Page 11 of Where Exorcists Cannot Lie

Was that why he’d come here? To heal? That also added up, even though I hadn’t realised demons were capable of passing through the wards of a sanctuarium. I hadn’t heard of such an incident, but that didn’t render it impossible. We were talking about Inuel after all.

One didn’t encounter powerful Alpha Demons often. Rare as the lot came, their skill set remained obscure even for the experts. As one of the said experts, I recognised that well. We referred to Alphas as sponges—though never to their faces—denoting their capability of absorbing and muting the abilities of other demonic species. That trait, more than pronounced in Inuel’s case, made him something of an organically grown exorcist.

Inuel’s face twisted in a grimace and he groaned again.

I touched his forehead—yup, burning. His lips looked dry and chapped. How long had he been lying here without water? He must’ve been on the brink of death when entering the sanctuarium.

“Wait here,” I said.

“No,” he croaked. “Don’t leave me.”

His voice sounded feeble, barely audible. But at least he was talking.

“I won’t leave. I’ll be right back,” I said, my tone patient and even. “You need medicine and a drink. Just give me a moment, all right?”

“No. Taz, please. Don’t leave me. I’m sorry. So sorry.”

I froze.

I struggled to pick the most shocking part. The fact that he recognised me in his delirium, without once opening his eyes? That he addressed me by that stupid nickname he liked calling me all those months before? Or that the word sorry featured in his vernacular?

My heart pounded. I threw the quilt back onto his shoulders and fled.

I needed a minute to myself. He would have to wait.

When I came back, I carried a tall glass of water in which I’d diluted a few drops of the strongest anti-enchantment elixir I found amongst my first aid remedies. Granted, I couldn’t say for sure it would work on a demon, but I figured it shouldn’t cause him much permanent harm, either. There went hoping.

I helped him drink all the fluid, then plastered a cleansing talisman on his brow and stepped back to observe the aftermath.

A pleasant sight it was not, but I expected as much. Aggressive charm relief tended to go hard on the ol’ body. Even so, it gave me quite a fright watching Inuel thrash and convulse in agony. He panted for breath throughout, pasty-faced, his hands clenched into fists, beads of sweat glistening on his chest.

His fit went on and on. After a while, just about when I started to fear I’d fucked up and made matters worse, the spell he’d been under began to break down. Moments later, I could see it excreting from the pores of Inuel’s skin, furling upwards in the form of a black, acrid vapour. A heavy grudge curse, indeed—as its sickly sweet odour informed me.

Once that cleared, I rose from my chair to wipe Inuel’s face and neck with a damp cloth.

His eyelids twitched and lifted. His grey gaze seemed dimmed and watery when it met mine, but it stayed fairly focused.

The silence persisted, unbroken for a time.

“Are you real?” Inuel whispered, blinking up at me.

I poured him a glass of water. “Come,” I said. “Drink this. You need fluids.”

“Taz.” His mouth moved a few times without producing any sound. “You’re really here?”

“U-huh. But my being here isn’t out of the ordinary. Can’t say the same about you. Now, bottoms up.” I didn’t let him stop until he drained the entire contents. “How are you feeling?”

“As if a pissed-off miccorah blasted me with a good’un.” His eyes slid closed again. “That’s to say, not great. And freezing cold.”

A miccorah? Where the fuck had Inuel encountered a rage demon, the most vicious of them all? And why would they attack him?

Regardless, it wasn’t the right time for a chinwag. We both needed to rest. “The chill is normal. It’s because of the anti-enchantment potion I gave you earlier. It’ll pass. I’ll bring you another blanket.”

“No.” Suddenly wide-eyed, he splayed his fingers in an attempt to grab me, yet he didn’t quite manage to find the strength to lift his hand and do so. “Don’t go. Please.”

Judging by his shivering and teeth-chattering, he didn’t exaggerate about feeling cold.

I shook my head and sighed. “All right, then. I’ll stay here.”

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