The Soul in the Sword (A Throne of Pearls and Bones Book 1) by Katherine Macdonald

Author:Katherine Macdonald [Macdonald, Katherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-08-31T16:00:00+00:00

After the ceremony ends, and the public are let out, we’re given our first tour of the place by an over-eager young priest. Although I’m here for the specific purpose of discovering more information about Celeste, I find the strength in my mission wavering once we’re inside one of the temple’s galleries and Aidan’s breath ghosts my cheek as I hover next to a statue of an angel, her arms and wings outstretched towards the heavens.

“The stonework is quite remarkable, is it not?” Aidan whispers, his voice oddly hot despite the reverence of his tone. The hairs on the back of my neck ripple. We’ve conversed little since this morning. It’s hard to look at him since what happened between us the night before. The memory of his lips on my knuckles is still fresh.

“Ah, yes, quite.”

He isn’t wrong. The stone is carved so delicately that the angel’s hair and gown seem to float, and her wings are so soft and detailed that I’m fooled for a moment into thinking they’re real. But all admiration—as well as most of my words—vanishes at Aidan’s closeness.

“I always wonder why the sculptors never attempt to recreate the eyes,” Aidan continues.

I know what he means. I’ve seen hundreds of statues similar to this one, and yet no one ever decorates the eyes—they’re plain and milk-white, devoid of irises or pupils. I’ve never given much thought to it before.

“Perhaps it’s impossible to carve and still look lifelike,” I wonder aloud. “Or perhaps the eyes can’t be rendered in stone. They’re too… personal. Too intimate. Little doorways to the soul…”

Aidan falls silent. I wonder if I’ve said something stupid or nonsensical, and try to recall what I’ve just uttered. But he isn’t staring at me like I’m an idiot. He’s staring at me like he was staring at the statue, like I’m a piece of art to be understood.

“Do you believe that?”

“Come again?”

“That eyes are the doorway to the soul?”

“I… I’m not sure,” I admit. “I just… sometimes people’s eyes say a lot about them, don’t you think?”

Aidan smiles. It’s a quick, wry smile, unlike anything I’ve seen on him before. “And what do my eyes suggest, pray tell?”

My cheeks heat. His words sound like a challenge, and I’m not sure I want to rise to it. “Well, um…” I clear my throat. I can’t see a way out of this. “You’re kind,” I declare, as boldly as I can manage. “Somewhat reserved. You like to laugh and you have a sense of humour, but you don’t often show that to everyone. I imagine, because like me, you’re very careful with what you say. There’s…” There’s pain in them, sometimes, but I don’t know where it comes from.

I stop myself from uttering that. It’s too intimate, too sharp.

“They glitter when you’re talking to Kay, or when you’re alone in the gardens, or riding, or fencing. That’s when you smile most with them. When you’re happiest.”

Aidan stares at me for a long while after this assessment, his eyes shining.

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