companions, and Orpheus reveals that some fled and died, some were taken, and some gave him more humanity, meaning he ate them. Reia knew that demons and Duskwalkers become larger with every human they eat, but the idea that they also gain more humanity is new to her. She thinks Orpheus must have eaten many people as his emotions and mannerisms seem very human. She asks him again what she must give him to become his bride, and he tells her that she must offer him her soul to keep. Orpheus once thought that eternal life as long as his would be a fair exchange for being his companion, but no human has accepted the bargain.

Reia and Orpheus reach the Veil. Reia is horrified by the smell, but Orpheus conceals her under his cloak to keep her safe from the demons, which helps dampen the stink of the air. Border demons question Orpheus about what is beneath the cloak as they edge deeper into the Veil, but he threatens them until they leave. They walk for most of the day until they reach Orpheus’s house. He asks Reia to cover her ears as he lets loose a beastly roar and smells the air to ensure their safety, then leads her into the house. Reia takes in the surroundings; Orpheus’s home is a cozy log cabin, countering her initial fear that Orpheus would drag her to a cave. The furniture in the house is built for Orpheus’s size, which makes Reia fully appreciate his 7'2’’ height and the density of his muscle. Orpheus goes outside to replace the protective enchantments around the house. Alone, Reia looks at the various plants and powders Orpheus has on his counter. She finds a dagger and wonders why Orpheus would leave her alone with a weapon. She doesn’t hear him as he returns to the house and puts his hand atop hers on the hilt of the dagger. He warns her that she will not succeed in killing him, and it would only send him into a rage that would likely make him kill her. She lies that she wasn’t even thinking about killing him before tossing the dagger aside. He then tells her that she must bathe before nightfall to get the human scent off of her.