Free The Shadow Soul by Kaitlyn Davis

material. It was soft, thin. She rolled it between her fingers, amazed. Her own clothes, Janu's skins that she still wore, felt coarse in comparison.
    Holding it aloft, Jinji realized it was a shirt. Golden threads, the color of the sun on a clear day, were woven through the sleeves. Glittering stones caught her attention and she brought the spot close, gasping at how crystal clear the rocks were.
    "Here," he said, tugging on the material, pulling it over his bare chest and handing her the shirt he had just removed. "You might want that."
    Jinji looked at the dull brown cloth in her hands, damp with sweat, and wrinkled her nose.
    "Why?" She questioned, looking up. 
    He raised his brows, grinning. A golden speck glistened in his grassy eye, calculating, reflecting some idea sparking in his head.
    He shrugged, and it disappeared, decision made. "Never mind," he said, his voice too light, his lips too upturned. He grabbed the shirt, but Jinji held on.
    "No, I will wear it," she said, now nervous. He was far too pleased with himself—far too silent.
    Shaking his head, Rhen pulled hard, and the shirt slipped from her grasp. In one swift move, he ripped it down the middle, dropping the remains at his feet.
    "You know," he said, "in the kingdom you must bow before royalty, on penalty of death. Did the emissary forget to mention that?"
    He looked back, smirking.
    Jinji slapped the only part of him within reach, his head.
    "Hey," he said as he rubbed the spot with his hand, "that actually is punishable by death." He continued massaging his scalp. "For a little thing, you have a good arm. You'll be a good swordsman. I can teach you, you know. I always wanted," he coughed, clearing his throat and looking back to the city. Softer this time, he finished, "I always wanted a little brother to teach…" Rhen looked over his shoulder again, devilish grin back. "But I suppose you'll do, little Jin."
    "I'm not so little," Jinji retorted, still unused to being referred to as a boy. Especially by a man who was no more than a few years older than she. "Perhaps you are too large."
    Rhen barked out a laugh, loud and sudden, almost echoing on the wind. "No such thing, Jin, no such thing. Just ask the whores."
    "Whores?" Jinji didn’t recognize the word.
    Rhen shook his head, walking forward toward the road in the distance. "You have so much to learn but…" He tugged on the leather straps, prodding Ember along. "I think I'll enjoy teaching you. Tonight, after the docks, we'll go to the Staggering Vixen, I know a girl named Martha who would love to meet you."
    He turned, winked.
    A blush rose on Jinji's cheeks as realization hit. Her father had mentioned these women, one of many reasons he forbade her from visiting the stone cities.
    "The docks?" She asked, changing the subject, trying to erase it from her thoughts. The Staggering Vixen? She was certain that was not a place she wanted to visit.
    Ever.
    Jinji looked at the looming city again, swallowing a gulp. It was large, probably full of more people than she could imagine. Maybe she would find a new guide…one not so focused on her education…a woman, maybe.
    "We need a ship," Rhen said, interrupting her thoughts.
    "Why?"
    "How else will we travel to the Golden Isles?"
    "Across the sea?" She asked, turning her gaze sharply on him. The wide waters, the great blue expanse, she had only seen it once while traveling with Janu. They had snuck away from the village, exploring, and after two days of walking, they had reached the edge of the forest, the edge of the world. Jinji could still feel the breeze brush her cheeks, could still feel the warmth of Janu's hand as the two of them stood, toes inches over the rock, looking down, down, down toward crashing waves.
    Her fingers tightened on the saddle, rubbing harshly against the leather.
    "We need to figure out what those Ourthuri were doing here, and there's no better way than stopping in to say hello to their king."
    A new guide , Jinji sighed,