A killer

She finally spoke, trying to absorb what Jeriel was telling her.

"And he could tell if I'd... if I'd..." She couldn't force the words out.

"Yes," Jeriel affirmed quietly. "He would be able to tell if you killed someone." He went on, sounding like a lecturer to Linao's ears. "Whenever a creature that has a soul - humans, for instance - takes the life of another soul-bearing creature, they take on a fragment of the dead one's aural pattern." Jeriel almost hesitated, but not quite. "The more lives the creature takes, the more fragments are absorbed by it's aura. Every time that creature kills, it becomes more and more obvious that it is a killer."

Jeriel's eyes looked haunted.

"A killer..." Linao repeated softly.

summary written by Cherie